Donald Trump Poll News

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

Here’s what’s happening…

– China open to talks with Trump admin on lowering tariffs, ministry says

– Top Senate Armed Services Republican says Trump OMB’s budget ‘shreds to the bone’ military capabilities

– Former Trump official slams UN reform efforts as ‘eight and a half years late’

Brown University in House Republican’s Sights Amid Email Controversy

A brewing controversy over a “DOGE-like” email at one of America’s top universities has gotten the attention of Capitol Hill.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, wrote to Brown University on Friday morning urging the school to reconsider any disciplinary action against Alex Shieh, a sophomore who sent an email mirroring the style of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that asked non-faculty university workers what they did “all day.”

“Reports indicate that Mr. Shieh engaged in a journalistic act of contacting university administrative employees to inquire about their roles and responsibilities. This action, it appears, stemmed from his perspective as a student paying a substantial tuition fee and experiencing concerns regarding university facilities, leading him to question the allocation of administrative resources,” Nehls wrote…READ MORE

Rep. Troy Nehls is writing to Brown University about student Alex Shieh (Getty/Reuters)

White House

‘FIERCE’ MAHA FIGHTER: Trump’s surgeon general pick touted as ‘fierce’ MAHA advocate before confirmation hearing

‘CELEBRATING OUR VICTORIES’: Trump declares May 8 as ‘Victory Day’ for World War II: ‘Going to start celebrating our victories again!’

GULF SHIFT: Trump’s interior chief to unleash Gulf drilling with major rule change

Opening up more oil drilling in the Gulf of America is a priority of both President Donald Trump and his Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. (Getty)

‘WHAT THEY DESERVE’: Trump says he’ll revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status

‘FIGHTING THE FAKE NEWS’: DHS pushes back against claims of immigration enforcement at elementary schools

MILITARY MESS: Billions spent, warfighters wait: Inside the Pentagon’s broken buying system and the plan to fix it

‘100 DAYS’: Buttigieg ‘got nothing done,’ Duffy declares: ‘Pete appears unburdened by no longer being a cabinet secretary’

TRUMP V COURTS: Trump asks SCOTUS to strip protected status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants 

President Trump displays a photo of an alleged gangster’s hand tattoos. (President Trump/Truth Social)

Capitol Hill

GOP CLAPS BACK: ‘Protect’ the majority: Senate GOP’s campaign arm takes opposite tact to DNC’s Hogg

‘OUT OF CONTROL’: Trump dubs Dems ‘out of control,’ suggests GOP consider kicking them out of Congress for ‘REAL crimes’

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson shakes hands with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump onstage at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

CAMPAIGN BUZZ: AOC draws spotlight with Queens town hall as 2028 White House talk swirls

‘GREEN NEW SCAM’: Trump’s tax overhaul hits GOP turbulence over Biden-era green incentives

Across America 

Starting May 7, if you don’t have a passport, you will need a REAL ID-compliant identification card, such as a driver’s license, to fly commercially. (Reuters/DC DMV)

TAKE A NUMBER: REAL ID renews America’s age-old dread of the DMV

‘MANUFACTURING BOOM’: ‘Mississippi’s moment’: Gov Tate Reeves on economic growth from eliminating state income tax

‘SLAP IN THE FACE’: California lawmaker demands ‘accountability’ after illegal immigrant’s planned early release stopped by feds

IMMIGRATION BATTLE: Fla. AG to rebuff judge who ordered halt to state immigration enforcement: ‘The court has overstepped’

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

The Senate’s top Armed Services Republican eviscerated President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shortly after the White House released details of its government funding proposal for fiscal year 2026. 

“President Trump successfully campaigned on a Peace Through Strength agenda, but his advisers at the Office of Management and Budget were apparently not listening,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement. 

“The Big, Beautiful Reconciliation Bill was always meant to change fundamentally the direction of the Pentagon on programs like Golden Dome, border support, and unmanned capabilities – not to paper over OMB’s intent to shred to the bone our military capabilities and our support to service members.

BILLIONS SPENT, WARFIGHTERS WAIT: INSIDE THE PENTAGON’S BROKEN BUYING SYSTEM AND THE PLAN TO FIX IT

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., tore into OMB for the Trump budget.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images.)

The Trump OMB’s “skinny budget,” released on Friday, proposes cuts to non-defense funding by $163 billion but increases defense funding from $893 billion to $1.01 trillion – a 13% increase. That includes $892.6 billion in discretionary spending, but will be supplemented by $119.3 billion in mandatory spending that is expected to be passed in the upcoming reconciliation bill. 

Senior officials told Fox News the Trump administration needed to get creative to get a $1 trillion-plus budget over the finish line: Republican majorities have historically been forced to offer one-to-one increases in non-defense spending to secure increases in defense spending. 

However, by keeping discretionary defense spending at $892.6 billion, the same level as fiscal year 2025, the budget that would be presented to Democrats would essentially reflect an unchanged defense discretionary budget with a smaller non-defense discretionary budget of about $557 billion – a 22.6% decrease.

The White House and congressional Republicans would then pursue the reset of the defense spending through the budget reconciliation process that is linked to the tax cut package.

HEGSETH ORDERS SWEEPING ARMY OVERHAUL AND CONSOLIDATION AIMED AT COUNTERING CHINA AND GOLDEN DOME CAPABILITIES

He claimed the Office of Management and Budget, led by  Director Russell Vought, intended to “shred to the bone” U.S. military capabilities.  (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

But Wicker isn’t satisfied. 

“OMB is not requesting a trillion-dollar budget. It is requesting a budget of $892.6 billion, which is a cut in real terms. This budget would decrease President Trump’s military options and his negotiating leverage,” he said. 

“I have said for months that reconciliation defense spending does not replace the need for real growth in the military’s base budget.”

OMB Director Russ Vought said in a post on X: “The President wants to increase defense spending to $1 trillion, a 13% increase to keep our country secure. This budget provides that level while ensuring that only Republican-votes are needed by using reconciliation to secure those increases without Democrats insisting on increasing wasteful government.”

To account for spending decreases across government, all departments were asked to provide recommended budget cuts except for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Transportation, which were excluded to protect veterans’ services as well as NASA and space exploration programs.

Hegseth has yet to weigh in on OMB’s defense spending proposal.  ( (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))

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Congress will have to hammer out its own budget plan – which could take months – with the White House’s framework as a suggestion. 

Wicker has long aimed to grow U.S. defense spending to 5% of the GDP, up from around 3.5 percent. 

The Mississippi senator suggested he would ignore the OMB guidelines and work to achieve “real growth” within the defense budget. 

Fox Business’ Edward Lawrence and Eric Revell contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A brewing controversy over a “DOGE-like” email at one of America’s top universities has gotten the attention of Capitol Hill.

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, wrote to Brown University on Friday morning urging the school to reconsider any disciplinary action against Alex Shieh, a sophomore who sent an email mirroring the style of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that asked non-faculty university workers what they did “all day.”

“Reports indicate that Mr. Shieh engaged in a journalistic act of contacting university administrative employees to inquire about their roles and responsibilities. This action, it appears, stemmed from his perspective as a student paying a substantial tuition fee and experiencing concerns regarding university facilities, leading him to question the allocation of administrative resources,” Nehls wrote.

“Penalizing a student for what appears to be an attempt to understand the university’s administrative structure raises serious questions about the institution’s commitment to open inquiry and the tolerance of dissenting viewpoints.”

BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT ANGERS NON-FACULTY EMPLOYEES BY ASKING ‘WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY,’ FACES PUNISHMENT

Rep. Troy Nehls is writing to Brown University about student Alex Shieh. (Getty/Reuters)

He also demanded more information on how Brown uses its $7.2 billion endowment to lower tuition and better the lives of students.

It comes at a time when American Ivy Leagues have been thrust under the microscope by the Trump administration, both for their soaring tuition rates and controversies surrounding antisemitism on campus.

Shieh had created a database of the 3,805 non-faculty employees who worked at Brown University and emailed them to ask, “What do you do all day?”

