FIRST ON FOX: Texas’ Ken Paxton endorses candidate to succeed him as attorney general
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, is endorsing Aaron Reitz for attorney general, Fox News Digital has learned. Paxton is throwing his support behind Reitz, who previously served under him as Texas deputy attorney general for legal strategy, just days after U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who previously served under Paxton as first assistant attorney general of the Lone Star State, announced a run for the attorney general post. “One of the most frequent questions Texans ask me is: ‘Ken, who should succeed you as Attorney General?’ My answer is now definitive: Aaron Reitz,” Paxton said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. Paxton described Reitz as “the only candidate who is fully vetted, battle-tested, proven, and ready to be Attorney General,” calling him, “loyal, fearless, trusted, and relentlessly committed to the Rule of Law.” TEXAS REP CHIP ROY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REPLACE KEN PAXTON “Aaron Reitz absolutely must be Texas’s next top lawyer,” Paxton asserted in the statement, included in a Reitz campaign press release. “For that reason, I am giving him my complete and total endorsement to succeed me as Attorney General.” Reitz briefly served as assistant attorney general for the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy earlier this year. In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump called Reitz “a true MAGA attorney” and “a warrior for our Constitution” in a Truth Social post announcing that he was nominating him to helm the DOJ office. While Reitz and Roy have both previously served as chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the senator is backing Roy for the job. “There are several excellent candidates right now in the race for Texas Attorney General. All of them are friends of mine, and all of them have been strong supporters of mine for many, many years. Texas is blessed to have an abundance of strong conservatives stepping forward to lead, in such a time as this,” Cruz said in a statement. “I am proud to endorse Chip Roy for Attorney General of Texas. As my very first chief of staff, Chip has been a close friend and ally of mine for over 12 years. We have been in more fights together than I can count, and I know Chip will always, always, always fight for conservative values,” Cruz asserted, adding later in the statement, “There is no one better equipped to lead the Office of the Texas Attorney General, and I know that he will ferociously fight and protect the Lone Star State.” Republican Texas state Sens. Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman are also running to succeed Paxton in the post. On the other side of the aisle, Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are vying for the job. TED CRUZ ENDORSES CHIP ROY FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: ‘NO ONE BETTER’ Roy, the policy chair of the House Freedom Caucus, announced his entry into the attorney general race last week, explaining his decision to shift his attention to the state role rather than remaining in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he has served since early 2019. “I am particularly proud of our work to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and fight to drain the swamp. I could do it forever and be fulfilled professionally. But representatives should not be permanent. And my experience watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home. I want to take my experience in Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as First Assistant Attorney General to fight for Texas from Texas,” he said in a statement included in a campaign press release. “Texas is under assault – from open-border politicians, radical leftists, and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety, and our way of life,” he asserted. “As Attorney General, I will fight every single day for our God-given rights, for our families, and for the future of Texas. No more Soros-funded judges and DA’s putting criminals on our streets. No more judge-made mandates that Texans pay for illegals in our public schools. No more communities built on Sharia law.” Reitz has since made it crystal clear that he is not dropping out of the contest by sharing a clip from the film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” in which actor Leonardo DiCaprio declares, “I’m not leavin’. I’m not f***in leavin’!’” In the press release obtained by Fox News Digital, the candidate noted that he is “honored” to receive Paxton’s endorsement. FIRST ON FOX: BORDER PATROL UNION ENDORSES EX-TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR STATE AG “Serving as Ken Paxton’s ‘offensive coordinator’ was the crusade of a lifetime. I am deeply honored to have his support in my campaign for Attorney General,” Reitz said the statement. “Under Ken Paxton, Texas has been a shining example for the conservative movement on how to fight and win against the enemies of Law, Order, and Liberty. My promise to Texans is that I will keep my foot on the gas and energetically carry on Paxton’s legacy. That is the only way to defend Texas from the radical left. As the only pro-Paxton candidate in this race, I am unequivocally the best person to lead the Office of the Attorney General of Texas into battle,” he added. In a statement in 2020 responding to allegations Paxton had engaged in wrongdoing, Roy said that Paxton should resign. The Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton in 2023, but he was later acquitted by the state Senate the same year. During a radio interview on “The Mark Davis Show” last week, Roy said that he and Paxton are “friends,” noting, “I wish Ken all the best,” and stating that they have “overlapping belief systems.”
