Tren de Aragua are ideological terrorists disguised as a street gang warns former military officer
A former high-ranking Venezuelan military officer is sounding the alarm about the migrant gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) being used as a tool of the Venezuelan government to sow violence and discord throughout the United States. Tren de Aragua, which means “Train from Aragua,” is a massive criminal and terrorist organization that originated a decade ago in a Venezuelan prison and is already present in more than 30 major U.S. cities. José Gustavo Arocha, a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan army, told Fox News Digital that socialist Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is behind much of TdA’s growth and rapid expansion, first in Latin America and now in the U.S. VIOLENT VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA SPREADS TO ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST REMOTE STATES Arocha fled Venezuela to the United States in 2015 after being imprisoned by the Maduro regime for eight months. Since then, he said the situation has only worsened with Maduro asserting ever more control over the region. This year, Maduro retained control of the country by prevailing in a hotly contested election that was widely believed to be fraudulent. “We have to understand also something of the Tren de Aragua, the TdA. It’s a state-sponsored Maduro regime organization,” he said. “The real boss of the Tren de Aragua is in Caracas, Venezuela. It is the Maduro regime, because they created TdA, and they use the TdA as a blackmail [tool] for any situation.” Arocha said the Maduro dictatorship’s counterintelligence agency – the Directorate of Military Counterintelligence, also known as “DGCIM” – has been using TdA as an asymmetrical warfare tool, giving itself “plausible deniability.” EX-ICE OFFICIAL WARNS TREN DE ARAGUA HAS GROWN FASTER INSIDE US THAN MURDEROUS RIVAL GANG: ‘PUT THEM OUT NOW’ Tren de Aragua first burst onto the scene in the U.S. when several members of the gang violently took control of an apartment building in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado. Since then, the gang has been responsible for a steady stream of violent attacks and gang-related crimes, including the high-profile murder of nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia. While some media reports have portrayed TdA as a simple gang, Arocha said the group has been trained and enabled by the Venezuelan government and DGCIM to advance a specific agenda and criminal ideology. Even the name “train from Aragua,” he said, evidences the group’s intent to transport its ideology throughout the Western Hemisphere. Arocha said the Venezuelan government has already used TdA to inflict crippling crime waves in surrounding countries, helping to usher in a slate of socialist-friendly governments in Colombia, Peru and Chile. “They want to create all sorts of chaos in countries in order to shape the contours of the borders and also to create a sensation of instability [and] criminality,” he said. “This kind of culture they are exporting outside from Venezuela, first of all [to] Latin America, and right now the U.S.” VENEZUELAN NATIONAL AND TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER ARRESTED IN TRUMP’S BACKYARD According to Arocha, the Venezuelan government has seized on the historic migrant crisis under the Biden administration as a “big opportunity” to “create roots” in the U.S. The administration further worsened the situation by temporarily lifting key oil sanctions previously in place against Maduro. “Just imagine, there are more or less 8 million Venezuelan migrants. It’s a huge number,” he said. “If you look at that, it’s like a wall where it’s spreading all over the states. And when you take into consideration the bussing of the migrants from Texas to other states, they are spreading like a disease, like a virus, all over the country.” With President-elect Donald Trump soon to replace Biden, Arocha said Trump must put the destruction of Tren de Aragua at the “top” of the list of day-one priorities. While acknowledging that it’s crucial to close the southern border, Arocha said Tren de Aragua will simply return if the U.S. does not “contain” Maduro. “Just imagine that, OK, you take all of Tren de Aragua and send [them] to Venezuela or whatever country. It’s going to come back. That’s not going to finish the disease,” he said. “You have to combat the cause of TdA. The cause of the TdA is the behavior of the Maduro regime that is trying to hurt the American people by using this asymmetrical tool.” “The rule is to not give Maduro the ability to continue in Venezuela,” Arocha said. “What I mean is that if you let Maduro to have oil revenues, have the access to resources, you have to have TdA here in the United States.”