He wrote on X that he had been given a disciplinary hearing after being “charged with misrepresentation and violating the IT policy.”

Tuition alone at Brown University for the 2025 to 2026 academic year is $71,700. Fees, food, and housing charges bring that up to about $93,000 per year, according to the school’s website – and with indirect charges, annual costs are estimated at nearly $96,000.

Alex Shieh, a sophomore at Brown University, said he sent a DOGE-like email to non-faculty employees asking them what they do all day to try to figure out why tuition has gotten so expensive.  (Photo: Zoom screenshot)

“I urge you to reconsider any disciplinary action taken against Mr. Shieh and to reaffirm Brown University’s commitment to protecting the free expression of all its students,” Nehls wrote.

“Additionally, below you can see screenshots from Brown’s website showing the performance of its $7.2 billion endowment, boasting a 10% annual return. Please explain how these funds are used to improve the student experience or bring down the cost of tuition.”

Nehls previously introduced a bill that would significantly hike excise taxes on most larger colleges’ endowment funds from 1.4% to 21%, in line with the corporate tax rate.

A Brown University official declined to comment on Nehls’ letter directly when reached by Fox News Digital, but denied free speech was the larger issue.

TRUMP ADMIN HALTING MORE THAN $500M IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO BROWN UNIVERSITY OVER ANTISEMITISM RESPONSE

“In spite of what has been reported publicly framing this as a free speech issue, it absolutely is not,” Brian Clark, vice president for news and strategic campus communications, said in an email statement to Fox News Digital. 

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“At the center of Brown’s review are questions focused on whether improper use of non-public Brown data, non-public data systems and/or targeting of individual employees violated law or policy.” 

“Brown has detailed procedures in place to investigate alleged conduct code violations, resolve them and implement discipline in instances when students are found responsible, and these will continue to guide our actions,” Clark added. “Students have ample opportunity to provide information and participate directly in that process to ensure that all decisions are made with a complete understanding of the circumstances.” 

Fox News Digital’s Rachel del Guidice contributed to this report.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is hosting an in-person town hall in Jackson Heights, Queens, on Friday night amid speculation she is considering a 2028 presidential run. 

After speaking at a May Day protest in New York City on Thursday, rejecting Trump’s agenda and warning protesters that Republicans “are going after Medicaid next,” Ocasio-Cortez is returning home to New York’s 14th congressional district to “share updates on her work in D.C., provide important constituent updates, and take questions from the audience.”

Ocasio-Cortez has been jet-setting across the United States with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital that Friday night’s town hall was originally scheduled for the April congressional recess, but had to be rescheduled because Ocasio-Cortez was sick. She posted an Instagram story two weeks ago apologizing for canceling. 

Earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez did not rule out 2028 presidential aspirations when asked by Fox News Digital about the viral video that had pundits guessing whether she were soft-launching her campaign. 

WATCH: AOC LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID AS CAMPAIGN BUZZ SOARS

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a May Day rally at Foley Square as people gather and march in protest of the Trump administration in New York City on May 1, 2025.  (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I think what people should be most concerned about is the fact that Republicans are trying to cut Medicaid right now, and people’s healthcare is in danger. That’s really what my central focus is,” the New York Democrat said when asked whether she is considering a run for president, despite President Donald Trump’s assurances that he wouldn’t cut Medicaid. 

AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS

“This moment isn’t about campaigns, or elections, or about politics. It’s about making sure people are protected, and we’ve got people that are getting locked up for exercising their First Amendment rights. We’re getting two-year-olds that are getting deported into cells in Honduras. We’re getting people that are about to get kicked off of Medicaid. That, to me, is most important,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Capitol Hill on Trump’s 100th day in office. 

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign account posted a video on X last week that invigorated those rumors as the four-term Democrat from New York City and a progressive leader proclaimed, “We are one.”

“I’m a girl from the Bronx,” Ocasio-Cortez said on a campaign-style stage in Idaho. “To be welcomed here in this state, all of us together, seeing our common cause, this is what this country is all about.”

Americans reposted Ocasio-Cortez’s video across X, pointing to the video as proof of her 2028 presidential ambitions. “Get ready America. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will almost undoubtedly run for president in 2028,” political reporter Eric Daugherty said in response to the video. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sparked rumors that she is considering a run for president after posting a campaign-style video on social media.  (Steven Ferdman/GC Images)

‘WE ARE ONE’: AOC CAMPAIGN VIDEO SWIRLS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RUMORS

As rumors swirl over Ocasio-Cortez’s ambition for higher office, back at home in New York, a Siena College poll found that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s favorability is down, at 39% among New York state voters questioned in the poll, which was conducted April 14 through 16. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s favorability soared to 47%.

The longtime senator from New York faced pushback from the Democratic Party in March for supporting the Republican budget bill backed by Trump that averted a government shutdown and stirred up outrage among congressional Democrats who planned to boycott the bill.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., participate in a stop on the ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour at the Dignity Health Arena, Theater in Bakersfield, California on April 15, 2025. (Reuters/Aude Guerrucci)

POLLSTER NATE SILVER CALLS OCASIO-CORTEZ MOST LIKELY TO BE 2028 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

That growing disapproval among Democrats was reflected in the poll, and the shifting perception comes as DNC vice chair David Hogg, through his political arm, Leaders We Deserve, faced blowback from the DNC for investing $20 million into electing younger Democrats to safe House Democrat seats.

Ocasio-Cortez raked in a massive $9.6 million over the past three months. The record-breaking fundraising haul was one of the biggest ever for any House lawmaker. Ocasio-Cortez’s team highlighted that the fundraising came from 266,000 individual donors, with an average contribution of just $21.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., acknowledge the cheering crowd during a “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Los Angeles, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

“I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of people supporting us with your time, resources, & energy. Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities,” Ocasio-Cortez emphasized in a social media post.

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Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the 2028 presidential speculation. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump‘s pick for U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, garnering support ahead of her upcoming confirmation hearing, with senators describing her as a “fierce” advocate for the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement. 

Sources familiar with her confirmation hearing prep told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has had many “productive meetings” on Capitol Hill regarding her nomination. 

TRUMP PICKS DR. JANETTE NESHEIWAT AS NATION’S NEXT SURGEON GENERAL

Nesheiwat recently met with the staff for the Senate HELP Committee, along with all the health policy GOP staffers. Sources said those staffers have expressed support for her nomination as medical director in the Public Health Service and surgeon general. Nesheiwat also met with Democrat Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, along with Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. 

Sources told Fox News Digital that Blackburn is supportive of Nesheiwat. Details of Nesheiwat’s meetings with Hickenlooper and Alsobrooks were not immediately clear. 

The sources said various topics were discussed during those meetings, including fighting chronic illness, diseases, opioids, the mission of MAHA, vaccines, good nutrition, educating Americans with science-backed data, combating healthcare provider shortages, mental health, food deserts and the government’s role in tracking health crises and emerging health threats. 

Sources said the conversations have been “positive, productive conversations.” 

Nesheiwat has met, so far, with all the Republican senators on the Senate HELP Committee except for Sen. Josh Hawley. 

A source told Fox News Digital that Sen. Katie Brit of Alabama, who is not on the committee, wants to meet with Nesheiwat in early May. 

President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as U.S. surgeon general. (White House Photographers Office)

Nesheiwat, formerly a Fox News contributor, is double-board certified in family medicine and urgent care medicine. 

Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges. 

She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America’s largest urgent care systems. 

SHORT QUESTIONS WITH DANA PERINO FOR DR. JANETTE NESHEIWAT

Upon nominating Nesheiwat to the position, Trump said she is a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.”

“I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said. “She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.” 

President Donald Trump praised Dr. Janette Nesheiwat’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying she “worked on the front lines in New York City treating thousands of Americans.” (Kristy Belcher)

Trump praised Nesheiwat’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying she “worked on the front lines in New York City treating thousands of Americans and helped patients in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s Historic Operation Warp Speed that saved hundreds of millions of lives.”

