Hegseth says National Guard members shot in DC ambush by Afghan national will receive Purple Heart
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Friday that two West Virginia National Guard members — Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe — who were shot in an ambush-style attack near the White House late last year, will receive the Purple Heart. Calling the Nov. 26 incident “a terrible thing” and saying the troops were “attacked by a radical,” Hegseth made the announcement while speaking at a National Guard reenlistment ceremony at the Washington Monument, where he administered the oath of enlistment to more than 100 Guardsmen from nine states serving in Washington, D.C. “And we had a terrible thing happen a number of months ago,” Hegseth said. “Andrew Wolfe, Sarah Beckstrom, one lost, one recovered, thank God, in miraculous ways. Both soon to be Purple Heart recipients because they were attacked by a radical.” The remarks mark the first public confirmation from Hegseth that the service members will receive the Purple Heart, one of the nation’s oldest military decorations, awarded to those killed or wounded by enemy action. AFGHAN NATIONAL ACCUSED IN DC NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING PLEADS NOT GUILTY, PROSECUTORS MAY SEEK DEATH PENALTY The Purple Heart traces its origins to the American Revolution, when George Washington established the Badge of Military Merit in 1782, to recognize enlisted soldiers wounded or killed in service. The modern Purple Heart was revived in 1932, and is awarded in the name of the president to U.S. service members wounded or killed by enemy action. Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were shot just blocks from the White House in what officials described as an ambush-style attack. Beckstrom died a day after the shooting. Wolfe was seriously wounded and continues to recover. BONDI DESCRIBES WOUNDED NATIONAL GUARDSMAN AS A ‘MIRACLE,’ SAYS ‘HE’S ABLE TO OPEN BOTH EYES’ The accused gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, faces nine charges related to the shooting, including first-degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed. He has pleaded not guilty. In a statement posted on X, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey thanked Hegseth for the announcement and said the recognition was long overdue. “I thank Secretary @PeteHegseth for announcing that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe will soon receive the Purple Heart, an honor that reflects their courage and sacrifice in defense of our nation,” Morrisey wrote. Morrisey said he formally requested the Purple Heart awards Dec. 19, adding that the announcement “brings long-overdue honor to their service, offers meaning and reassurance to their families, and stands as a solemn reminder that West Virginia will never forget those who sacrifice in defense of others.” Hegseth’s remarks Friday came during a ceremony honoring the National Guard’s ongoing security mission in the nation’s capital. According to a War Department news release, more than 100 Guardsmen from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia reenlisted Friday as part of the mission. REP BRIAN MAST: CONGRESS HAS THE PERFECT WAY TO HONOR OUR NATION’S FALLEN HEROES Those troops are among more than 2,600 National Guard members currently deployed in Washington at the direction of President Donald Trump in support of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which was established in August 2025 after the president declared a crime emergency in the city. Addressing the Guardsmen, Hegseth described their service in Washington as “front lines” duty. “This is not an easy assignment. It’s the real deal. It’s front lines,” he said. “You’ve done it, and you’ve done well.” The Army could not immediately provide comment after being reached by Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this story.
SBA freezes over 100,000 California borrowers in sweeping $9B pandemic fraud crackdown
The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced Friday it had suspended more than 100,000 California borrowers amid suspected fraud, with the alleged abuse totaling nearly $9 billion. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the agency suspended 111,620 California borrowers linked to suspected fraudulent activity across SBA pandemic-era loan programs. Those borrowers received 118,489 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loans totaling more than $8.6 billion. “Once again, the Trump SBA is taking decisive action to deliver accountability in a state whose unaccountable welfare policies have created a culture of fraud and abuse at the expense of law-abiding taxpayers and small business owners,” Loeffler said in a statement. HOUSE REPUBLICANS CALL MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE ‘TIP OF THE ICEBERG’ AS MORE BLUE STATES FACE SCRUTINY “Today, we announced we have suspended nearly 112,000 borrowers tied to at least $9 billion in suspected fraud,” she said. “This staggering number represents the most significant crackdown on those who defrauded pandemic programs, and it illuminates the scale of corruption that the Biden administration tolerated for years.” Loeffler referenced the Trump administration’s fraud crackdown in another blue state, saying, “As we did in Minnesota, we are actively working with federal law enforcement to identify the criminals who defrauded American taxpayers, hold them to account and recoup the stolen funds. “As we continue our state-by-state work, our message is clear: Pandemic-era fraudsters will not get a pass under this administration.” GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL The announcement comes after the SBA said last month it had suspended 6,900 Minnesota borrowers after uncovering what it said was widespread suspected fraud. The agency previously reviewed thousands of PPP and EIDL loans approved in Minnesota, identifying nearly $400 million in potentially fraudulent loans tied to borrowers. That suspected activity included 7,900 PPP and EIDL loans approved during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Loeffler. The SBA previously said at least $2.5 million in PPP and EIDL funds issued during the pandemic era were connected to a Somali-linked fraud scheme based in Minneapolis.
