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Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and a slew of other House Republicans are pushing a proposal that would compel states to allow Americans to carry guns in public areas.

The measure, dubbed the “National Constitutional Carry Act,” would prohibit states and localities from limiting U.S. citizens from carrying firearms in public if they are eligible to have the weapons under state and federal law. 

“By prohibiting state or local restrictions on the right to bear arms, H.R. 645 upholds the original purpose of the Second Amendment—to ensure the security of a free state—while safeguarding individual liberties against government infringement,” Massie noted, according to a press release.

MASSIE DROPS COLORFUL ANALOGY OPPOSING FOREIGN AID, MOCKS SPEAKER JOHNSON WITH AI-GENERATED IMAGE

Specifically, the text of the measure stipulates that “No State or political subdivision of a State may impose a criminal or civil penalty on, or otherwise indirectly limit the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by residents or nonresidents of that State who are citizens of the United States and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law.”

“Any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of a State or a political subdivision of a State that criminalizes, penalizes, or otherwise indirectly dissuades the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by any resident or nonresident who is a United States citizen and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law, shall have no force or effect,” the measure reads.

The measure would not apply to locations “where screening for firearms is conducted under state law,” and it would not block the owners of privately-owned facilities from banning guns on their premises. 

Massie and others had previously pushed such a proposal last year as well.

IN ONE U.S. TOWN, RESIDENTS ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO OWN GUNS AND AMMO

In 2021, Massie shared a family Christmas photo in which each person was holding a gun.

“Merry Christmas!” the staunch gun rights advocate wrote when sharing the photo, adding, “ps. Santa, please bring ammo.”

In a 2022 post, he criticized the term “Gun Violence,” asserting that it “is part of the language leftists use to shift blame away from evil perpetrators of violence” and that it “suggests that guns are to blame instead of people, which sets the table for their anti-second amendment agenda.”

“There’s a reason you never see a Communist, a Marxist, or even a Socialist politician support the right of common people to keep and bear arms: Those forms of government require more submission to the state than armed citizens would tolerate,” Massie also tweeted in 2022.

REP. MASSIE LAUNCHES ‘MAXIMUM TRIGGERING’ WITH FAMILY CHRISTMAS PHOTO: ‘SANTA, PLEASE BRING AMMO’

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The congressman’s press release lists dozens of House Republicans as original cosponsors, including: Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Ben Cline of Virginia, Michael Cloud of Texas, Mike Collins of Georgia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Brandon Gill of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Harris of Maryland, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Nick Langworthy of New York, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Nathaniel Moran of Texas, Andrew Ogles of Tennessee, John Rose of Tennessee, Chip Roy of Texas, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Claudia Tenney of New York, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Randy Weber of Texas and Tony Wied of Wisconsin.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday pushed Republican state lawmakers to take urgent action on illegal immigration, voting to fight like a “junkyard dog” and warning of political consequences for defiance.

The governor leaned on the Florida legislature ahead of a special session next week, during which he wants legislators to pass new bills to crack down on illegal immigration in sync with President Donald Trump’s administration at the federal level. But GOP leaders have called the session “premature” and signaled that they may gavel out without taking action on the governor’s agenda items.

DeSantis warned that would be a costly mistake. “It would be very, very hazardous politically,” he told reporters during a roundtable discussion at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He also suggested that he will call for another special session of the legislature if GOP leaders delay action.

BORDER ENCOUNTERS DROP SHARPLY AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“I have my constitutional authority to wield in this process and I will continue to wield it as appropriate so that we’re able to get the job done,” he said, adding that he would fight like a “junkyard dog” to get his immigration policies enacted. 

“You don’t let go.” 

DeSantis wants Republicans to enact laws that would require state and local officials to comply with the new immigration orders issued by the White House and provide funding for them to do so. He has also called for legislation that would penalize state and local officials who violate Florida’s “anti-sanctuary policies,” WPTV reported. 

The governor also directed lawmakers to consider additional hurricane aid, crack down on ballot initiative signature fraud and address rising HOA fees. 

DESANTIS CITES ‘GULF OF AMERICA’ IN WINTER STORM ORDER AFTER TRUMP REBRANDING

House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton reacted coolly when the governor called for a special legislative session starting on Jan. 27. In a joint statement on Jan. 13, they called it “irresponsible” for the legislature to act ahead of any announcements Trump may make on immigration and criticized DeSantis, stating the governor had offered only “fragmented ideas” and had not released any bill language or details for legislators to consider.

Lawmakers “will decide when and what legislation we consider,” the Florida House and Senate leaders said. 

Trump has already issued a flurry of executive orders to begin promised “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants present in the United States. On Monday, Trump declared an emergency on the southern border, deployed 1,500 soldiers to the border and ended the Biden administration’s CBP One app program to process migrants at ports of entry via humanitarian parole. 

His administration then launched a mass deportation operation, with ICE agents active in multiple cities and states across the U.S.

DESANTIS’ CHOSEN RUBIO REPLACEMENT MOODY WANTS TO TACKLE INFLATION, SPENDING, BORDER: ‘AUDIT THE FED!’

The Department of Homeland Security has also issued memos rescinding limits placed on ICE by the Biden administration, ordering a review of parole and expanding the use of expedited removal for recently-arrived illegal immigrants.

And Trump’s administration has moved to restore border wall construction and reinstate the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which requires migrants to stay in Mexico for the duration of their asylum cases.

These combined policies have resulted in a sharp 35% drop in illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border, multiple Department of Homeland Security sources told Fox News Digital. 

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DeSantis rejected the concerns of the legislature, telling reporters Thursday, “we’ve been waiting years for this moment. It’s not premature.” 

“We can’t drag our feet. We can’t wait for something to go into effect in July. We need something immediately and we need to get everything moving, and we need to do what we told the people that elected us that we would do.” 

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

A New Jersey mayor and other leading Democrats have blasted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a worksite which they say resulted in undocumented residents as well as a U.S. citizen being “detained.”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka slammed the operation as an “egregious act” and a violation of the Fourth Amendment after agents reportedly swooped in to raid a business establishment “without producing a warrant.”

Baraka said that one of those detained is a U.S. military veteran who “suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned.” 

TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN REVEALS ICE TEAMS ARE ALREADY ARRESTING ‘PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS’

“This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures….’” Baraka wrote in a statement.

“Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” Barak said, adding that he is “ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights.”

It is not clear if the U.S. citizen in the Newark case was taken into custody, with an ICE spokesperson telling Fox News that the U.S. citizen was asked to produce identification. 

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite today in Newark, New Jersey,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News in relation to Thursday’s Newark operation. “This is an active investigation, and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations.”

ICE raids have ramped up across the country this week as President Donald Trump looks to clamp down on illegal immigration, a key campaign promise. Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan has said ICE agents will focus on the “worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

New Jersey senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim joined Baraka in condemning the raid. 

“We are deeply concerned about the news of an ICE raid in Newark today. Our offices have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to demand answers,” the senators said in a joint statement.

“Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics. We will continue to work with Mayor Baraka and other local officials to gather more information to ensure all New Jerseyans are safe and their dignity and rights are protected.”