‘Politically motivated’ FBI treated conservatives like domestic terrorists on Wray’s watch: whistleblower
As FBI Director Christopher Wray is slated to resign after seven years of service in his 10-year tenure, questions about the bureau’s “political weaponization” have been reignited, with critics like President-elect Trump citing bias in domestic terrorism and civil rights probes. While Wray, who was appointed by Trump in his first term, has faced scrutiny from conservatives for a kind of political bias in the bureau, FBI whistleblower Kyle Seraphin said the FBI’s shift toward politicized agendas within its field offices began in the post-9/11 era when sweeping reforms and surveillance powers were granted the agency. “What people are seeing is the natural outgrowth of letting FBI agents, or FBI senior management, forecast what they think the crime is going to be in the country, being incentivized to be correct, because they’re going to be paid a monetary bonus at the end of it if they’re right, and then they go out and find that crime,” Seraphin told Fox News Digital. FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION “And so it looks very politicized,” he added. “But I think that’s actually just a mistake of the correlation. In reality, what’s going on is the FBI is serving the interests of the senior management, which is that they want to get paid, and the easiest way to get paid is to go round up MAGA people, which they fall under this category of … anti-government, anti-authority, violent extremists.” Over the last four years, the FBI has intensified its focus on domestic terrorists and targeting white supremacist activities. Between spring 2020 and September 2021, the FBI’s domestic terrorism caseload more than doubled, rising from approximately 1,000 to around 2,700 investigations, according to the Government Accountability Office. Wray testified in September 2020 that white supremacy is the largest category within domestic terrorism. Over the last four years, the FBI has increased its focus on domestic terrorism, particularly targeting white supremacist activities. The agency’s caseload more than doubled from about 1,000 to 2,700 investigations between spring 2020 and September 2021, according to the Government Accountability Office. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in September 2020 that white supremacy constitutes the largest domestic terrorism category. Critics, however, have questioned the FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism. Seraphin said a New Mexico field office prioritized “anti-abortion extremists” as the state’s third-highest national security threat. Separately over the summer, a Texas doctor was charged with four felonies for exposing alleged transgender surgeries on children at a hospital. “Everybody assumes that it’s about politics because the FBI has some really politically motivated leads,” Seraphin said. “The current deputy director, Paul Abbate, is very politically motivated, and he’s very hard leading to the left.” Seraphin blamed the FBI’s seemingly political bias on an integrated program management, a McKinsey & Company-designed system rewarding executives with large bonuses for meeting self-set metrics, including domestic extremism and terrorism. In December 2023, the House Judiciary Committee released a report titled “The FBI’s Breach of Religious Freedom: The Weaponization of Law Enforcement Against Catholic Americans.” The report followed Seraphin’s disclosure of an FBI memo labeling certain Catholic Americans as potential violent extremists. GRASSLEY RIPS WRAY’S ‘FAILED’ LEADERSHIP AT FBI WITH 11 PAGES OF EXAMPLES IN BLISTERING ‘NO CONFIDENCE’ LETTER “They use national security words to go after domestic individuals, and they have national security tools to look through your email to grab access to your comms, your phone calls, your text messages, your emails and so on,” Seraphin said. “They have the ability to look into your bank account and check out your financial records. And should they find evidence of a crime that is not related to what they’re searching for, the threat that they’re actually looking for?” “Do we want people to get away with crime? No, but we want the government to be accountable to the freaking Bill of Rights,” Seraphin said. In a December interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump said, “I can’t say I’m thrilled with him,” when asked if he would fire Wray upon entering his second non-consecutive presidential term. “He invaded my home,” Trump said, referencing the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Trump announced at the end of November his nomination of Kash Patel – a Trump ally and previous chief of staff to the secretary of defense – as the next FBI director. Patel has been critical of the FBI’s handling of investigations relating to Trump. Seraphin, who said he has spoken to Patel about the bureau, said he may be “the most qualified” nominee for the role. “He understands what the FBI does to directors in order to maintain their status quo,” Seraphin said. “That makes him a very potentially disruptive force to the status quo. But I actually think he’ll be if he’s able to achieve the things that he said, which is going out there and rooting out the corruption, taking away the political things, making sure that the FBI is subservient to the Constitution.” WHO IS KASH PATEL? TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD FBI HAS LONG HISTORY VOWING TO BUST UP ‘DEEP STATE’ Wray made his resignation announcement during an FBI virtual town hall from Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, during which thousands of FBI employees across the country were expected to attend online. “After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” Wray said during the town hall. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission: the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Wray also said his focus is and always has been on the FBI doing what is right. “When you look at where the threats are headed, it’s clear that the importance of our work