Conservative firebrand vows to purge ‘RINOs’ in battle to replace retiring Vern Buchanan in open Florida seat
Eddie Speir is not afraid of a fight with the Florida GOP establishment. In 2024, he took on 10-term incumbent Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and won just under 40% of the vote, positioning himself as a constitutional conservative outsider against an entrenched moderate Republican. Now, with Buchanan’s Jan. 27 announcement that he would be retiring after a nearly two-decade stint in D.C., Speir is launching another grassroots, outsider candidacy to challenge the “RINO Republicans” that he frequently derides. FLORIDA GOP REP VERN BUCHANAN TO RETIRE, ADDING TO WAVE OF HOUSE EXITS “This is just a continuation of what I did in ’24, which was run against Vern Buchanan to expose the RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] that are not representing the district…and the taxpayers of Florida. So we need somebody that’s gonna step up and actually represent and go to Washington D.C. with a bold agenda and not compromise to the elite social circles that are up there in D.C.” Speir said he believes that his messaging and grassroots support will carry him through to victory in the Aug. 18 primary. “We were the largest grassroots movement in this district’s history…Nobody else had even come close to earning 40% in the entire state of Florida. … So, it’s hard to push against an incumbent here in Florida. But now there’s not even an incumbent, so we’re just gonna continue the same momentum that we had and get the message out.” DAYLIGHT SAVING REFORM HITS WALL AS LAWMAKERS BLAST ‘OUTDATED PRACTICE’ Florida political observers have batted about several possible contenders that might join Speir in the GOP primary. Chief among these is close Trump ally Joe Gruters, who cut his political teeth working on Buchanan’s campaign and would be the establishment heir apparent. However, Gruters’ potential candidacy is complicated by the three high-level positions he currently holds. He is a sitting Florida state senator, the RNC chairman, as well as the current candidate for Florida Chief Financial Officer in 2026. Gruters is seen as the most likely establishment opponent to Speir, and some believe he may abandon his Florida CFO candidacy to run in Florida’s 16th district. THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT MODERN ‘ANTI-FASCISM’ New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran has also been discussed as a potential candidate. Speir was appointed to the New College of Florida board of trustees by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2023, but the Florida Senate refused to confirm his appointment. Speir’s controversial tenure at New College, and the subsequent rejection of his confirmation by the Florida Senate, catapulted Speir onto the national stage at a time when the Florida GOP was conspicuously seeking to rebrand the school as the “Hillsdale of the South.” Additional candidates who may join the field include former state Rep. Mike Beltran, developer Carlos Beruff, former state Senate President Bill Galvano, and Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn. Speir said he realizes he is likely to be facing off not merely against the local GOP establishment, but against President Donald Trump as well: “In the ’24 primary, Vern Buchanan had one of the worst records possible, and Donald Trump endorsed him with a number of other horrific candidates. So we’ve got to be able to separate Trump’s priorities and his constitutional conservative push, versus the political machine that he’s working with, because that political machine is not doing any favors to the Republican Party,” Speir said. “So I think the endorsements mean a little bit less. Now, that doesn’t mean that I won’t try to get Trump’s endorsement, but we already gained [a] historic vote, and as a challenger in 2024.”
