Supreme Court blocks new deportations of Venezuelans in Texas under 18th century Alien Enemies Act
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling early Saturday morning blocking, at least for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law. The justices instructed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.” Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion. ACLU APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT TO STOP VENEZUELAN DEPORTATIONS; BOASBERG HOLDS EMERGENCY HEARING FRIDAY NIGHT The court’s ruling comes after an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union arguing that federal immigration authorities appeared to be working to resume the removal of migrants from the U.S. under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Two federal judges earlier declined to step in and the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has not made any decision. DEMOCRAT SENATOR VAN HOLLEN MEETS, SHAKES HANDS WITH ABREGO GARCIA CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Alien Enemies Act has only been invoked three previous times in U.S. history, with the most recent being during World War II to hold Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration claims the act gave them the authority to swiftly remove immigrants they accuse of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, regardless of their immigration status. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Of Angel Moms and Illegals
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Gabbard announces RFK files released months after Trump’s order: ‘Light on the truth’ -Top Dem asks Noem how TSA will prevent ‘major disruptions’ as many travelers still lack REAL ID -Biden’s vax-focused COVID-19 website obliterated by White House, replaced with ‘true origins’ virus guide The White House released a splitscreen image overnight to underscore the stark contrast between where Republicans and Democrats stand on illegal immigration. One image featured distraught Angel Mom Patty Morin being comforted by President Trump in the Oval Office. Morin’s daughter, Rachel Morin, was savagely beaten, raped and killed in Maryland by an illegal migrant from El Salvador in 2023. The other image showed Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., sitting and talking with deported illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, in El Salvador…Read more HOMELAND SECURITY REPORT: Kilmar Abrego Garcia suspected of human, labor trafficking in Homeland Security report ‘LOOKED LIKE A FOOL’: Trump calls Sen. Van Hollen a ‘fool’ after meeting with deported MS-13 suspect in El Salvador POLL POSITION: How Trump’s approval rating compares to his presidential predecessors PUT THAT ON HOLD: Federal judge bucks Trump admin, delays dismissal of of MS-13 leader’s case CROWN OF THORNS: LGBTQ Christians crusade against Trump’s religiously ‘hostile’ policies during Holy Week ‘BIG HONOR’: Trump announces a conservative media star, a GOP governor, and others for Homeland Security Advisory Council CENTURY-OLD LAW: When did the US stop keeping up with the Joneses? The maritime law at the crux of US shipbuilding ‘YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BUY’: Trump says US ‘talking to China end may be in sight amid tariff hikes ‘NEVER ALONE’: Huckabee visits iconic holy site in Israel, delivers Trump’s prayer for peace HAMAS CASH CRISIS: Hamas terror group reportedly buckling under financial strain amid Israeli military gains and growing unrest ‘UNACCEPTABLE’: Chinese firm aiding Houthi attacks on US vessels, as airstrikes kill 74 HOLY WEEK OUTREACH: Pope Francis visits Rome prison during Holy Week ‘MOVE ON’: Rubio says US ready to ‘move on’ within days if no progress on Russia-Ukraine peace deal DEMOCRATS IN DISARRAY: Confidence in Congressional Democrats hits all time low in new poll PINK ALERT: Top GOP senator calls out Code Pink, The People’s Forum allegedly pushing CCP propaganda in US UNMASKED: Anti-Israel agitator charged in violent hate crime attack on two Jewish college students GLOVES ARE OFF: Top GOP lawmaker, Hochul trade barbs amid speculation Trump ally is jumping in gubernatorial race ‘SAFER TODAY’: ICE arrests over 200 illegal aliens in New York City’s ‘most crime-infested neighborhoods’ GATHERING INFO: ICE and DOGE seek sensitive data in crackdown on illegal immigration, waste: report UNHEALTHY: HHS probing hospital over firing of nurse who blew whistle on minors getting gender treatments ‘WIDE FISSURE’: Federal judge temporarily restricts DOGE access to personalized Social Security data Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Sen. Van Hollen pours cold water on ‘margarita-gate’ photo-op after El Salvador trip: ‘Nobody drank any’
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., says the margaritas were fake. The outrage, he says, is real. Returning from a highly publicized trip to El Salvador to meet with deported illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Van Hollen addressed reporters Thursday after landing at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. He attempted to set the record straight on what’s now being dubbed “margarita-gate,” a viral photo posted by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele that appeared to show the senator and Garcia sitting casually at a table with two salt-rimmed drinks. “Let me just be very clear,” Van Hollen said. “Neither of us touched the drinks that were in front of us. And if you want to play a little Sherlock Holmes, I’ll tell you how you can know that. … If you sip out of one of those glasses, some of whatever it was — salt or sugar — would disappear. You would see a gap. There’s no gap. “Nobody drank any margaritas or sugar water or whatever it is.” KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA SUSPECTED OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN REPORT OBTAINED BY FOX NEWS Van Hollen claimed the glasses were placed after the meeting began as a staged photo-op, adding that earlier footage shows the table without drinks. Van Hollen accused both El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and the Trump administration of trying to distract from what he described as a constitutional crisis. “This is a lesson into the lengths that President Bukele will do to deceive people,” Van Hollen said. “And it also shows the lengths that the Trump administration and the president will go to, because when he was asked by a reporter about this, he just went along for the ride.” Trump had his own take, posting on Truth Social Friday, “Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the Fake News Media, or anyone. GRANDSTANDER!!!” The controversy stems from the case of Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national deported from Maryland last month and placed in the country’s notorious CECOT prison. WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BLUNTLY SHOWS WHERE PARTIES STAND ON IMMIGRATION AMID ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION Federal officials have called the deportation an “administrative error” in court. Van Hollen and other Democrats have since argued it violated Garcia’s constitutional right to due process. But the Trump administration has pushed back, pointing to Garcia’s alleged domestic abuse, gang ties and suspected involvement in human trafficking. A 2022 Homeland Security Investigations report identified Garcia as a member of MS-13 and a suspected human trafficker. A 2021 domestic violence filing, written by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez, claimed, “I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me.” Despite these reports, Van Hollen insists no evidence has been presented in court and that the removal was unlawful. He cited rulings by a federal district court and the U.S. Supreme Court ordering Garcia’s return. “The government in this case, the Trump administration, is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process,” Van Hollen said, quoting a recent Fourth Circuit decision. “That is the foundation of our constitutional order.” He added that Judge Paula Xinis, the federal judge who first reviewed the case, found the administration “offered no evidence linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or any terrorist activity.” Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador this week after the Salvadoran government initially denied him access to Garcia. After press coverage, he said, officials arranged a meeting at a hotel, which was filmed. He said Salvadoran soldiers had previously stopped him from approaching the prison and that he was surprised by the last-minute permission to meet. He also revealed that the U.S. had committed $15 million to El Salvador to support detention operations and said over $4 million had already been paid. Van Hollen claimed this funding was unauthorized and pledged to oppose future appropriations. “I won’t support the use of one penny of taxpayer dollars to keep Abrego Garcia illegally detained in El Salvador,” he said. Critics, including Republicans and Trump allies, have questioned why Van Hollen would travel abroad to advocate for someone with alleged gang ties and a record of domestic abuse while remaining silent on victims like Rachel Morin, a Maryland woman murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2023. The White House drew a sharp contrast, posting side-by-side photos of Trump meeting with Morin’s mother and Van Hollen meeting with Abrego Garcia. The caption: “We are not the same.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Asked about the comparison, Van Hollen said his “heart breaks” for Morin’s family but defended his actions as grounded in the Constitution. “The reason we have courts of law is to punish the guilty, but also to make sure that those who have not committed crimes are not found guilty and arbitrarily detained,” he said. Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, David Spunt, Greg Norman, Greg Wehner, and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
ACLU appeals to Supreme Court to stop Venezuelan deportations; Boasberg holds emergency hearing Friday night
The American Civil Liberties Union appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, asking for an emergency injunction against the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan nationals held in Texas back to South America under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act. The Supreme Court previously ruled there are restrictions on how the government can use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, including that those targeted under it are entitled to a hearing before being deported. Hours before appealing to the Supreme Court on Friday, the ACLU had asked two federal judges for an injunction on the deportations. One of the judges, James E. Boasberg, scheduled a Friday evening hearing over the request. SENATOR CALLS FOR PROBE INTO JUDGE BOASBERG AFTER DEPORTATION CLASH Boasberg, who originally ruled on the Alien Enemies Act, previously found probable cause that the Trump administration committed criminal contempt in disobeying his ruling on the deportations. The Supreme Court then ruled that only judges in the areas from where migrants are set to be deported have jurisdiction over their cases. Boasberg is in Washington, D.C. Later Friday, another Washingon, D.C.