Legislators across political spectrum ‘equally angry’ over handling of drone sightings: New Jersey lawmaker
A New Jersey lawmaker says he “can’t believe” how the government is wording its investigation into recent drone sightings across northeast America. State Assemblyman Paul Kanitra joined “Fox News @ Night” on Thursday to discuss the bipartisan outrage at how the government is handling the drone sightings. “We’re a polarized society, but I can tell you when we were in ‘The Rock,’ our security building in New Jersey, and we had a hundred state legislators from across the political spectrum – upper house, lower house – everyone was equally angry at this situation,” Kanitra said. NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR RECEIVING BACKLASH FOR LACK OF CLARITY ON DRONE SIGHTINGS The first drone sighting took place in New Jersey on Nov. 18, the Federal Aviation Administration said earlier this month, prompting the agency to issue two temporary flight restrictions. Kanitra said he learned during an intelligence briefing for state legislators on Wednesday that there have been confirmed drone sightings “every night since then.” In a Facebook post, Kanitra said he implored the Department of Homeland Security during that briefing to “take swift and decisive action” against the drones, describing the situation as “infuriating.” NJ LAWMAKER FIRES BACK AFTER PENTAGON DISMISSES CLAIM DRONES MAY BE LINKED TO IRAN: ‘WEAKNESS AND STUPIDITY’ On Thursday, the White House said an investigation is in its beginning stages, but nothing, thus far, has revealed malicious or criminal intent, or a national security threat. “If these are foreign adversaries with these drones, and we’re a month into this already and we haven’t done nearly enough, I can’t believe that our government is wording this the way that they are,” he said on “Fox News @ Night.” Kanitra took a picture from a distance of apparent drones in the New Jersey sky on Thursday night. He said “these are not hobbyist drones” and the military should have the technology needed to get quality photos.
Sen. Blumenthal says mysterious drones spotted recently ‘should be shot down, if necessary’
A U.S. Senator from Connecticut said the mysterious drones spotted recently flying over states in the mid-Atlantic region should be “shot down, if necessary.” In an interview on Capitol Hill Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said intelligence analysis is needed on the drones and the U.S. must act “more aggressively” against the sightings that have been reported. “We should be doing some very smart intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” the senator said. “They should be shot down, if necessary, because they’re flying over sensitive areas.” Blumenthal also said the lack of information on the drones, who they belong to and where they have come from is “absolutely unacceptable.” DRONES SPOTTED OVER CONNECTICUT SKY IN LATEST PHENOMENON His comments come as many large drones have been reported flying over New Jersey in the past few weeks. Drones were also allegedly spotted in Blumenthal’s state for the first time on Thursday. White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Thursday that many of the alleged drones spotted recently are actually lawfully operated manned aircraft. “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby told reporters at the daily White House press briefing. “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they’re working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin.” Kirby also said, thus far, the investigation into the alleged drones has not revealed “any national security or malicious intent or criminal activity,” but admitted the government is in the beginning stages of the investigation. MORE THAN 20 DAYS INTO PHENOMENON, PENTAGON STILL HAS NO ANSWERS ABOUT ORIGINS OF MYSTERIOUS NJ DRONES Blumenthal said his office is asking for a briefing on the drones, describing it as “absolutely necessary” for Congress and the American people as many appear to be concerned and afraid. “I’m hearing from constituents in the metropolitan area around New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, who are really terrified by these drones flying unidentified over airports and military bases,” he said. The senator added that the drones are causing a “level of fear, even terror” because people are worried about surveillance and airplanes flying in the same airspace. He also encouraged Americans wanting to use drones to buy ones manufactured in the USA and not China, warning that they could be “sources of surveillance data for other kinds of security threats.” “Chinese manufactured drones are real and present [a] threat to the security of this country,” Blumenthal said. “We have to stop using them.”