When anti-ICE clashes trigger federal intervention: Experts explain the constitutional breaking point
Anti-ICE protesters have surrounded federal agents, Democratic leaders have denounced enforcement operations and tensions in Minneapolis have boiled over, but experts say none of it crosses the line into a constitutional breakdown or would justify the use of federal emergency powers by President Donald Trump. Legal analysts say the unrest, while volatile, does not inhibit the federal government’s constitutional authority to enforce immigration law. That threshold would only be crossed if state officials themselves moved to block or materially obstruct federal agents, raising supremacy clause concerns. Ilya Somin, a George Mason University law professor, told Fox News Digital that agitators hindering federal agents’ work, even aggressively, does not rise to that level. “There is no general principle of law which says that anything that makes the work of federal agents more difficult in any way somehow violates the Constitution,” Somin said. FEDS SHIFT TO TARGETED IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IN MINNEAPOLIS UNDER HOMAN Protesters have taken to the streets of Minneapolis in recent weeks to confront immigration officers during Operation Metro Surge, a federal enforcement effort that has deployed thousands of ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents to Minnesota. During enforcement actions, protesters have at times surrounded ICE agents with shouting, whistles, filming and unruly crowds, creating a tense mix of peaceful demonstrators and coordinated agitators that has occasionally escalated into blockades or violence. The dynamics at play have centered on two legal principles. On one hand, the anti-commandeering doctrine prevents the federal government from forcing state and local officials to enforce federal law. On the other, obstruction of federal law enforcement is unlawful and could violate the supremacy clause, which says federal law trumps state law when the two are in conflict. If the state were to pass laws that obstruct federal law enforcement from performing its job duties, that would trigger supremacy clause concerns, Somin said, but he noted that such conditions are not present in Minnesota. Operation Metro Surge began in December, sending 3,000 immigration agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul. The effort has led to thousands of arrests, but it has spurred resistance from residents and resulted in two high-profile deaths of U.S. citizens at the hands of immigration agents, which fueled further public outrage. The FBI is now investigating those incidents. Democratic state leaders, meanwhile, have widely criticized the operation and drawn blame from Republicans for exacerbating tension with their rhetoric. At one point, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz compared ICE’s presence to the Civil War. “I mean, is this a Fort Sumter?” Walz told The Atlantic. “It’s a physical assault. It’s an armed force that’s assaulting, that’s killing my constituents, my citizens.” Asked whether the resistant nature of Minnesota’s Democratic leaders could amount to “nullification,” Somin rejected the idea. “Nullification is when the state officials themselves resist the enforcement of federal law. If they merely fail to help the feds against private parties, that is something that’s protected by the anti-commandeering principles of the Tenth Amendment,” Somin said. That hands-off approach has extended beyond rhetoric. Walz has welcomed a reduction in federal personnel but urged a faster drawdown, while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has said the city would not assist with immigration enforcement. “We were never going to agree, and we have not agreed, to enforce federal immigration law. Why? It’s not our job,” Frey said in a New York Times interview. As state and local leaders have declined to intervene, opposition to the ICE operation has increasingly taken shape on the ground. Activists have mobilized to confront and monitor federal immigration agents, activity that legal experts distinguish from unlawful, state-led obstruction. Central to that resistance is Defend the 612, a network of private citizens that has coordinated what activists describe as “ICE watching,” using encrypted messaging apps to track enforcement activity and share information about agents’ movements, according to reporting by the conservative City Journal. In addition to street confrontations, activists have staged protests at sensitive locations, including a disruption of a church service in St. Paul, where the pastor is also an ICE field director. Several participants, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, were arrested and charged under a federal statute typically used to protect abortion clinics and pregnancy counseling centers. TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION VICTORY IN A MINNESOTA COURT IS A WIN FOR ALL LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS Federal authorities have moved to arrest individuals accused of directly impeding immigration enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against 16 agitators accused of obstructing agents and assaulting officers, while the Justice Department also charged a Minneapolis man, a self-described Antifa member, with cyberstalking after he allegedly called for attacks on ICE and doxxed a pro-ICE individual. Even so, legal experts stress that, so far, all the anti-ICE activity falls short of a collapse of federal authority. Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, said existing laws already prohibit “mob” violence and obstruction, adding that Minnesota leaders’ approach has been “irresponsible” but not illegal. The DOJ in January subpoenaed Walz, Frey and three others for information on whether they conspired to interfere with ICE’s work. A DOJ spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the status of that probe. Should unrest intensify, the Trump administration has floated the Insurrection Act, a rarely used provision that allows the president to respond to unlawful obstructions of federal authority. The president has said that while it remains an option, it is not currently necessary. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, who is leading immigration operations in Minneapolis, likewise downplayed the impact of anti-ICE agitators. “You’re not going to stop ICE. You’re not going to stop Border Patrol,” Homan said. “These roadblocks they’re putting up? It’s a joke. It’s not going to work, and it’s only going to get you arrested.” Ilan Wurman, a University of Minnesota law professor, said in a podcast that while Trump “probably” could invoke the Insurrection Act, by constitutional standards a president should only call upon the military to enforce federal law as a “last resort.” Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Top teachers’ union under fire, anti-ICE agitator network exposed
DECISION TIME: Top teachers union under fire as lawmakers push to strip its unique federal charter SECRETS EXPOSED: Minneapolis teachers union chief admits elected officials in anti-ICE Signal chats ‘POLITICAL SCHEMING’: Rhode Island activist slams adult-run nonprofit that promoted ‘student-led’ anti-ICE school walkout SIGN UP TO GET THE CAMPUS RADICALS NEWSLETTER STAFF TURMOIL: Notre Dame hire of abortion advocate to lead center causes staff to cut ties with university TAKING A STAND: Elementary teacher takes on state union over parental rights ballot measure PRAYERS UP: Leaders of desecrated Catholic school urge prayer for perpetrators after Mary statue, tabernacle destroyed LEGAL TROUBLE: Temple University student who ‘assisted Don Lemon’ charged in federal church-storming case CLASSROOM MISCONDUCT: First-grade teacher flips American flag upside down in San Diego classroom, sparks investigation SOUNDING THE ALARM: Education experts warn Mamdani plan could gut NYC gifted programs, hurt low-income students BIG MOVE: Education advocates praise Texas A&M decision to wind down Women’s and Gender Studies certificate BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: Teachers union president calls Trump a ‘dictator’ on unearthed call with Antifa-linked group
Gonzales introduces bill to expand protections for Border Patrol assisting state, local law enforcement
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, is calling on lawmakers to strengthen protections for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel when assisting local and state law enforcement. In January, Gonzales introduced the Homeland Threat Response Act, which would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the deployment and assistance of CBP for investigations of certain violent acts, shootings, and mass killings, and for other purposes, including big events. He cited BORTAC (Border Patrol Tactical Unit) and BORSTAR (Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue), elite units within the U.S. Border Patrol’s Special Operations Group (SOG) which are often called upon to assist local authorities in matters not related to immigration enforcement. SWEEPING BILL TO CRUSH SANCTUARY CITIES, PROTECT ICE AGENTS UNVEILED IN SENATE “They’re doing so at a risk,” Gonzales told Fox News Digital, saying the CBP personnel currently aren’t afforded the same level of protection as other law enforcement officers while working in matters apart from their jurisdiction. “They’re called upon and asked to operate in other spaces that aren’t their necessarily primary duty.” “This creates a level playing field when it comes to protection,” he added. The legislation came as the United States is poised to host several big sporting events in which CBP may be called upon to assist, Gonzales said. On Sunday, Super Bowl LX will be played in Santa Clara, California. In addition, several American cities will host games for the FIFA World Cup in July and Los Angeles will be the site of the 2028 Summer Olympics. FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS PRIVATELY FUME OVER DHS CLAIMS AFTER DEADLY MINNESOTA SHOOTING “It’s going to be this group that’s going to keep us safe,” Gonzales said. Border Patrol SOG teams have supported or directly participated in several major domestic incidents, including mass shootings, the capture of criminal illegal immigrants and prisoners. Gonzales noted that the SOG personnel are some of the best trained officers in law enforcement amid talks by some Democrats who want to defund the Department of Homeland Security because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, particularly in Minnesota. “I’m seeing Democrats cave to the liberal left that want to defund and want to make it harder for law enforcement to do its job,” he said. “Let’s make sure that a federal officer in this space isn’t thinking about ‘what if…’ they are focused solely on their mission and completing the mission like they’re trained to do.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the CBP.