-based circuit judge issued an “administrative stay” on Boasberg’s contempt finding, “to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion for a stay pending appeal or a writ of mandamus.” The order said it should not be considered a ruling “on the merits” of the Trump administration’s motion against the contempt proceedings. Judges in Colorado, New York and south Texas have temporarily halted deportations in those areas, but there’s no ban for the Venezuelan nationals facing possible deportation from the Bluebonnet Detention Center in northern Texas. TRUMP REVEALS THE ONLY DETAIL HE HASN’T DECIDED IN HIS SELF-DEPORTATION PROGRAM The ACLU has called for a deportation ban on two Venezuelans being held at the center, saying the administration is accusing them of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and any immigrants in the region. Separately, on Friday, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid by the Trump administration to strip around 350,000 Venezuelan migrants of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which would make them eligible for deportation. TPS by law lasts six to 18 months and applies to people from countries that are war-torn or have a natural disaster or some other event that makes returning dangerous. The court upheld a March ruling from a lower court that stayed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s efforts to remove the protected status from some Venezuelans in the country. President Trump on Friday also commented on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who had been living in Maryland and had protections against deportation, who was mistakenly deported to a prison in the county last month. “This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States, because he is such ‘a fine and innocent person,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social with a picture of him holding a photo that shows tattoos on Garcia’s knuckles. The photo says the symbols on Garcia’s knuckles spell out MS-13. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He continued: “They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles, and two Highly Respected Courts found that he was a member of MS-13, beat up his wife, etc. I was elected to take bad people out of the United States, among other things. I must be allowed to do my job. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
EXCLUSIVE: As Afghan Christians face deportation, faith leaders urge Trump administration to reconsider
EXCLUSIVE: Christian leaders say President Donald Trump has a chance to fix a Biden-era mistake by halting deportations of believers facing torture or death. As thousands of Christians rallied during Holy Week, faith leaders across the U.S. urged Trump to intervene and stop the deportation of Afghan Christians who face near-certain persecution under the Taliban. On April 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would terminate humanitarian parole for Afghan nationals, effectively ordering thousands to leave the U.S. within days. Though early reporting referred to the change as ending temporary protected status (TPS), internal DHS notifications confirm the affected Afghans were in fact under humanitarian parole. The mislabeling was repeated by media outlets and DHS but has since been corrected in official memos from advocacy groups. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENDS TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR THOUSANDS OF AFGHANS AMID DEPORTATION PUSH The policy shift affects about 9,000 Afghans living legally in the U.S. while awaiting special immigrant visa (SIV) or asylum adjudication. Among them, according to documents obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, are hundreds of Christians, many of whom converted after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and now face life-threatening danger under Taliban rule. “We believe all 9,000 could face persecution upon return to the Taliban, but we are particularly concerned about a group of hundreds of Christians who we believe will face an immediate threat of torture or death,” a coalition memo states. The document sent to Trump and copied to Vice President JD Vance; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem; House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., asks for a 90-day pause on deportations to allow time for legal pathways or protections. HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN Their proposal includes a “vetted and qualified exemptions list,” identifying Christians most at risk to help DHS reinstate humanitarian protections or expedite asylum or SIV review. One individual on that list, using the pseudonym “Nashinas,” is an Afghan Christian who was tortured by the Taliban in 2021, later resettled in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is now active in his local church. Despite having filed for asylum, he received a formal DHS notice ordering his departure. The timing of the parole termination during Holy Week has energized Christian leaders in the U.S. and around the world. “This isn’t just a legal issue; it’s a moral one,” according to the Enduring Hope Alliance (EHA). “As Christians across the globe reflect on the sacrifice of Christ, we’re being asked to turn away fellow believers facing real persecution.” The EHA, a coalition of churches, veterans, nonprofits and volunteers formed in the aftermath of the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, helped rescue and resettle over a thousand Christian converts and allies of the U.S. military. It