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Federal Judge Finds Probable Cause To Hold Trump In Contempt

A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month.

In the 48-page opinion, Judge Boasberg said the court had ultimately determined that the Trump administrationโ€™s actions on the March 15 deportation flights, which took place after he issued a bench ruling ordering their immediate return to U.S. soil, demonstrate a “willful disregard” for the court that is sufficient for the government to be found in criminal contempt.”

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Justice Department in a filing Wednesday to answer additional questions by April 23 if they want to “purge” the contempt.

Fox News reports:

That would involve identifying the individuals responsible for what he described as “contumacious conduct,” and by “determining whose โ€˜specific act or omissionโ€™ caused the noncompliance,” Boasberg said. 

The Justice Department could then request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government and, should they decline to prosecute the matter, could “appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt.”

“The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions,” the judge continued. “None of their responses has been satisfactoryโ€ฆ”

“As this Opinion will detail, the Court ultimately determines that the Governmentโ€™s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt,” Boasberg said Wednesday.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump Puts Sanctuary Cities On Notice With New Executiveย Order

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Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this week to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions impeding federal immigration enforcement.

The directive requires the Justice Department to compile a list of all sanctuary city jurisdictions and then take action to cut off or suspend federal funding to those places. Under Trump, cities across the country, like Boston, have already made it difficult for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to apprehend illegal immigrants.

โ€œThis invasion at the southern border requires the Federal Government to take measures to fulfill its obligation to the States,โ€ Trump wrote in the executive order. โ€œYet some State and local officials nevertheless continue to use their authority to violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of Federal immigration laws. This is a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law and the Federal Governmentโ€™s obligation to defend the territorial sovereignty of the United States.โ€

After the list of sanctuary jurisdictions is published, those entities would be given the chance to comply with federal law. If they donโ€™t comply, they could lose federal funding.

The executive order also directs the Justice Department and Homeland Security to ensure that federal benefits are not provided to illegals in sanctuary jurisdictions and to โ€œtake appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable.โ€

Earlier this month, Trump called sanctuary jurisdictions โ€œdeath trapsโ€ and promised to cut off federal funding.

โ€œNo more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country and are being mocked all over the World,โ€ he posted on Truth Social. โ€œWorking on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!โ€

While contrasting the Biden and Trump administrations, border czar Homan said that between 11,000-15,000 people were crossing the border illegally per day this time of the year under Biden, while under Trump, just 178 had crossed in the last 24 hours. During the same time, he said there were 1,800 known โ€œgotawaysโ€ under Biden, compared to just 38 under Trump. Homan added that from January 20 to April 1, 2024, Biden released 184,000 illegals out of federal custody into the country. The Trump administration has only released nine total, including four so they could testify in criminal cases and four with extreme medical conditions.

In total, Homan said that there have been 139,000 deportations under Trump. He added that the administration was prioritizing the estimated 700,000 illegals who have been charged with crimes.

DOJ To Investigate Officials Who Obstruct Immigration Enforcement

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Illegal Immigration in the United State via Wikimedia Commons

The Justice Department wants federal prosecutors across the country to investigate state or local officials who obstruct immigration enforcement under Presidentย Donald Trump’sย new administration

According to a new memo shared by the Trump Administration, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, Trump’s former defense attorney, outlines “interim decisions and policy changes” pending the confirmation of Trumpโ€™s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi. He said interim changes are necessary as an initial response to Trumpโ€™s executive orders regarding “three of the most serious threats facing the American people.”ย 

Those threats, Bove wrote, are cartels and other transnational criminal organizations, such as Tren de Aragua (TdA) and La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), which “are a scourge on society resulting in an unstable and unsafe border and huge flows of illegal immigration in violation of U.S. law.” The memo said the second threat is how “brutal and intolerable violent crime by members of these organizations and illegal aliens is escalating rapidly across the country.” The third threat defined by Bove is how the “fentanyl crisis and opioid epidemic are poisoning our communities and have inflicted an unprecedented toll of addiction, suffering, and death.” 

“Theย Justice Departmentย must, and will, work to eradicate these threats,” Bove wrote. “Indeed, it is the responsibility of the Justice Department to defend the Constitution and, accordingly, to lawfully execute the policies that the American people elected President Trump to implement. The Justice Department’s responsibility, proudly shouldered by each of its employees, includes aggressive enforcement of laws enacted by Congress, as well as vigorous defense of the President’s actions on behalf of the United States against legal challenges. The Department’s personnel must come together in the offices that taxpayers have funded to do this vitally important work.”ย 

The memo states that the Supremacy Clause of theย U.S. Constitutionย and other authorities “require state and local actors to comply with the Executive Branch’s immigration enforcement activities.”ย 

Bove reiterated how “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.” 

