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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Sudan deportations have placed migrants, and ICE officials, in danger: new court filing
Nearly a dozen ICE officials and a group of migrants deported to South Sudan by the Trump administration are currently being housed in a converted shipping container and face grave dangers to their physical health, according to a new court filing. The filing, submitted by senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official Mellisa Harper, cites a combination of blistering-high heat conditions, exposure to malaria and "imminent danger" of rocket attacks from terrorist groups in Yemen as threats to both the migrants and ICE officials. It comes after U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ordered the Trump administration to keep in U.S. custody a group of eight migrants who were deported to South Sudan without due process or the ability to challenge their removals to a third country. He ordered they remain in U.S. custody until each could be given a "reasonable fear interview," or a chance to explain to U.S. officials any fear of persecution or torture, should they be released. But the filing makes clear that the migrants, and ICE officials, face dangers in the meantime. Us Judge Accuses Trump Admin Of 'Manufacturing Chaos' In South Sudan Deportations, Escalating Feud According to Harper, ICE officials were not given anti-malaria medication prior to traveling to Djibouti – subjecting them to unknown levels of disease exposure in a war-torn region, where there has been an uptick in deadly clashes over resource scarcity, including cattle and access to potable water. The president of the country declared a state of emergency in certain parts of South Sudan just days ago. Read On The Fox News App And even within the confines of the U.S. base, there are significant risks. According to ICE's submission, the migrants are being housed in a converted Conex shipping container at the U.S. military base in Djibouti, the only permanent military base the U.S. currently operates in Africa. Since their arrival, daily temperatures there have exceeded 100 degrees – searing conditions that they said make detention "of any length," especially longer term. Nearby burn pits used by Djibouti to burn off trash and human waste form a giant "smog cloud" that hangs over the base for much of the day, exposing the group to unknown hazardous materials burned off under breezeless, blistering hot skies. Some ICE officers have started to sleep in N-95 masks for additional protection, Harper noted. Appeals Court Blocks Trump Admin's Deportation Flights In Alien Enemies Act Immigration Suit "Within 72 hours of landing in Djibouti, the officers and detainees began to feel ill," Harper noted, with symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, and achy joints – though they lack the testing or medication necessary for treatment. Other, more imminent risks also remain. Upon arrival, ICE officials were notified by Defense Department officials of the "imminent danger" of rocket attacks from terrorist groups in Yemen, Harper noted, though ICE officers lack body armor or other gear appropriate in the case of an attack. The new filing could add pressure on the Trump administration to relocate the detainees and ICE officials in question. Judges V Trump: Here Are The Key Court Battles Halting The White House Agenda Murphy had stated in a previous order that migrants deported to South Sudan need not be held there, in a country where recent infighting and deadly conflict have displaced more than 150,000 people this year alone. He said then that the government had mischaracterized his order, "while at the same time manufacturing the very chaos they decry." His order requires the Trump administration to keep the six deported migrants in South Sudan under the custody of U.S. officials for a length of time needed to carry out the so-called "reasonable fear interviews," and make a determination over whether the migrants' concerns are adequate. "The court never said that defendants had to convert their foreign military base into an immigration facility," Murphy wrote in that order. "It only left that as an option, again, at defendants' request," he said then. It is unclear whether the government has plans to relocate the article source: South Sudan deportations have placed migrants, and ICE officials, in danger: new court filing
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Similar purse-snatching happened blocks away in Washington days before Kristi Noem's bag was taken
