Latest news with #HSI
WIRED
2 hours ago
- Politics
- WIRED
US Senator Urges DHS to Probe Whether Agents Were Moved From Criminal Cases to Deportations
Jul 30, 2025 10:19 AM US Senator Ron Wyden is demanding that the Department of Homeland Security investigate reports of agents being reassigned to bolster immigration enforcement. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Since February, multiple news reports have alleged that a significant number of agents at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—the Department of Homeland Security's investigative wing that focuses on transnational crimes like child exploitation, human trafficking, and drug cartels—have been pulled from child exploitation cases and reassigned to immigration enforcement and arrests. US senator Ron Wyden urged DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari on Tuesday to 'promptly' launch an investigation into the veracity and extent of these reports about HSI, in a letter shared exclusively with WIRED. Inspector General Cuffari has the authority to conduct audits or investigations into any activities or operations at DHS. 'Instead of locking up rapists, child predators and other violent criminals, [US president Donald] Trump appears to be diverting investigators to target cooks, farm workers and students,' Wyden says in the letter. 'Congress and the American people will not tolerate the Trump administration ignoring the ongoing sexual abuse of vulnerable children. Accordingly, we urge you to promptly investigate these troubling reports.' Wyden told WIRED in a written statement that there is 'no excuse for pulling investigators away from the most heinous cases involving child exploitation,' adding that 'nothing should be a higher priority than protecting kids in danger.' WIRED contacted several US-based child welfare and advocacy organizations to provide a comment for this article, however, they did not reply or declined to comment on the record. An official from one of these organizations, who requested anonymity, claimed that their organization could not provide a comment for this story due to fear of retribution from the Trump administration. In February, USA Today reported that the "entire investigations division" of HSI would be shifting its focus primarily to immigration arrests and deportations, as opposed to its typical range of work. Then, Reuters in March reported that HSI agents had been actively 'reassigned' from cases they had been working on related to child exploitation, money laundering cases, drug trafficking, and tax fraud. They were then tasked with immigration enforcement. At the time, Democratic senator Dick Durbin told the outlet that this shift was 'wasteful, misguided diversion of resources' that was 'making America less safe." The Atlantic reported in July that a veteran HSI agent said the division was putting major criminal investigations on hold, and sometimes choosing not to take on new cases—including drug cases, human trafficking cases, and child exploitation cases—in order to make agents available for routine predawn raids for immigration enforcement. HSI's reported shift in priorities comes after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) said that it had received 20.5 million tips of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2024. The risk to children involving AI-generated abuse material—which is also the domain of HSI—could also be reaching crisis levels. In 2024, NCMEC received about 67,000 tips about suspected AI-generated abuse material—a 1,325 percent increase from 2023, when it received 4,700 of these tips. 'We are inundated with victims, with offenders,' Detroit-based HSI special agent Dave Alley, who has historically focused on child exploitation cases, told his local ABC news outlet in January. 'There is just so much more access to both the internet and to materials.' (When reached by phone by WIRED, Alley declined to comment for this story.) According to its website, HSI has more than 10,000 employees, and more than 7,000 'Special Agents' charged with leading criminal investigations. Its work has been housed under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since 2003. In the 2024 fiscal year, ICE said that HSI had 'made 32,608 arrests, identified and/or assisted 1,783 victims of child exploitation, and assisted 818 human trafficking victims.' DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin did not answer questions about how many arrests have been made in connection to child exploitation in 2025, or how many agents have been assigned to such cases. 'HSI is leading efforts to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure that they are safe and not being exploited,' McLaughlin tells WIRED. 'The Trump administration has located 13,000 children who were released into the country and either lost or placed with unvetted sponsors under President Biden.' McLaughlin did not provide evidence to back up this figure ahead of publication. When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that the U.S. border with Mexico is 'more secure than it's ever been, which means fewer children are being trafficked and exploited,' Jackson says. 'Anyone who claims to care about ending child exploitation and smuggling should be celebrating President Trump's historically secure border.' HSI has not entirely halted its work on child exploitation investigations and other cases. On a news page published in April, ICE said that HSI had identified and rescued 56 victims of child exploitation in spring of 2025. The rescues were made as part of 'Operation Renewed Hope,' an annual initiative in which HSI goes through child sexual abuse material in which victims and offenders have not been identified. The goal is to 'create lead packages' that HSI or other law enforcement agencies can use to arrest offenders and bring victimized children to safety. In recent years, HSI has requested that DHS separate its operations from ICE, a change that would also require congressional approval. The majority of special agents in charge of HSI sent a letter to then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asking her to divorce the agency from ICE in 2018. HSI agents made another request to detach from ICE in a 2021 internal report submitted to then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Both requests cited ICE's poor reputation, and the divisiveness of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), claiming that ERO is politicized and fuels a lack of public trust in HSI.
