ICE officers stuck in Djibouti shipping container with deported migrants
Nearly a dozen immigration officers and eight deportees are sick and stranded in a metal shipping container in the searing-hot East African nation of Djibouti, where they face the constant threat of malaria and rocket attacks from nearby Yemen, according to a federal court filing issued Thursday.
A federal judge in Boston interrupted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flight taking immigrants from Cuba, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Mexico to South Sudan more than two weeks ago. U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy said the flight violated his order prohibiting officials from sending immigrants to countries where they aren't citizens without a chance to ask for humanitarian protection. He instructed officials to arrange screenings.
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24 minutes ago
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DHS wants National Guard to search for and transport unaccompanied migrant children
A Department of Homeland Security request for 21,000 National Guard troops to support "expansive interior immigration enforcement operations" includes a call for troops to search for unaccompanied children in some cases and transport them between states, three sources briefed on the plan tell NBC News. Having National Guard troops perform such tasks, which are not explained in detail in the DHS request, has prompted concern among Democrats in Congress and some military and law enforcement officials. The tasks are laid out in a May 9th Request for Assistance from the Department of Homeland Security to the Pentagon. The document states that, 'this represents the first formal request by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the deployment of National Guard personnel in support of interior immigration enforcement operations.' The request calls for National Guard troops to be used for 'Search and Rescue for UACs [Unaccompanied Alien Children] in remote or hostile terrain,' and 'Intra- and inter-state transport of detainees/ unaccompanied alien children (UACs)," without clearly explaining what that would entail. Most of the troops, about 10,000, would be used for transporting detained individuals, the DHS said. Roughly 2,500 troops would be used for detention support but the document does not specify where. Another 1,000 troops would be assigned to administrative support, such as processing detainees. The request also asks for up to 3,500 troops to 'Attempt to Locate — Fugitives' and to conduct 'surveillance and canvassing missions,' as well as 'night operations and rural interdictions.' It also asks for support for ICE in 'joint task force operations for absconder/fugitive tracking,' according to the three sources familiar with the plans. NPR first reported the details of the DHS request. Democrats in Congress and military and law enforcement officials have expressed concern about the use of National Guard troops to perform what they say are civilian law enforcement duties. One characterized the plan as the Trump administration 'finding a way to get the National Guard into the streets and into American homes,' saying, 'I fear it's going to look like a police state.' A second source said, 'Trump has said he wants to use the National Guard for law enforcement, and the Pentagon and other entities have always said, 'Oh, don't worry, it will never come to that.' But this is it.' Defense officials say the request has not been approved and is being evaluated by Pentagon policy officials, the General Counsel's office, and other Pentagon leadership. The officials say the most likely course of action would be for some parts of the request to be approved and others rejected. But one source briefed on the plans said that Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth is close to approving some elements of the request and considering which state governors to approach first regarding National Guard units. 'We are so much closer to this being real,' said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. DHS is requesting the National Guard troops under Title 32 status, which means they would remain on state active duty under the command of their governor but would be federally funded. Title 32 status generally allows National Guard troops to conduct law enforcement activities without violating the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that bars the use of federal troops in law enforcement operations. A National Guard member who opposes troops performing such tasks told NBC News, 'I plan to leave the National Guard soon over this.' The Pentagon is also being asked by DHS to pay the full cost of deploying the 21,000 National Guard troops. That comes amid growing tension between the Pentagon and DHS over the cost of border and other immigrant-related operations. The DHS request for National Guard troops arrives when the Pentagon is already footing a $23-million-a-month bill to hold as many as 2,500 undocumented immigrants in a military facility in Texas. Defense officials say they are frustrated that the camp is holding far fewer individuals than they were told to expect and they would like a reprieve. The Defense Department is in a contract with the DHS to help support DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, officers who are under pressure from Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to arrest 3,000 undocumented immigrants a day. But it has been slow going for ICE agents, resulting in fewer arrests of undocumented immigrants across the country. That has resulted in many empty beds at facilities like the one in El Paso, owned and operated by the Defense Department. Military officials say the facility has been holding an average of 150 undocumented immigrants each day over the last several weeks — a fraction of its 2,500 beds. On one recent day, they said, the facility housed fewer than 80 people. Pentagon officials are asking to cut the number of beds in the facility from 2,500 to about 1,000, which they say would save $12 million per month. It is not clear if the DHS request for National Guard troops will increase the need for beds in the El Paso facility. The DHS request also comes as the Pentagon is struggling to fund critical projects to support U.S. troops. 