FIRST ON FOX: Retired Air Force colonel who piloted last flight out of Afghanistan reveals new mission
EXCLUSIVE: A retired U.S. Air Force colonel who commanded the final American evacuation flights out of Afghanistan four years ago on Monday launched a Republican campaign in South Carolina’s First Congressional District. Alex Pelbath, who describes himself as a “Trump Conservative,” is running in the 2026 race to succeed three-term GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who is bidding for governor rather than seek re-election in the right-leaning coastal district in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. “In combat, mission is everything. My mission is clear: provide President Trump the reinforcements he needs, deliver leadership that makes the Lowcountry proud, and bring an outsider’s perspective to Washington,” Pelbath said in a statement shared nationally first with Fox News Digital. FIRST ON FOX: NANCY MACE LAUNCHES BID FOR SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR Pelbath spent 22 years in the Air Force, flying over 4,000 hours—including more than 1,000 in combat. During the much-maligned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during former President Biden’s first year in the White House, Pelbath served as Air Mission Commander for the final evacuation from Kabul, overseeing all aircraft involved. And he personally flew the last American plane out of Afghanistan. “I was the last one out. But the mission’s not over,” Pelbath said in his statement and an accompanying video. The release from Pelbath’s campaign highlighted that he helped shape two defense budgets and advised the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his service at the Pentagon. “I witnessed the devastation caused by career politicians’ weak leadership,” Pelbath argued in a statement. “I never planned to run for Congress, but I can’t stand by while Washington puts politics before the mission. America needs leaders who will stand with President Trump and deliver on his effort to Make America Great Again—by ending the flow of illegal immigrants, stopping the woke nonsense in our schools and military, and fighting for an economy that works for Lowcountry families.” HOUSE GOP TAKES AIM AT THESE DEMOCRAT-HELD SEATS IN 2026 MIDTERMS Pelbath, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, lives in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina with his wife and their two children. He becomes the second Republican candidate to jump into the race, following businessman and politician Marvin “Mark” Smith, a state lawmaker in the South Carolina House from the 99th District. Mace, who was first elected to the district in 2020, is one of five major candidates running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is the Palmetto State’s longest-serving governor. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Ralph Norman, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell are also seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination in the reliably red state.
Trump signs executive orders to eliminate no-cash bail for suspects in DC and nationwide
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that aims to eliminate cashless bail for suspects arrested in Washington, D.C., and a separate order focusing on ending the policy nationwide. Fox News confirmed earlier Monday that Trump was ordering the end of cash bail policies nationwide by threatening to revoke federal funding for jurisdictions across the country. “We are at a point where Washington is booming again,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office before signing the orders. “People are pouring in like we haven’t seen for years.” Trump said that over the past 11 days, since his plan to make D.C. safer took effect, there have been zero murders, while authorities have “arrested a total of well over a thousand people” and “took hundreds of guns away from young kids that were throwing them around like it was candy.” He added that “scores of illegal aliens” were also apprehended. WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES FEDERAL SECURITY BLITZ AS PRESIDENT VOWS TO END DC ‘CRIME PLAGUE’ Trump had spoken about ending the no cash bail policy earlier this month, though hinted that he was going to do it through Congress using Republican votes “because the Democrats are weak on crime, totally weak on crime.” “Every place in the country where you have no-cash bail is a disaster,” Trump said at the time, specifically naming New York and Chicago. “I mean, bad politicians started it, bad leadership started it. But that was the one thing that’s central. No-cash bail. Somebody murders somebody and they’re out on no-cash bail before the day is out.” No-cash bail is generally considered a progressive approach to criminal justice. As such reforms have been implemented in states like New York, data shows that bail elimination can lead to higher recidivism rates. The Data Collaborative for Justice concluded in February 2024 that “the elimination of money bail increased recidivism for people charged with nonviolent felonies, with recent criminal history, and with a recent violent felony arrest, while it decreased recidivism for people charged with misdemeanors and people with no recent criminal history.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, has been a strong critic of the state’s cashless bail law, which was enacted by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2019 and perpetuated under his successor, current Gov. Kathy Hochul. Adams, who has argued Cuomo-era bail reforms drove up recidivism rates, resulting in offenders repeatedly being arrested and released back on the streets, now faces the former governor in November’s mayoral election. Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, who is seen as the front-runner in the mayoral race after his June primary win, has promoted radical initiatives, such as eliminating all cash bail and abolishing prisons. BLUE CITIES IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AFTER DC POLICE TAKEOVER Earlier this month, the Trump administration rolled out a plan aimed at making Washington, D.C., “safer and more beautiful” as his administration doubles down on efforts to address crime and a growing homeless population in the nation’s capital. On Friday, Trump said he was considering sending the National Guard to Chicago, calling the Windy City “a mess,” though the White House has not offered additional details of a potential deployment of troops to Chicago. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson later called the Trump administration’s efforts “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound,” seemingly snapping back at the president, who called him “grossly incompetent” earlier in the day. Johnson added the city has reduced homicides by 30%, robberies by 35% and shootings by almost 40% in the last year, suggesting federal action would deteriorate trust. The city, which struggles with poverty and gang activity, has a crime rate higher than the national average. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Amanda Macias and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