WASHINGTON — Three days before Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's handbag was stolen while she dined out at a Washington restaurant, another woman eating with her own family at a nearby eatery had her purse taken in a similar manner, records show. NBC News discovered the similarities in the two incidents after it requested reports of thefts in the neighborhood from Washington police. It's not clear whether the two incidents are connected, but the victim in the first purse snatching believes they are. 'I'm shocked at the similarity of the crime,' she told NBC News when she described how her purse was stolen Thursday at a restaurant in the downtown Westin Hotel. A thief stole Noem's bag, which contained $3,000 in cash, Sunday at Capital Burger, which is two blocks from the Westin, said a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson and sources familiar with the matter. The thief was a white male wearing dark clothing, a dark baseball hat and a white N95 mask, according to two sources familiar with security video viewed by law enforcement. The person entered Capital Burger at 7:55 p.m., sat near Noem's table, scooted closer and used his foot to slide her purse toward him, according to the security video, sources said. Within minutes, the man picked up Noem's purse, placed it under his jacket and walked out of the restaurant and down the street, they said. In the earlier theft Thursday, the victim, who asked that NBC News not name her, arrived late in Washington with her husband and son, so they went to dinner at a restaurant inside the Westin Hotel. She said it wasn't until they got the check around 9:20 p.m. that she realized her purse was gone. A police report says the thief walked by the woman's table and took her bag 'from the chair it was hanging on' in one fell swoop. The victim said she got a call after the theft to let her know that her health insurance card had been found at a store a three-minute walk from the hotel, which is just steps from the restaurant where Noem's bag was stolen. The thief in the earlier robbery was also a white male, wearing dark clothing, a dark baseball cap and an N-95 mask, according to the victim, who said she viewed the security video of the man stealing her purse. She said that after she heard about Noem's theft, she almost called police because her experience sounded so similar. A police detective contacted the woman Tuesday, mentioned the Noem case and asked her whether she was also involved in politics. The woman said she isn't. 'My husband said this guy must be awful to target women who are out of to dinner with their families," the woman said. She said the theft was 'super stressful, and it's just violating.' The Secret Service is investigating the Noem case. Washington police said they had no comment on Noem's case. There had been no arrests by Tuesday afternoon in either incident. It's unclear whether Noem was specifically targeted because of her position as a member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet. Noem has Secret Service protection. At least two on-duty plainclothes members were at the restaurant's bar, between where Noem was seated and the front doors, according to a source who witnessed the meal. The source said the restaurant wasn't very busy at the time Noem's purse was taken. This article was originally published on
NBC News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Similar purse-snatching happened blocks away in Washington days before Kristi Noem's bag was taken
Three days before Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 's handbag was stolen while she dined out at a Washington restaurant, another woman eating with her own family at a nearby eatery had her purse taken in a similar manner, records show. NBC News discovered the similarities in the two incidents after requesting reports of thefts in the neighborhood from the DC Metropolitan Police Department. It's not clear if the two incidents are connected, but the victim in the first purse snatching believes they are. 'I'm shocked at the similarity of the crime,' she told NBC News when she described how her purse was stolen Thursday at a restaurant in the downtown Westin Hotel. A thief stole Noem's bag, which contained $3,000 in cash, Sunday at Capital Burger, which is two blocks from teh Westin, a DHS spokesperson and sources familiar with the matter said. The suspect was a white male wearing dark clothing, a dark-colored baseball hat and a white N95 mask, according to two sources familiar with the surveillance footage. That person entered Capital Burger at 7:55 p.m., sat near Noem's table, scooted closer and used his foot to slide her purse toward him, according to surveillance footage viewed by law enforcement, sources said. Within minutes, the man picked up Noem's purse, placed it under his jacket, walked out of the restaurant and down the street, they said. In the earlier theft Thursday, the victim, who asked that NBC News not name her publicly, arrived late in Washington with her husband and son so they went to diner at a restaurant inside the Westin Hotel. She said it wasn't until they got the check around 9:20 p.m. that she realized her purse was gone. A police report states that the suspect walked by the woman's table and took her bag 'from the chair it was hanging on' in one fell swoop. The victim said she got a call after the theft to let her know that her health insurance card had been found at a store a three-minute walk from the hotel, which is just steps from the restaurant where Noem's bag was stolen. The suspect in the earlier theft was also a white male, wearing dark clothing, a dark-colored baseball cap and an N-95 mask, according to the victim, who said she viewed the security footage of the man stealing her purse. She said that after hearing about Noem's theft, she almost called police because the secretary's experience sounded so similar to her own. A Metropolitan Police Department detective contacted the woman on Tuesday and mentioned the Noem case and asked her if she was also involved in politics. The woman said she is not. 