Baraka, a progressive Democrat, has been mayor of Newark since 2014 and is running for New Jersey governor this year. He has called for a “progressive overhaul” of the blue state and his campaign agenda includes reparations, sanctuary state laws, baby bonds, and a universal basic income.”

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., also slammed the raid in a statement. 

“Already, Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities are hitting home and we will not back down,” she said. “We will always fight for the dignity and rights of everyone in our district and across the country.”

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In the first days of the Trump administration, ICE has made more than 460 arrests of illegal immigrants, including those with criminal histories that include sexual assault, domestic violence and drugs and weapons crimes. Arrests took place across the U.S., including Illinois, Utah, California, Minnesota, New York, Florida and Maryland. 

Agents arrested nationals from a slew of countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Stephen Sorace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

–Karine Jean-Pierre reveals mom’s cancer diagnosis — and why she kept it secret

-Illegal immigrant suspect in fatal hit-and-run arrested 800 miles from crime scene on bus headed to Mexico

-Top 5 moments from Trump’s ‘Hannity’ interview 

‘Everything Will Be Revealed’

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. 

Trump had promised to declassify the previously-classified documents during his 2024 campaign.

“Everything will be revealed,” Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House…Read more

White House

RIGHTING A WRONG: Trump expected to pardon pro-life activists convicted under FACE Act…Read more

‘FORGOTTEN ABOUT’: Anti-CCP group debuts ad with dire call for GOP lawmakers to back Trump on saving US farms…Read more

TWO DOWN: John Ratcliffe confirmed as next CIA director, becomes second Trump cabinet pick to gain congress’s approval…Read more

World Stage

BRACING FOR INFLUX: Mexico scrambles to build tents to handle mass deportations from US…Read more

‘FALSELY SMEARED’: Benjamin Netanyahu comes to defense of Elon Musk…Read more

MONEY PROBLEMS: Putin reportedly concerned over Russia’s economy ahead of possible Trump tariffs…Read more

Capitol Hill

STATUS REVOKED: GOP leaders rally to revoke China’s ‘most favored nation’ status after 20-year run…Read more

SPREADING THE WORD: New Republican leader Lisa McClain talks messaging ‘playbook’ in the Trump era…Read more

RESULTS OVER PROCESS: Tim Scott emphasizes ‘results’ over reconciliation process as he stays out of debate…Read more

‘FACTUALLY INACCURATE’: Key Senate chairman criticizes ‘anonymous sources with ulterior motives,’ stands by Hegseth nomination…Read more

‘GODFATHER OF THE ULTRA-RIGHT’: Trump budget chief pick Russell Vought faces fire from Dem senators…Read more

SENATE SHOWDOWN: Hegseth clears Senate hurdle and advances to a final confirmation vote…Read more

‘CONCERNED’: Moderate GOP senator says she will vote against nomination of Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary…Read more

‘RIDICULOUS’: Lawmakers refuse to say how many genders there are when confronted on Capitol Hill…Read more

Across America

SHOCKING MOVE: VA Dems reject Youngkin’s antisemitism expert pick from George Mason Univ board amid troubling incidents…Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Medal of Honor recipients would see their pensions increase six-fold under new proposal…Read more

‘I’M A FIGHTER’: House GOP firebrand invokes Trump while mulling run for South Carolina governor’s mansion…Read more

‘INFANTICIDE’: Pro-lifers pounce on Fetterman for opposing ‘Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act’…Read more

‘WE’RE GOING TO FIND THEM’: First images of ICE mass deportation efforts show arrests of MS-13 gang members, murder suspects…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

In one of the first moves of his administration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order taking drastic steps to crack down on the violent Venezuelan migrant gang “Tren de Aragua,” which has been terrorizing American cities in recent months.

Also known as “TdA,” Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan criminal group present in over a dozen U.S. cities. The group has ties to the socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and according to experts, is being used as a tool of asymmetric warfare to sow chaos and discord in the U.S.

Jose Gustavo Arocha, a former high-ranking Venezuelan military official and senior fellow at the U.S.-based Center for a Secure Free Society, told Fox News Digital that Trump’s order was an “extraordinary move” that is the “first good step in the route to neutralize TdA.”

The order – which is titled “Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists” – instructs newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to move to designate Tren de Aragua, as well as Mexican gang MS-13 and other migrant gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations.”

WHO IS TREN DE ARAGUA? VICIOUS VENEZUELAN GANG ‘FOLLOWING IN THE PATH OF MS-13’ IN AMERICA

A foreign terrorist designation expands the government’s ability to crack down on criminal groups operating in the U.S., allowing all government agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, to target that group from every angle.  

The order states that these groups “present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” and invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEP) to declare a national emergency to “deal with those threats.”

“It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States,” reads the order.

The order gives Rubio 14 days to make policy recommendations – in consultation with the secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security as well as the U.S. attorney general and director of National Intelligence – to make a recommendation regarding the designation of TdA, MS-13 and any other group as a foreign terrorist organization.

TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT DESIGNATES VENEZUELAN GANG, TREN DE ARAGUA, AS A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

According to Arocha, this move could spell the beginning of the end for TdA’s reign of terror in the United States.

“This executive order that Trump signed is perfect to neutralize unconventional tools that were made by the Venezuela regime,” he said. “The TdA is an asymmetrical and unconventional tool to harm the United States, [and] not only the United States, all the region … [so] you have to use unconventional tools, too.”

Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society who in 2024 authored a report on how to dismantle TdA, explained to Fox News Digital that designating these groups as foreign terrorist organizations places them “at the highest level” of U.S. national security interest, meaning their funding and any organizations enabling them can be targeted as well.

“Trump just put all of them on notice,” said Humire. “This said: ‘We know you’re here; we know you’re up to no good and we’re going to come after you.'”

TREN DE ARAGUA BELIEVED TO BE BEHIND MURDER OF IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL NEAR BORDER

“Now critics may say, well, he’s going to create a war on terror or drugs, and it’s really a reaction of fear. They say: ‘Oh, you know, these guys are so dangerous.’ And what you know about criminality, whether it’s terrorism or any kind of criminality, is that they only respond to strength. They prey on fear. If they think you’re scared to attack you more,” he said. “So, by showing this strength, it’s the first action of deterrence.”

In addition to sending a message of strength, Humire said the executive order signals that there will be “meaningful action taking place really, really soon to start to arrest and dismantle” TdA’s presence in the U.S.

Andrew Arthur, a law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that one of the most important aspects of designating TdA a foreign terrorist organization is enabling the U.S. government to target TdA’s funding, which he said can essentially “bleed them dry.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

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“Money is the lifeblood of these organizations,” he said. “It’s really the funding element of all this that is crucial to going after a terrorist organization, because if you cut them off from the money, they’re not going to be able to pay people. They’re not going to be able to pay bribes to corrupt officials, they are not going to be able to pay their foot soldiers, are not going to be able to buy the big guns and the things that they used to operate.“

“It’s not just the guy with the AK-47 or the guy with the IED that’s a terrorist. It’s all those people that helped to make that possible,” he went on. “So, when you designate them as terrorist organizations, in addition to going after the keepers or the kingpins of these organizations and the various foot soldiers that they employ, you can also go after the individuals who provide material support.”