ICE arrests Abrego Garcia at Maryland check-in, lawyer says
Salvadorian migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Monday morning after he arrived for check-in at the agency’s field office in Baltimore, Maryland, where officials plan to begin removal proceedings to deport him again to a third country, such as Uganda. Speaking to reporters outside the ICE Field Office in Baltimore after Abrego Garcia was detained, his lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said ICE officials had declined to tell them where they were detaining Abrego Garcia prior to his removal, or tell them why they were arresting him. They also did not give his lawyers any paperwork detailing his removal. “As of the last five minutes, Mr. Abrego Garcia has filed a new lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Maryland challenging his confinement and challenging his deportation to Uganda, or to any other country, unless and until he’s had a fair trial — as in, an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. His attorneys filed the habeas petition in the U.S. District Court of Maryland. It was assigned to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who since March has presided over a civil case challenging his deportation to El Salvador. ABREGO GARCIA TO APPEAR AT ICE OFFICE IN BALTIMORE AMID TALK OF UGANDA DEPORTATION Xinis issued an order last month that sought to block ICE from immediately arresting Abrego Garcia. News of his detention is likely to be scrutinized closely by the judge, who has spent months grilling Trump officials for details over his removal and his current legal status. Shortly before his arrival at the ICE Field Office in Baltimore on Monday morning, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and other community members massed outside, some before sunrise, for a candlelight vigil to show their support for Abrego Garcia and his family. The morning was an emotional one, as faith leaders and family members surrounded Abrego Garcia and his wife. Many, including Abrego Garcia, were visibly emotional as they addressed the roughly 200 attendees who massed outside the office beginning around 6 a.m. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, meanwhile, took to social media to praise news of his arrest into immigration custody. Like other Trump officials, she has long argued Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member. She said on social media Monday that President Donald Trump, she said, will not allow him “to terrorize American citizens any longer.” Abrego Garcia’s legal fight for months has dominated U.S. headlines, after he was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order. He faces a possible second deportation, this time to Uganda. The Trump administration returned him to the U.S. months after sending him to El Salvador, under orders from a federal judge and from the Supreme Court. He was arrested upon return to the U.S. on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennesee. He remained in federal detention until Friday, when he was released from U.S. custody and ordered to return to Maryland, where a judge said he could remain under electronic surveillance and under ICE supervision while awaiting trial. ICE officials notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys shortly after his release on Friday that they planned to deport him to Uganda, an East African nation that reached a deal with the U.S. last week to accept migrants deported by the Trump administration. FEDERAL JUDGE DELIVERS ONE-TWO PUNCH TO TRUMP IN ABREGO GARCIA CASE The notice, sent by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, said it was intended to “serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends).” Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in an interview Sunday night that Abrego Garcia was “absolutely” going to be deported from the U.S,, and said Uganda is “on the table” as the third country of removal. “We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely,” Homan said in an interview on “The Big Weekend Show” Sunday evening. “He is absolutely going to be deported,” Homan reiterated. For now, he said, Abrego Garcia “can enjoy the little time he has with his family. And for the person who says we’re not going to separate family, his family can go with him, because he’s leaving.” This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Trump’s week shaped by crime agenda, potential guard deployment to Chicago
More details of President Donald Trump’s potential deployment of additional National Guard troops to Chicago could come into focus this week. The move comes as the Trump administration doubles down on its tough-on-crime agenda, seeking a larger federal footprint in Democrat-led cities, drawing pushback from local leaders who contend the move is political. TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS On Friday, Trump said he would address crime in other major U.S. cities, describing D.C. as a “hellhole” before federal law enforcement and more than 2,200 National Guard members were mobilized to patrol the city’s streets. “Now it’s safe,” the president said a day after visiting with deployed troops in the capital. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that more than 700 arrests have been made in D.C. since Aug. 11. Trump said he would expand security efforts to other major U.S. cities across the country, singling out Chicago but offering few specifics. “Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent,” Trump said on Friday, adding that the Windy City will “be our next one after this,” a reference to the current security presence in Washington. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, said in a statement on Friday that his city has yet to receive details about additional federal law enforcement or military deployments to Chicago. He called the Trump administration’s efforts “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound.” CHICAGO MAYOR SLAMS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement Saturday that he has also not heard from the federal government and noted that his state has not requested security assistance. Chicago, home to about 2.7 million people, has topped the nation in homicides for 13 straight years, logging 573 in 2024 alone, according to the city’s own figures. It is not immediately clear what the size and scope of the potential deployment in Chicago will be, or when it might begin. Over the weekend, Trump threatened to send the National Guard to Baltimore following an invitation from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to attend a public safety walk and learn about the security needs. “As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this crime disaster before I go there for a walk,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He added that he could deploy National Guard members to Maryland in order to “quickly clean up the crime.” The president added that he did not appreciate the tone of Moore’s Aug. 21 invitation. TRUMP SAYS HE COULD SEND THE NATIONAL GUARD TO MARYLAND TO ADDRESS CRIME Earlier this month, the Trump administration rolled out plans to curb crime and the growing homeless population in the nation’s capital. “The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the crime numbers get worse, and the city only gets dirtier and less attractive. The American public is not going to put up with it any longer,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Aug. 10. Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post that he wants the homeless to “immediately” move “far from” the nation’s capital. “The criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong,” he wrote in the same post, adding that the new crackdowns on both issues are “going to happen very fast.” “There will be no “MR. NICE GUY.” We want our Capital BACK,” Trump wrote, adding that more details on these efforts will be laid out during a press conference on Monday.
Scoop: ‘Make America Fentanyl Free’ campaign launches to help Trump lower overdose deaths
FIRST ON FOX: A new campaign launched on Monday to help fulfill President Donald Trump’s pledge to reduce fentanyl overdose deaths, which are one of the nation’s deadliest public health crises. The campaign, titled Make America Fentanyl Free, is described as a privately-funded multi-million-dollar ad blitz on national and local television, and across all major social media platforms, including X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. The effort, which was first shared with Fox News Digital on Monday, aims to reduce the number of Americans killed by fentanyl, a highly potent and extremely dangerous synthetic opioid. Fentanyl and fentanyl-related drugs have been responsible for most drug overdose deaths in the U.S. for nearly a decade. “The Make America Fentanyl Free ad campaign was launched to support President Trump’s efforts to save American lives from deadly fentanyl, which continues to be a leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45,” organizers said in a statement. DRUG DEADLIER THAN FENTANYL SPREADS ACROSS THE AMERICAS Organizers emphasized that the mission of the campaign, which is also online at MakeAmericaFentanylFree.com, is to inform Americans about the devastating effects of fentanyl, and pointed out that “ingesting as little as three grains of fentanyl can be lethal within minutes.” The campaign is also intended to educate the public about the hidden dangers of fentanyl, which is frequently disguised in other substances, such as cocaine and marijuana. TRUMP SIGNED FENTANYL LAW WILL END ‘CAT AND MOUSE’ WITH TRAFFICKERS “Make America Fentanyl Free is working with President Trump to aggressively make sure every American understands the danger of fentanyl,” the narrator in the ad says. The effort also intends to “send a strong unequivocal message to Mexican drug cartels that actions leading to American deaths or harm will result in serious consequences.” The Trump administration says it has lowered fentanyl deaths in the U.S. by beefing up security along the nation’s borders, emphasizing law enforcement, and raising tariffs against China and Mexico to keep fentanyl and other lethal drugs out of the country. Organizers touted that “on day one in office, President Trump shut down the dangerous, open border and stemmed the flow of deadly fentanyl through our country. As a result, fentanyl traffic at the border fell by 54% in the first months of the Trump Administration. FATHER WHOSE SON DIED FROM FENTANYL WARNS ‘OVERDOSES CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE’ But organizers said their effort is needed to “continue eradicating deadly fentanyl from our communities.” Trump last month signed into law a bill permanently placing street versions of fentanyl on the list of controlled substances, which should make it easier to prosecute fentanyl traffickers and put them behind bars. But the Trump administration has also been criticized when it comes to battling fentanyl deaths, for seeking major cuts to domestic programs that work to reduce drug demand. And Democrats in California, taking aim at what they call Trump’s “unlawful deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles,” say the effort has slashed the California’s National Guard’s fentanyl and drug interdiction force by 32%, “directly harming California’s ability to fight the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.” Organizers of the new effort highlight that Make America Fentanyl Free is a privately funded campaign “launched without taxpayer dollars.” Some of the major contributions to fund the campaign have come from a number of the president’s major donors and allies, according to sources in Trump’s political orbit.