reports spending millions in private donations and thousands of volunteer hours to bring persecuted individuals to safety. “This is a moment for the administration to show compassion and leadership,” a source close to the EHA told Fox News Digital. “We’re not asking for open borders. We’re asking for a narrow, temporary solution to protect lives that are clearly at risk.” The Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. service members remains a defining failure of the U.S. withdrawal. Faith leaders argue this is a chance for the Trump administration to fix one of the most painful consequences of that Biden-era decision — abandoning persecuted Christians. “The Afghanistan withdrawal was one of the darkest chapters in American foreign policy,” said Mike Mannina, a former Bush White House official who helped lead the rescue alliance. He had never spoken publicly about it until now. “What followed, though, was one of our finest hours — thousands of everyday Americans stepping up to save lives. I’d hate to see that work undone.” In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Rev. Franklin Graham, the president of Samaritan’s Purse, said he believes there may now be more time to resolve the crisis. “No, it did not come up at the White House,” Graham said. “But I understand from Kristi Noem — she said that I think it’s July, that the Afghans have till July, or the government will work with them till July to get this work solved. So, it looked like they’re going to be deported maybe as of today. That’s what I heard. But … now [it’s] July. So, they’ve got more time to work out this visa issue.” DHS has not publicly confirmed any extension. Multiple Afghan Christians received notices giving them seven days to leave the country. Independent groups, including the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Watch, confirm that Afghan Christians are specifically targeted under Taliban rule. Conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and is punishable by death. “Afghan Christians are in a more vulnerable position today under the Taliban than even Christians were under ISIS,” an assessment from Help The Persecuted says. Advocates say deporting these individuals would violate both U.S. values and international law, which prohibits returning people to countries where they face likely torture or death. Josh Youssef, founder of Help The Persecuted, said Trump has a clear opportunity to right a grave wrong left by the Biden administration’s chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We know Christians were beaten, imprisoned and even killed by the Taliban,” Youssef told Fox News Digital. “Now, as some of those same people face deportation, President Trump can take a scalpel — not a hammer — and protect those at real risk of death for their faith. “This is Good Friday,” he added. “It’s unthinkable to send Christians back to a country where they could face their own crucifixion. We’re asking the president to fix this.” DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump says career gov employees working on policy will be fired if they don’t adhere to his agenda
President Trump on Friday said that career government employees working on policy matters for the administration will be reclassified “Schedule Policy/Career,” – or at will employees – and will be fired if they don’t adhere to his agenda. “Following my Day One Executive Order, the Office of Personnel Management will be issuing new Civil Service Regulations for career government employees,” the president wrote on Truth Social Friday afternoon. He added, “Moving forward, career government employees, working on policy matters, will be classified as ‘Schedule Policy/Career,’ and will be held to the highest standards of conduct and performance.” This comes as the Trump administration continues to fire federal employees in an effort to shrink the government. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO TRUMP ADMIN’S CFPB TERMINATIONS The administration’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) estimated the rule change in Trump’s executive order “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce” would affect around 50,000 employees or 2% of the federal workforce, the White House said in a Friday memo. The regulations for civil service employees “with important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties” will now be considered “at-will” employees, “without access to cumbersome adverse action procedures or appeals, overturning Biden Administration regulations that protected poor performing employees.” Trump added in his post: “If these government workers refuse to advance the policy interests of the President, or are engaging in corrupt behavior, they should no longer have a job. This is common sense, and will allow the federal government to finally be ‘run like a business.’ We must root out corruption and implement accountability in our Federal Workforce!” SUPREME COURT RULES ON STATUS OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FIRED PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES The White House said the “rule empowers federal agencies to swiftly remove employees in policy-influencing roles for poor performance, misconduct, corruption, or subversion of Presidential directives, without lengthy procedural hurdles.” The employees aren’t required to personally support the president, but “must faithfully implement the law and the administration’s policies.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The proposed rule won’t change the status of affected employees’ jobs until another executive order is issued, the White House said.