Democrats silent on past rhetoric toward Trump Cabinet member after foiled assassination plot
Democrats evaded questions on Friday about whether there could be a link between their past heated rhetoric towards Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and news that a man had been charged with attempting to kill him. Authorities arrested Colin Demarco, 26, for arriving at Vought’s residence with a firearm after stating an intent to murder him last year. The offices of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and other high-ranking Democrats who have described Vought as a threat to the country did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital. ‘TRANSGENDER ANTIFA’ EXTREMIST CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER SKATING ON DEATH THREAT, REP. MACE SAYS One Democrat, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., did not address the questions about rhetoric but reacted to the arrest. “I am deeply alarmed by the news that a man allegedly planned to murder OMB Director Vought. I am relieved the suspect was caught before any violence occurred,” Boyle said in a statement. “Political violence is unacceptable and represents an attack not only on an individual but on our democracy itself. There is no place for political violence in the United States of America.” However, in the past, many Democrats — including Boyle — have characterized Vought as a threat to the country. GUNFIRE, ARSON AND VANDALISM: TRACKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN AMERICA “Make no mistake — his nomination is as dangerous as it gets. His views aren’t just extreme; they are a direct threat to our democracy, the rule of law and the basic principles of our government,” Boyle said last year when Trump announced Vought as the pick to lead OMB. Similarly, Schumer called Vought “a danger to working people, a danger to America’s beliefs and ideals” in a speech delivered on the Senate floor. According to authorities, Demarco approached Vought’s residence in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 10 while wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves, carrying a backpack and concealing a weapon under his shirt. Authorities arrived on the scene in time to deter Demarco’s alleged plans. SCHUMER, JEFFRIES ACCUSE TRUMP OF CALLING FOR ‘EXECUTION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS’ Police said a search of Demarco’s communications revealed he expressed intent to kill his target in online messages. Demarco faces four charges: attempted murder, criminal solicitation to commit murder, wearing a mask in public to conceal identity and carrying a concealed weapon. LIBERAL OUTLETS CRITICIZE TRUMP OFFICIALS RELOCATING TO MILITARY HOUSING AFTER THREATS, HARASSMENT Vought, who was among the first Cabinet members nominated by Trump, has had a high level of influence on the administration even ahead of the election. Vought was one of the chief architects behind Project 2025, a policy platform published by the conservative-leaning think tank, the Heritage Foundation, that the administration has mirrored on issues like immigration, the federal workforce and public funding. At the time of his confirmation, Vought’s calls to shrink the government’s footprint brought fierce condemnation from critics like Warren. CALIFORNIA MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MAKING ONLINE DEATH THREATS AGAINST JD VANCE DURING DISNEYLAND VISIT “You can absolutely bet on Russ Vought pulling out the rug from working people over and over again. We don’t know where he will stop,” Warren said in remarks on the Senate floor. “We don’t know how far Russ Vought’s extremism will go, but we can’t afford to wait and find out,” she added. Other Democrats followed up on her calls. “Vought is an extremist who believes the president is all-powerful. He has a radical plan to destroy and dismantle Congress’ investments in our families’ health, safety, and prosperity,” DeLauro, a top Democrat in the House, said of his plans to cut government programs. Demarco is due in court on Feb. 23 for a preliminary hearing, according to the Arlington General District Court.