Trump tells Grassley to tell Democrats ‘go to HELL’ over blocked judicial nominees in Senate
President Donald Trump on Sunday blasted the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition, calling it an unconstitutional affront to his appointment power and alleging that his rights have “been completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator.” The president is referring to his ability to nominate judges and U.S. Attorneys, accusing the custom of essentially giving Democrats veto power over his nominees. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is defending the century-old process, saying he views it as a norm worth preserving for balance and state input. GRASSLEY REBUKES TRUMP’S PRESSURE TO ‘HAVE THE COURAGE’ TO SPEED UP NOMINATIONS Blue slips are a long-standing tradition but are not a codified law, and constitutionally he is only allowed the power to nominate while the Senate ultimately approves or rejects that nomination. Trump’s frustration with the Senate’s blue slip practice isn’t new. In July, Trump called the tradition a “hoax” and a “scam” used by Democrats to block his nominees and demanded that Grassley stop supporting them. “Put simply, the president of the United States will never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice because of an ancient, and probably unconstitutional, ‘CUSTOM,’” his post said. ALINA HABBA SAYS SHE ‘WON’T BE INTIMIDATED’ AFTER SENATE CUSTOM HINDERS US ATTORNEY NOMINATION In his first term, Trump was able to appoint 234 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices and 54 appellate court judges. However, this term he has only confirmed five in the first seven months. Trump went on in his post to suggest he was willing to apply pressure and that Grassley shouldn’t acquiesce. “The only candidates that I can get confirmed for these most important positions are, believe it or not, Democrats! Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL!” he wrote. Trump’s comments come after U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann recently ruled that Alina Habba had been unlawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey beyond the 120-day limit allowed for temporary prosecutors and that the administration had been using an unusual maneuver to keep her in the role. Trump’s pressure campaign could shape how many judicial vacancies he can realistically fill in the months ahead.