'My husband said this guy must be awful to target women who are out of to dinner with their families," the woman said. She said the theft was 'super stressful, and it's just violating.' The Secret Service is investigating the Noem case. Washington's Metropolitan Police Department said it had no comment on Noem's case. There had been no arrests by Tuesday afternoon in either incident. It's unclear whether Noem was specifically targeted because of her position as a member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet. Noem has U.S. Secret Service protection. At least two on-duty plainclothes members were at the restaurant's bar, in between where Noem was seated and the front doors, according to a source who witnessed the meal. That source said that the restaurant wasn't very busy at the time Noem's purse was taken.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kristi Noem: Top Trump official's handbag - containing $3,000 in cash and security pass - stolen in burger restaurant
A bag belonging to the US Homeland Security Secretary was stolen on Sunday night - containing thousands of dollars in cash and an ID card that gives access to secure agency buildings. Kristi Noem was eating at a burger restaurant with family when a man in a face covering sat near her table and stole her purse, according to two people familiar with the theft. Officials confirmed the theft to on Monday. The cabinet secretary was carrying $3,000 (£2,243) in cash because "her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren", Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC. "She was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities and Easter gifts." Just before 8pm, a man wearing an N-95 mask walked into the restaurant and up a few stairs to where Ms Noem was eating dinner. He sat near her table and moved his chair close to hers before sliding her purse toward him with his foot, according to surveillance footage viewed by law enforcement, the sources said. Within minutes, the man had Ms Noem's purse under his jacket and walked out of the restaurant. At least two on-duty members of the US Secret Service were in the restaurant - between Ms Noem and the front doors - according to a source who witnessed the meal. They said the restaurant wasn't very busy at the time. The purse also contained credit cards, blank cheques, her passport, driver's licence and a set of keys. It's unclear whether Ms Noem was specifically targeted - and investigators are looking into whether the man knew who the purse belonged to. When asked about the incident, Ms Noem said: "I don't think I can comment on it yet. It's not resolved yet." She said the Secret Service was aware but said she hadn't spoken to agency personnel about what happened. Read more from Sky News: Ms Noem is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump's policies of deporting undocumented immigrants and fortifying the US-Mexico border to slow illegal migration.
Sky News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Kristi Noem: Top Trump official's handbag - containing $3,000 in cash and security pass - stolen in burger restaurant
A bag belonging to the US Homeland Security Secretary was stolen on Sunday night - containing thousands of dollars in cash and an ID card that gives access to secure agency buildings. Kristi Noem was eating at a Washington DC burger restaurant with family when a man in a face covering sat near her table and stole her purse, according to two people familiar with the theft. Officials confirmed the theft to Sky News' US partner NBC News on Monday. The cabinet secretary was carrying $3,000 (£2,243) in cash because "her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren", Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC. "She was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities and Easter gifts." Just before 8pm, a man wearing an N-95 mask walked into the restaurant and up a few stairs to where Ms Noem was eating dinner. He sat near her table and moved his chair close to hers before sliding her purse toward him with his foot, according to surveillance footage viewed by law enforcement, the sources said. Within minutes, the man had Ms Noem's purse under his jacket and walked out of the restaurant. At least two on-duty members of the US Secret Service were in the restaurant - between Ms Noem and the front doors - according to a source who witnessed the meal. They said the restaurant wasn't very busy at the time. The purse also contained credit cards, blank cheques, her passport, driver's licence and a set of keys. It's unclear whether Ms Noem was specifically targeted - and investigators are looking into whether the man knew who the purse belonged to. When asked about the incident, Ms Noem said: "I don't think I can comment on it yet. It's not resolved yet." She said the Secret Service was aware but said she hadn't spoken to agency personnel about what happened.