Anti-Israel Harvard students conspire to smear law firms critical of campus antisemitism: report
Anti-Israel law students at Harvard conspired to smear numerous law firms that have stood opposed to anti-Israel efforts on college campuses, an investigation by the conservative Washington Free Beacon found. Harvard’s student-led chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, a left-wing legal advocacy group with chapters around the country, held a “Big Law, Big Secrets: Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon” earlier this month on campus. The event, led by a student with a reported history of anti-Israel activity, was meant to “gather data to edit the Wikipedia pages of Big Law firms to reflect cases they have recently argued.” Two days later, over a dozen law firms that have been critical of antisemitism at Harvard and other college campuses, including some that rescinded job offers from Harvard law students over it, saw their Wikipedia pages amended. The changes were done by a Wikipedia account linked to another Harvard law student with a history of anti-Israel advocacy, the Free Beacon found, and the changes effectively sought to make the law firms look bad in the eyes of liberals. Some changes also sought to soften language critical of campus antisemitism. 5 CONTROVERSIES EMBROILING HARVARD UNIVERSITY AS TRUMP SEEKS TO CUT FUNDING For instance, a section on the Wikipedia page for the firm Davis Polk, which describes cases it has worked on, was changed from “Race Relations” to “Defense of Segregation.” The firm’s page also saw the addition of a lengthy section about its “Representation of Purdue Pharma,” a pharmaceutical company blamed by Democrats for playing a part in the opioid crisis. In 2023, Davis Polk rescinded a job offer it gave to a Harvard student over the student’s leadership in organizing anti-Israel protests on campus. It was also among 100 law firms that sent a November 2023 letter to Harvard urging it to clamp down on campus antisemitism after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against innocent Israelis. Jones Day, which also signed the letter, had its Wikipedia page changed to include additions about it defending Walmart against allegations of overprescribing opioids, Second Amendment rights and “racial gerrymandering.” TRUMP SAYS HARVARD HAS ‘LOST ITS WAY,’ DOESN’T DESERVE FEDERAL FUNDING Latham & Watkins, another signer, saw a section about its work on a case related to the Chevron deference principle changed to say the firm “eroded agencies’ abilities to protect civil rights, human health and the environment, and other critical public functions.” Jenner & Block, another signer of the November letter, saw a criticism about its representation of Uber in a suit over whether its drivers should be considered full-time employees or contractors added to its page. Meanwhile, the edit history for some of the firms that signed on to the letter, such as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, showed efforts to dull language about what occurred on college campuses after Hamas’ attacks. For instance, the Harvard law student-linked account changed “amid a wave of antisemitism in the United States,” to “amid a wave of Gaza war protests in the United States” on the firm’s page. Additionally, “antisemitic incidents at elite U.S. law schools” was changed to “pro-Palestine protests at elite U.S. law schools.” Overall, 14 law firms saw changes such as these, according to the Free Beacon’s investigation. When reached for comment, Harvard University spokesperson Jeff Neal said the Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon was organized by a student-run organization “and does not represent the views of Harvard Law School.” HARVARD SLAMMED FOR REFUSING TO COMPLY WITH TRUMP ADMIN DEMANDS AMID ANTISEMITISM FIGHT Fox News Digital reached out to the National Lawyers Guild’s Harvard chapter and its national organization but did not receive a response. Earlier this month, the Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism froze over $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard. The administration has indicated it could take away as much as $9 billion if Harvard does not meet its requirements on antisemitism and other federal directives from Trump. The Trump administration is also looking at ways to strip Harvard’s tax-exempt status after the school said it would not comply with a number of the president’s demands related to campus antisemitism, DEI and other policy priorities the president has laid out during his first 100 days in office.