If President Donald Trump’s personnel moves are any tell, he may come out of the gate toward Iran with a tone that is more diplomatic than combative. 

And Trump on Thursday evening suggested he was open to a nuclear deal with Iran.

Asked if he would support Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump told reporters, “We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days. We’ll see, but hopefully that could be worked out without having to worry about it.”

“Iran hopefully will make a deal. I mean, they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s OK, too.”

Iran, at least, is hoping for just that. The Tehran Times, a regime-linked English language newspaper, questioned in a recent article whether the firing of Brian Hook, the architect of the “maximum pressure” policy on Iran during Trump’s first term, could “signal a change in [Trump’s] Iran policy.”

In November, news outlets reported that Hook was running the transition at the State Department. But Hook was relieved from the transition team shortly after in December, sources familiar with the move confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

UN URGES DIPLOMACY AS IRAN HITS NUCLEAR ‘GAS PEDAL,’ CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR TELLS TRUMP ‘DO NOT APPEASE’

This week, Trump knocked Hook back a step further by posting on social media that he’d be removed from his position at a U.S. government-owned think tank.

“Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars… YOU’RE FIRED!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

And after taking office, Trump removed the government-sponsored security details of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton told CNN his detail was also pulled, as was Hook’s.

“You can’t have [protection] for the rest of your life. Do you want to have a large deal of people guarding people for the rest of their lives? I mean, there’s risks to everything,” Trump said.

Trump recently put his Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff, in charge of addressing U.S. concerns about Iran, according to a Financial Times report.

Witkoff most recently helped seal negotiations on a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, suggesting he may test Iran’s willingness to engage at the negotiating table on nuclear issues before ramping up pressure, sources told the Financial Times. 

Experts warn that Iran is enriching hundreds of pounds of uranium to the 60% purity threshold, shy of the 90% purity levels needed to develop a nuclear bomb.

At the same time, the president hired Michael Dimino as deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, a foreign policy expert who has said the Middle East doesn’t “really matter” to U.S. interests any longer. 

IRAN’S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

Dimino is cut from the same cloth as undersecretary of defense for policy Elbridge Colby, who has argued for the U.S. to focus military resources on countering China and devote fewer resources to other regions. 

Dimino, a former expert at the Koch-funded restraint advocacy think tank Defense Priorities, has strongly advocated for pulling U.S. resources out of the Middle East.

“The core question is: Does the Middle East still matter?” Dimino said during a panel last February. “The answer is: not really, not really for U.S. interests. What I would say is that vital or existential U.S. interests in the Middle East are best characterized as minimal to non-existent.”

“We are really there to counter Iran and that is really at the behest of the Israelis and Saudis,” he added.

“Iranian power remains both exaggerated and misunderstood. Its economy continues to underperform, and its conventional military is antiquated and untested. Tehran simply doesn’t have the financial capital or hard power capabilities to dominate the Middle East or directly threaten core U.S. interests,” he wrote in a 2023 article.

Dimino has also argued the U.S. does not need to focus resources on an offensive campaign against the Houthis amid attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea. 

“Put simply, there are no existential or vital U.S. national interests at stake in Yemen and very little is at stake for the U.S. economically in the Red Sea.”

Instead, he argued in a 2023 op-ed that working to increase aid into Gaza would rid the Houthis of their stated reason for their attacks in the Red Sea, which they’ve said are a means of fighting on behalf of Gaza.

“Working to increase aid shipments to Gaza would not just help to alleviate the humanitarian crisis there but would deprive the Houthis of their claimed justification for attacks in the Red Sea and provide the group with an off-ramp for de-escalation that would also serve to prevent indefinite U.S. participation in a broader regional war.”

Others in Trump’s foreign policy orbit historically have struck a more hawkish tone toward Iran, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Israel Ambassador Mike Huckabee. 

Rubio has already said he will work to bring back the snapback sanctions that were suspended in the 2015 Iran deal, as indicated by written responses he provided to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. 

“A policy of maximum pressure must be reinstated, and it must be reinstated with the help of the rest of the globe, and that includes standing with the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy,” Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy to Russia and Ukraine, recently said. 

The Dimino hiring – along with other recent personnel moves – has caused rumblings from prominent Iran hawks. 

Mark Levin, a radio host who has the ear of Trump, has posted on X multiple times in opposition to Dimino: “How’d this creep get a top DoD position?” he asked in one post. 

“While Dimino and Witkoff are very different issues, Witkoff is Trump’s best friend, [it] seems difficult to detangle, very concerning,” said one Iran expert. “Dimino is a mystery and does not align with Hegseth or Trump values on Iran or Israel.”

“There is an ongoing coordinated effort by Iran’s regime and its lobby network in the West to cause divisions in President Trump’s administration over policy towards Tehran,” Kasra Aarabi, director of research on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard at the group United Against a Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital. 

“Having spent the past four years trying – and failing – to assassinate President Trump, the ayatollah has now instructed his propagandists to cause fissures between President Trump and his advisors so as to weaken the new administration’s policy towards [the] Islamist regime.”

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Aarabi warned, “In the past 48 hours, Ayatollah Khamenei-run entities in Iran’s regime – such as the “Islamic Propaganda Organization” – have been celebrating certain appointments across the broader administration in the same way as they praised some of former president Biden’s appointments.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is requesting that the federal government reimburse his state more than $11.1 billion for taxpayer money spent on securing the southern border during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Abbott, who sent letters to U.S. Congressional members on Thursday, said the Biden administration’s “refusal to do its job the last four years” resulted in the crisis at the southern border that has spilled into the rest of the country.

“President Biden’s policies left Texas and the rest of America defenseless against an unprecedented infiltration of violent criminals, known terrorists, and other hostile foreign actors, like the dangerous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua,” the governor wrote.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN INTRODUCES BILL TO REIMBURSE TEXAS FOR BILLIONS SPENT TO SECURE BORDER

In response to the federal government’s lack of action at the border, Abbott took matters into his own hands and launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021, which deployed the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the US-Mexico border.

Operation Lone Star has reduced illegal immigration into Texas by 87% over the past four years, proving the “effectiveness of President Donald Trump’s border measures,” according to Abbott, who added that his efforts have shone a national spotlight on the crisis.

The governor outlined that the operation has also resulted in the apprehension of more than half a million illegal immigrants, stopped more than 140,000 illegal attempts to enter the US, made more than 50,000 criminal arrests, seized more than half a billion lethal doses of fentanyl, built more than 240 miles of border barriers and established the only National Guard base along the Texas-Mexico border.

“In short, Texas stepped up where the federal government refused and in doing so, protected all Americans from President Biden’s dangerous policies,” Abbott wrote.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS RENEW PUSH TO REIMBURSE TEXAS FOR ‘OPERATION LONE STAR’ BORDER SECURITY PUSH

Though he is proud of the operation, Abbott noted that its success came with a high price tag of more than $11.1 billion, which has been, and continues to be, paid by Texas taxpayers when it “should have been the federal government’s responsibility.”

In a document breaking down the costs, Abbott said that prior to the Biden administration, the state of Texas spent approximately $800 million every two years to supplement federal efforts at the border.