He also praised her “expertise and leadership” after New Orleans’ Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. 

The president said Nesheiwat “will play a pivotal role in MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!”

Meanwhile, after meeting with Nesheiwat, Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy said Nesheiwat is “aware of the issues facing our nation and how they relate all the way down to counseling a patient in an exam room.” 

“A very good meeting,” he said. 

As for the MAHA movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Republicans say Nesheiwat represents the vision of the Trump administration. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said Nesheiwat “understands the MAHA movement.” 

“With the Trump admin, American health is no longer taking a back seat,” Banks said. 

Additionally, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said that “Making America Healthy Again starts with having strong leadership” within Health and Human Services. 

“I know that @DoctorJanette, President Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General, will be a fierce MAHA advocate and will work with @SecKennedy to increase transparency in our healthcare system,” Tuberville said. 

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said that “Making America Healthy Again starts with having strong leadership” within Health and Human Services. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Nesheiwat began her medical education at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. She completed her initial curriculum at the school’s Saint Maarten campus. She then went on to complete her clinical rotations at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Metropolitan State Hospital, Guy’s & St. Thomas Hospitals and Medway Maritime Hospital. 

Nesheiwat completed her family medicine residence at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Area Health Education Center, and was elected chief resident during her final year. 

In 2009, Nesheiwat achieved board certification in family medicine for the American Board of Family Medicine, and in 2020 achieved board certification in urgent care medicine with the American Board of Urgent Care Medicine. 

Nesheiwat’s hearing is set for May 8 at 10:00 a.m., when senators on the Senate HELP Committee, will question her ahead of her confirmation vote. 

Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy suggested that the department has accomplished more during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term than President Joe Biden and former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg accomplished in four years.

Duffy made the assertion when sharing a post by Buttigieg, who became Transportation secretary not long after Biden took office in 2021.

“100 days into this presidency, Americans are paying the price – higher prices, crashing retirement accounts, and broken promises. But the American people are turning, thanks to your voices. Keep it up. It’s up to us to demand something better,” Buttigieg wrote in the post, which also included a video of him speaking.

DUFFY BLASTS BUTTIGIEG, ACCUSING BIDEN-ERA OFFICIAL OF ‘MISMANAGEMENT’: ‘MAYOR PETE FAILED FOR FOUR YEARS…’

Left: Sean Duffy, secretary of transportation, at the Semafor World Economy Summit during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Spring meetings in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 24, 2025; Right: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg testifies during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing titled “A Review of Disaster Funding Needs” in Dirksen building on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 (Left: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

When retweeting Buttigieg’s post, Duffy declared, “We’ve achieved more in 100 days than Buttigieg and Biden achieved in 4 years. Pete appears unburdened by no longer being a cabinet secretary. Not one word on transportation or infrastructure because he got nothing done. @POTUS and I will continue the work of ripping out the Green New Scam and DEI for the American people!”

Earlier this year, Trump blasted Buttigieg.

PETE BUTTIGIEG BLASTS TRUMP AFTER PRESIDENT EXCORIATES HIM DURING PRESS BRIEFING

“He’s a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor. He ran his city into the ground. And he’s a disaster now,” Trump said, asserting that Buttigieg just has “a good line of bulls—.”

Buttigieg previously served as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

He announced in March that he will not be running for governor or U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2026.

BUTTIGIEG SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRONE TO ‘FINGER-WAGGING,’ NEEDS TO DO ‘BETTER JOB’ REACHING OUT TO VOTERS

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“I care deeply about who Michigan will elect as Governor and send to the U.S. Senate next year, but I have decided against competing in either race,” he noted in a post on X.

California state Sen. Tony Strickland believes policy reforms are warranted after federal authorities intervened in the planned early release of an illegal immigrant convicted in a 2021 DUI manslaughter that killed two Orange County teenagers in his district in Seal Beach.

The Republican told Fox News Digital that changes are needed to programs like the in-prison credit system that may have allowed Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano to be released back into the community in July if the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not quickly get involved.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said last week that California will “coordinate” with ICE to “transfer him before release,” as he is slated to only spend three and half years of his 10-year sentence behind bars at the state level.

GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP ADMIN FOR MASSIVE NIGHTCLUB RAID TARGETING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Mugshot of manslaughter convict Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

“We need to reform these programs. We need to reform some of this. Again, I think the most essential role of government is public safety, and we need to bring accountability back into our system here in California. If you make a mistake, you can commit a crime. You should do the time. And again, we are not more safe by these programs, we’re less safe,” Strickland told Fox News Digital in an interview.

The senator said the plan for early release was “a slap in the face of the parents and everybody who loved those children who ended up passing away.”

Ortega-Anguiano, 43, was driving drunk and high, and speeding at nearly 100mph on the 405 freeway in Orange County in November 2021, when he crashed into a car being driven by a young couple, 19-year-olds Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin, killing them both as they burned alive. In spring 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF KILLING TEENS IN HIGH-SPEED CRASH TO BE RELEASED EARLY: ‘IT’S DISGUSTING’

New sections of the steel bollard-style border wall, comprising primary and secondary barriers, stands along the U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana during a tour with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on May 10, 2021 in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego County, California. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News reported that the victim’s families were informed on Easter Sunday about an early release. However, following the report, the DOJ said they would be prosecuting Ortega-Anguiano on federal charges to keep him behind bars longer.  

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“For safety and security reasons CDCR cannot provide information on an incarcerated person’s release date or location in advance of their release. Incarcerated persons may earn credits for participating in rehabilitative programming, which may move their parole dates to an earlier date,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation stated last week.

ICE told Fox News Digital that Ortega-Anguiano had entered the country illegally twice before and had a prior criminal background before the two teens were killed in the fatal crash.

GOP DA TRADES BARBS WITH NEWSOM AFTER BEING BLAMED FOR BAD ‘PLEA DEAL’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FELON

Anya Varfolomeeva and Nicholay Osokin were killed in an Orange County, California, car crash in 2021. (Courtesy of the Varfolomeev and Osokin families)

“I was moved by the story and the fact this should never happen,” Strickland said.

However, he said Democrats in Sacramento are mum about early release concerns.

“I haven’t heard anything. The supermajority is tone-deaf, and the governor, Newsom, is so busy about running for president, he’s not doing his job as governor of California. He’s so interested in what’s going on in the Trump administration,” the senator said.

Strickland said Golden State residents are becoming more aware of problems in Sacramento – and the Orange County lawmaker said that awareness is cause for optimism.

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“The good news is people are now waking up to the lack of leadership and they’re waiting to hear leaders to come forward to help turn the state around. I do believe California will be golden again, but it takes leadership and people like myself and others in the legislature to point this out,” Strickland said.  

As DNC Vice Chair David Hogg seeks to spend millions on primarying older Democrats in blue districts, the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm suggested they are taking the exact opposite tact ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“With Democrats like Jon Ossoff openly calling to impeach President Trump, no one should put their personal ambitions above protecting the president’s legacy and majorities,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) communications director Joanna Rodriguez told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“Leader [John] Thune and Chairman [Tim] Scott have been clear that the NRSC’s goal is to protect President Trump’s majority in the Senate, and they know Mike Rogers and John Cornyn are the best candidates to do that in their respective races.” 

The issue arose as both men – a former Michigan congressman seeking Sen. Gary Peters’ to-be-open seat and an incumbent Texas senator, respectively – may see substantive primary challenges.

SENATE FAILS TO REJECT TRUMP’S NATIONAL EMERGENCY ON TARIFFS AS REPUBLICANS SPLINTER

Rep. Bill Huizenga and President Trump, left, Hogg, right (Getty)

An NRSC official reportedly told donors on a Tuesday conference call that people seeking to aid Senate races in both states should only give to Rogers and Cornyn, according to Axios.

When reached, an NRSC official did not wave Fox News Digital off that report.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., is considering a run for Peters’ seat, and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is doing the same in the Lone Star State, according to several reports.