Biden administration announces $500M aid package for Ukraine
The Biden administration announced a new $500 million military aid package to Ukraine Thursday, weeks before President-elect Trump takes office. “The United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia’s ongoing attacks,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. The package announced Thursday includes drones; High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) artillery and ammunition; armored vehicles; nuclear, chemical and radiological protective equipment; and other equipment. ZELENSKYY FEARS DANGER IF UKRAINE LOSES UNITY, DEFEAT IF US CUTS FUNDS, 1,000 DAYS AFTER WAR BEGAN The newest round of aid follows Biden’s announcement of a $988 million military aid package to Ukraine earlier this week. TRIUMPHANT TRUMP AT NOTRE DAME SIGNALS AMERICA AND THE WEST ARE BACK Trump’s election victory has raised questions about whether he will continue to aid Ukraine with billions in assistance. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance criticized the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine, and the former president said on the campaign trial he would bring an end to the war before even entering office. Vance made headlines this year after he suggested the best way to end the war was for Ukraine to cede the land Russia has seized and for a demilitarized zone to be established, a proposal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flatly rejected. During his visit to Paris last weekend, Trump met with Zelenskyy, where the pair were expected to discuss the ongoing conflict. Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
Biden administration launches national strategy to combat Islamophobia, anti-Arab hate
The Biden administration on Thursday announced it is launching a national strategy to combat Islamophobia. The move, which the administration described as the first-ever Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate, comes a little more than a year after Hamas’ unprovoked attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, which was followed by spikes in antisemitic protests and antisemitism across the United States. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. “The very idea of America is that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives,” President Biden said in a statement posted to social media. “This Strategy is a historic step forward to live up to our ideals. Let us walk forward together, upholding those ideals and advancing our collective prosperity.” DEPAUL UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSAULTED BY ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATOR SEEKS LEGAL ACTION: ‘I WILL NEVER APOLOGIZE’ The aim of the strategy is to “address the bias, discrimination and threats Muslim and Arab Americans have long faced,” the White House said in a release, noting that threats against Muslim and Arab communities in the U.S. increased over the last year. “In October 2023, 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, an American Muslim boy of Palestinian descent, was viciously killed in his home in Illinois, and, over the last year, there have been other grievous attacks on Muslim and Arab Americans,” the release said. The White House noted President Biden established an interagency group in December 2022 to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia. Last year, the administration released the first-ever National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. CHICAGO JEWISH MOTHER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RESPONSE TO ALLEGED HATE CRIME: ‘TERRORISM ON MY PROPERTY’ The strategy to combat Islamophobia will focus on increasing awareness about anti-Arab hate, improve safety, tackle discrimination, accommodate religious practices and build solidarity across communities. Antisemitic incidents hit record highs after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the continued war with Hamas. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Just this week, students at Columbia University started distributing a newspaper that had articles like “Zionist Peace Means Palestinian Blood” and “The Myth of the Two-State Solution” and anti-Israel protesters interrupted last month’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Biden’s full list of clemency and commutation recipients revealed
The White House released a list of names of the 39 people whom President Joe Biden pardoned, as well as a list of the nearly 1,500 whose sentences he commuted, on Thursday. The move from Biden set a new, single-day record for clemency under any president, and it comes after he pardoned his son, Hunter, earlier this month. The controversial pardon of his son put pressure on Biden from others in the Democratic Party to issue additional pardons. Biden said Thursday that he plans to take more steps during the next few weeks before he exits the Oval Office. LONGTIME BIDEN ADVISER RIPS ‘RATIONALE’ OF HUNTER PARDON: ‘ATTACK ON OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM’ “My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House. A list provided to Fox News Digital by the White House indicated that all 39 pardons had been given to only non-violent offenders, many of whom had been convicted of drug crimes. Drug offenders were labeled as much on the list, but no other details were given about the non-drug-related, non-violent offenses committed by the list of 39 