“The burden that our State has borne is a direct result of a refusal by the federal government to do its job,” Abbott wrote. “The work that Texas has done through Operation Lone Star has protected and will continue to benefit the entire country.”

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House Republicans have introduced bills in the past requesting Texas be reimbursed for the billions spent on border security, but legislation has never been passed.

Eleven Democratic states on Thursday issued a statement criticizing the “vague” threats from the Trump administration related to possible prosecutions for not complying with immigration enforcement. 

The statement was signed by state attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

It addressed a recent Justice Department memo directing federal prosecutors to investigate state and local officials who refuse to enforce President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, including hs mass deportation plans. 

TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES

“Right now, these vague threats are just that: empty words on paper,” the statement said. “But rest assured, our states will not hesitate to respond if these words become illegal actions.”

In the memo, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, Trump’s former defense attorney, said that “federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests, pursuant to, for example, the President’s extensive Article II authority with respect to foreign affairs and national security, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Alien Enemies Act.” 

‘PROMPT REMOVAL’: TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP

Bove said U.S. attorneys offices “and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution, including for obstructing federal functions in violation of federal statutes.”

The attorneys general cited Printz v. United States, saying the federal government can’t force local or state authorities to carry out immigration actions. 

“Despite what he may say to the contrary, the President cannot unilaterally re-write the Constitution,” they wrote. 

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“The President has made troubling threats to weaponize the U.S. Department of Justice’s prosecutorial authority and resources to attack public servants acting in compliance with their state laws, interfering with their ability to build trust with the communities they serve and protect.”

Fox News Digital’s Jake Gibson, David Spunt and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican is re-introducing legislation to make assaulting law enforcement a deportable offense for immigrants, amid a fresh immigration push in Congress.

Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., is re-introducing the Protect Our Law enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement (POLICE) Act.

The bill would explicitly make assaulting a law enforcement officer a deportable offense. The legislation struggled to advance in a Democratic-run Senate, and is expected to have a better chance at success now Republicans have a majority. There is a version in the House as well.

‘TIDES ARE SHIFTING’: PUSH TO CODIFY KEY TRUMP-ERA POLICY SNAGS DOZENS OF COSPONSORS, INCLUDING DEMS

The bill says that any “alien who has been convicted of, who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts constituting the essential elements of, and offense involving the assault of a law enforcement officer is deportable.”
 

“One of the best ways we can support law enforcement officers, and protect the public, is by deporting dangerous people who do them harm. If a migrant commits the crime of assaulting an officer or other first responder, they should be subject to immediate deportation,” Budd said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“Our lawmakers must always back the men and women who protect and serve our communities. We must act on this vital proposal.”

The bill has a dozen co-sponsors in the upper chamber, including Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Steve Daines R-Mont., Katie Britt, R-Ala.,, Ted Cruz, R-Texas,, and James Lankford R-Okla.

TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES

The bill emerged the same week that the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of illegal immigrants charged with theft-related crimes, was sent to President Trump’s desk after passing both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support. Trump is expected to sign the measure.

Legislators have also introduced other anti-illegal immigrant measures, including bills to restore the Remain in Mexico program and to cut down on humanitarian parole and Temporary Protected Status.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Meanwhile, President Trump signed 10 executive orders on day one of his administration, including bills to send military to the border and declare a national emergency.

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Federal agencies have been making similar moves, including reducing restrictions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in sensitive areas and ordering a review of the use of parole by federal agencies.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a number of child sex offenders, as well as gang members and other criminals, among the more than 530 illegal immigrants it caught on another day of the Trump-era mass deportation campaign.

Official stats show that as of 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, there were 373 criminal arrests and 165 non-criminal arrests for the day. That includes more than 1,000 removals or repatriations. The agency also arrested 16 gang members, including four belonging to the bloodthirsty Tren de Aragua.

According to ICE records, the arrests included one in Buffalo, New York of an Ecuadorian national convicted of rape. Also in Buffalo, agents arrested Pedro Julio Mejia, a national from the Dominican Republic convicted of sexual conduct against a child.

BORDER ENCOUNTERS DROP SHARPLY AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION 

In St. Paul, Minnesota, agents nabbed Cristofer Alexander Ramirez-Oliva, a Honduran with a conviction for third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, agents arrested Ariel Rene Romice-Patino, a Mexican who was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child and sentenced to 62 months in prison.

FIRST IMAGES OF ICE MASS DEPORTATION EFFORTS SHOW ARRESTS OF MS-13 GANG MEMBERS, MURDER SUSPECTS 

Agents also arrested Magdaleno Zenen Hernandez Garcia, a Mexican national convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child aged 14 or younger.

In New York, agents arrested Turkish national Gokhan Adriguzel, who is a known or suspected terrorist, officials say.

TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES

In Chicago, agents arrested Rimon Aparicio-Pimentel, a Mexican with a previous conviction for attempted murder, for which he was sentenced to 17 years in prison. ICE lodged a detainer on him in 2017, but it was not honored by authorities, and he was released without ICE being notified.

The haul is the latest day of busy work for ICE, which is leading the mass deportation operation launched by the new administration. Before Thursday, ICE had made 460 arrests since Trump was inaugurated.

Trump has promised to “seal” the border and launch what he said would be a historic deportation campaign. On day one, he signed 10 orders related to the border, including orders to restart wall construction, end parole programs, limit birthright citizenship and deploy the military to the border.

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His administration has also ended a Biden-era guideline on “sensitive places” where ICE could not conduct enforcement and removed limits on the use of expedited removals to quickly deport migrants.

Fox News this week witnessed ICE Boston make eight arrests, including multiple MS-13, Interpol Red Notices, murder and rape suspects, and a volatile Haitian gang member with 18 convictions in recent years who told our cameras that he “ain’t going back to Haiti” and “f— Trump, Biden forever!”

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed to the latest arrests as proof the administration is delivering on its promises.

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“The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway.,” she said on X. “Promises made. Promises kept.”

Multiple veterans groups sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday, urging him to reconsider a recent executive order regarding immigration and refugee programs, citing concerns about the safety of Afghan interpreters and their families who helped the U.S. military.

The executive order, the Realigning the United States Refugee Program, will go into effect on Monday and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

Trump’s order immediately pauses all processing and movements for USRAP refugees, who are referred due to threats from their association with the U.S. – such as family members of service members, and Afghan partner forces.

Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), people who directly worked for or supported the U.S. government – which includes interpreters and contractors, do not appear to be directly impacted. 

2 AMERICANS RELEASED IN EXCHANGE FOR TALIBAN PRISONER

They could, however, be indirectly affected by implementation decisions or additional orders, according to #AfghanEvac, a non-profit that helps facilitate relocation and resettlement of Afghan U.S. allies. 

The veterans groups wanted to highlight “unintended consequences” of the order, claiming it could adversely affect the mental health of countless veterans.

The letter, obtained by Fox News, discussed the bonds many service members and veterans formed with Afghan partners who supported the global war on terror, often at great personal risk to themselves and their families.