Trump dishes on Abrego-Garcia’s ‘unbelievably bad’ record and Democrat’s ‘fake’ El Salvador trip
President Donald Trump said that Kilmar Abrego-Garcia holds an “unbelievably bad” record, following Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s Thursday visit to El Salvador to meet with the Maryland resident the Trump administration deported there. When asked if Trump encouraged other Democrats to visit Kilmar Abrego-Garcia in El Salvador, Trump proceeded to blast the “fake” Democrats for not actually caring about Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally from El Salvador in 2011 and that the Trump administration has asserted is a member of the MS-13 gang. “They’re all fake, and they have no interest in that prisoner,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House following a swearing-in ceremony for Dr. Mehmet Oz to oversee Medicare and Medicaid services. “That prisoner’s record is unbelievably bad.” KILMAR ABREGO-GARCIA SUSPECTED OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN REPORT OBTAINED BY FOX NEWS The Trump administration deported Garcia, 29, to El Salvador in what it described in court filings as an “administrative error,” and has since said that it is up to El Salvador whether Garcia returns to the U.S. Meanwhile, a federal court and the Supreme Court have instructed the Trump administration to coordinate Garcia’s return so proper deportation hearings can occur. The remarks come after the Justice Department unveiled documents Wednesday detailing domestic violence allegations that Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez, included in a court filing in 2021. Vasquez alleged in the filing that Garcia beat her and that she had documentation of the bruises he left on her. “At this point, I am afraid to be close to him,” she said, according to the filing. “I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he (has) left me.” TRUMP CALLS SEN. VAN HOLLEN A ‘FOOL’ AFTER MEETING WITH DEPORTED MS-13 SUSPECT IN EL SALVADOR Additionally, a 2022 Homeland Security Investigations report obtained by Fox News claims that Garcia was suspected of partaking in labor and human trafficking. The report said that a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper pulled Garcia over in 2022 after swerving. The patrol officer found eight other individuals in the car with Garcia, who had just begun driving three days prior. The officer originally believed the incident qualified as a human trafficking case because no luggage was found in the car, but the officer ultimately only wrote up Garcia for driving with an expired license. The report also identified Garcia as a member of MS-13, a designated terrorist organization under the Trump administration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Abrego Garcia is a MS-13 gang member, illegal alien from El Salvador, and suspected human trafficker,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News. “The facts reveal he was pulled over with eight individuals in a car on an admitted three-day journey from Texas to Maryland with no luggage.” “The facts speak for themselves, and they reek of human trafficking,” McLaughlin said. Meanwhile, Trump also has condemned Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, for even conducting the visit to El Salvador. “Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the Fake News Media, or anyone. GRANDSTANDER!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account Friday. Fox News’ David Spunt, Rachel Wolf and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Federal judge orders halt to Trump admin’s CFPB terminations
A Washington, D.C.-based federal judge on Friday temporarily halted the Trump administration’s planned mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protections Bureau (CFPB), shortly after an appeals court narrowed her earlier injunction. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s order temporarily blocks the terminations, which would have slashed the bureau’s workforce by roughly 90%, as she weighs whether the planned layoffs violate her earlier injunction. Her order comes after plaintiffs in the case, which include the CFPB Employee Association and other labor entities, accused the government of violating her earlier injunction. The plaintiffs alleged these layoffs would take place on Friday evening. SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS SWOOPS IN TO SAVE TRUMP FIRING DECISION Jackson noted on Friday that the agency was slated to carry out a reduction in force, or RIF, of roughly 1,400 employees — which would have left just several hundred in place. Jackson said that within several days of an appeals order narrowing her initial injunction, CFPB employees were told the agency would do “exactly what it was told not to do,” which was to carry out a RIF. “I’m willing to resolve it quickly, but I’m not going to let this RIF go forward until I have,” she said during the Friday hearing, noting that she is “deeply concerned, given the scope and scope of action.” Justice Department lawyers had sought to appeal Jackson’s order earlier this year, arguing in a filing that the injunction “improperly intrudes on the executive [branch’s] authority” and goes “far beyond what is lawful.” SUPREME COURT RULES ON