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 Chicago Police Department is refusing to assist with upcoming deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across the Windy City.

Chicago officials took a vow of their own to not comply after Trump laid out plans to tackle issues surrounding illegal immigration and the U.S. border.

Chicago police said the municipal code includes legislation that prevents them from assisting federal immigration authorities with enforcement based on immigration status. The department also noted it does not document immigration status, nor does it share the immigration status of individuals with federal authorities.

City ordinance requires a supervisor to respond to the scene if an immigration agency requests assistance with a civil immigration enforcement operation.

“To be clear, the Chicago Police Department will not assist or intervene in civil immigration enforcement in accordance with the City of Chicago Municipal Code,” the police departmentโ€™s statement read. “As always, we will continue to enforce the law if a crime occurs, regardless of the citizenship status of those involved.”

Report: Appeals Court Blocks Trump Admin’s Deportation Flights

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Image via Pixabay

A federal appellate court declined to issue a stay on a lower court’s orders in a suit challenging the Trump administration‘s authority to deport Venezuelan nationals via a 1798 wartime law. 

In a 2-1 decision Wednesday, a three-judge panel sided with the plaintiffs in the suit, further blocking the Trump administration’s ability to move forward with its deportation agenda. 

Judges Karen Henderson, Patricia Millett, and Justin Walker of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals presided over Monday’s oral arguments, which they agreed to hear last week on an expedited basis. 

In a concurring opinion of the ruling, Henderson, a Bush appointee, said: “At this early stage, the government has yet to show a likelihood of success on the merits. The equities favor the plaintiffs. And the district court entered the TROs for a quintessentially valid purpose: to protect its remedial authority long enough to consider the partiesโ€™ arguments.

“Accordingly, and for the foregoing reasons, the request to stay the district courtโ€™s TROs should be denied.”

Their decision could ultimately be kicked to the Supreme Court for further review.  

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump Administration Delivers Historic Border Security Win โ€” Lowest Apprehensions Since 1970

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Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

The Trump administration has closed fiscal year 2025 with a historic milestone on border security โ€” the lowest U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions in more than five decades, according to preliminary enforcement data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Border agents recorded 237,565 apprehensions in fiscal year 2025 โ€” slightly above the 201,780 apprehensions in 1970 but dramatically below recent levels. The numbers represent an 87% drop compared to the average of the past four fiscal years (1.86 million apprehensions) and showcase what can happen when the federal government finally enforces immigration laws.

This achievement came even though 72% of this yearโ€™s total apprehensions happened during the final 111 days of the Biden administration โ€” before President Trump returned to office and immediately began reversing his predecessorโ€™s โ€œopen-borderโ€ policies.

โ€œFiscal year 2025 shows what happens when we enforce the law without compromise,โ€ said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. โ€œFor too long, agents and officers were handcuffed by failed policies. Today they are empowered to do their jobs โ€” and the result is the most secure border in modern history.โ€


Reversing Bidenโ€™s Border Chaos

When President Trump took office in January 2025, he inherited what many described as a border crisis fueled by Bidenโ€™s mass-release policies. In just the first 111 days of the fiscal year, under Bidenโ€™s watch, 172,026 apprehensions occurred โ€” nearly three-quarters of the yearโ€™s total.

But once Trumpโ€™s immigration directives took effect, the situation changed dramatically. Over the next 254 days, apprehensions plummeted to 65,539 โ€” just 27% of the fiscal yearโ€™s total.

September 2025 alone saw only about 279 apprehensions per day along the Southwest border โ€” a staggering 95% decline compared to the Biden-era daily average of 5,110. It also marked the fifth consecutive month of zero illegal immigrant releases by Border Patrol โ€” a stark contrast to 9,144 releases in September 2024.

Across all entry points, CBP recorded roughly 26,000 total encounters in September, down 89% from Bidenโ€™s monthly averages.