“The current suspension of certain pathways for these allies may unintentionally penalize individuals who could be eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) but do not currently hold them — not because they do not meet the qualifications, but because of the chaotic and disorganized nature of the withdrawal from Afghanistan under the previous administration,” the letter read. 

The groups said they “fully support” Trump’s goal of prioritizing American security, but believe there is a clear opportunity to address the issue without harm to Afghan partners.

The executive order argues that the entry of additional refugees would be “detrimental to the interests of the United States,” but notes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security can jointly make exceptions and admit refugees on a case-by-case basis when in the national interest, and there is no threat to America’s security or welfare.

Noting concerns about Afghan partners being deported “erroneously,” the groups said the partners’ immediate family members, who face serious threats from the Taliban may lose their hopes of safe passage.

GOLD STAR FAMILIES DEVASTATED BY BIDEN’S BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL ENDORSE HEGSETH FOR SECDEF

They asked the president to consider SIV-eligible allies and their families, to prevent them from being “inadvertently cast aside due to lapses that occurred under the botched withdrawal,” according to the letter. 

“This approach would protect those who have risked their lives for our country while reinforcing your administration’s clear commitment to national security,” they wrote.

USRAP has no impact on illegal immigration, according to #AfghanEvac. Refugees must be vetted before entering the U.S., and crossing the border without authorization voids their eligibility.

Chad Robichaux, a U.S. Marine Corps force recon veteran and Department of Defense contractor, told Fox News he spent years of his life protecting American lives domestically and internationally, but the sacrifice was not made solely by U.S. service members.

“Afghan interpreters risked their lives for two decades alongside us to defeat the evils of the Taliban,” Robichaux said. “When Afghanistan fell, I personally went to rescue my interpreter Aziz from the clutches of that very evil, delivering him to American soil. President Trump is honorably taking strong steps to keep this hallowed soil safe. But in doing so, [it] places these same Afghans in jeopardy. These Afghan Allies have demonstrated more patriotic courage than some of our own citizens, and I am asking for their due protection in the midst of these sweeping security measures.”

The suspension effectively leaves thousands of Afghan allies stranded in limbo, according to #AfghanEvac. The organization claims at least 10 to 15,000 individuals are fully vetted and awaiting flights in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries.

TRUMP ORDER PUTS THOUSANDS OF AFGHAN ALLIES WAITING FOR US RESETTLEMENT IN LIMBO

Groups that signed the letter included: Save Our Allies; Sheepdog Response; The Verardo Group; The Independence Fund; Diesel Jack Media; Special Operations Association of America; and Mighty Oaks Foundation.

Tim Kennedy – a Green Beret, former UFC fighter, founder of Sheepdog Response, and president of Save Our Allies – told Fox News it is the nation’s duty to protect its allies.

“I’ve served with the most patriotic heroes our nation has to offer. I’ve watched them brilliantly and valiantly sacrifice life and limb to protect the United States,” Kennedy said. “Among those patriots are the Afghan men who risked threat and brutality from the Taliban to defend the freedom and American ideals we hold dear.”

There are still 150,000 to 250,000 Afghans seeking settlement, according to #AfghanEvac. An estimated 40,000 to 60,000 are refugees under USRAP.

“The Biden administration is responsible for our blood-soaked exit from Afghanistan,” Kennedy said. “The Allies we served beside didn’t receive the promise we offered them. I applaud the necessary and exemplary efforts President Trump is making to secure our country from foreign threats, but it is our duty to protect and preserve the sanctity of our promise to those Afghan allies. In many cases, we owe them our lives, and we must let this be their home.”

Since the end of the war in 2021, some 180,000 Afghans have resettled in the U.S., Fox News Digital reported.

Many of those who are still waiting for refugee approval are hiding out in Pakistan, fearful of deportation back to Afghanistan.

Daniel Elkins, CEO of Special Operations Association of America, said he is “certain there would be more Americans in Arlington cemetery if it weren’t for Afghans who risked their lives to help us, and now is the time for us to help them.”

Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News he looks forward to continuing to work with Save Our Allies as they advocate for all Afghan allies former President Joe Biden “abandoned.”

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“Unlike President Biden who consistently dismissed pleas from veterans and service members to help their Afghan allies, President Trump cares about America’s veterans and service members and will listen to them,” McCaul said.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Thursday night.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this story.

Benjamine Huffman, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, on Thursday issued a finding calling for an immediate federal response to combat an “actual or imminent mass influx” of illegal immigrants arriving at the southern border. 

In his finding, Huffman requested help from all 50 states to assist the federal government in immigration enforcement.

The secretary determined that “there exist circumstances involving the administration of the immigration laws of the United States that endanger the lives, property, safety, or welfare of the residents” in all 50 states. 

‘ABUSED THE LAWS’: GOP BILL VOWS TO SHUT DOWN KEY BIDEN-ERA POLICIES BENEFITING MIGRANTS

“I further find that an actual or imminent mass influx of aliens is arriving at the southern border of the United States and presents urgent circumstances requiring an immediate federal response,” he said. “I therefore request the assistance of State and local governments in all 50 States.”

The finding is effective immediately and expires in 60 days, unless extended. The 60 days will give officials time to deputize local and state law enforcement to assist in immigration enforcement. 

Some states like California will likely push back on efforts to assist federal immigration authorities. On Thursday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said local and state enforcement cannot be ordered to perform federal immigration duties. 

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“It is well-established — through longstanding Supreme Court precedent — that the U.S. Constitution prevents the federal government from commandeering states to enforce federal laws,” Bonta said in a statement. “While the federal government may use its own resources for federal immigration enforcement, the court ruled in Printz v. United States that the federal government cannot ‘impress into its service — and at no cost to itself — the police officers of the 50 States’.”

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has also doubled down on its policy of limiting cooperation with immigration authorities. 

‘LOUD AND CLEAR’: BORDER STATE’S LEGISLATURE MOVES TO BACK TRUMP’S ICE ON DEPORTATIONS

“That’s not my job. I have too much to do,” LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill recently told 8 News.

In addition, the Justice Department is pushing for federal prosecutors to investigate state or local officials who obstruct immigration enforcement.

As part of his finding, Huffman noted that more than 8 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. through the southern border in the past four years, while millions more evaded detection. 

“Over the last four years, our southern border has been overrun. Last month, Border Patrol encountered 47,330 aliens along the southern border,” the finding states. “While that number is a major reduction from the peak over the last four years, it is still too high. To demonstrate, in that month, Border Patrol released at least 6,920 aliens at the southwest border, the vast majority of whom are subject to mandatory detention.”

DOJ TO INVESTIGATE STATE OR LOCAL OFFICIALS WHO OBSTRUCT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: MEMO

He cited periods during the Biden administration when the numbers were “astronomically higher,” such as December 2022, when border agents released at least 140,306 illegal immigrants at the southwest border.

“Whether the number is 140,000 or 6,000, this is not the way our immigration laws are supposed to work. Aliens arriving at ports of entry or entering unlawfully are supposed to be inspected,” Huffman said. 

“Unless they are “clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to be admitted,” they are supposed to be detained until either removed or they are granted discretionary relief such as asylum.”

In the first days of the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested hundreds of illegal immigrants, including those with violent criminal histories. 

In a 33-hour period between midnight Jan. 21 and 9 a.m. Jan 22, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested more than 460 illegal immigrants from numerous countries who have criminal histories of sexual assault, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, drugs and weapons offenses, resisting arrest and domestic violence.

While multiple factors may be considered in determining an influx, Huffman said the magnitude of the problem was sufficient to make the finding. 

“First, if the influx is not controlled, it is likely to increase. I have seen again and again that failure to control the border increases the incentives for more aliens to attempt to enter unlawfully,” he said. “Second, the introduction of unvetted foreign persons — at least some of whom will unquestionably be criminals — has a likelihood to increase criminal activity.

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“Much of the illegal entries at our southern border involve other criminal conduct, including human trafficking, drug smuggling, and sexual assault,” he added. “Third, law enforcement agencies, particularly immigration enforcement agencies, face unusual and overwhelming demands. In particular, immigration enforcement agencies currently face a shortage of detention capacity necessary to comply with the statutory detention obligations.”

One of President Donald Trump’s top congressional allies introduced a resolution on Thursday evening to allow the commander-in-chief a third term.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is pushing a new amendment to the Constitution that would give a president three terms in office, but no more than two consecutive four-year stints.

The amendment would say, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

DANISH PRIME MINISTER HAS BLUNT MESSAGE FOR TRUMP: GREENLAND IS NOT FOR SALE

The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, prevents a person from serving as president for more than two terms. 

It was passed by Congress in 1947 in response to Franklin Delano Roosevelt winning four terms in the White House. Roosevelt died the year after he was elected to his fourth term in the 1944 presidential election.

But in a statement released to media on Thursday, Ogles said Trump “has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.”

“To that end, I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms,” Ogles said. “This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”

Trump made comments about serving a third term to House Republicans during a closed-door speech late last year, but multiple sources who attended the event told Fox News Digital that the then-president-elect was joking.

Earlier this month, Ogles unveiled a bill to authorize Trump to enter into talks to purchase Greenland after he expressed interest in doing so.

TRUMP’S REMAIN IN MEXICO POLICY COULD BE REVIVED UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP BILL 

The “Make Greenland Great Again Act” would have authorized Trump to enter negotiations with Denmark over purchasing Greenland, a territory located in North America but with longstanding cultural and geopolitical ties to Europe.

“Joe Biden took a blowtorch to our reputation these past four years, and before even taking office, President Trump is telling the world that America First is back. American economic and security interests will no longer take a backseat, and House Republicans are ready to help President Trump deliver for the American people,” Ogles told Fox News Digital at the time.

The Department of Defense (DOD) has ordered an immediate worldwide pause to its social media pages and is pausing all posts on all social media platforms, unless the posts have to do with U.S. military operations and deployments to protect the southern border, Fox News has learned.

The order came with President Donald Trump’s approval from the White House and will remain in place until his pick for defense secretary is confirmed and directs otherwise, two senior U.S. defense officials told Fox News.

The temporary pause is expected to last a matter of days, while guidance is given to every uniformed and civilian public affairs officer responsible for social media websites.

All social media posts should reflect an emphasis solely on “warfighting and lethality,” sources said.

FLASHBACK: WHITE HOUSE ACCUSED OF US FLAG CODE VIOLATION OVER PRIDE MONTH DISPLAY

A senior defense official said the new administration wants to ensure that “all communications are aligned” with its goals. The pause only applies to social media posts. Press releases will still be emailed to reporters and posted on DOD websites, sources said.

Civilian and military public affairs officers worldwide will soon receive internal guidance on all posts and social media outreach for military recruiting, posts from DOD schools and posts from combatant commands on ongoing military operations. 

Social media accounts will be shut down, and past content won’t be erased, but no new posts will be permitted until the future defense secretary, once confirmed, directs otherwise, a senior U.S. defense official explained to Fox News. 

“The Department of Defense is reviewing its social media programming to make sure it aligns with President Trump’s priorities on readiness, lethality and warfighting,” a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News in a statement. “This pause does not apply for content and imagery relative to the DOD’s current border security operations announced yesterday by Acting Secretary of Defense Robert G. Salesses.”

Under previous administrations, including the Biden administration, the military had been criticized for social media posts focusing on what critics called “woke” priorities.

The U.S. Army in 2021 released an animated recruitment ad telling the story of an Army corporal with two moms as part of a recruitment campaign, “The Calling,” which depicted the diverse stories of five different service members.

“It begins in California with a little girl raised by two moms,” the narrator, Cpl. Emma Malonelord, said in the video. “Although I had a fairly typical childhood, took ballet, played violin, I also marched for equality. I like to think I’ve been defending freedom from an early age.”

Critics quickly expressed concern about the ad undermining confidence in the strength of the U.S. military, Fox News Digital reported at the time. Many social media users posted side-by-side comparisons to ads released by other nations’ militaries.

“We are so doomed,” Media Research Center’s Dan Gainor wrote at the time alongside the edited clip.

“Russians are building a military focused on killing people and breaking things. We’re apparently building a military focused on being capable of explaining microaggressions and critical race theory to Afghan Tribesmen,” John Hawkins concurred at the time.

TWITTER EXPLODES OVER RUSSIAN ARMY RECRUITMENT AD COMPARED TO ‘WOKE’ US VERSION: ‘WE ARE DOOMED’

At the start of Pride Month in 2022, the United States Space Force posted on X, highlighting Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback’s comments on the “QueerSpace” podcast.

“Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback spoke on how the LIT is working to change policy, change minds, and create opportunities for LGBTQ+ members of the military,” the post stated.

On the same day, the official U.S. Marines account on X shared an illustration of a Marine helmet with rainbow-colored bullets.

“Throughout June, the USMC takes #Pride in recognizing and honoring the contributions of our LGBTQ service members,” the military branch wrote. “We remain committed to fostering an environment free from discrimination, and defend the values of treating all equally, with dignity and respect.”

In June 2023, the U.S. Air Force posted an illustration to X during Pride Month, featuring a service member saluting in front of the rainbow flag.

The post received nearly 6,000 comments.

“As an Air Force vet, I am embarrassed by this,” one critic wrote. “How [far] we have fallen as a proud nation. This bulls— needs to end.”

“Pentagon and today’s Joint Chiefs are a national embarrassment and are destroying military readiness,” another wrote. “Disgraceful.”

The U.S. State Department recently adopted a “one flag policy” order from the Trump administration, which permits only the American flag to be flown at U.S. buildings at home and abroad, with two notable exceptions, the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action emblem and the Wrongful Detainees Flag.

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Trump also ordered all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) government offices to close. All DEI federal workers were placed on paid administrative leave.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for further comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Yael Halon and Stephen Sorace contributed to this story.

FIRST ON FOX: A bill to strictly limit programs used by the Biden administration to allow migrants into the U.S. and protect them from deportation is being re-introduced in both chambers of Congress amid a flurry of immigration moves in Congress and the White House.

The End Unaccountable Amnesty Act, was introduced in the House last year but is now being re-introduced in both chambers by Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, which would limit the use of humanitarian parole to allow migrants into the U.S. and limit the use of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to protect them from deportation.