Abrego Garcia to appear at ICE office in Baltimore amid talk of Uganda deportation
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadorian migrant whose months-long court fight has emerged as a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, will report Monday to the ICE Field Office in Baltimore, where he is expected to be arrested and deported to Uganda, his attorneys told Fox News Digital. The news caps an extraordinary, six-month court battle over Abrego Garcia’s legal status that has spanned two continents, touched off dozens of lengthy court hearings, and involved three federal judges in Tennessee and Maryland. The Department of Justice has said Abrego Garcia is a member of the El Salvadoran gang MS-13, was caught in Tennessee allegedly driving a van full of illegal migrants, and has been accused by his wife of beating her. His supporters have painted him as a hard-working father who has been vilified by the Trump administration, and have pointed to a judge’s ruling that said the government failed to provide sufficient evidence that he is a member of MS-13. Now, Abrego Garcia is slated for deportation to a third country, after an immigration judge ruled he could not be sent back to his homeland because he faced danger there. The latest development in Abrego Garcia’s saga comes days after the Justice Department offered to send him to Costa Rica on Thursday, in exchange for a guilty plea to criminal charges of human smuggling, brought against him while he was still detained in Salvadorian custody earlier this year. Abrego Garcia declined the offer. ABREGO GARCIA RELEASED FROM JAIL, WILL RETURN TO MARYLAND TO AWAIT TRIAL His attorneys used the spurned offer to bolster their motion to dismiss the criminal case against him on the grounds of “vindictive” and selective prosecution by the Trump administration. They said the plea deal offer shows that the Trump administration had embarked on a pressure campaign against their client, and one in which several government agencies— the Justice Department, ICE, and DHS— were “using their collective powers to force” their client to choose between the plea and Costa Rica, or not accepting the offer, and what they termed the “rendition to Uganda.” “In conjunction with that proposal, the government produced a letter to Mr. Abrego’s counsel confirming that he could live freely in that country, which would accept him as a refugee or grant him residency status, and promise not to refoul him to El Salvador,” his attorneys said in a court filing on Saturday. It was not until after he rejected that offer, they said, that the government “informed Mr. Abrego that he has until first thing Monday morning — precisely when he must report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office — to accept a plea in exchange for deportation to Costa Rica, or else that offer will be off the table forever.” JUDGE PRESSES TRUMP DOJ ON ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION; ANSWERS LEAVE COURTROOM IN STUNNED SILENCE The plans were detailed in several documents, including the official notice sent Friday to Abrego Garcia’s attorneys by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser (OPLA), and in the Saturday court filing from his attorneys. Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally when he was a teenager, and lived in Maryland with his wife and children, prior to his removal to El Salvador in March. His family sued, saying his deportation to El Salvador violated a 2019 court order blocking him from being sent back to his home country. After months of legal wrangling, the Trump administration in May returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S., where he was slapped with charges of human smuggling; an investigation that originated from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee and which began in April. ABREGO GARCIA LAWYERS FILE MOTION TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CHARGES FROM TRUMP DOJ Should ICE immediately arrest Abrego Garcia, their actions would likely defy a court order handed down by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee, which sought to preclude ICE from immediately arresting Abrego Garcia upon return. Fox News reported Friday that DHS and ICE officials, frustrated with Abrego Grcia’s release, had been consulting with the Justice Department and ICE’s lawyers about how to go about removing him from the U.S. Lawyers for the Justice Department vehemently opposed Abrego Garcia’s release from custody, arguing at an evidentiary hearing earlier this year that he was a danger to the community and describing him as a member of MS-13 — a claim that was rejected by a judge in a ruling earlier this year. Even so, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Abrego Garcia’s release from criminal custody on Friday, saying in a statement that the Trump administration “will not stop fighting till this Salvadoran man faces justice and is OUT of our country.” “Kilmar is being made an example of, a martyr for having the courage to stand up to this administration’s illegal deportation practices,” Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, CASA’s Chief of Organizing and Leadership, said in a statement.
Chicago mayor calls Trump’s National Guard plan ‘most flagrant violation of our Constitution’
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Sunday called President Donald Trump’s plan to send the National Guard to Chicago a “flagrant violation of our Constitution.” “What the President is proposing would be the most flagrant violation of our Constitution in the 21st Century,” Johnson wrote on X. “The City of Chicago does not need a military occupation.” Johnson also shared a clip from his appearance on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” On the show, Johnson said Chicago has made clear what it needs instead of troops. GOV. PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP TRYING TO ‘MANUFACTURE A CRISIS’ AS ADMIN PLANS NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO “We need to invest in people to ensure that we can build safe and affordable communities. That’s what I’ve done as mayor since assuming office,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that this president is working