pardons. The list did go into extensive detail as to why each of the 39 pardons was deserved, citing examples of community engagement, professional and academic accomplishments. HOW BIDEN – AND TRUMP – HELPED MAKE THE PARDON GO HAYWIRE Speaking of the nearly 1,500 sentences he commuted, Biden said that their long prison sentences would have been shorter under today’s laws. All of those selected had been placed under home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, and “have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance.” Among those included in the sweeping action were a decorated military veteran and pilot, a nurse who helped lead vaccination efforts during the pandemic and an addiction counselor who works with young people to help them avoid drugs. Biden has not reserved clemency and commutations for the end of his term. He first granted clemency in April 2022 to 75 people who had been convicted of drug offenses and others who were under home confinement as part of provisions of Congress’ pandemic relief bills. That action was followed up by six pardons in December of that same year, consisting of people convicted of alcohol- and drug-related crimes. Between April 2023 and April 2024, Biden granted 47 additional commutations and 11 pardons to people under home confinement or convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
More than 20 days into phenomenon, Pentagon still has no answers about origins of mysterious NJ drones
More than three weeks after dozens of mysterious drones began popping up in the New Jersey night sky, the public has still been offered no clear insight on what the phenomenon could be. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., suggested the swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles could be from an Iranian “mother ship.” The Pentagon shot down his idea. “There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mother ship launching drones towards the United States,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh. She added there is “no evidence” to suggest the drones are “the work of a foreign adversary.” “We aren’t being told the truth,” Van Drew responded Thursday on Fox News. “They are dealing with the American public like we’re stupid.” While the Pentagon maintains that the drones are not foreign, the FBI has admitted it is “concerned” about how little the agency knows about them. Asked if Americans are “at risk,” Robert Wheeler, FBI assistant director of the Critical Incident Response Group, told Congress: “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.” In recent weeks, the drones have flown near sensitive sites, like a military research facility. And if the drones aren’t foreign in origin, onlookers are left wondering why it’s taking U.S. agencies so long to figure out who is behind them. “What I can say is a lot of our detection systems, means of tracking and understanding, are so vastly undersized and radically out of date,” Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Fox News Digital. “So it would not surprise me that we could still be out of sync with this and not understand at the level we should,” he added. “After the Cold War, the notion of air defense really took a back burner.” And Birkey remains unconvinced that the drones are not foreign in origin. “I don’t think we can speak declaratively about the source, but obviously they seem of a certain sophistication, size and set of behaviors that would suggest high potential of being from an adversary source,” he said. NEW JERSEY DRONE SIGHTINGS: MILITARY ANALYSTS BREAK DOWN NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS, DOUBT HOBBYISTS AT PLAY “I think they are either using them for intel, imagery, etc., but they can also just be testing us to see what our responses are, to then help inform their strategies and their concepts of operation.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has insisted the drones do not pose a threat to public safety. The FBI is assisting local law enforcement in investigating and has called on the public for assistance through its tip line. It’s far from the first time unidentified drones have been seen flying near U.S. military installations. Last year, drones hovered near Langley Air Force Base for over two weeks, and their origin has still not been revealed. Before that, a Chinese spy balloon traversed the U.S., traipsing near military installations, for a week before being shot down off the East Coast. “There are seemingly few hard consequences [for the drones], and that is causing a very dangerous risk of escalation.” None of the New Jersey drones have been shot down or had their systems jammed by U.S. officials. The drones that hovered near Langley were not intercepted either. “Whoever is flying these drones does not necessarily care about their relationship with Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, because clearly they’re breaking almost every rule the FAA has in place for safe drone flying,” said Pramod Abichandani, associate professor at NJIT’s School of Applied Engineering and a drone expert. “These drones are flying at night, over populated areas, flying around in a group, whether they’re being programmed as a swarm of drones or not,” he said. “All of those things are not permitted freely by the FAA.” In military settings, officers use “swarms” of drones to attack enemies to make it harder for them to shoot the drones down. The drones are “six feet in