Strong Action From Day One

President Trump wasted no time taking decisive action to reestablish border control:

  • Deployed additional personnel to the southern border.
  • Ended โ€œcatch-and-releaseโ€, ensuring illegal migrants are no longer released while awaiting hearings.
  • Shut down Bidenโ€™s CBP One app parole loophole, later repurposing the app to help migrants self-deport.
  • Paused parole programs and authorized ICE to cancel parole statuses.
  • Ordered strict enforcement of existing immigration laws, restoring morale and authority to frontline border agents.

These policies stand in sharp contrast to Bidenโ€™s approach, which relied on controversial โ€œparoleโ€ programs and insisted on new legislation instead of acting on existing laws.

Border Wall Supplies Sold Off By Biden To Be Returned To Trumpย Admin

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Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

Sections of the U.S. border wall that had been auctioned off by the Biden administration will reportedly be returned to the Trump administration to support Trump’s “border protection plans.”

The Daily Wire previously reported that the Biden administrationย sold offย portions of the border wall in Arizona for pennies on the dollar in December, just one month before Trump reentered office in a move that critics called an attempt to hamstring the new administration. Now, those materials will be handed back over to the federal government.

GovPlanet, the government supply auctioning site that listed the border wall materials, says that it will expedite the return of the materials to the federal government, citing its support for the Trump administrationโ€™s border security plans.

โ€œGovPlanet has reached an agreement, working with the Office of the Border Czar, to return border wall materials that were previously deemed surplus and sourced by the federal government to GovPlanet via existing contracts,โ€ the company explained. โ€œWe are expediting the transfer of these materials to support the administrationโ€™s border protection plans.โ€

Construction continues on new border wall system project near Yuma, AZ. Recently constructed border wall near Yuma, Arizona on June 3, 2020. CBP photo by Jerry Glaser.

The sale of the border wall materials, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) told The Daily Wire, was an attempt by the Biden administration to hamstring the Trump administration.

โ€œThe Biden Administration is well aware they shouldnโ€™t have reversed the construction of the border wall. If itโ€™s true, theyโ€™re purposefully hamstringing an incoming president, it wouldnโ€™t be shocking,โ€ Crane charged. โ€œWhy would they want to see President Trump succeed with policies they aggressively sabotaged?โ€

The Republican Congressman from Arizona called the sale โ€œa direct affront to the will of the people,โ€ who had given President Trump a mandate to secure the border just a month before The Daily Wire broke the news of the auctions.

The materials will now be handed over to a firm that has been contracted by the government to build the wall, GovPlanet says. โ€œWe value our longstanding partnership with the U.S. government and look forward to continuing to support Americaโ€™s federal agencies,โ€ GovPlanet added. โ€œA third-party firm that has been contracted for construction of the border wall will take receipt of the materials over the next 90 days.โ€

GovPlanet also said that the supplies will be returned to the federal government โ€œat-costโ€ in order to โ€œprotect the millions of dollars that U.S. taxpayers had already invested in this initiative.โ€

GOP Senators Stand Firm Behind Stephen Miller Amid Party Tensions

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Republican senators are rallying behind senior White House aide Stephen Miller as some GOP lawmakers privately grumble that his blunt style and hardline immigration messaging could complicate the partyโ€™s midterm prospects.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) dismissed the idea that Miller is in trouble inside Trumpโ€™s inner circle, calling him a key architect of the administrationโ€™s aggressive border agenda.

โ€œPeople can disagree with Stephen on rhetoric or policy,โ€ Graham told The Hill, โ€œbut the question is, is he in jeopardy in Trump World? Absolutely not.โ€

Graham argued Republicans should stop hand-wringing over internal personality clashes and instead focus on going on offense against what he called the failures of the Biden years. He pointed to an upcoming Senate vote targeting sanctuary city policies, saying Miller played a central role in shaping the effort.

Millerโ€™s defenders say he has been instrumental in delivering on the promises Trump made to voters โ€” from tougher immigration enforcement to cracking down on fentanyl trafficking. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), who represents a major battleground state, credited Miller with helping advance priorities that matter to working families.

Other prominent Republicans, including Senate GOP Conference Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), also praised Millerโ€™s long-standing role in border security and law enforcement policy.

Still, the controversy highlights growing tension inside the Republican conference as lawmakers head into an election cycle. Some senators, including Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), have criticized Millerโ€™s demeanor and influence, arguing the White House should broaden its circle of advisers.

The debate comes as Washington faces a looming Homeland Security funding deadline, with Democrats threatening to block extensions unless the administration agrees to restrictions on ICE operations. Democrats have also escalated calls for investigations, impeachments, and removals of Trump officials tied to immigration enforcement โ€” part of a broader effort to portray the administration as extreme.