'Congress is aware that the department is redirecting funds from existing military construction projects like barracks improvements for lower enlisted personnel and longstanding infrastructure projects elsewhere in the world in favor of southwest border missions,' a Senate aide who spoke on condition of anonymity told NBC News. 'They are pretty frustrated with the way that the department is ordering them to support DHS out of their own pockets for a grossly disproportionate cost compared to what ICE facilities would cost the government,' added the aide, referring to military officials. Last month, the Pentagon notified Congress that it planned to transfer more than $1.74 million in the current DOD budget to the southwest border mission, as step that will take money away from renovating barracks and base facilities. Service member advocacy groups have criticized the move. Rob Evans, the founder of Hots&Cots, where services members can post reviews of barracks, dining areas and other facilities, says he sees evidence daily of barracks with sewage leaks, mold, failing HVAC systems, and more. 'When funding is pulled from this line, troops pay the price in real ways: delayed repairs, worsening conditions, and a growing sense that their well-being comes second to optics and operations,' Evans said. 'Service members deserve clean, safe, and dignified living conditions. They've earned at least that much.' This article was originally published on
CNN
39 minutes ago
- CNN
Protesters confront authorities following ICE raids in Los Angeles
Federal immigration operations in Los Angeles were met by protests. ICE declined to discuss the details of its operations.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
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How Closures at Food Distribution Hubs Are Impacting Gazans
Palestinians receive food from a charity distribution point in Khan Yunis, Gaza on June 05, 2025. Credit - Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images The organization tasked with delivering food aid in Gaza halted operations at its distribution centers this week following a series of fatal incidents near aid sites, raising urgent questions about how humanitarian assistance can be delivered safely in the weeks ahead. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private group backed by Israel and the U.S. said in a statement on social media Wednesday that centers would be 'closed for update, organization, and efficiency improvement work." On Thursday, the organization said two of its aid centers were open, while two other hubs remained closed. In total, over 1.4 million meals were distributed on the day, across the two centers, according to the GHF. But on Friday, June 6, the GHF announced that all aid hubs would once again be closed for the day, warning people to stay away from sites for their own safety. Here's what has been reported regarding the circumstances surrounding the closure of aid centers. The closures came after a number of incidents in which Palestinians collecting aid from hubs have been killed. On Sunday, June 1, 31 Palestinians were killed at an aid hub, according to Reuters and the Associated Press, citing Gaza's Health Ministry and witnesses, after Israeli soldiers opened fire near crowds. In a statement on X, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it 'did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false.' CNN reported that sound and video of gunfire from the site was consistent with that of weapons used by the IDF, and that the rate of fire 'appears to rule out' weapons used by Hamas. Pictures of bullets from the scene were also consistent with machine guns used by the IDF as they can be mounted on tanks, according to the news outlet. Weapons experts told the BBC that both the IDF and armed Palestinian groups have access to weapons that use these types of rounds. In a post by the GHF Sunday, civilians were warned that Israeli troops were operating in the area surrounding the aid hub at the time of the shooting, and that it was prohibited to enter before 5 a.m. On Monday, June 2, three Palestinians were killed, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told the BBC, at the same location as Sunday's killings. The IDF said on Monday morning that it 'was aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being looked into.' The statement added that approximately half a kilometer from the aid site, 'IDF troops identified several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated routes. The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near individual suspects who advanced toward the troops.' The IDF has not provided any further statement to TIME regarding the incidents on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday marked the third day in a row of deadly incidents at the distribution center. At least 27 people were killed, according to the Red Cross. The Red Cross said Tuesday that its field hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, received 184 patients, 19 of whom were dead upon arrival and an additional eight who died at the hospital. The majority of cases had suffered gunshot wounds, the Red Cross said. A spokesperson told TIME that all responsive patients from Tuesday's mass casualty event had told the aid organisation they were trying to reach an aid distribution site. 