CNBC
16 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
Asia markets set to fall as U.S. trade talks with China hang in the balance
Asia-Pacific markets are expected to fall as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick affirmed that President Donald Trump's upcoming Friday deadline to impose major tariffs on a slew of trading partners will not be delayed further. However, Lutnick noted that trade negotiations with China are progressing on a separate timeline, he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." Happy mid-week from Singapore. Asia markets are poised for a lower open. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index stood at 25,344, pointing to a weaker open compared with the HSI's last close of 25,524.45 Similarly, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was set to start the day lower with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,662, compared with its last close of 8,704.6. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open lower, with the futures contract in Osaka last traded at 40,650 against the index's last close of 40,674.55. — Lee Ying Shan Stocks closed lower on Tuesday, as investors turn their attention to the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. The S&P 500 slipped 0.30% to close at 6,370.86, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.38% to 21,098.29. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 204.57 points, or 0.46%, to finish the session at 44,632.99. — Brian Evans Investors should remain vigilant and not look past the potential risks of tariffs, according to UBS. "The impact of tariffs can't be overlooked even though recent deals have provided greater clarity. While the 15% tariff rate on most EU and Japanese goods was lower than earlier threats from the U.S., the higher levies will still create headwinds for growth," said Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, chief investment officer for the Americas and global head of equities at UBS Global Wealth Management. "While our base case is that the resilience of the US consumer should help the U.S. economy avoid recession, a larger-than-expected impact on inflation or more severe hit to corporate margins could quickly change the current optimistic market narrative," she added. — Brian Evans
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Delta co-pilot reportedly arrested on plane for child sexual abuse materials
A co-pilot with Delta Air Lines was reportedly arrested by federal agents at San Francisco international airport over the weekend on charges related to child sexual abuse materials, according to a senior official with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and multiple media reports. The arrest reportedly took place shortly after the flight – Delta Flight 2809 from Minnesota – landed at the California airport at about 9.35pm on Saturday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Several passengers who were on the plane told various media outlets that about 10 law enforcement officers, including agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), boarded the plane before passengers were let off. The agents reportedly arrested and removed one of the co-pilots from the plane. One passenger told the Chronicle that 'a group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way up through the aisle to the cockpit'. She said the officers 'stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, arrested him, walked him down the aisle, and ushered him off the plane through the cabin doors located between first [class] and coach' class. The same witness said that a second group of officers returned to the aircraft shortly after to retrieve the co-pilot's belongings. The pilot has not yet been publicly identified. In a statement to the Guardian on Monday, a senior DHS official confirmed that HSI agents had arrested the pilot in question on charges pertaining to child sexual abuse materials. A DHS spokesperson also told the Chronicle on Sunday that the agency assisted local authorities in executing an arrest warrant. Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin on Sunday cited a senior federal source who said that the co-pilot had been taken into custody by HSI on allegations involving child sexual abuse materials. In a statement on Monday afternoon, Delta Air Lines said: 'Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement. We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation.' Another passenger who was on the plane spoke with the travel outlet View from the Wing. They said that the officers 'stormed to the front' of the aircraft and 'grabbed/arrested' the co-pilot. The passenger added that the remaining pilot appeared to have 'no idea what just happened'. The outlet also published video footage showing agents leaving the cockpit.
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Asia-Pacific markets set to fall as traders await outcome of U.S.-China trade talks
Asia-Pacific markets were set to fall as investors awaited the outcome of the ongoing U.S.-China trade talks. Investors also await the result of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting due Wednesday stateside, where it will make a decision on whether to cut interest rates. Good morning from Singapore. Asia markets are poised for a weaker open. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 40,920 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 40,820, against the index's last close of 40,998.27. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index stood at 25,367, pointing to a weaker open compared with the HSI's last close of 25,562.13. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was set to start the day lower with futures tied to the benchmark at 8,606, compared with its last close of 8,697.70. — Lee Ying Shan The S&P 500 closed near the flatline on Monday, with the latest trade deal between the U.S. and EU failing to spark a fresh rally. The broad market index inched up 0.02% to close at 6,389.77, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.33% to 21,178.58. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 64.36 points, or 0.14%, to finish the session at 44,837.56. — Brian Evans
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Police storm cockpit, arrest pilot over sick allegations
Passengers aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis were left shocked when a co-pilot was handcuffed and arrested just minutes after the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport. Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was arrested on Saturday at 9.35pm after police officers and agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) stormed the cockpit. The Florida resident was charged with five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years of age and is being held on $5 million (AU$7.6 million) bail at the Martinez Detention Facility. The arrest is the result of a three-month investigation that began in April, when detectives received a report alleging alarming sex crimes against a child. Investigators learned that the suspect worked as an airline pilot and planned to arrest him upon his scheduled arrival in San Francisco. Delta Airlines has confirmed that Bhagwagar has been suspended from his flying duties and stated that the company is cooperating fully with law enforcement as the investigation continues. 'Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement. We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation,' the airline said in a statement. His arrest stunned both passengers and flight crew who were getting ready to disembark when approximately 10 detectives from the Sheriff's office and federal agents from HSI charged onto the plane and took Bhagwgar away in handcuffs. One passenger who witnessed the scuffle told the San Francisco Chronicle that 'a group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way up through the aisle to the cockpit' before another group of officers boarded the plane to remove the suspect's bags. According to the witness, the flight's other pilot told passengers he had 'no idea what just happened' to his colleague. Another passenger described the incident to ABC News as 'traumatic' and 'scary' to watch. 'They barged through and stormed the cockpit,' she said. 'They removed the co-pilot, cuffed him, presumably arrested him, and brought him back down the aisle to deplane. I don't know if this person was disappearing before our eyes, if there had been a crime committed, or what exactly was happening.' The Contra Costa Sheriff Office says the investigation is ongoing. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