STATUS OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FIRED PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES Jackson blocked the administration from moving forward with any layoffs or from cutting off employees’ access to computers at the bureau until she has time to hear from the officials in question later this month. “We’re not going to disperse” more than 1,400 employees “into the universe… until we have determined that is lawful or not,” Jackson said. She proceeded to then set an April 28 hearing date to hear testimony from officials slated to carry out the RIF procedures. The plaintiffs in the suit filed their legal challenge in D.C. district court in early February seeking a temporary restraining order after the Trump administration moved to severely downsize the bureau. The court issued a preliminary injunction in late March, finding that the plaintiffs would likely succeed on the merits. The order directed the government to “rehire all terminated employees, reinstate all terminated contracts, and refrain from engaging in reductions-in-force or attempting to stop work through any means.” The Trump administration appealed the order shortly thereafter. SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ORAL ARGUMENTS IN BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP CASE The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit stayed Jackson’s order only in part, staying the provision dictating that the government must rehire the terminated employees. The appeals court also stayed the provision of the order prohibiting the government from “terminating or issuing a notice of reduction” to employees the administration deemed “to be unnecessary to the performance of defendant’s statutory duties.”
ICE dispels rumors about viral video showing agents smashing window to arrest illegal
After a video showing federal agents smashing a car window to arrest an illegal immigrant went viral online, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is dispelling rumors about both the agent involved and the detainee. The arrest was carried out by Boston ICE officials and took place in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Monday. The footage, which the detainee’s wife took from the inside of a car, shows two federal agents attempting to speak with two individuals who have locked themselves in the vehicle, claiming they are waiting for their lawyer. After unsuccessfully trying to access the vehicle, the agents use a large hammer to smash the backseat car window. BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER DOUBLES DOWN ON ICE RESISTANCE: ‘WE DON’T ENFORCE’ DETAINERS Eventually, the agents arrested one of the car’s occupants, a 29-year-old Guatemalan man named Juan Francisco-Mendez. According to local outlet The New Bedford Light, Francisco-Mendez’s lawyer, Ondine Gálvez, claims he has no criminal history in Massachusetts and is seeking asylum status. Francisco-Mendez’s wife, who is identified by the outlet as “Marilú,” said the agents “pulled us out violently” and “treated us very harshly.” The video has since gone viral and sparked significant controversy. Some people online have even claimed that the agent who smashed the window is a far-right militia member named Lewis Arthur. A spokesperson for ICE told Fox News Digital that Francisco-Mendez “refused to comply with officers’ instructions and resisted apprehension” and that the agent’s actions were in line with training on applying the minimum amount of force needed. ICE ARRESTS OVER 200 ILLEGAL ALIENS IN NEW YORK CITY’S ‘MOST CRIME-INFESTED NEIGHBORHOODS’ “ICE concurs with the actions deemed appropriate by the officers on the scene who are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that ensures the success of the operation and prioritizes the safety of our officers,” the spokesperson said. The representative categorically denied that the agent involved in the arrest was Arthur, saying rather that he is a legitimate federal agent working with ICE. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The spokesperson declined to release the name of the officer publicly but confirmed to Fox News Digital that “he is a federal law enforcement officer who has worked with ICE to help keep New England communities safe for years.” “The officer recorded making an arrest in New Bedford, Mass., is not militia leader Lewis Arthur,” the spokesperson said, adding that “the rumors circulating on social media that ICE Boston employed a militia leader from Arizona to make arrests in New England are not only false, but they are also inflammatory and place the safety of federal officers in jeopardy.” WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS ICE, SAYS DEMS, MEDIA WANT ‘SICK’ CRIMINAL MIGRANTS LEFT ON STREETS “ICE vehemently denies the lies that are being spread on social media,” the spokesperson said, noting that “our ICE officers are facing a 300% increase in assaults while carrying out enforcement operations.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Regarding the detained migrant, ICE said Francisco-Mendez is in the country illegally despite reporting that he is a legal asylum seeker. Francisco-Mendez has now been served with a notice to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge.