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Virginia Democrats move to seize redistricting power, opening door to 4 new left-leaning seats
The Virginia state Senate on Friday greenlit a constitutional amendment that would clear the way for the Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw the state's U.S. House maps ahead of this year's midterm elections.
The move by state senators, following a similar vote on Wednesday in the state House, was the final step needed to send the amendment to Virginia voters. If the ballot measure is approved this spring, the legislature, rather than the current non-partisan commission, would redraw the state's congressional maps through 2030.
Virginia is the latest battleground in the ongoing high-stakes battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to alter congressional maps ahead of November's elections. And Virginia Democrats, who currently control six of the state's 11 U.S. House districts, are aiming to draw up to four additional left-leaning seats.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) called Friday's development "a critical step in giving Virginia voters the opportunity to ensure they have fair and equal representation in Congress."
THE NEXT BATTLEGROUNDS IN THE HIGH-STAKES MAP FIGHT
And charging that "Donald Trump and Republicans are doing everything they can to rig the midterms in their favor through unprecedented mid-decade gerrymandering," DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene argued that "Virginians — not politicians — will now have the chance to vote for a temporary, emergency exception that will restore fairness, level the playing field, and stand up to extremists seeking to silence their voices."
But the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus accused the state Senate Democrats of passing "a partisan gerrymandering amendment to entrench their party in power."
And the Republican National Committee (RNC) called it a "power grab."
"This is just the most recent example of Democrats' multi-decade campaign to gerrymander in every state where they gain power," RNC national press secretary Kiersten Pels argued in a statement to Fox News Digital. "This is exactly why red states are fighting back to level the playing field after years of states like Illinois, New York, and California drawing their districts to disenfranchise Republicans."
STUNNING SETBACK FOR TRUMP IN REDISTRICTING WARS
Virginia Democratic lawmakers have indicated they will release a proposed map later this month.
And on Thursday, a Democratic-aligned nonprofit titled "Virginians for Fair Elections" launched, to urge voters to vote in favor of the redistricting ballot measure.
Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, Trump last spring first floated the idea of rare but not unheard of mid-decade congressional redistricting.
The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP's razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.
Trump's first target was Texas.
BIG WIN FOR TRUMP AS SUPREME COURT GREENLIGHTS TEXAS' NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP
When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, "Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five."
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.
But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country.
Among those leading the fight against Trump's redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state's nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.
That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.
The fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.
Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio, and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as part of the president's push.
And Florida Republicans, in a move pushed by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers are also hoping to pick up an additional three to five seats through a redistricting push during a special legislative session in April.
In blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state's GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.
And Republicans in Indiana's Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House.
But Trump scored a big victory when the conservative majority on the Supreme Court greenlit Texas' new map.
Other states that might step into the redistricting war are Democratic-dominated Illinois and Maryland and two red states with Democratic governors, Kentucky and Kansas.
Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case which may lead to the overturning of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.
If the ruling goes the way of the conservatives on the high court, it could lead to the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts across the county, which would greatly favor Republicans.
But it is very much up in the air — when the court will rule, and what it will actually do.
Federal judge restricts ICE agents amid ongoing Minneapolis area protests
A Minnesota judge issued a ruling Friday barring federal officers from detaining or deploying tear gas against peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities while participating in Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.
The order from U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez restricting the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal agents comes amid ongoing protests and heightened tension in Minneapolis after an ICE agent fatally shot Minnesota resident Renee Good earlier this month.
The ruling prohibits officers from retaliating against anyone peacefully protesting or observing the actions of immigration officers, adding that federal agents must show probable cause or reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime or is interfering with law enforcement operations.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said following the ruling that the First Amendment does not protect "rioting," adding that DHS is "taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters."
"We remind the public that rioting is dangerous—obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony," McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Rioters and terrorists have assaulted law enforcement, launched fireworks at them, slashed the tires of their vehicles, and vandalized federal property. Others have chosen to ignore commands and have attempted to impede law enforcement operations and used their vehicles as weapons against our officers."
McLaughlin added that "assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is a felony."
"Despite these grave threats and dangerous situations, our law enforcement has followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property," she stated.
MINNESOTA ANTI-ICE AGITATORS SWARM, CONFRONT FEDERAL AGENTS DURING ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS
Under the ruling, federal agents cannot use pepper-spray or other non-lethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against peaceful protesters, the ruling states.
Additionally, Menendez wrote that safely following officers "at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop."
The ruling stems from a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, who argued that government officers were violating the constitutional rights of Twin City residents.
Government attorneys said officers were acting within their legal authority and appropriately to violence as they've enforced immigration laws across the country and in Minnesota.
The ongoing unrest in Minneapolis comes after two recent shootings involving ICE agents in the city.
Good died on Jan. 7 after an ICE agent shot into her vehicle through the driver's side windshield and open window after she allegedly attempted to run him over. He could be heard on video after the fact saying "f---ing b---h" as her car crashed into a parked car.
While Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting as a murder and called for the agent's prosecution, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident, arguing it was a justified shooting.
Then, on Wednesday, an ICE officer was seriously injured after being ambushed by three illegal immigrants during a traffic stop targeting a Venezuelan national, according to federal officials. One suspect was shot, and all three were taken into custody after the stop escalated into a foot chase and violent struggle, authorities said.
Menendez is presiding over a separate lawsuit filed Monday by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seeking to suspend the enforcement crackdown.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
IRS confirms Trump-ordered $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ for 1.45M troops is tax-free
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) delivered good news for America’s troops Friday, confirming that the one-time $1,776 "Warrior Dividend" paid to service members in December 2025 is completely tax-free, allowing troops to keep every dollar of the bonus.
In a Friday release, the Treasury Department and the IRS said that "supplemental basic allowance for housing payments" made to members of the uniformed services in December 2025 "are not to be included in income by those who received the payments; they are not taxable."
The agency said federal tax law specifically excludes from gross income a "qualified military benefit," adding that basic allowances for housing payments fall under that category and therefore are not subject to federal income taxes.
The confirmation caps off President Donald Trump’s pre-Christmas announcement that nearly 1.5 million U.S. service members would receive a special "Warrior Dividend" in recognition of their service and to commemorate roughly 250 years since the nation’s founding.
"And the checks are already on the way," Trump said during a Dec. 17, 2025, primetime address from the White House, crediting tariffs and recently passed GOP spending and tax legislation for funding the payments.
"Nobody deserves it more than our military. And I say congratulations to everybody," he added.
According to the IRS, Congress appropriated $2.9 billion in legislation enacted last July to supplement the basic allowance for housing payable to members of the uniformed services, with the one-time $1,776 payments funded by that appropriation.
The IRS said the supplemental payments were made primarily to active-duty service members in pay grades O-6 and below, along with eligible Reserve Component members as of Nov. 30, 2025, across the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force.
TRUMP SIGNS 'MEDAL OF HONOR ACT' TO RAISE PENSIONS FOR AMERICA'S MILITARY HEROES
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson welcomed the tax treatment in remarks carried by Pentagon News, saying the ruling ensures the money reaches military families directly.
"The tax-free Warrior Dividend places $1,776 directly in the hands of our warfighters and their families," Wilson said. "The department is proud to recognize their sacrifice."
During his December address, Trump also pointed to what he described as a turnaround for the armed forces under his leadership, citing record enlistment and contrasting it with what he called historically poor recruitment numbers under the previous administration.
"What a difference a year makes," Trump said.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the dividend reflects a broader push to improve quality of life for military families.
"This Warrior Dividend serves as yet another example of how the War Department is working to improve the quality of life for our military personnel and their families," Hegseth said. "All elements of what we’re doing are to rebuild our military.
The Department of War and the Internal Revenue Service did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional comment.
Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this reporting.
Michael Cohen says NY prosecutors 'pressured and coerced' him into anti-Trump testimony
President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, said Friday that prosecutors in both the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York Attorney General’s Office "pressured and coerced" him into delivering testimony tailored to securing convictions against Trump.
Cohen, who was a key prosecution witness in two New York cases against Trump, accused New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing evidence aimed at Trump, saying prosecutors were uninterested in testimony that didn’t fit their narrative.
"I felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump," Cohen wrote in a post on Substack.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for comment.
APPEALS COURT HANDS TRUMP LEGAL WIN, ORDERS REVIEW OF HUSH MONEY CASE OVER PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY
Cohen, who was Trump's personal lawyer for many years, said he was writing as a federal appeals court considers the president's request to move his hush money case to federal court for further review.
The former Trump fixer testified in a civil case brought by James' office in 2023, where Trump was found liable for fraudulently inflating his assets to obtain favorable loan terms. He also took the stand in Bragg's case in 2024, where Trump was ultimately found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Cohen accused both James and Bragg of using their high-profile cases to elevate their careers, claiming they sought credit as officials who "took down Trump."
TRUMP FILES ‘POWERHOUSE’ APPEAL IN 'POLITICALLY CHARGED' MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY CASE
"They blurred the line between justice and politics; and in that blur, the credibility of both suffered," he wrote.
Cohen said that both before and during the trials, prosecutors made it clear they were only interested in testimony from him that would convict Trump.
"When my testimony was insufficient for a point the prosecution sought to make, prosecutors frequently asked inappropriate leading questions to elicit answers that supported their narrative," he said.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to several crimes, including tax evasion, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. He described cooperating with authorities while incarcerated, saying he sought sentence relief and felt compelled to provide testimony fitting prosecutors’ narratives with the hope that his sentence would be reduced.
"You may reasonably ask why I am speaking out now. The answer is simple. I have witnessed firsthand the damage done when prosecutors pick their target first and then seek evidence to fit a predetermined narrative," Cohen said, while noting that he was not writing in defense of Trump.
911 transcripts, documents detail chaotic scene after ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good
New documents released by Minneapolis officials illuminate the chaos that ensued on scene, moments after Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer last week.
The report, obtained by Fox News Digital, included an incident report from the Minneapolis Fire and Police departments, 911 call transcripts, and witness reports.
The documents were released late Thursday.
The 911 call transcripts consisted of 17 pages of calls made out of the area in the moments after Good was shot and offered a profane, splintered glimpse into eyewitness accounts.
Calls began shortly after 9:38 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, and according to the reports, there were "[multiple] voices yelling [and] screaming in the background."
RENEE GOOD’S FORMER FATHER-IN-LAW SAYS DEADLY SHOOTING WAS RESULT OF 'BAD CHOICES'
"I saw (inaudible) an ICE officer [fire] two shots through her windshield into the driver. She tried to drive away but crashed into the nearest vehicle that was parked," said a caller, according to the transcripts. "[Her] partner was out of the vehicle, ran to help. [I] a vehicle as well and I saw blood all over the river and then the partner who was trying to provide assistance."
The operator questioned the caller if she was near Good, and she detailed that she was across the street and said ICE made her move away from the incident.
Another caller described their account of the moment agents shot at Good's vehicle.
"They just shot a lady. Point-blank range in her car," described the caller. "They shot her, like, [be]cause she wouldn’t open her car door."
The same caller mentioned someone on scene was recording a video and captured the moment Good was shot. In the hours after the shooting, multiple videos of the incident began circulating online.
ICE AGENT STRUCK BY RENEE GOOD'S VEHICLE SUFFERED INTERNAL BLEEDING TO TORSO, DHS SAYS
Another caller in the transcript appeared to be calling on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The caller requested emergency assistance and relaying messages from agents on the scene, according to the transcript.
The caller reported, "officers stuck in a vehicle," "agitators on scene," and "shots fired by our locals." The operator asked for a description of the shooter and the caller replied, "I don’t have any of that stuff, we’re just trying to get assistance."
According to the police report, the fire department began giving "medical aid" at 9:45 a.m. after arriving on scene. The report also detailed a crowd was beginning to form in the area and requested "crowd control and [the] area blocked off."
At 9:50 a.m. the report indicates the crowd began to get hostile and at 9:52 a.m., more law enforcement was deployed to the scene to assist in crowd control efforts. The report also indicated later that "agitators" were cutting the crime scene tape established by law enforcement.
The agent who fired shots at Good was no longer on the scene as of 10:04 a.m. According to the report, the agent was transported to the "federal building" and police on scene requested that federal agents "evacuate [the] scene when safe and as fast as [possible]."
At 11:01 a.m., the report indicates ICE agents were "being surrounded" and by 11:20 a.m. all agents left the scene.
The report also included mentions of flag burning and individuals who remained on scene that were reported throwing ice and snowballs at officers. The incident was closed at approximately 4:59 p.m. local time.
Good suffered four gunshot wounds, two to the chest, one on her left forearm and one on the left side of her head, according to the fire department report. Initial reports indicated Good had been shot three times.
DHS officials said the ICE officer fired in self-defense after Good used her Honda Pilot SUV in a way that posed a threat. DHS said video showed Good interfering with ICE officers by parking her vehicle in the roadway in an apparent attempt to block federal vehicles.
Lifesaving efforts continued at the scene, as she was being transported in an ambulance and then to Hennepin County Medical Center, according to previous Fox News Digital reporting. CPR was discontinued at 10:30 a.m.
Good’s family is now represented by Romanucci & Blandin, a Chicago-based law firm, who represented George Floyd and Sonya Massey.
The firm delivered an "evidence preservation" letter to the federal government, according to a release sent to Fox News Digital, on Thursday.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this story.
Florida GOP candidate wants 50% 'sin tax' on OnlyFans creators to fight 'cultural degeneracy'
A Republican candidate for governor in Florida recently proposed a hefty "sin tax" on OnlyFans content creators if he is elected.
"Young women once aspired to be devoted mothers, doctors, lawyers, and nurses," James Fishback told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday.
Fishback continued, "Today, young women are told by an online platform called OnlyFans that it’s morally right to sell nude photos of themselves to strangers on the internet. I will not tolerate this cultural degeneracy as Florida’s next Republican Governor."
He has estimated the income tax would raise around $200 million, according to FOX 35, which he said would be put into the state’s education system.
ONLYFANS BOOM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES SPARKS CONCERN AS MORE STUDENTS TURN TO PLATFORM FOR FAST CASH
The money would also go toward crisis pregnancy centers and to fund the "first-of-its-kind mental health czar for men in particular because men have been told for far too long that they are guilty of masculinity," he told podcaster Joel Webbon this week. "That they are guilty for all of society's ills. I’m not going to stand for that slanderous lie."
He told Webbon: "As Florida’s governor, I don’t want young women who could otherwise be mothers raising families, rearing children, I don’t want them to be selling their bodies to sick men online. And I don’t want young, impressionable men who have strayed from Christ, who have strayed from our lord and savior to be told and drawn in to lust."
Fishback told FOX 35 he would be open to a possible tax on OnlyFans customers as well.
ONLYFANS STAR PREACHES TO UNIVERSIY STUDENTS AS PROFESSOR SAYS ‘MANIFESTATION WORKED’
OnlyFans content creator Sophie Rain told People magazine she thought the proposal was the "dumbest thing" she had ever heard.
"No one ever forced me to start an OnlyFans, it was MY decision, so I don’t need a 31-year-old man telling me I can’t sell my body online," she explained to the magazine. "I am a Christian, God knows what I am doing, and I know he is happy with me, that’s the only validation I need."
Piper Fawn, another OnlyFans creator, told FOX 35 she felt Fishback was trying to push his religious beliefs with the proposal.
"He’s saying, you know, it’s a sin, it’s wrong, that's true, that’s fair," she told the station. "But sin is a biblical term, it’s not a legal term. If he’s really trying to make the state a safer spot or making changes for the better, I feel like there are other things that can be worked on and putting our attention towards versus taxing creators."
Fox News Digital has reached out to OnlyFans for comment.
"If you are a man or woman selling your body on the internet, you can either have two options: The first of which, you can pay the state of Florida 50% so we can raise teacher pay, or you can quit doing that and do something morally rigorous," Fishback added to FOX 35.
California man arrested for allegedly making online death threats against JD Vance during Disneyland visit
A California man was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he made online death threats against Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim in July.
Marco Antonio Aguayo, 22, of Anaheim, was taken into custody Friday after he allegedly made multiple threatening comments on Disney’s official Instagram account referencing pipe bombs, imminent bloodshed and violent action against "corrupt politicians" July 12, the same day Vance and his family were visiting and staying at the resort.
Aguayo was charged with threatening the president and successors to the presidency, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
He is expected to make his initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.
SECRET SERVICE AWARE OF UMASS LOWELL-FUNDED RADIO DJ’S DIRECTIVE TO ‘KILL JD VANCE’
"This case is a horrific reminder of the dangers public officials face from deranged criminals who would do them harm," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a Department of Justice news release announcing Aguayo's arrest. "I am grateful that my friend Vice President Vance and his family are safe, applaud the police work that led to the arrest and will ensure my prosecutors deliver swift justice."
Just before 6:15 p.m. July 12, an Instagram account posted a public comment on the Disney page saying, "Pipe bombs have been placed in preparation for J.D. Vance’s arrival," according to an affidavit by a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent.
A subsequent comment said, "It’s time for us to rise up and you will be a witness to it," and a third comment added, "Good luck finding all of them on time there will be bloodshed tonight and we will bathe in the blood of corrupt politicians," according to the affidavit.
SUSPECT IN VANCE HOME VANDALISM HAS HAD MULTIPLE RUN-INS WITH THE LAW, DEMANDED TO BE CALLED JULIA
Investigators traced the Instagram account allegedly used to post the threats to Aguayo’s email address, phone numbers, IP addresses and home in Anaheim, using records from Meta, Google and other sources.
While questioning Aguayo at his home, investigators said he initially claimed his account had been hacked, but he later admitted to making the posts as a "joke," with the intention of deleting them, officials say.
Aguayo consented to searches of his phone, bedroom and laptop, where investigators confirmed he was logged into the account that made the posts, according to the affidavit.
"We will not tolerate criminal threats against public officials," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in the release. "We are grateful the vice president and his family remained safe during their visit. Let this case be a warning to anyone who thinks they can make anonymous online threats. We will find you and bring you to justice."
Obama-era ICE director says Trump admin like a ‘police state’ by asking people to prove legal citizenship
Former Obama ICE Director Sarah Saldaña condemned President Donald Trump’s ICE enforcement on Friday, arguing it is comparable to a police state.
Amid Trump’s effort to accomplish his flagship campaign promise of mass deportations, many commentators have mentioned his predecessor, Barack Obama, who was nicknamed the "Deporter-in-chief" during his presidency.
While some argue that Obama’s deportations faced less pushback from local leaders during a comparatively more moderate time in American politics, one official argued that Trump’s are an outlier.
CNN REVISITS VIRAL 2016 ICE REPORT, SAYS 'HEIGHTENED' RHETORIC, PROTESTS NOW COMPLICATE OPERATIONS
CNN played a clip of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem speaking about the targeted enforcement of deportation efforts focusing not only on specific persons, but asking for the identity verification of the people around them as well, saying this has been common practice.
CNN host Wolf Blitzer asked Saldaña, "What do you think? Is that standard practice for ICE agents to ask someone to prove their identity and to show citizenship papers if they’re asked whether they’re citizens?"
Saldaña replied, "I know a little bit about this subject, and that is not the practice. That’s not part of the protocol. Of course, as was reported a little earlier, the goal of the Obama administration in apprehensions and removals was to make the community safer. So, we were not sweeping neighborhoods and metropolitan areas in order to try to find people who might be in the country without authorization.
"I always object to the term ‘raids' because the way I’m familiar with the process — and what we required — was targeted operations," she continued. "I heard the secretary there say all their operations are targeted. I think it’s pretty clear that that is simply not the case, and requiring American citizens to show identification is a huge step forward and should bring pause to all of us."
This policy, Saldaña said, is like something "close to a police state."
"There’s concern I have that the United States decision last year, the Vasquez Perdomo case, has opened the door to this issue of identification, always been required," Saldaña added.
"Police officers can ask you to prove your identity, but that is very different from proving you’re a citizen of the United States, and the papers you carry typically are not going to reflect that. So, it is putting an onus and getting very close to infringing on the civil rights of the ordinary citizen."
TRUMP DRUG CZAR RIPS DEMOCRATS OVER ANTI-ICE RHETORIC PUTTING 'EVERYBODY'S LIFE IN DANGER'
She went on to argue that having thousands of agents engaged in such sweeps is an inordinate response to the challenge at hand. As it stands, many agents are facing crowds of agitators and are having to do crowd control while doing their immigration raids.
