Latest news with #borderSecurity
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Democratic senator John Fetterman praises Trump on Iran, steel
BOSTON — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) continued to distance himself from his fellow Democrats on Monday, telling an audience that he has lost support from liberals for his belief that border security is important and his support for Israel. Speaking with his fellow senator from Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, a Republican, at an event celebrating bipartisanship, Fetterman praised President Donald Trump for removing the United States from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and pushing for an agreement between Japanese-owned Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel. He said his party had make a 'mistake' on border security.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk's departure marks new chapter for government efficiency in border security
As the Department of Government Efficiency enters a new era with the departure of Elon Musk on Friday, it has caused numerous changes in recent months on matters of immigration and border security. "DOGE has helped to transform the Federal government by eliminating waste and bloat that has been ignored for years. DOGE is playing a key role in eliminating millions of taxpayer money being misspent, including contracts for illegal alien facilities that sat empty during the Biden Border invasion and funding for hotel rooms to house illegal gang members. DOGE's mission to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse continues!" Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday. In February, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they had gutted an $83 million contract for "an empty illegal alien facility during an invasion at the southern border" and the $80 million in FEMA funding to provide lodging for illegal immigrants in New York City, like the Roosevelt Hotel. Doge Staffing Shakeup As Elon Musk Hangs Up His Hat, White House Confirms In March, a contract to resume wall construction along seven miles of the border was cleared by DOGE. "Secretary Noem announced that we officially awarded the first [DOGE] approved contract to restart construction on President Trump's border wall," DHS posted on March 17. Read On The Fox News App DOGE also posted to X in April that it had found that many illegal immigrants who were on the FBI's terror watchlist and those who have a criminal history were taking out public benefits. Four on the terror watchlist and 901 other "paroled aliens" were "collecting Medicaid," 41 received unemployment benefits, 22 got student loans from the federal government and 409 got a "net" tax refund in 2024, according to the department. The cost of the tax refunds was $751,000, Medicaid cost $276,000, and the student loans totaled out to $280,000, the department said. Top 5 Most Outrageous Ways The Government Has Wasted Your Taxes, As Uncovered By Elon Musk's Doge "Under the Biden administration, it was routine for Border Patrol to admit aliens into the United States with no legal status and minimal screening," the post stated. "So far, CBP identified a subset of 6.3k individuals paroled into the United States since 2023 on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center watchlist or with criminal records. These paroles have since been terminated with immediate effect. Despite having no other legal status, paroled aliens are able to file for work authorization and receive social security numbers." Outside of immigration and border security, DHS said the Coast Guard is expected to save $32.7 million by scrapping an information technology system that was deemed "ineffective." In a video posted in May about the partnership between DOGE and DHS, it said the funds are going to "frontline operations." "Another win for government efficiency at DHS!" DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to Fox News Digital in April. Trump, Musk Get Support From Former Nfl Star Amid Criticism Over Doge Cuts, Other Issues "Continuing the crucial work of DOGE, the Coast Guard eliminated an ineffective IT program, saving over $32 million and focusing its resources where they're most needed to protect the homeland. The USCG continues to deliver on the President's priorities, maximizing its efficiency while securing our borders and maritime approaches," Noem added. DHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also recently announced a planned crackdown on illegal immigrants' use of public housing benefits. And last month, DHS announced that, in the spirit of cracking down on "waste, fraud and abuse," it was ending FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. Doge Discovers The Biden-mayorkas Illegal Migration Funding Machine "The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters," a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement at the time. "Under Secretary Noem's leadership, we are committed to ensuring that Americans in crisis can get the help and resources they need." Fox News reached out to DHS for additional comment. The changes come as President Donald Trump made major policy changes during the early days of his second term, which has led to a sharp decrease in encounters at the border and a continued crackdown on illegal immigrants with a criminal background in the U.S. interior. In total, DOGE has estimated it has saved $175 billion for taxpayers so far. Fox News' Greg Wehner and Preston Mizell contributed to this report. Original article source: Musk's departure marks new chapter for government efficiency in border security
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Stephen Miller calls out CNN anchor's 'lazy assumptions' about Trump's executive power