diameter,” fly in a coordinated way with their lights off and “appear to avoid detection by traditional methods,” according to New Jersey state Rep. Dawn Fantasia, who relayed a briefing given by law enforcement. MYSTERIOUS DRONE SIGHTINGS CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED IN NEW JERSEY WITHOUT ANSWERS The drones were first spotted on Nov. 18, and have been spotted every night since, flying from dusk to about 11 p.m. Reports have ranged from four to 180 sightings per night. “We know nothing. Period. To state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment,” she said. “At this point, I believe military intervention is the only path forward. There will be no answers in the absence of proactivity.” U.S. Northern Command, the military command center in charge of defending the U.S. homeland, said it had not yet been asked to step in and help. “We are aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey, to include Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, and we refer you to those installations for information on any efforts they may be conducting to ensure the safety and security of their personnel and operations,” a U.S. Nothern Command spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Biden clemency announcement gets mixed reviews on Capitol Hill: ‘Where’s the bar?’
President Biden’s act of clemency, the largest in a single day, has left some congressional Republicans unhappy, while a number of Democrats are hoping to see it expanded. “I’m not surprised at this point anymore,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said. “I think I’m still trying to get over the Hunter Biden thing after he promised America he wouldn’t do it.” Biden broadly pardoned his son Hunter Biden earlier this month despite promising he would not. Hunter was convicted in two separate federal cases. TIDE TURNS IN FAVOR OF TRUMP DOD PICK PETE HEGSETH AFTER MATT GAETZ FAILURE According to Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Biden had lost whatever credibility he had left when he pardoned his son. “Every president at the end of their term has that same kind of act. Where’s the bar live?” asked Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas. “Nobody knows. I haven’t gone deep into the waters to see exactly who he’s touching. But it’s the United States, hey?” The president revealed Thursday he had commuted jail sentences for nearly 1,500 people and granted 39 pardons for nonviolent offenders. “Does that tell you how corrupt he thinks this administration has been?” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., wondered. GOP ATTORNEYS GENERAL OFFER SUPPORT FOR TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL, URGE SENATORS TO DO THE SAME Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the Senate Judiciary ranking member, told Fox News Digital, “That’s a large number. “He’ll have to stand by his choices. I haven’t really looked at who they are. That’s the power of the presidency.” Outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., reacted to Biden’s clemency grants to reporters Thursday, recalling his own limited pardon use as governor. MANCHIN, SINEMA TANK SCHUMER LAME-DUCK EFFORT TO SECURE DEM MAJORITY ON TOP LABOR BOARD “I did very few, and I wanted to make sure if the community didn’t buy in” that the person would not receive a pardon. “I would make sure that my staff would go back and check in that area and do a due diligence and a deep dive,” he explained. Asked if Manchin trusted that Biden’s administration did it own due diligence on the people whose sentences were being commuted, he said, “I would like to think. I believe in the process. I believe in the system. So, I hope so.” The White House released a list Dec. 12 of those who were granted clemency. Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., released a statement on Biden’s action, approving of it. “The president took an important step by commuting the sentences of these men and women. In far too many cases in our justice system, the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. I have long advocated for criminal justice reform to address these inequities and commend President Biden for this act of mercy and for his leadership,” the senator said. “These individuals have successfully returned to their communities and reunited with their families. I urge the president to continue using his pardon power during his remaining time in office to address miscarriages of justice, just as the founders of this democracy intended.” MCCONNELL’S SENATE MONEY MACHINE MAKES TRANSITION TO THUNE AS NEW ERA BEGINS Other Democrats applauded the move, including Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who told reporters, “These are nonviolent offenders, and I think they represent compassion. In no way is [this] gonna jeapardize public safety. So, I support the president, what the president did.” Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., expressed an appetite for even more similar actions from Biden, saying Thursday, “We’re still hoping he will offer clemency to the people who are on death row. We’re still looking for the next list of people.” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said he supported Biden using his pardon power, though he hasn’t looked through all the people affected. He explained it is “important to use that pardon power and clemency to even out our system and to evolve with our system as we move forward.”
NYC Mayor Adams meets with Trump border czar: ‘We have the same desire’ to go after illegal migrant criminals
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he and incoming border czar Tom Homan have the same desire to go after illegal immigrant criminals following a Thursday meeting between the pair. Adams met with Homan to discuss cooperation between local and federal authorities on deporting violent criminals once the Trump administration takes office on Jan. 20. “We’re not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and longstanding New Yorkers,” Adams said after the meeting. “From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts among innocent New Yorkers and among migration asylum seekers. That’s what I heard from him. And I was pleased to hear that, because we share the same desire.” TRUMP BORDER CZAR MEETING WITH NYC MAYOR ADAMS DESPITE SANCTUARY CITY STATUS The mayor noted that the city doesn’t allow itself to be a safe haven for American citizens committing crimes, “and we’re not going to do it for those who are undocumented.” The meeting came as Homan plans to implement President-elect Trump’s mass deportation plan once he takes office. Homan has warned leaders in sanctuary cities to either cooperate with immigration authorities or step aside. Earlier this week, Adams announced the closing of dozens of migrant shelters as the “sanctuary” city continues to see a drop in arrivals. In total, 25 shelters are being closed in the next few months. New York has seen more than 225,000 migrants arrive since 2022. The surge coincided with a spike at the southern border, compounded by a strategy by Texas to bus migrants to sanctuary cities to relieve pressure on the border state. Even before Thursday’s meeting between Adams and Homan, immigration activists accused the mayor of “collaborating” with the new administration. “It’s despicable that Mayor Adams continues to shirk his responsibilities to uphold New York City’s existing policies and values as a sanctuary city by collaborating with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan,” Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement. ‘WE’VE TURNED THE CORNER’: BLUE CITY ANNOUNCES SHUTTERING OF MIGRANT SHELTERS AS NUMBERS DROP Adams has been deeply critical of the federal government’s handling of the migrant crisis and has taken a tougher stance on illegal immigration than many of his Democratic contemporaries, who have vowed to resist the incoming Trump administration’s plan to deport illegal migrants. Currently, there are 170 crimes that allow New York officials to communicate and collaborate with ICE after a migrant is convicted of a crime, said Adams. “We need to examine them and see what is my authority, using executive orders, to ensure that I keep New Yorkers safe. That’s my only goal. I cannot make any clearer. In pursuing that goal, my years and years of advocating for immigrants that are here and attempting to find the American dream, if that demonizes me, then I’m going to take it. But I’m going to save lives in this city,” he said. The mayor criticized those he said have attempted to cast him as switching his position on illegal immigration. “People are trying to push their own agenda. I have one agenda. I’ve never lied about the agenda,” he said. “Everybody, everyone in this city should be protected and should not be the victims of violent crimes. And that was a conversation I had with the incoming border czar. We shared that same belief, and we’re going to pursue that same belief.” Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.