"Florida and Texas have far larger immigrant communities than the state of Minnesota. Again, the goal should be to ensure public safety, and this type of menacing presence does not accomplish that," Saldaña argued.
Illegal alien with 24 convictions among ‘worst of the worst’ arrested in Minnesota ICE operation: DHS
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday announced the arrest of what it called the "worst of the worst" criminal illegal immigrants during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, including a man with 24 criminal convictions.
The agency blasted state and local leaders for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
DHS said the arrests show the results of ICE enforcement operations in sanctuary jurisdictions, contrasting the agency’s actions with what it described as the refusal of Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to honor ICE detainers.
ICE AGENT SHOOTS VENEZUELAN NATIONAL IN MINNEAPOLIS AFTER SHOVEL ATTACK DURING AMBUSH: DHS
That policy, DHS claims, has resulted in hundreds of criminal illegal aliens being released back into local Minnesota communities.
"As our law enforcement are facing rampant violence against them, they arrested murderers, drug traffickers and an illegal with 24 criminal convictions in Minneapolis," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "These are the criminals Governor [Tim] Walz and Mayor [Jacob] Frey are protecting. No American wants these criminals for neighbors."
DHS said the arrests were made as part of Operation Metro Surge, a targeted enforcement effort focused on removing criminal illegal aliens from Minnesota neighborhoods. The department said the operation prioritizes offenders with serious criminal histories, including violent crimes.
According to DHS, criminals arrested in the state during the operation include Hien Quoc Thai, a Vietnamese national who was previously convicted of murder.
Brian Anjain from the Marshall Islands has 24 criminal convictions, including assault causing bodily injury, domestic abuse, public nudity, theft, interference with official acts, public intoxication and trespassing, DHS said.
Eddy Xol-Lares of Venezuela was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while aboard a vessel.
Those arrested also include criminal illegal immigrants from Guatemala, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, South Africa and Romania, according to DHS.
DHS said the operation also resulted in the arrests of people convicted of crimes including domestic violence, assault, fraud, identity theft, forgery, restraining order violations, property damage and multiple drunken driving offenses, with several facing prior charges involving kidnapping, robbery with deadly weapons, gun possession and narcotics offenses.
The department claims that since President Donald Trump took office, nearly 470 criminal illegal immigrants have been released back into Minnesota communities due to sanctuary-style policies.
DHS also said it is urging Walz and Frey to honor ICE detainers for more than 1,360 aliens, including violent criminals currently in custody, arguing that cooperation would improve public safety.
Additional information about those arrested nationwide is available through the agency’s public-facing database at wow.dhs.gov, which tracks enforcement actions involving serious offenders.
New national park on 'edge of the world’ will be built in two years: See the stunning photos
Chile is preparing to create a new national park to protect its endangered wildlife and unique ecosystems.
The park, Cape (Cabo) Froward National Park, would stretch some 370,000 acres.
It would be located on the Brunswick Peninsula, according to Reuters.
NATIONAL PARK WARNS AGAINST DANGEROUS CROWDING AND TRAFFIC AMID NEW VOLCANO ERUPTION
Forests, peatlands, glaciers and coastline can be found across the land.
Cape Froward sits at the southern tip of the Americas.
It's been called a park "on the edge of the world," a place where the Americas meet Antarctica.
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The Brunswick Peninsula is located in Patagonia, bordering the Strait of Magellan and Otway Sound.
Wildlife coordinator Benjamín Caceres of Rewilding Chile, a nonprofit conservation foundation involved with the project, told Reuters the peninsula is a "mosaic of marine, coastal and land ecosystems."
"These are resilient places that maintain balance and create a refuge for species that are in danger of extinction," Caceres said.
The land — considered a site of cultural and historical heritage — is in ancestral Kawésqar territory.
It's an area tied to early "end-of-the-world" exploration history, according to Rewilding Chile.
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The park is home to the largest deer native to Chile, the endangered huemul deer. The stocky mammal has short legs, thick fur and large ears, according to Discover Wildlife.
Chile recorded 5,239,233 foreign tourist arrivals in 2024, according to government data.
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The park is expected to be completed in two years.
Reuters contributed reporting.