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called out CNN's Pamela Brown's "lazy assumptions" regarding the Trump administration's executive power during an appearance on "The Situation Room" on Friday. Miller rejected the notion that district judges should have to "green light" each individual policy directive or executive order that President Donald Trump implements, claiming that it challenges the will of the voters who put him in office. The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a lower court order that blocked the Trump administration from deporting roughly 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The decision is a near-term victory for Trump as he moves to crack down on border security and immigration priorities in his second term. The order stays, for now. The lower court ruling halted Trump's plans to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for some migrants living in the U.S., which allows individuals to live and work in the U.S. legally if they cannot work safely in their home country due to a disaster, armed conflict or other "extraordinary and temporary conditions." Brown asked Miller whether he believes district judges should just "rubber stamp" whatever the Trump White House does, and if not, what checks and balances he thinks should be in place. "It's not the job of a district court judge to perform an individual green light or red light on every single policy that the president takes as the head of the executive branch," Miller replied. "Just think about the premise baked into your question. Respectfully, Pam, you're saying that when the American people elect a president of the United States of America…" Brown interrupted before he could finish his thought, claiming that her words were being taken out of context, and that she was just asking what checks and balances should be in place. "I will answer the question happily," Miller responded. "But look, when you have these kinds of lazy assumptions built into questions, it makes it hard to have a constructive dialogue." The CNN anchor asked what "lazy assumptions" he thought she was making. Miller began to argue that district judges should not individually approve each executive action implemented by the president, but was interrupted by Brown stating that her question was being misinterpreted. She went on to clarify that she was questioning what checks and balances the Trump official felt were appropriate. Brown contended that her question about whether judges are expected to "rubber stamp" White House decisions was reasonable, before giving Miller the floor to finish his argument. "When you say, 'Do we think district court judges should rubber stamp each action' — there is a premise that is built into that that is absurd," he asserted. "The president is the sole head of the executive branch. He's the only officer in the entire government that's elected by the entire American people." "Democracy cannot function — in fact, democracy does not exist at all if each action the president takes - foreign policy, diplomatic, military, national security - has to be individually approved by 700 district court judges," he continued. "That's democracy? So if there's 15 communist, crazy judges on the court, that each of them as a team working together can block and freeze each and every executive action?"
National Post
5 days ago
- General
- National Post
Two men convicted after migrants froze to death on Canada-U.S. border face sentencing
Two men are to be sentenced today for their role in a human smuggling operation that saw a family of four freeze to death on the Canada-U.S. border south of Winnipeg. Harshkumar Patel and Steve Shand were convicted last fall on four charges related to bringing people illegally into the United States and transporting them. Article content Court was told during one operation in January of 2022, a couple from India and their two children were left to walk across the border in an overnight blizzard on the bald prairie, as temperatures dropped below -20 C. Article content Shand's lawyer is seeking just over two years for his client, while Patel's lawyer has asked for a sentence below the normal guidelines due to Patel's circumstances and life history. Article content Article content The men's trial last year heard they were involved in several smuggling trips between Manitoba and Minnesota in December 2021 and January 2022, in which people from India were brought to Canada on student visas then sent on foot across the border to the U.S. Article content The trial heard details of the deadly cold faced by a group of migrants the day Shand was arrested in a van on a remote road just south of the border. Article content Article content The temperature was -23 C and the wind chill dipped below -35. Article content Article content One migrant who survived the trek testified the group was driven to an area in Manitoba near the border and told to walk in a straight line in the dark, snowy night until they came to a van on the U.S. side. They were dressed in hats, jackets, gloves and boots designed for mild weather. Article content The group got separated in the driving snow. Some made it to Shand's van after walking for hours, including one whose hypothermia was so bad she was flown to Minneapolis for treatment. Article content Hours after that, the frozen bodies of Jagdish Patel, 39; his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and their three-year-old son, Dharmik, were found in a field in Manitoba just metres from the border. They were dressed in jeans and light jackets, and the boy's body was still in his father's arms. Article content Vaishaliben Patel's body was found away from the rest of the family, up against a chain-link fence near an unmanned natural gas facility. Prosecutors said it appears she had left her family to try to find help at the only building in sight that night.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
More than 30 arrests in Northern Ireland people-smuggling crackdown
More than 30 people have been arrested and £17,000 of suspected criminal assets seized in a people-smuggling crackdown in Northern Ireland. A heavy goods vehicle related to an unpaid penalty notice over stowaways, worth £144,000, was also seized. The arrests of 33 illegal migrants and suspected people smugglers were part of a three-day operation to tackle criminals exploiting the common travel area (CTA) at ports and airports in Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales. Pictures show stacks of cash and officers seizing the lorry, while footage from Belfast International Airport shows a traveller with a suitcase being taken into the back of a police van. It is the sixth operation of its kind, working between the Police Service of Northern Ireland, An Garda Siochana, the National Crime Agency, other UK police forces, Border Force and international partners. The Home Office said 60 arrests have been made and more than £405,000 of criminal cash seized, over abuse of the CTA, since Labour took power in July last year. Home Office immigration enforcement deputy director Ben Thomas said: 'Criminal networks seek to bypass robust border checks through fraudulent means and trap vulnerable people into further illegal activities. 'The success of this operation marks a significant step up in enforcement activity, leading to the arrest of 33 criminals who attempted to abuse the common travel area and undermine the UK's border security.' Border security minister Dame Angela Eagle added: 'This Government is using every tool at its disposal to take down the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people in order to make quick cash.'