NRSC political director Brendan Jaspers said, according to Axios, that no other candidates but Rogers and Cornyn – “declared or posturing” – should be supported by substantive donors, unless and until they decide to hold onto their seats in a narrowly Republican-majority House of Representatives.

CHINA IS ‘CAVING’ TO TRUMP’S TRADE WAR STRATEGY, EXPERT SIGNALS

A Huizenga spokesperson told Fox News Digital it is important to “remember that Michigan voters have the ultimate say.”

“We continue to hear from grassroots activists, Republican primary voters and donors both here in Michigan and around the country who are looking for an alternative. Sadly, it seems that Washington insiders prefer predictable candidates, regardless of success.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment from Hogg regarding Republicans shaping their campaign strategy in direct contrast to his own.

“Republicans are clearly so afraid of losing seats in the House with their extremely unpopular agenda that party leaders are urging House members not to run for higher office,” a DNC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“Republicans should be afraid of losing elections as they push a budget bill that will cut vital programs for hardworking Americans to pay for another billionaire tax handout — all as the country braces for a Trump recession.”

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Hogg’s strategy incensed party elders, including Bill Clinton confidant James Carville, who recently remarked, “Does he really think the problem that we‘re facing in the United States today is because we got 65-year-old Democrats in office? Why don’t you take on a Republican? That‘s your job.”

However, Carville has since softened his stance, appearing to compare Hogg to Ulysses S. Grant by referencing a popular anecdote in which President Abraham Lincoln purportedly defended Grant against calls for his dismissal after the 1862 Battle of Shiloh, reportedly saying, “I can’t spare this man; he fights.”

Hunt’s office could not be reached for comment for the purposes of this story. 

President Donald Trump fired off a scathing Truth Social post late on Thursday night as he is once again targeted for impeachment, floating the idea that Republicans should target Democrats for expulsion from Congress.

“The Democrats are really out of control. They have lost everything, especially their minds! These Radical Left Lunatics are into the ‘Impeachment thing’ again. They have already got two ‘No Name,’ little respected Congressmen, total Whackjobs both, throwing the ‘Impeachment’ of DONALD J. TRUMP around, for about the 20th time, even though they have no idea for what I would be Impeached,” Trump declared in the post.

Earlier this week Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., announced articles of impeachment against Trump. 

HOUSE DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP: ‘CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER’

U.S. President Donald Trump walks toward members of the media prior to answering questions before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 29, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, applauded the impeachment effort and declared during a speech, “Add my name to your articles of impeachment.” 

Green also plans to introduce his own articles of impeachment targeting Trump.

“These Congressmen stated that, they didn’t know why they would Impeach me but, ‘We just want to do it.’ The Republicans should start to think about expelling them from Congress for all of the crimes that they have committed, especially around Election time(s),” Trump asserted in his post. 

Thanedar’s resolution includes seven articles of impeachment: “OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS, AND A BREACH OF THE DUTY TO FAITHFULLY EXECUTE LAWS,” “USURPATION OF THE APPROPRIATIONS POWER,” “ABUSE OF TRADE POWERS AND INTERNATIONAL AGGRESSION,” “VIOLATION OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS,” “CREATION OF UNLAWFUL OFFICE,” “BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION,” and “TYRANNY.”

DEM REP. AL GREEN, BOOTED FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS, DOUBLES DOWN ON IMPEACHMENT

The House impeached Trump twice during his first term in office, but in each case the Senate vote failed to reach the threshold necessary for conviction.

The second impeachment occurred at the tail end of Trump’s term in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, and the Senate vote resulting in acquittal occurred after Trump had already departed from office.

“These are very dishonest people that won’t let our Country heal! Why do we allow them to continuously use Impeachment as a weapon against the President of the United States who, by all accounts, is working hard to SAVE OUR COUNTRY. It’s the same playbook that they used in my First Term, and Republicans are not going to allow them to get away with it again. These are total LOWLIFES, who hate our Country, and everything it stands for,” Trump declared in his late-night post on Thursday.

TRUMP NOMINATES WALTZ FOR HIGH-LEVEL POST AFTER OUSTING HIM AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

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“Perhaps we should start playing this game on them, and expel Democrats for the many crimes that they have committed — And these are REAL crimes,” he declared. “Remember, ‘Shifty’ Adam Schiff demanded a Pardon, and they had to use the power of the Auto Pen, and a Full Pardon, for him and the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, to save them from Expulsion, and probably worse!”

FIRST ON FOX: Angel moms and dads whose children were killed at the hands of illegal immigrants and the previous immigration crisis traveled to the White House this week, where they celebrated President Donald Trump ushering “justice back” to the U.S. in an emotional video. 

“My name is Angie Morfin Vargas, and I’m the mother to Ruben Morfin,” Morfin-Vargas said in a video published by the White House Thursday. “He was executed in the streets of Salinas in 1990. Thirty-four years later, I could still cry for him like if it was yesterday.” 

“This right here is what should be living here in America, not criminals that are coming in,” another mom, whose son Javier Vega Jr. was shot to death in 2014, said while pointing to a photo of her son. 

The White House installed a massive poster campaign on the White House lawn on Sunday evening showcasing 100 of the “worst illegal immigrant criminals” arrested in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term. 

WHITE HOUSE DISPLAYS LAWN SIGNS HIGHLIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME

Angel mom Angie Morfin Vargas speaks about losing her son Reuben. (White House)

“We will hunt you down. You will face justice. You will be deported – and you will never set foot on American soil again,” the White House wrote in X post early Monday morning. “Oh, and your mugshot may just end up on a yard sign at the White House.” 

The poster showcased mugshots of illegal immigrant criminals arrested for crimes such as fentanyl distrubution, murder, rape of a child, lewd acts in front of a child, and distribution of guns. 

OVER 100 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN COLORADO SPRINGS MASSIVE UNDERGROUND NIGHTCLUB RAID

Angel moms and dads are parents whose children have been killed by illegal immigrants, and is a title Trump popularized for the grieving parents under his first administration.

The angel moms and dads held photos of their children in the video published by the White House Thursday, and were seen standing in front of the posters on the White House lawn.

Angel dad Chris Odette lost his young daughter Chrishia in 2014. (White House)

“My name is Chris Odette. I’m an angel father,” the dad said, while holding his phone to show a photo of his daughter, who was 13 years old when she was killed in a hit-and-run while crossing a street. “My daughter, Chrishia, was killed Sept. 12, 2014 by an illegal alien in Rockwall, Texas.” 

NEARLY 800 ILLEGAL ALIENS ARRESTED IN MASSIVE FLORIDA ICE OPERATION: ‘TIDAL WAVE’

The White House hosted angel moms and dads whose children were killed by illegal immigrants. (White House)

The driver, Ramiro Guevara, was an illegal migrant from Mexico. He was arrested by the Rockwall, Texas, Police Department for driving without a license and for not having an operator’s license, but records showed he spent roughly 35 minutes behind bars before he posted a cash bond, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

The White House installed a massive poster campaign on April 27, 2025, of 100 of the “worst illegal immigrant criminals” arrested in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term.

ICE arrested Guevara in 2025 under the Trump administration. 

“Without them, there would be no justice for my daughter,” Odette said. 

TRUMP FLAUNTS ARRESTS OF VIOLENT ILLEGALS WITH MUGSHOT POSTERS ON WHITE HOUSE LAWN AND MORE TOP HEADLINES

“This is my son, Ryan, and his girlfriend, both poisoned to death by illicit fentanyl,” another angel mom said in the video. “I can’t bring my son back, but we are doing all of this to save the future Americans from being poisoned to death by fentanyl.”

Angel mom holds a photo of her son Javier Vega Jr. (White House)

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The angel parents celebrated in the solemn video that the Trump administration was ushering back “justice” for the families suffering and all Americans. 

“We’re finally getting some justice in this country for our children,” one angel mom said in the video. 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Leaked video obtained by Fox News Digital shows school administrators at an Illinois school of medicine rejecting multiple Trump executive orders, including on combatting DEI, and outlining how the school plans to fight back against them. 

Trump’s executive order on gender ideology “is an attack on women” and on “basic human rights,” according to Dr. Jerry Kruse, Dean, Provost, and CEO of Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine. Kruse recently gave a speech in a small group discussion about Trump’s executive orders and actions that was obtained by the medical and policy advocacy group Do No Harm.

“We will resist obeying in advance. We won’t do any anticipatory obedience,” Kruse said. “The existing laws have not changed, no court directives will require any change in compliance at this time.”

Kruse added that “these executive orders and actions and the general philosophy that they espouse constitute direct attacks on all that is important to us” while mentioning science, higher education and healthcare. 

‘WOKE’ HOSPITAL COULD BE IN CROSSHAIRS OF TRUMP ADMIN AFTER SCATHING COMPLAINT ALLEGES DEI DISCRIMINATION

Officials at Southern Illinois University held a presentation about defying President Donald Trump’s executive orders. (SIU/Getty Images)

“More importantly, these orders and actions constitute a direct attack on the people we serve, the people to whom we are accountable,” he said.

Kruse explained that the school of medicine is “very fortunate” to be part of a university system that is “on top of it” in terms of pushing back on Trump’s executive orders.

Kruse also claimed that the executive orders on immigration and DEI from the Trump administration are “an attack on human rights and on justice and fairness” that “have engendered fear among large segments of the population of law-abiding people.”

At one point in his speech, Kruse said he would provide employees with the “resources” to “fight back.”

The SIU school system has been active in promoting DEI in recent years, and it was a topic discussed in the presentation. 

TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON HARVARD, ‘WOKE’ COLLEGES WILL TAKE MORE THAN 100 DAYS TO LEAVE LASTING REFORM: PROFESSOR

The SIU school system has been active in promoting DEI in recent years. (Getty Images/iStock)

“The work that we are doing around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a life or death issue for some people,” Dr. Wendi El-Amin, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said during the presentation.

The school’s website hosts a page featuring its work on DEI that says it works to “ensure that our students, residents, faculty, and staff reflect the demographics of central and southern Illinois while also equipping them with the knowledge and skills to address health disparities through culturally responsive care, patient access, education, and health literacy initiatives.”

In February of this year, the SIU Board of Trustees reaffirmed its commitment to DEI and the school’s VP of anti-racism and DEI, Sheila Caldwell, claimed that DEI is “lifesaving” and has had measurable improvements for minority students in retention rates.

SIUSOM receives millions in active grant funding from NIH and HHS and Dr. Donald Torry, Associate Dean for Research, said during the presentation that none of the grant funding has been affected so far.

In terms of immigration executive orders, Dr. Vidhya Prakash, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Population Health and Chief Medical Officer, said during the presentation that a school dean recently sent an email to faculty members instructing them not to comply with ICE and that they should call security if a situation arises. 

“So please understand that no member of our school of medicine whether it’s an employee or its a trainee, should have to engage in conversation or discourse with ICE,” she said, adding that the school has patients who are “afraid” and live in fear of being apprehended. 

“Continue doing what you have been doing,” Paulette Dove, Senior Counsel for Health Affairs for the SIU system, said during the presentation, adding that the “law has not changed.”

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at the White House.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“These issues demand a strong institutional and collective response,” Kruse said. “Thankfully, the SIU system stands firm with a strong voice. SIU president Dan Mahoney has stated that we will hold our ground and that ‘the executive actions are antithetical to the values of our institution, the SIU system.'”

Lauren Crocks, the university’s director of marketing, communications, and engagement, told Fox News Digital that “Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is committed to following the law.”

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“By putting itself directly at odds with President Trump, the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is begging to be investigated by the federal government,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, Chairman at Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “In this unearthed video, the School of Medicine’s Dean, Senior Counsel, and other officials openly and repeatedly flaunt their contempt for the Administration’s orders to promote meritocracy and protect children from sex-change procedures.

“While defying executive orders and obsessing over DEI and gender ideology, SIUSOM somehow continues to receive millions of taxpayer dollars from the National Institutes of Health. The school’s officials made their playbook clear: ignore executive orders until forced to obey; this strategy must be exposed and nipped in the bud. SIUSOM must stop prioritizing identity politics over patients.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller touted Trump’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs on Thursday.

Miller appeared alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a Thursday morning briefing, declaring that the administration is bringing a “system of merit” back to the U.S.

“This administration is not going to let our society devolve into communist, woke, DEI strangulation,” Miller said. “We are going to have a system of merit.”

“It’s not just a social and cultural issue, it’s an economic issue. When you hire, retain and recruit based on merit, as President Trump has directed, you advance innovation, you advance growth, you advance investment, you advance job creation,” he added.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump late Thursday announced plans to designate May 8 as World War II “Victory Day” in the United States, which coincides with the “Victory in Europe Day” that has been celebrated in most of Europe since the Germans surrendered in 1945.

Trump acknowledged in a Truth Social that “many of our allies and friends” already celebrate on May 8, but said America should join in because “we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result.”

WORLD WAR II’S D-DAY: PHOTOS REVEAL WORLD’S LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS INVASION

FILE: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

On May 7, 1945, the Germans surrendered to the Allied Forces, and agreed to cease all operations the next day. 

World War II officially ended later in the year on Sept. 2 when the Japanese signed an instrument of surrender, though Japan waved a white flag on Aug. 14 – about a week after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The U.S. does not have any public holidays commemorating World War II specifically, but there have been remembrance ceremonies in May, August and September across the country for decades.

WWII VETERAN TURNS 100, REVEALS THE SECRETS OF A LONG, HEALTHY LIFE

Former President Harry Truman, who was in office during the end of WWII, issued a proclamation in August 1946 declaring Aug. 14 as “Victory Over Japan Day.”

President Harry S. Truman congratulates Hershel “Woody” Williams upon receiving the Medal of Honor in October 1945 for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima. (Courtesy U.S. Department of Defense)

“And I call upon the people of the United States to observe Victory Day as a day of solemn commemoration of the devotion of the men and women by whose sacrifices victory was achieved, and as a day of prayer and of high resolve that the cause of justice, freedom, peace, and international good-will shall be advanced with undiminished and unremitting efforts, inspired by the valor of our heroes of the Armed Services,” Truman’s proclamation read, in part.

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In the same post, Trump stated that Nov. 11 will also be recognized as World War I “Victory Day.”

American troops in the front northeast of St. Mihiel, France, cheer after hearing the news that the Armistice has been signed, ending World War I in Nov. 1918. (AP)

“We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything,” the president wrote. “That’s because we don’t have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”

Republicans control the House and Senate.

But characterizing it as the “Republican Congress” doesn’t do justice to the present circumstances.

This truly is “President Trump’s Congress.”

The president’s relationship with Republican lawmakers is light-years away from the fraught, shotgun marriage of 2017 after he unexpectedly captured the White House. Republicans on Capitol Hill didn’t know what to do with him.

USER’S MANUAL TO WALTZ’S NSA EXIT AND ITS REVERBERATION ON CAPITOL HILL

Former national security advisor Mike Waltz (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Congressional Republicans “didn’t read the tweets.” They snickered behind his back. They chortled at what they believed were untenable ideas emanating from the White House.

And Trump also didn’t know what to do with congressional Republicans, either.

He and then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., formed the Odd Couple of politics.

But Trump’s relationship with then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was even worse.

So they focused on areas of agreement. Congressional Republicans viewed the Trump presidency as a means to an end. They saw an opportunity to pass some of their legislative priorities.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHERE WE STAND WITH TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

President Donald Trump and outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell have a contentious relationship. (AP Photo; Reuters)

McConnell muscled three of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees to confirmation, altering the contours of the high court for a generation. Ryan bored deeply into his area of expertise: tax policy. By Christmas 2017, the Republican-led Congress approved the vaunted “Trump tax cuts.”

But they stumbled early on repealing and replacing ObamaCare.

“I will not sugarcoat this. This is a disappointing day for us,” said Ryan when he had to yank an initial plan to end ObamaCare off the floor in the spring of 2017.

The House finally approved a revamped repeal and replace package more than a month later. But the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., torpedoed the effort with his vote against the plan later that summer.

But things are different this time around between Trump and congressional Republicans.

“He’s still the biggest dog in the pound,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.

Rep. Tim Burchett speaks to reporters upon arrival at a House Republican Conference meeting on Nov. 14, 2023, in Washington. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

So now congressional Republicans are teaming with the president to pass his “big, beautiful bill.”

“We are on track to pass the bill out of the House – as we’ve said from the very beginning – and get it over to the next stage by Memorial Day,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t GOP skepticism.

“Seems like that’s a pretty tight timeframe,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., of Johnson’s aspirations. “I’m not aware of any consensus, even within one of the bodies. Let alone a bicameral consensus.”

“A July 4 timeframe will be optimistic,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. “If we can get this done by the end of July, I would count that as a win.”

But deep divides cleave Republicans.

TRUMP NOMINATES WALTZ FOR HIGH-LEVEL POST AFTER OUSTING HIM AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

U.S. Capitol at sunset on Jan. 30, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

“I don’t think we’re on the same page even inside the House, much less in the House and the Senate,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

Roy questioned what was so magical about finishing the bill by “Memorial Day” or “Independence Day.”

“Christmas? Easter? Memorial Day? July 4th? Does that have anything to do with policy? Hell no. It has to do with what? Jet fumes! People leaving town, right?” argued Roy. “Every single policy, as long as I can remember, is based on that more than it is on policy.”

But some Republicans aren’t convinced Congress is moving fast enough.

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, relayed what he heard from constituents in Ohio.

“People were like, “What’s taking so long?’ They don’t think it’s rushed by any means. They’re like, ‘Where’s the bill?’” said Davidson. “If we don’t get this by mid-June, I think people back home are going to go ‘What are you guys doing?’”

This is why Democrats say Republicans are fretting privately.

“They’re clearly conflicted about Medicaid cuts,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “They’re conflicted about raising the debt ceiling just with Republican votes. They’ve traditionally wanted to get Democratic votes for that and not do it all on their own. But if they do it in the reconciliation bill, they’re going to have to do it all on their own.”

And Republicans are starting to get nervous about the success or failure of the bill. The president – and most congressional Republicans – have banked their entire political calculus on this gambit.

“It’s a job for alcohol. Not coffee,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., noting the anxiety now permeating congressional Republicans. “Some of them would make a Valium nervous.”

Kennedy contends he’s not worrying. But says that even after another two months of hand-wringing, the Senate “won’t reach consensus. Nor will the House.”

But who will forge common ground?

“The president is going to have to be the arbiter because he’s going to put his muscle behind this to sell it,” observed Kennedy.

The sides are much more in sync. But this bill is such a behemoth that 53 Senate Republicans and 220 House GOPers won’t be able to sort this out on their own. They will look to the president to solve this.

“What do you think is the difference between Republicans and how they responded to President Trump during his first term? And what you see now?” yours truly asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“I think they are much more afraid of him now. He’s done much more in terms of threatening them in both privately and even publicly,” replied Schumer. “They don’t know what to do. They’re between a rock and a hard place. On the one side, Trump threatens. On the other side, there are the American people who hate what Trump is proposing.”

I posed a similar interrogative to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Can you characterize the difference in the response from congressional Republicans to President Trump this time around, compared to 2017? They seemed a little skeptical of him in 2017. That’s not the case now,” I observed.

“We all watched what happened in November and the mandate he got from the American people. It was clear. It was decisive,” said Thune. “A lot of us who served with him in the last term also saw the effects and the results of a lot of the decisions that he made with respect to policy. And they were the right ones. And in the end, he was proven right when it came to the economy, the border and national security.”

The point is that Trump enjoys a very different Congress compared to the one he tangled with in 2017. It’s Trump’s Congress now. GOPers will generally do what he asks. But when it comes to the tax cut and spending package, Trump must ultimately make the decisions on specific items he wants in the legislation. The question is whether the president will eventually rule things in or out. Trump’s Congress will respond to that.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at his Michigan rally commemorating the first 100 days of his second term. (Getty Images)

“He has been clear to all of the members that this is critical for him. He wants his one big, beautiful bill,” said House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., on Fox. “I wouldn’t want be the one that stands in the way of the president on his agenda.”

But this won’t be easy. Expect a challenging few months.

Kennedy may be right. This is one for alcohol. Not coffee. Grab a dram of the Glenlivet and Lagavulin. Shelve the Starbucks and Nescafe.

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That is, unless the tariffs spiked the price of liquor and coffee too much.

If that’s the case, just drink water.

The Trump Department of Homeland Security is slamming Reuters for what it is calling “sob story” reporting about illegal gang members after the outlet reported on suspected Tren de Aragua members forming an “S-O-S” sign at a Texas detention center.

The DHS released a statement on Wednesday saying that “the mainstream media’s latest attempt at a criminal gang sob story includes a self-admitted member of Tren de Aragua” and that “the real story here is that the previous administration was releasing gang members into American communities.”

Tren de Aragua – also known as “TdA” – is a brutal international criminal group linked to Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro. The group is linked to some of the most high profile migrant crime cases in recent years including the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and the seizure of an entire apartment building in Aurora, Colorado. The Trump State Department has declared Tren de Aragua a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Reuters reported on Wednesday that 31 Venezuelan illegals and suspected TdA members formed an SOS sign in the yard of the Bluebonnet illegal immigrant detention center in Anson, Texas.

TRUMP TO NAME HAITIAN GANGS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS: REPORT

The Trump Department of Homeland Security is slamming Reuters for what it is calling “sob story” reporting about illegal gang members after the outlet reported on suspected Tren de Aragua members forming an “S-O-S” sign at a Texas detention center. (Trump-Vance Transition Team/DHS)

According to the outlet, the men at the facility are facing possible deportation and had been set to be deported to the high-security Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador before a judge’s ruling delayed that fate. Despite this, Reuters wrote that the “Venezuelan detainees in Texas fear the Trump administration will send them to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT maximum security prison.”

The outlet identified two of the migrants in the detention center as Diover Millan Leon, 24, and Jeferson Escalona Hernandez, 19. Reuters interviewed Escalona Hernandez, who claimed, “I fear for my life here” and “they’re making false accusations about me.”

Reuters also reported Millan Leon’s wife saying, “he is desperate” and that he “sat down and looked at the sky and asked God to get him out of there soon.”

DHS pushed back against this characterization of the situation, identifying both men as confirmed members of Tren de Aragua.

‘PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT’: TRUMP CELEBRATES FIRST 100 DAYS IN OFFICE WITH HIGH ENERGY MICHIGAN RALLY 

Reuters reported on Wednesday that 31 Venezuelan illegals and suspected TdA members formed an SOS sign in the yard of the Bluebonnet illegal immigrant detention center in Anson, Texas.

The statement said that Escalona Hernandez is a “self-admitted Tren de Aragua member” who illegally entered the U.S. in 2024. DHS said that the Biden administration “released this gang member into our country” and that he was later arrested for felony evading arrest with a vehicle and put in a Denton County, Texas, jail.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Meanwhile, DHS said that Millan Leon is a documented member of Tren de Aragua who illegally entered the U.S. on an unknown date and location. The department said that U.S. Border Patrol arrested Millan Leon on May 3, 2023, near Brownsville, Texas, but he was given a notice to appear and released on his own recognizance. Nearly two years later, ICE officers operating under the Trump administration arrested Millan Leon in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on March 12, 2025.

Commenting on the story, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that “Tren De Aragua is one of the most violent and ruthless terrorist gangs on planet earth,” adding that “they rape, maim, and murder for sport.”

FORMER DEA AGENT WARNS TREN DE ARAGUA GANG ‘SPREADS LIKE A VIRUS’

17 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the US in San Salvador, El Salvador on March 31, 2025.  (El Salvador Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The previous administration released these gang members into our communities,” she went on. “President Trump and Secretary Noem have ended catch and release and will not allow criminal gangs to terrorize American citizens.”

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McLaughlin called Reuters’ reporting “irresponsible,” asking: “Why do they continue to peddle the sob stories of these gang members but ignore their American victims?”

Fox News Digital reached out to Reuters for comment but did not immediately hear back.

During a special commencement address to students at the University of Alabama, President Donald Trump questioned how you can give due process to people who have illegally entered the United States, in a rebuke to judges who Trump said were “interfering” with his efforts to do his job as president.  

Trump’s comments came the same day a federal judge permanently barred his efforts to use the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport illegal alien gang members.  

“As you’ve been reading, the courts are trying to stop me from doing the job that I was elected to do,” Trump said during his address to graduates. “They have to let us do the job that the voters want us to do. Judges are interfering, supposedly based on due process. But how can you give due process to people who came into our country illegally? They want to give them due process. I don’t know.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH WEAPONS CONVICTION ARRESTED IN CALIFORNIA AS ICE TARGETS CRIMINALS

President Donald Trump gives a commencement address at the University of Alabama, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) (AP Newsroom)

Trump issued a proclamation in March asserting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua could be deported under the AEA. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration began deporting hundreds of alleged gang members, including one Kilmar Abrego Garcia. 

Opponents of Trump’s deportation efforts have insisted Abrego Garcia was illegally deported and is not a gang member. 

However, evidence has surfaced of Abrego Garcia involved in gang-like criminal activity. 

TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to graduating students at the Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama on May 01, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Trump’s remarks come the day before official commencement ceremonies.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Body cam footage from troopers in Maryland show Abrego Garcia being involved in an alleged human trafficking incident in 2022. In the footage, officers can be heard building the case that Abrego Garcia was engaged in human smuggling, which the troopers refer to as “hauling” in the video.  

Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with Fox News that the Trump administration is aggressively appealing the federal court order blocking their deportation efforts.

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“The judge doesn’t make that determination, whether the Alien Enemies Act can be deployed,” Mr. Vance told Fox News anchor Brett Baier. “I think the President of the United States is the one who determines whether this country is being invaded.”

President Donald Trump spoke at the University of Alabama on Thursday night ahead of their official commencement ceremonies starting Friday, and urged students not to consider themselves a “victim” in their futures, noting that far too many young people think that way. 

The special address to graduates also included remarks from the university’s president, Stuart R. Bell, and former Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach, Nick Saban. Trump touted success during his first 100 days as president, and took a few opportunities to jab at his political opponents as well. 

But Trump’s message was largely focused on the graduating class, which he acknowledged as “the first graduating class of the Golden Age of America.”

TRUMP CLAPS BACK AT COURTS FOR ‘INTERFERING’ WITH JOB, ASKS ‘HOW YOU CAN GIVE DUE PROCESS’ TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

Graduating students listen to U.S. President Donald Trump deliver remarks at the Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama on May 01, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Trump’s remarks come the day before official commencement ceremonies.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Don’t consider yourself a victim. Consider yourself a winner. In recent years, too many of our young people have really been taught to think of themselves as victims and blame people and be angry. Don’t be angry,” Trump said. “In America, we reject that idea that anyone is born a victim. Our heroes are the ones who take charge of their own destiny, make their own luck, and determine their own fate despite the odds, despite all odds.”

Trump shared a range of other advice with the graduating class in addition to touting his political agenda. In between slamming federal judges for blocking him from doing his job and questioning Democrats’ defiance of his directives to keep men out of women’s sports, Trump urged students to beat the odds – hearkening back to his November election victory – and preserver through difficult challenges. 

“Graduates of the Alabama class of 2025 standing here before you in this magnificent arena, it is clear to see the next chapter of the American story will not be written by the Harvard Crimson. It will be written by you – The Crimson Tide,” Trump told the students as he concluded his address. “Because this is Alabama. And in Alabama you fight, fight, fight and you win, win win. That’s what you know how to do.”

TRUMP MOCKS TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS TO ROARING APPLAUSE AT ALABAMA COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to graduating students at the Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama on May 01, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Trump’s remarks come the day before official commencement ceremonies.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump’s address was the first at the University of Alabama by a sitting president.

It was met with pushback from both students and non-students. The university’s College Democrats chapter held a “Tide Against Trump” rally that featured former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke and former Alabama senator Doug Jones. The chapter also released a statement several days before Trump’s visit to campus, expressing their “shock” and “disgust” that the “unpopular, divisive, and authoritarian President will be involved in commencement.”

The Alabama NAACP slammed Trump’s appearance at the University of Alabama as well, comparing the president’s rhetoric to “the segregationist rhetoric of George Wallace” in comments about his address on their website.

A man wearing a pro-Trump shirt walks outside Coleman Coliseum before commencement ceremonies at the University of Alabama on May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa. (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

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The Justice Department (DOJ) has filed lawsuits against four Democrat-led states: Hawaii, Michigan, New York and Vermont, over what it calls unconstitutional climate policies that threaten U.S. energy independence and national security.

The move follows President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14260, Protecting American Energy from State Overreach, directing federal action against state laws that burden domestic energy development.

“These burdensome and ideologically motivated laws and lawsuits threaten American energy independence and our country’s economic and national security,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“The Department of Justice is working to ‘Unleash American Energy’ by stopping these illegitimate impediments to the production of affordable, reliable energy that Americans deserve.”

DOGE SAYS IT’S REFERRED DOZENS OF POTENTIAL VOTER FRAUD CASES TO DOJ

The Justice Department, lead by Pam Bondi, has filed lawsuits against four Democrat-led states: Hawaii, Michigan, New York, and Vermont over climate policies.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The DOJ filed complaints Tuesday against New York and Vermont over newly passed “climate superfund” laws, which would impose strict liability on fossil fuel companies for alleged contributions to climate change.

New York’s law alone seeks $75 billion in damages from energy firms. According to the DOJ, these laws are preempted by the federal Clean Air Act, violate the Constitution, and infringe on federal foreign affairs powers.

“These state laws assess penalties on businesses for global activities that Congress has not authorized states to regulate,” the DOJ argued in its filings.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS SEEK TO STRIP DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OF ITS SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES

Hawaii, Michigan, New York and Vermont are being sued over climate policies. (Google Earth)

Separate lawsuits were filed Monday against Hawaii and Michigan to block those states from suing fossil fuel companies in state court over past climate harms. The DOJ argues that those states’ litigation would place unconstitutional burdens on energy producers.

“When states seek to regulate energy beyond their constitutional or statutory authority, they harm the country’s ability to produce energy and they aid our adversaries,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said she is working to protect America’s economic and national security. (Pool via AP)

“The Department’s filings seek to protect Americans from unlawful state overreach that would threaten energy independence critical to the wellbeing and security of all Americans.”

The Justice Department is asking federal courts to declare the four states’ laws unconstitutional and prevent their enforcement.

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The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is looking for support from fellow Democrats with her eyes on a possible run for the top Democratic spot on the House Oversight Committee, according to reports.

Although Semafor first reported about Crockett’s plans, Politico also reported that two people familiar with the matter claim the congresswoman has been making calls, sending text messages and having conversations on the floor in search of support for her quest to take the seat held by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.

Connolly is reportedly planning to step aside as he fights a resurgence of esophageal cancer, though he has not made an official announcement, Politico reported.

Still, Crockett reportedly told her colleagues she is “made for the moment,” the sources told the publication, referring to the Democratic Party’s desire to resist President Donald Trump in a more forceful way.

JASMINE CROCKETT ROASTED FOR WORRYING ABOUT EFFECT OF DEPORTATION ON OTHER COUNTRIES

Rep. Jasmine Crockett during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight meeting (Screenshot/House Judiciary GOP)

Crockett did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Politico reported that Crockett told the outlet in a text message that even though a vacancy does not currently exist, “knowing that Rep Connolly doesn’t plan to seek re-election & knowing that our oversight powers are broad, I’m ready to shine a light on the very dark things taking place in our country under this administration.”

Crockett, a first-term progressive, has made headlines for several controversial comments this year.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS OVER JASMINE CROCKETT ‘GASLIGHTING’ ABOUT CALLING ABBOTT ‘GOVERNOR HOT WHEELS’

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during the “We Choose To Fight: Nobody Elected Elon” rally at the U.S. Treasury Feb. 4, in Washington, D.C. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)

Her most recent comments came this week as she expressed sympathy for countries that may be affected by mass deportations from the U.S. after remaining largely silent on millions of migrants pouring into the country under the Biden administration.

“As far as I’m concerned, you randomly kidnapping folk and you throwing them out of the country against their civil rights, against their constitutional rights,” Crockett said in a video posted to her Instagram page, which has 1.3 million followers. 

“And, frankly, how would they feel if some other country decided that they were gonna just start throwing people randomly in our country? Like that is absolutely insane.”

Crockett lambasted Republicans who had voted down an amendment to a massive budget bill being hammered out by lawmakers that aims to clarify that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cannot detain or deport U.S. citizens under any circumstances.

REP. JASMINE CROCKETT SAYS DEMOCRATS NEED TO BE ‘OK WITH PUNCHING’ IN RACES AGAINST TED CRUZ, REPUBLICANS

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during a Subcommittee on Delivering On Government Efficiency hearing Feb. 26 in Washington, D.C.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Republicans’ actions incensed Crockett, who cited a case last week when a U.S. citizen child was deported with her noncitizen mother. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the child and her siblings were deported because their mothers are not citizens and wanted to take them with them back to Honduras.

Crockett made the comments alongside Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who also panned Republicans. 

“Literally they just voted, they being the other ones, not us, because we were all on the right side of history,” Crockett said. “They just voted to give Trump the legal ability to deport U.S. citizens. That is what they voted for. A bunch of elected U.S. representatives, that is how they voted, Am I telling a lie Eric or not?”

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She also made news in March after she called her fellow Texan, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, “Governor Hot Wheels.” She later claimed her words were misunderstood.

Crockett continues her viral media streak with incendiary comments aimed at those on the other side of the aisle, including saying DOGE head Elon Musk should be “taken down” and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, should be “knocked over the head, like, hard.”

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Rachel del Guidice, Elizabeth Elkind and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is setting the record straight after media reports claimed ICE raided “the wrong home” and targeted U.S. citizens, setting Democrats fuming.

The Independent ran a headline on Wednesday reading: “ICE raids wrong Oklahoma home, seizes life savings and leaves family ‘traumatized for life’” writing that an Oklahoma mother and daughters were subject to a “violent and humiliating raid by federal agents last week, despite allegedly not being the intended targets of the operation.”

That same day, Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont, claimed that ICE agents mistakenly “terrorized” a family of naturalized U.S. citizens — including children — in a raid at a home in northwest Oklahoma City.

Balint claimed that “this was all a colossal mistake” and placed the blame squarely on President Donald Trump, saying “this is Trump’s America.”

BIDEN DOJ HANDLED JUDGE AIDING ILLEGAL TO EVADE ARREST DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT THAN TRUMP ADMIN

The raid in question occurred on April 24 at a single-family home in northwest Oklahoma City. When ICE agents, assisted by Oklahoma state police, carried out the raid, they encountered a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Guatemala as well as three others, the youngest of whom was 17. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Kerwin Moore via Wikimedia Commons)

The raid in question occurred on April 24 at a single-family home in northwest Oklahoma City. When ICE agents, assisted by Oklahoma state police, carried out the raid, they encountered a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Guatemala as well as three others, the youngest of whom was 17.

A representative for DHS told Fox News Digital that the raid was a “lawful, court-authorized action explicitly targeting a property, which was a hub for human smuggling, not specific individuals as falsely suggested by media reports.”

The representative clarified that the warrant “targeted the property itself, not specific individuals, and its execution was not contingent on the presence of any person.”

According to the DHS spokesperson, the warrant, which was signed by a federal judge the day before, was based on an 84-page affidavit detailing probable cause that the address served as a “stash house” for human and drug smuggling.

DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS WAS PULLED OVER DRIVING CAR BELONGING TO HUMAN SMUGGLER

Raul Calderon-Interiano, who was in the U.S. illegally, was convicted of sex crimes in Baltimore and released, despite a detainer from ICE. (ICE)

From its months-long surveillance of the property, including observations as recently as April 20, DHS had probable cause to believe that the primary targets of the warrant, Cidia Lima-Lopez and V. Lima-Lopez, illegal aliens from Guatemala, were continuing to use the house for illegal activities.

The spokesperson said that Homeland Security Investigations agents further confirmed via utility records that a member of the Lima Lopez transnational criminal organization was still paying utilities at the residence.

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DHS said that the warrant authorized the seizure of evidence, including electronic devices and documents, “regardless of who was present.”  

The representative said that agents “executed the warrant with precision, seizing electronic devices as authorized,” calling the raid “a critical strike against a dangerous human smuggling network in furtherance of our mission to protect American communities from the chaos unleashed by the Biden administration’s open-border policies.”

TRUMP ADMIN BLASTS NY TIMES OVER ‘SOB’ STORY ON DEPORTED KIDNAPPER

ICE Houston deportation. (ICE Houston)

Though the family living in the home is no longer in federal custody, the spokesperson said that the investigation is still ongoing and “we have not ruled out current occupants’ involvement in the smuggling ring.”

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Fox News Digital reached out for comment from Balint and The Independent but did not immediately hear back.

EXCLUSIVE: Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said his agency will “ramp” up raids in sanctuary cities if they refuse to cooperate with his agents. 

Todd Lyons sounded off on the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda and a range of other issues, saying ICE agents were going to go after criminal illegal immigrants regardless of sanctuary policies. 

“The more they’re going to double down or triple down, we’re going to ramp it up more,” he told Fox News. “We want to work with you, but if you don’t want to work with the federal government, if you don’t want to work with ICE, then we’re going to make sure that we’re doing all we can do to bring our law enforcement resources to that jurisdiction. And we’re going to take care of those public safety threats.

BIDEN DOJ HANDLED JUDGE AIDING ILLEGAL TO EVADE ARREST DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT THAN TRUMP ADMIN

ICE Director Todd Lyons speaks during a news conference with members of Florida law enforcement after the state made the first arrest in the nation via the Alien Enemies Act with the arrest of an alleged TdA gang member in Orlando. (WOFL/Pool)

“If you don’t want to work with us, we’re going to handle the problem,” he added. 

Lyons, however, did praise California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who recently said his state will work with ICE. 

A sanctuary state, California generally doesn’t cooperate with immigration authorities, but Newsom said it would be willing to work with the agency to honor detainer requests. That followed outrage over a Fox News story about an illegal immigrant convicted of vehicular manslaughter who will be released from prison July 19, over six years before his full sentence is up.

DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS WAS PULLED OVER DRIVING CAR BELONGING TO HUMAN SMUGGLER

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is willing to work with ICE.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I really applaud the governor for that,” Lyons said. “When people see exactly the individual that ICE is dealing with, how could you not work with ICE in a case like that?

“We actually saw the details behind this case,” he added. “It’s a commonsense approach to work with ICE to get these public safety threats out of here.”

In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, ICE has arrested more than 6,000 illegal immigrants, the agency said this week. The agency is going to continue to “remove the worst of the worst,” Lyons said. 

“How can anyone argue with you when you’re deporting violent gang members, sex offenders and fentanyl traffickers,” he said. “ICE is out there protecting communities, taking these public safety threats away from our neighborhoods, protecting our children.”

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As Congress ponders giving ICE funding for 10,000 agents, Lyons said the additional money would be a “game changer.” 

“I’ll give you an example. When we did the operation in Boston, we had targeted enforcement when we knew these criminal aliens that had been released from jails, from courts, from sanctuary jurisdictions where detainees weren’t honored,” he said. “But while the teams were out there conducting this operation, in real time, more criminal aliens were being released.”