Miller has also drawn attention for his unapologetic stance on Greenland and U.S. strategic power in the Arctic, which critics say risks alienating allies. Supporters counter that Trumpโ€™s tougher posture has strengthened Americaโ€™s defensive position and forced long-overdue conversations about national security.

For many Trump allies, the bottom line is simple: Miller remains one of the presidentโ€™s most trusted advisers โ€” and Republicans who want to win should focus less on palace intrigue and more on policy fights Democrats are increasingly out of step on.

As Graham put it, Miller is โ€œKarl Rove to MAGA,โ€ and anyone betting on his downfall, he suggested, doesnโ€™t understand how Trumpโ€™s White House works.

Pro-Trump Mayor Accused Of Illegally Voting As A Noncitizen

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Missvain, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A small-town Kansas mayor who has supported President Donald Trump for years is now facing serious felony charges after state prosecutors allege he voted in multiple elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.

The New York Times this week highlighted the case of Joe Ceballos, the recently re-elected mayor of Coldwater, Kansas โ€” a rural community of just 687 residents โ€” who is now charged with multiple counts of voter fraud-related crimes.

Ceballos, 55, is facing three counts of election perjury and three counts of voting without being qualified under Kansas law. Prosecutors say he illegally cast ballots while holding permanent resident status rather than full citizenship.

โ€œNobody ever told me that I couldnโ€™t vote or register to vote,โ€ Ceballos told The Times. โ€œAnd so, as a young man, yeah, I did it. I registered.โ€

A Case Raising Broader Questions About Election Integrity

The case arrives at a time when election security and voter eligibility remain central concerns for many Americans, particularly Republicans who argue that citizenship requirements must be enforced to protect the integrity of U.S. elections.

While instances of noncitizen voting are considered rare, conservatives have long maintained that even isolated cases undermine trust in the system โ€” and that laws already on the books should be applied consistently.

Ceballos was born in Mexico and moved to the United States at age four, according to the report. He later obtained a green card in 1990. Ceballos said he believed that being a lawful permanent resident allowed him to vote.

โ€œHis defense, essentially, is that he did not understand that being a permanent resident should have precluded him from voting and holding office, and that no one ever told him he was not eligible,โ€ the paper wrote.

Citizenship Application Triggered Investigation

Ceballos said his legal troubles began last year when he applied to become a U.S. citizen. During the process, he admitted to a federal official that he had previously voted.

โ€œHis eyes got real big, and I was like, โ€˜Boy, did I do something wrong?โ€™โ€ Ceballos recalled.

That admission reportedly halted his citizenship application and alerted Kansas officials, setting off the investigation that ultimately led to criminal charges.

If convicted, Ceballos could face up to 68 months in prison and a $200,000 fine.

โ€œThis alien committed a felony by voting in American elections,โ€ DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said about Ceballos.

Trump Supporter Says He Doesnโ€™t Belong in โ€œCriminalโ€ Category

Ceballos acknowledged voting for Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and said he still supports much of the presidentโ€™s immigration agenda โ€” particularly efforts to remove violent criminals from the country.

โ€œI still strongly believe in Trumpโ€™s immigration laws about, โ€˜Letโ€™s get the bad guys out of here,โ€™โ€ he said. โ€œYou know, theyโ€™re murderers, they killed people, they molested people, letโ€™s get them out of here.

โ€œBut I feel like I donโ€™t fit that category,โ€ he added. โ€œAnd I feel like thatโ€™s how theyโ€™re treating me.โ€

His comments reflect a broader debate within the immigration discussion: Republicans often emphasize the difference between legal immigrants who follow the process and those who break the law โ€” while also insisting that voting is a right reserved only for American citizens.

Small Town Residents Rally Around Mayor

Coldwater residents told The Times they view the prosecution as a โ€œpersonal attack on a pillar of the town.โ€ Ceballos was overwhelmingly re-elected last year by a margin of 101 votes to 20.

Supporters argue the case is a tragic example of confusion over complex immigration and election laws, while critics say citizenship rules are clear and must be upheld regardless of intent.

SAVE Act and Growing Push for Proof of Citizenship

The case comes as Trump has backed the SAVE Act, legislation that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections โ€” a measure Republicans argue is common sense and necessary to restore confidence in elections.

Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have criticized the proposal, calling it discriminatory, but polling consistently shows strong public support for voter identification requirements.

CNN data analyst Harry Enten noted that surveys dating back to 2018 show at least 75% of Americans support voter ID laws, including a 2024 figure showing 83% approval.

โ€œNormally, you might expectโ€ฆ a big divide by party,โ€ Enten said. โ€œBut not really here.โ€

Sen. Susan Collins recently became the 50th lawmaker to signal support for the bill.

In an exclusive comment toย The Maine Wire, Sen. Collins said she supports the current version of the SAVE Act.

Collins said she will support the version of the SAVE Act that has now cleared the House, calling it a โ€œsimple reformโ€ aimed at strengthening confidence in federal elections.

โ€œThe law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. In addition, having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results,โ€ she said.

Collins said that her support hinges on changes made to the legislation. She said she previously opposed an earlier draft that would have required voters to prove their citizenship each time they cast a ballot.

โ€œRequiring voters to produce passports or birth certificates on election day โ€” as opposed to just a state-issued ID โ€” would have placed an unnecessary burden on the voters. That provision is no longer in the bill and dropping this requirement was key to getting my support.โ€

Obama Appointee Blocks Trump Immigration Order

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This is far from over…

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration fromย revoking the legal statusย and work permits of the more than 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who flew into the United States during former President Joe Biden’s time in office.ย 

The migrants came to the U.S. under Biden’s controversial CHNV mass humanitarian parole program.

In her order, Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, wrote that each migrant needs to have an individualized, case-by-case review.

“The Termination of Parole Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, 90 Fed. Reg. 13611 (Mar. 25, 2025), is hereby STAYED pending further court order insofar as it revokes, without case-by-case review, the previously granted parole and work authorization issued to noncitizens paroled into the UnitedStates pursuant to parole programs for noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (the “CHNV parole programs”) prior to the noncitizenโ€™s originally stated parole end date,” she wrote.ย 

Biden created the CHNV program in 2023 via his executive parole authority. The program was launched in 2022 and initially first applied to Venezuelans before it was expanded to additional countries.

The Biden administration argued that CHNV would help reduce illegal crossings at the southern border and allow better vetting of people entering the country amid an influx of migrants. 

The program was temporarily paused due to widespread fraud.

Officials with theย Department of Homeland Securityย and the Trump administration told Fox News that Talwani essentially ruled that Trump can’t use his own executive authority, the same authority Biden used, toย revoke the parole that Biden granted.ย 

“It is pure lawless tyranny,” a Trump administration official told Fox News. 

In March, the roughly 532,000 migrants under the CHNV program were told to leave the U.S.ย 

Trump Border Czar Defends Hefty Immigration Plan Pricetag

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Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

Incoming Trump administration border czarย Tom Homanย told NewsNationโ€™sย Ali Bradleyย there is no โ€œprice tagโ€ for theย mass deportationsย planned by the incoming administration

โ€œWhat price do you put on national security? I donโ€™t think it has a price tag,โ€ Homan said. โ€œWhat price do you put on the thousands of American moms and dads who buried their children? You want to talk about family separation; they buried their children because their children were murdered by illegal aliens that werenโ€™t supposed to be here. I donโ€™t put a price on that. I donโ€™t put a price on national security. I donโ€™t put a price on American lives.โ€

Homan further defended the mass deportationsโ€™ $86 billion price tag, saying it would save American taxpayers money in the future.

โ€œThis operation would be expensive,โ€ he acknowledged. โ€œHowever, itโ€™s going to save taxpayers a lot of money in the long run. Right now, weโ€™re spending billions of dollars on free airline tickets, free hotel rooms, free medical care, free meals, the education system.โ€

Homan, however, said they will also need help from Congress.

โ€œWe need more resources; we need funding. We obviously need to buy more detention beds because everybody we arrest, we have to detain to work on those removal efforts and get travel documents, get flight arrangements. So we need more detention beds,โ€ said Homan.

Homan said the Trump administration doesnโ€™t plan on separating families but rather deporting them together. He said the administration is looking into using halfway houses to hold U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.

โ€œAs far as U.S. children, thatโ€™s going to be a difficult situation because weโ€™re not going to change your U.S. citizenship,โ€ he said. โ€œWhich means theyโ€™re going to be put in a halfway house or they can stay at home and wait for the officers to get the travel arrangements and come back and get the family. You know the best thing to do for a family is to self-deport themselves.โ€