The Biden administration, as part of its efforts to expand lawful pathways for migration to curb the ongoing migrant crisis at the border, used parole to admit 1,450 migrants a day using the CBP One app at the border. It has also allowed more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) to fly into the U.S. using a separate program. Combined, nearly 1.5 million migrants were let in via CBP One and CHNV. President Trump ordered an end to both this week.

‘ABUSED THE LAWS’: GOP BILL VOWS TO SHUT DOWN KEY BIDEN-ERA POLICIES BENEFITING MIGRANTS

Separately, the Biden administration has used (TPS) to allow migrants from countries facing conflict and hardship to remain protected from deportation, including countries like Venezuela and Haiti. It extended a slew of designations in the final days of the administration. 

The bill would restrict TPS designations by requiring Congress to approve them for 12-month terms (currently 18 months) and requiring additional moves by Congress to extend them. 

The bill would also limit parole to a hard cap of 1,000 a year, significantly reduced from the hundreds of thousands allowed currently. Parole would also only be allowed for limited circumstances like emergency medical cases.

The bill would also impose stricter eligibility and placement criteria for unaccompanied children amid reports of such children being lost track of by authorities. Meanwhile, the use of DHS documents like Notices to Appear and also the now-limited CBP One app would be barred from being used for airport security checks.

‘TIDES ARE SHIFTING’: PUSH TO CODIFY KEY TRUMP-ERA POLICY SNAGS DOZENS OF CO-SPONSORS

“The Biden administration exploited current law to grant legal status to millions of non-citizens, overwhelming communities in Indiana and across the country. Our schools, healthcare systems, and public services are struggling with this massive influx,” Banks said in a statement. “This bill will end mass parole, eliminate incentives for illegal immigration, and help President Trump restore order after the chaos caused by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s policies incentivized the worst border crisis in American history,” Nehls wrote. “Worse, President Biden and his cronies imported people from all over the world through the CHNV and other mass parole programs, flooding our communities with insufficiently vetted individuals. I’m proud to introduce legislation alongside Senator Banks to prevent future administrations from abusing TPS designations and parole authority.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

When it was first introduced, the bill faced challenges with a Democrat-run Senate, but now the chamber is in the hands of Republicans, and a number of Democrats have backed restrictionist bills after a year in which illegal immigration was a top priority for voters.

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Dozens of Democrats recently backed the Laken Riley Act to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal immigrants charged with theft-related crimes. Meanwhile, a bill to restore the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy has picked up bipartisan sponsors in the lower chamber.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to negotiate a deal to end the war with Russia, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to meet soon.

Trump spoke to reporters after signing multiple executive orders Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office. When a reporter asked if Zelenskyy told him he was ready to negotiate a solution to the war with Russia, Trump provided confirmation.

“Yes, he’s ready to negotiate a deal. He’d like to stop this,” Trump said. “He’s somebody that lost a lot of soldiers, and so did Russia. … Russia lost more soldiers. They lost 800,000. Would you say that’s a lot? I’d say it’s a lot.”

He was also asked if sanctions on Russia would force Putin to negotiate.

PUTIN REPORTEDLY CONCERNED OVER RUSSIA’S ECONOMY AHEAD OF POSSIBLE TRUMP TARIFFS

“I don’t know, but I think he should make a deal,” Trump said.

Trump also told reporters Chinese President Xi Jinping could have an influence on the war between Russia and Ukraine since it has power over Russia. He explained that the two countries are big trading partners. 

Russia, Trump noted, supplies China with a lot of energy, and the latter pays the former a lot of money.

“I think they have a lot of power over Russia, so I think Russia should want to make a deal,” Trump said. “From what I hear, Putin would like to see me, and we’ll meet as soon as we can.”

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA READY TO COMPROMISE WITH TRUMP ON UKRAINE WAR

When he described the war in Ukraine, Trump said soldiers were being killed on a battlefield that “is like no battlefield since World War II.”

“Soldiers are being killed on a daily basis at numbers that we haven’t seen in decades,” he said. “It would be nice to end that war. It’s a ridiculous war.”

Putin is reportedly worried about the state of his country’s economy as Trump returns to the Oval Office. According to a Reuters report citing various sources, Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine is only adding to Putin’s concerns.

PUTIN, XI VOW TO ‘DEEPEN’ ALLIANCE HOURS AFTER TRUMP RE-ENTERS THE WHITE HOUSE

Throughout his campaign, Trump pushed to end world conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, which began with Putin’s 2022 invasion.

Last month, Putin said he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with Trump on ending the war and had no conditions for starting talks with Ukrainian authorities.

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“We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises,” Putin said at the time, after saying that Russian forces, advancing across the entire front, were moving toward achieving their primary goals in Ukraine.

“In my opinion, soon there will be no one left who wants to fight. We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises.”

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

An Atelier dress designer and supporter of President Donald Trump shocked partygoers and social media users once again with a silhouette unlike anything he’d handcrafted before.

Andre Soriano, a shop owner in Occoquan, Virginia, and originally from the Philippines, designed a green “Make America Healthy Again” dress for recently crowned Miss America Abbie Stockard.

“She’s the sweetest,” Soriano told Fox News Digital of Stockard. “She’s the best representation of America. She’s going to be a great example for all the kids.”

‘MAGA’ DRESS DESIGNER FORCEDTO REMOVE TRUMP SIGNS FROM BUSINESS, RESIDENCE WHEN ‘KAREN’ CALLED THE POLICE

Stockard, who represented Alabama and was crowned Miss America Jan. 5, wore the custom gown to the MAHA inaugural ball, held for a night in celebration of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services Jan. 20.

She has since shared photographs from the event opposite RFK Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines, among others.

“I’m truly, truly honored and grateful to be part of her dressing up,” Soriano said.

The controversial designer is well known for the infamous “Make America Great Again” ensemble he crafted for singer-songwriter Joy Villa, which she wore to the 2017 Grammy Awards.

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“I’ve been in Hollywood before,” Soriano told Fox News Digital. “I’ve been dissected, especially after I made the Trump dress.”

Soriano has been the recipient of hateful rhetoric both online and in person for his patriotic tailoring.

“We’re going to tell the,. ‘God bless you, and peace be with you,'” he said of the backlash.

Soriano received the measurements for Stockard just two days before she arrived in Washington, D.C., for the inaugural events.

TRUMP INAUGURATION: JEWEL SURPRISES MAHA INAUGURAL BALL WITH PERFORMANCE

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He made the dress in eight hours.

“She came the next day,” Soriano said. “I did the fitting, and it fit her like a glove. I’ve worked with a lot of women, and I really nailed it down to the T.”

January was hectic for Soriano because eight to 10 dresses were commissioned by him in preparation for Inauguration Day.

“The whole month of January I was flooded,” he said. “I’m so glad that America finally made that decision.”

FIRST ON FOX: A top national trade organization has sent letters to three departments in the Trump administration advocating for specific policies that the group believes will most effectively achieve President Trump’s goal to “unleash American energy” in the United States. 

The American Exploration & Production Council, a national trade association representing the leading independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States, sent letters to the Department of Energy, Department of Interior, and Environmental Protection Agency with specific guidelines on how to best jumpstart energy production.