'The ICRC urgently reiterates its call for the respect and protection of civilians. Civilians trying to access humanitarian assistance should not have to confront danger,' the Red Cross said. The IDF however said that troops fired warning shots Tuesday towards suspects that had deviated from designated aid routes. 'Troops are not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites,' the IDF said in a statement. 'The warning shots were fired approximately half a kilometer away from the humanitarian aid distribution site toward several suspects who advanced toward the troops in such a way that posed a threat to them.' United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk condemned Tuesday's incident, calling for 'a prompt and impartial investigation into each of these attacks,' adding that those responsible must be 'held to account.' GHF is a U.S. private organization that has been backed by Israel and the U.S. to be the sole distributor of aid in Gaza. This came after Israel imposed an 11-week blockade on the territory in early March. Israel allowed aid into Gaza in May, following international pressure and condemnation of the humanitarian situation. But the United Nations called the initial aid 'a drop in the ocean.' The GHF was designated to distribute aid in Gaza. But the day before operations began, on May 25, the foundation's lead Jake Wood resigned, saying he would not be able to work in a way that met 'humanitarian principles.' On May 27, just two days into the new GHF-led distribution program, it was reported that one Palestinian had been killed and dozens more injured near an aid hub. Medicin San Frontieres reacted on May 30 to the incident, saying: 'The disastrous start of the food distribution coordinated by the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation confirmed that the U.S.-Israel plan to instrumentalise aid is ineffective,' adding that it was a 'dangerous and reckless approach,' to aid distribution. The U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday that since Israel resumed military operations in March, 640,000 Palestinians have been displaced. Over half of those displaced since May are based in the North of Gaza, on the other end of the strip from three of the GHF's four aid centers. 'Palestinians have been presented the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism,' said Türk. Since the start of the war, as of June 5, over 54,600 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry —the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies in the absence of any independent monitoring on the ground. A peer-reviewed study, undertaken by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine epidemiologists, published in January in The Lancet found that the official Gaza death toll reported by the enclave's Ministry of Health between October 7, 2023 and June 30, 2024 likely undercounted the number of fatalities during that period. The war was triggered after the Hamas terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Oday Basheer, who helps run a food kitchen in Deir al-Balah, told TIME that he has not collected any food from the GHF centers yet, describing the process as 'messy and dangerous.' His kitchen has partnered with World Central Kitchen (WCK), founded by chef José Andrés, to help provide food for displaced Palestinians. WCK halted operations in Gaza twice in the past year after Israeli strikes killed seven in April 2024 and three last November. Despite aid entering the strip, Basheer says that prices are still rising, with people paying up to $20 for a kilo of flour. 'There is not enough coming in to replace what we are buying, people are dying to get a bag of flour,' he says. Read more: $25 Butter and $40 Eggs: The Search for Food in Gaza He also described that people who successfully get into the aid hubs can take as much as they want, with aid not distributed equally among those waiting. 'From where I am, you have to walk 20 kilometers there and back, carrying food. Just the strongest and fastest can get there,' he explains. Jehad Miri, a journalist from Tel al-Hawa in Gaza City who has been displaced over a dozen times, says that despite having not eaten properly for weeks, he has not gone to the GHF aid sites. 'Going to those aid centers feels like walking into death,' he told TIME from Deir al-Balah. 'Just two days ago, a close friend of mine was killed. He used to go to the aid centers to help families who couldn't reach them.' Several of Miri's family members have chronic health conditions, and he has been supporting them however he can. 'I've been trying to take care of them getting food, water, and whatever they need. Every day feels like a mission finding water, finding a way to charge batteries, finding internet, finding safety,' he says. Wednesday's aid hub closure affected everyone, Miri says, not only those who go to collect aid. 'We get some food from traders who risked their lives to bring it from the aid hubs. Now, that's gone. We can't buy anything anymore, the prices are insane.' Basic food supplies are staggeringly high, with 500 grams of butter costing up to $25 and a dozen eggs priced at over $40, civilians in Gaza have told TIME. Friday marked the beginning of Eid Al Adha, an important festival in Islam that will be honored across the Gaza Strip, despite the continuing war. But Miri explains: 'In Gaza, Eid doesn't feel like Eid anymore.' Basheer agrees, saying: 'It was a custom to get new clothes, new food before Eid. Now you cannot find anything. There is no joy, there is no celebration for this Eid. Every day there is lots of killing, you don't know if you will be alive.' Contact us at letters@