overtime to divide in his attempt to conquer working families and to conquer cities across America. “But this is clearly a violation of the Constitution, and we’re going to remain firm and vigilant in our commitment to ensure that our democracy is protected, and our humanity is secured,” Johnson added. Trump said Friday that Chicago would be next for federal intervention after efforts in Washington, D.C., conclude. CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN ‘UNCOORDINATED, UNCALLED-FOR AND UNSOUND’ He vowed to send troops elsewhere afterward to “make it safe” as well. “We’re going to make our country very safe,” Trump said. “…Chicago’s a mess.” Soon after Trump’s announcement, Johnson said Chicago had received no formal notice of law enforcement or military deployments and expressed “grave concerns” about any unlawful action. He called the administration’s efforts “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound,” pushing back after Trump labeled him “grossly incompetent” earlier in the day. He noted homicides are down 30%, robberies are down 35% and shootings are down nearly 40% in the past year, arguing federal action would erode trust. TRUMP HINTS AT FEDERAL CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO AMID ANTI-CRIME PUSH IN DC Johnson released a statement on Sunday, saying he and his team are in communication with counterparts at the county and state levels as Chicago prepares for any possible military deployments to the city. “The Governor, the Cook County Board President, and I are in complete alignment: Chicago is not calling for a military occupation of our city. We are currently evaluating all of our legal options to protect the people of Chicago from unconstitutional federal overreach,” Johnson said. “No matter what happens, the City of Chicago will not waver. We are Chicago. We will not bend or cower, and we will never break.” The White House suggested that leaders of blue cities like Chicago focus on their own issues rather than criticizing the president for trying to make America great. “If Democrats spent half as much time solving their own city’s crime problems as they did criticizing the President for wanting to Make America Safe Again, their constituents would be much better off,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. Chicago, which struggles with poverty and gangs, has a crime rate above the national average. But 2023 data shows several Illinois cities—including Chicago Heights, Danville, Peoria, Rockford and Harvey—had much higher violent crime rates than Chicago. On Aug. 11, Trump federalized D.C.’s Metropolitan Police under the Home Rule Act, which lets the president control the force for 30 days. A week later, six red states pledged 2,000 Guardsmen to D.C., joining agents from the FBI, DEA and ATF. Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Trump rips trial judge whose $500M penalty was erased on appeal
Fresh off a major appellate win, President Donald Trump on Sunday tore into New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw his state civil fraud trial, calling him “incompetent,” “crooked” and nearly as “corrupt” as New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump’s barbs followed an appellate ruling that erased a $500 million penalty in James’ high-profile civil fraud case, handing Trump one of his biggest legal wins yet. “The Appellate Court removed incompetent Judge Engoron, but he refused to go, or even to acknowledge them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He’s a highly overturned, CROOKED Judge, who is retiring into a life of lawsuits, along with his Chief Clerk, soon! He is almost as Corrupt as Leticia James, but not quite!” Engoron presided over the non-jury trial, and Trump allies accused him of bias against the president-elect, his family and his company. Trump was accused of inflating the value of his assets to get more favorable terms from a lender his real estate business worked with. JUDGE WHO FINED TRUMP $500 MILLION GETS THE BOOKS THROWN AT HIM The New York Appellate Division tossed the penalty, ruling the fine was excessive and violated the Eighth Amendment. The five-member panel upheld findings that Trump and his company were liable, affirming James acted within her authority and that injunctive relief against the Trump Organization was appropriate. The ruling left liability intact but wiped out the $364 million penalty plus interest, which totaled about $500 million. TURLEY HAILS TRUMP’S ‘TREMENDOUS VICTORY’ AFTER CIVIL FRAUD PENALTY TOSSED, BLASTS ‘GROTESQUE’ USE OF NY LAW Justice David Friedman dissented in part, arguing James’ true aim was political, and the case should be dismissed. He wrote her “ultimate goal was not market hygiene … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business.” Friedman blasted James’ use of Section 63(12) of New York’s Executive Law, which gives the attorney general broad civil fraud powers. He called the use unprecedented and political, giving James “essentially limitless power to prosecute her political enemies.” NY APPEALS COURT THROWS OUT $500M PENALTY AGAINST TRUMP IN LETITIA JAMES CIVIL CASE Friedman said Trump’s business deals involved sophisticated parties who profited without harming the public and concluded he would “reverse the judgment and dismiss the complaint.” With judges split on liability, the case is likely headed to New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. James said she will appeal. James, a Democrat elected in 2018, has long targeted Trump. On the campaign trail, she called him an “illegitimate president” and vowed to “use every area of the law” to investigate him and his businesses. Since Trump returned to office, the Justice Department has opened investigations tied to the case brought against Trump and also over allegations she committed mortgage fraud herself. James alleges Trump is using the federal government to target her politically. DOJ is also investigating her for alleged mortgage fraud, including misrepresenting her primary residence on loans in Virginia and New York. She denies the claims and calls the probe a “revenge tour” for the civil fraud suit. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Maria Paronich contributed to this report.