Bill Clinton comes out swinging against Comer for rejecting public Epstein hearing: ‘Stop the games’
Former President Bill Clinton said on X that he has shared what he knows about the crimes of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in a sworn statement shared with the House Oversight Committee, which both Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify in front of under subpoena pressure. “I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know,” the former president said on X Friday afternoon. “And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.” In the wake of news the Clintons would comply with House Republicans’ subpoenas to testify after concerns they would not and subsequent threats of contempt, Republicans accused the Clintons of “trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment.” LAWMAKERS ESCALATE EPSTEIN PROBE WITH POSSIBLE BILL GATES SUBPOENA The Clintons’ attorneys sent the House Oversight Committee a letter, made public earlier this week, indicating they would comply and testify under certain conditions, such as that their testimony be open, filmed and transcribed. Robert Garcia, the Democrat ranking member of the committee, said the agreement amounted to full compliance with the committee’s demands. However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer disputed the characterization, telling Fox News Digital the agreement lacked specificity. In a post on X, the Republicans on the committee accused Clinton of “trying to dodge contempt by requesting special treatment.” “The Clintons’ counsel has said they agree to terms, but those terms lack clarity yet again, and they have provided no dates for their depositions,” Comer said. “The only reason they have said they agree to terms is because the House has moved forward with contempt. I will clarify the terms they are agreeing to and then discuss next steps with my committee members.” The Clintons’ change of heart led the House to temporarily pause proceedings on holding them in contempt Monday night. Democrats on the committee have pointed out that Comer has not pushed to hold others who did not appear in contempt, nor has he made any threats against the DOJ for failing to produce all of its documents on Epstein by a deadline agreed to by Congress late last year. The department has produced a fraction of the documents expected so far. “Now, Chairman Comer says he wants cameras, but only behind closed doors. Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice,” Clinton said in his X post Friday afternoon. “Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics. “I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared,” he continued. “If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about.”
DOJ says it owes deported Venezuelans no due process, dares courts to intervene
The Trump administration will not comply with a court order requiring due process for hundreds of Venezuelan migrants deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador last year, DOJ lawyers said. It sets up a heated clash in court next week in a case that is almost certainly headed back to the Supreme Court. The status and plight of 252 Venezuelan migrants deported to a Salvadoran prison last March under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act have emerged as one of the defining court fights of Trump’s second term, allowing the administration to test its mettle against the federal courts and the practical limits of judicial authority, on one of Trump’s biggest policy priorities. It’s a fight that has also put U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who is overseeing the Alien Enemies Act case, squarely in the Trump administration’s crosshairs as he attempts to determine what due process protections, if any, the administration is legally obligated to provide and how far the courts can go to enforce them. A new filing from the Justice Department made clear the administration believes it owes the migrants no additional due process at all. Should the court try to order otherwise, lawyers for the administration said they would promptly seek intervention from higher courts. SUPREME COURT FREEZES ORDER TO RETURN MAN FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON In its filing Monday, the Justice Department argued again that the administration is powerless to return the Venezuelan migrants who were summarily deported last year. The department rejected the notion that the U.S. could “facilitate” due process proceedings for the migrants in question as previously ordered by the court, describing the options to do so as either legally impossible or practically unworkable due to national security concerns and the fragile political situation in Venezuela after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro during a raid in Caracas last month. The DOJ also reiterated its argument that bringing petitioners back to the U.S. would harm “critical” foreign policy negotiations with Venezuela and carry “profound” national security risks, citing the alleged gang member status of the migrants in question. (The alleged gang member status of many of the individuals has been called into question.) DOJ lawyers also rejected the notion of conducting the proceedings overseas, including at the U.S. embassy in Venezuela, citing the U.S. capture and arrest of Maduro and his wife. The U.S., they said, lacks custody to conduct the habeas proceedings on foreign soil and doing so would risk “injecting an extremely complicated issue into what is already a delicate situation” in Venezuela, potentially “negatively affecting U.S. efforts toward stabilization and transition that aim to benefit tens of millions of Venezuelans.” The deportations, carried out under the Alien Enemies Act despite an emergency court order from Judge Boasberg, prompted an eleven-month legal battle that reached the Supreme Court in April and months of fights in the lower courts, including a subsequent order from Boasberg in December for the government to “facilitate” due process for the deported migrants. DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE The Supreme Court said then that individuals removed under the Alien Enemies Act must have the ability to contest their removal and have a meaningful opportunity and notice to do so before they are removed. Boasberg has spent the months since attempting to determine the status of the hundreds of CECOT plaintiffs and what ability the U.S. has to facilitate their return or to provide the class of migrants with due process and habeas protections, including the ability to challenge their alleged gang status. His December order required the Trump administration to submit to the court in writing its plans to provide due process to the class of migrants deported to El Salvador. Boasberg said the administration could do this by either returning the migrants to the U.S. to have their cases heard in person or facilitate hearings abroad with members of the class that “satisfy the requirements of due process.” APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT Lawyers for the Justice Department previewed similar arguments last month before an “en banc” 17-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which convened to weigh the legality of the Trump administration’s use of the 227-year-old law. The Justice Department told judges then that the U.S. indictment against Maduro “reinforces the Proclamation’s findings that the Maduro regime and TdA have formed a ‘hybrid criminal state’ directed by the regime” and justified the decision to use the Alien Enemies Act law to quickly deport them to the third-country prison. “These new developments underscore the Maduro Regime’s control over TdA and TdA’s violent invasion or predatory incursion on American soil. As a result, it is even clearer that the President’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act was part of a high-level national security mission that exists outside the realm of judicial interference.” ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt told the judges during the same hearing that the Alien Enemies Act does not give the administration “a blank check” for a president to “use his war powers any time he considers it valuable.” Regardless of how Boasberg rules, the new filing made clear that the Trump administration views the fight as far from over. “If, over defendants’ vehement legal and practical objections, the Court issues an injunction, defendants intend to immediately appeal, and will seek a stay pending appeal from this Court (and, if necessary, from the D.C. Circuit),” the Justice Department said.