In the letter to the Department of Energy, AXPC made several requests including that the department “resume timely approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export approvals.”

“U.S. LNG plays a critical role in geopolitical stability and supporting global emission reductions — a fact that has been confirmed numerous times over the past decade,” the letter states. “As the world’s largest natural gas producer, the U.S. is well positioned to meet the dual challenge of supplying the world with affordable, clean, and reliable energy all while reducing global emissions. This misguided permitting pause should be lifted immediately, and DOE should ensure that any public interest study uses well reasoned assumptions.”

SEN KATIE BRITT: TRUMP AND HIS TEAM READY TO SUPERCHARGE AMERICA’S ECONOMY AND ENERGY SECTOR

Other recommendations to DOE included promoting U.S. energy exports, creating fair access to export authorizations and avoiding unnecessary delays, providing greater certainty for critical energy and infrastructure, and enhancing energy reliability with advanced natural gas storage.

“Our recommendations focus on policy priorities and actions within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and some Department wide that we believe strike this critical balance and directly impact responsible onshore exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the United States,” the letter to the Department of Interior explained. 

“In alignment with the Trump administration’s goal to ‘Unleash American Energy’, including expanding oil and natural gas production on federal lands, these recommendations aim to support responsible American energy production while maintaining crucial environmental protections and fostering economic growth here at home.”

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Recommendations to the DOI include, revoking the BLM’s Conservation & Landscape Health Rule and its implementing instructional memorandums, streamlining drilling permits, replacing the recent resources management plan amendments to align with western states’ priorities, and allowing for the commingling of oil and gas production for greater efficiency and environmental protection. 

In the letter to the EPA, AXPC wrote that its recommendations “focus on policy priorities that we believe strike this critical balance and directly impact responsible onshore exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the United States.”

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Some of those recommendations include revising the source performance standards to “improve feasibility for emission controls” and “provide greater allowance for alternative technologies and approaches.”

The letter also calls for reforms to the Clean Water Act and modifications to the Greenhouse Gas reporting rule. 

“America is stronger, the world is safer, and the environment is cleaner when the United States is the world leader in energy production, and that is best achieved with sensible, workable, and durable policies out of Washington,” AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

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 “That’s why America’s oil and natural gas producers look forward to working with the Trump administration’s goal of energy dominance and providing affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy for the American people.”

Trump’s nominees in all three departments have signaled that they intend to implement new policies and guidelines that significantly increase oil and gas production while easing regulations at the same time. 

“When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand. It just shifts production to countries like Russia and Iran, whose autocratic leaders not only don’t care at all about the environment, but they use their revenues from energy sales to fund wars against us and our allies,” DOI secretary nominee Doug Burgum said in his opening statement at his confirmation hearing. 

“President Trump’s energy dominance vision will end those wars abroad and will make life more affordable for every family in America by driving down inflation. And President Trump will achieve those goals while championing clean air, clean water and protecting our beautiful lands.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he supports the delay of all of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees who do not have unanimous support in the Senate.

Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., filed cloture on John Ratcliffe’s nomination for CIA director, Kristi Noem’s nomination for Homeland Security secretary and Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary on Tuesday. But a last-minute objection from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., held up a vote on Ratcliffe, triggering hours of debate that could delay confirmation votes on Trump’s national security nominees late into the week and possibly into the weekend.

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask to make sure that we have a full, real debate that lasts two days on the Senate floor,” Murphy said on the Senate floor, adding that Democrats have “serious concerns” about Trump’s CIA pick. 

The Senate voted to confirm Ratcliffe, 74-25, on Thursday afternoon. 

SEN THUNE SUGGESTS STAYING THROUGH WEEKEND TO CONFIRM TRUMP PICKS AFTER DEMS DELAY VOTES: ‘SHOULDN’T BE HARD’

Asked on Thursday if he supports slowing the confirmation process for Trump’s nominees down, Schumer indicated that he does.

“Look, there are some nominees like [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio that got broad support, but a detailed discussion – I have some doubts about Mr. Ratcliffe, particularly when I asked him how he’d react if Tulsi Gabbard were put in charge of him in the DNI,” Schumer said, referring to Trump’s pick to lead the Office of National Intelligence. 

NEW GOP SENATOR TEARS INTO DEMS ‘SEEKING TO DELAY’ PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION

“For a day or two, or a few hours to examine these nominees who have such power thoroughly, absolutely,” he added. “Our idea is to let the whole truth come out if they try to rush them through. We don’t want that to happen.” 

Thune on Tuesday expressed frustration with Democrats over their delay tactics.

CONFIRMATION DELAYS STACK UP FOR TRUMP NOMINEES AS PAPERWORK LAGS IN FEDERAL OFFICES

“Do we want a vote on these folks on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that’s what we’re going to do. This can be easy or this can be hard,” Thune said. “This is about America’s national security interests, and we’re stalling, so that’s not going to happen.”

Ratcliffe was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee by a bipartisan vote of 14-3. Because of that, Thune said the vote to confirm him “shouldn’t be hard.”

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“Democrats and Republicans, in a very big bipartisan fashion, agree that he is very qualified for this job,” Thune said, adding that he isn’t sure what stalling accomplishes.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. southern border has seen a sharp drop in illegal immigrant encounters in the first days of the Trump administration, compared to the final few days of the Biden administration, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source tells Fox News Digital.

The number of Border Patrol encounters at the southern border in the first three days of the Trump administration is 35% lower than the final three days of the Biden administration, the source said. The numbers do not include encounters at the northern border, or encounters at ports of entry by CBP’s Office of Field Operations.

On Jan 17, there were 1,288 encounters nationwide, then 1,266 on Jan 18 and 1,354 on Jan 19. That is 3,908 encounters in total.

TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES

Trump took office on the 20th, when there were 1,073 encounters. It then declined further to 736 encounters on the 21st and again to 714 on the 22nd – making up 2,523 encounters.

Numbers fluctuate sharply at the border on a daily and weekly basis, but numbers have been relatively low since June, when President Biden signed an executive order limiting asylum. That followed a historic migrant crisis from 2021 that had shattered records repeatedly.

President Donald Trump implemented additional restrictions. On taking office, he signed orders declaring a national emergency at the border, deploying the military to the border and ended the use of the CBP One app to process migrants at ports of entry via humanitarian parole.

His administration has also launched a mass deportation operation, with ICE agents active in multiple cities and states across the United States.

‘PROMPT REMOVAL’: TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP

The Department of Homeland Security has also issued memos rescinding limits placed on ICE by the Biden administration, ordering a review of parole, and expanding the use of expedited removal for recently-arrived illegal immigrants.

Trump’s administration has also moved to restore border wall construction and reinstate the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which requires migrants to stay in Mexico for the duration of their asylum cases.

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Trump also signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants — a move which quickly sparked a lawsuit from nearly two dozen Democratic-led states.

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Although the data is preliminary, lower numbers will likely fuel speculation about a “Trump effect,” in which migrants are discouraged from making their way to the border if they believe they are less likely to be admitted, or more likely to be deported if they are.