Trump overhauls US arms sales to favor key allies, protect American weapons production
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order requiring the government to assess foreign weapons sales based on their impact on U.S. production capacity for key systems and to favor allies whose defense investments and strategic importance align with U.S. national security priorities. Under the order, obtained first by Fox News Digital, the Departments of War, State and Commerce are instructed to ensure that U.S. arms transfers support weapons systems deemed most operationally relevant to the National Security Strategy, reinforce critical supply chains, and prioritize partners that have invested in their own defense and occupy strategically important regions. The administration argues that past arms transfer policy allowed foreign demand to shape U.S. production decisions, contributing to backlogs, cost overruns and delivery delays that left both the U.S. military and its allies waiting years for critical equipment. “The America First Arms Transfer Strategy will now leverage over $300 billion in annual defense sales to strategically reindustrialize the United States and rapidly deliver American-manufactured weapons to help our partners and allies establish deterrence and defend themselves,” according to a White House fact sheet. TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY BLUEPRINT DECLARES ‘ERA OF MASS MIGRATION IS OVER,’ TARGETS CHINA’S RISE A central goal of the order is to speed up a foreign military sales process that defense officials and industry leaders have long criticized as slow and overly bureaucratic. The order directs federal agencies to identify ways to streamline enhanced end-use monitoring requirements, third-party transfer approvals and the congressional notification process — steps the administration says have contributed to years-long delays in delivering U.S. weapons overseas. The order also creates a new Promoting American Military Sales Task Force charged with overseeing implementation of the strategy and tracking major defense sales across the government. In a move aimed at increasing accountability, the administration says agencies will be required to publish aggregate quarterly performance metrics showing how quickly defense sales cases are being executed. The strategy also signals a shift in how the United States prioritizes its partners. The order directs the government to favor countries that have invested in their own defense and occupy strategically important regions, effectively tying arms sales decisions more closely to U.S. military planning and geographic priorities. HEGSETH SAYS DEPARTMENT OF WAR ‘WILL BE PREPARED TO DELIVER’ WHATEVER TRUMP WANTS FOLLOWING IRAN WARNING Other partners could face longer timelines or lower priority if their requests do not align with U.S. strategic or industrial objectives. While the order does not name specific countries, it reflects an effort to focus limited U.S. production capacity on allies viewed as most critical to executing the National Security Strategy. The order also instructs the War, State and Commerce departments to “find efficiencies in the Enhanced End Use Monitoring criteria, the Third-Party Transfer process, and the Congressional Notification process.” Congress will likely be watching how the administration implements the order, especially provisions aimed at speeding both oversight of U.S. weapons once they are sold abroad and the process for notifying lawmakers about major arms deals. Lawmakers have argued those steps help prevent misuse of U.S. weapons, even as they have criticized delays that slow deliveries to allies. The order follows a series of recent defense-related executive actions taken by Trump. In January 2026, he signed an order directing defense contractors to prioritize production capacity, innovation and on-time delivery over stock buybacks and other corporate distributions. That built on an April 2025 order aimed at improving speed and accountability in the foreign military sales system, as well as a January 2025 order focused on modernizing defense acquisitions and reducing red tape across the defense industrial base.