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Federal Judge Blocks Trump Birthright Citizenship Order

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A second federal judge moved to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship Wednesday.

Judge Deborah Boardman, a Biden appointee, ruled that the order is likely unconstitutional. This marks the second time a federal court has blocked the policy. The nationwide injunction is slated to remain in place while the case is adjudicated.

Boardman said the civil rights group plaintiffs, five pregnant women whose children would not be granted citizenship under the order, were likely to succeed on the merits. The plaintiffs are represented by the CASA and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project.

Trumpโ€™s executive order seeks to deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the country unless at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The administration argues that children of undocumented immigrants and temporary visa holders are not โ€œsubject to the jurisdictionโ€ of the United States, a reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment.

In January, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour temporarily blocked President Donald Trumpโ€˜s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, deeming the presidential directive โ€œblatantly unconstitutional.โ€ (RELATED: Republican Attorneys General Back Trumpโ€™s Executive Order On Birthright Citizenship)

Trump signed Executive Order 14156, titled Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship, on his first day in office. The order seeks to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to noncitizen parents, but it has already encountered significant legal pushback.

Judge Coughenour issued a restraining order against its implementation, siding with several states that argued the executive action violates the 14th Amendment and contradicts long-standing Supreme Court rulings.

The executive order was set to take effect in February, marking a bold attempt to reshape the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which has guaranteed citizenship to nearly all individuals born on U.S. soil since its ratification in 1868. Many legal experts, however, argue that any effort to alter this constitutional guarantee would require far more than an executive order.

The Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) affirmed that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to nearly all individuals born in the U.S., regardless of their parentsโ€™ nationality. This precedent has formed the legal backbone of birthright citizenship for over a century.

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 

El Salvador President Responds After Man Mistakenly Deported

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By Casa Presidencial El Salvador - https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotospresidencia_sv/54351745159/, CC0,

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele toldย President Donald Trumpย in the Oval Office on Monday that he has no plans to return a Maryland man wrongfully deported to a prison in his country.

Bukeleโ€™s Oval Office meeting with President Trump was the first since the Supreme Court ruled last week that the U.S. must โ€œfacilitateโ€ the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

However, both Trump and Bukele suggested they donโ€™t have the power to return the Maryland man and Salvadoran national to the U.S.

โ€œHow could I return him to the United States? I smuggle him to the United States? Of course Iโ€™m not going to do it. The question is preposterous,โ€ Bukele said, going on to refer to Abrego Garcia as a terrorist.

โ€œI donโ€™t have the power to return him to the United States. Iโ€™m not releasing โ€” I mean, weโ€™re not very fond of releasing terrorists into our country,โ€ he added, saying El Salvador is no longer the murder capital of the world.

Before Bukele spoke, Trump and a number of his aides suggested the decision would rest with El Salvador.

โ€œThatโ€™s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. Thatโ€™s not up to us,โ€ Attorney Generalย Pam Bondiย said.

Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Supreme Court ruled last week that the government must โ€œfacilitateโ€ Abrego Garciaโ€™s return. (RELATED: Supreme Court Rules Wrongfully Deported Man Must Return To US)

โ€œThe order properly requires the Government to โ€˜facilitateโ€™ Abrego Garciaโ€™s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,โ€ the Supreme Court ruled, referencing a lower court decision. 

โ€œThe District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs. For its part, the Government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps,โ€ the order reads. 

White House aide Stephen Miller said seeking Abrego Garciaโ€™s return would equate to kidnapping him.

โ€œA district court judge tried to tell the administration that they had to kidnap a citizen of El Salvador and fly him back here. That issue was raised at the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court said the district court order was unlawful and its main components reversed, 9-0, unanimously stating clearly that neither the secretary of state nor the President could be compelled by anybody to forcibly retrieve a citizen of El Salvador from El Salvador, who again, is a member of MS-13,โ€ Miller said during the meeting.

Florida Attorney General Held In Contempt After Defending Trump Immigration Agenda

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A federal judge has found thatย Florida Attorney Generalย James Uthmeier was in civil contempt of court over her ruling to pause a new state law making it a crime for people living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered on April 29 that Uthmeier show cause on “why he should not be held in contempt or sanctioned” for violating a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the court, though Williams ultimately decided he was unable to convince her otherwise.

“If being held in contempt is what it costs to defend the rule of law and stand firmly behind President Trump’s agenda on illegal immigration, so be it,” Uthmeier said Tuesday in a post on X.

Florida Gov.ย Ron DeSantisย signed legislation into law in February that made it a misdemeanor for illegal immigrants to enter the state as part of President Donald Trumpโ€™s push to crack down on illegal immigration.

But on April 4, Williams issued a 14-day TRO in response to the law, following a lawsuit filed by the Florida Immigrant Coalition and other groups. She then extended the TRO another 11 days after learning the Florida Highway Patrol had arrested over a dozen people, including a U.S. citizen.

The court said on April 18 that Floridaย law enforcement officersย were bound by the TRO, preventing them from enforcing the criminal immigration law.

The court also ordered the attorney general to provide notice to all law enforcement officers, which Uthmeier initially complied with.

On April 23, he sent a follow-up letter telling the law enforcement community that “no judicial orderโ€ฆproperly restrains you from” enforcing the immigration law, adding that “no lawful, legitimate order currently impedes your agencies from continuing to enforce” the statute.

As a result, the court required Uthmeier to show cause as to why he should not be held in contempt for violating the TRO.

Following his response, the court opined that litigants cannot change the meaning of words as it suits them, ruling that Uthmeier was in contempt of the courtโ€™s April 18 order to provide the TRO to law enforcement officers regarding the enforcement of the immigration law.

As such, the court ordered Uthmeier to file bi-weekly reports detailing arrests, detentions or law enforcement actions when it comes to the immigration law prohibiting undocumented immigrants from entering the state of Florida, with the first being filed by July 1.

Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin To Move Ahead With Ending Protected Status For Some Migrants

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Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

On Monday, the Supreme Court lifted an injunction against the Trump administration, allowing it to move ahead with its plans to end protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants in the U.S.

The decision is a victory for the Trump administration, allowing it to move forward with its plans to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for hundreds of thousands of people who came to the U.S. through parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. 

The TPS program provides legal status and work permits for these individuals.

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

Trump Announces โ€˜Permanent Pauseโ€™ On Migration From โ€˜Third World Countriesโ€™ After DC Shooting

President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

President Donald J. Trump announced Thursday that he will โ€œpermanently pause migration from all Third World Countriesโ€ after two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. โ€œI will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,โ€ he wrote on his social-media platform.

Earlier on Thursday, the administration revealed plans to re-examine green cards issued to immigrants from 19 countries. The June memo lists these countries โ€” including Afghanistan, Burma, Cuba, Somalia, Venezuela and others โ€” as of concern.

The sharper policy response comes after the suspect in this weekโ€™s attack was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He entered the U.S. in 2021 under the humanitarian resettlement program launched following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Washington, D.C. Shooting: What Happened

On Wednesday afternoon near the White House, Lakanwal allegedly ambushed two West Virginia National Guard members. The victims, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, were shot during what prosecutors are calling a โ€œbrazen, targeted attack.โ€

Beckstrom died from her injuries late Thanksgiving Day, President Trump said. Wolfe remains in critical condition.

According to prosecutors, Lakanwal drove cross-country from Washington state for the sole purpose of carrying out the ambush. He allegedly fired 10โ€“15 rounds from a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, striking one Guardsman, then leaning over to shoot a second time, and then firing on the other. Authorities said the remaining National Guard member then returned fire, and Lakanwal was apprehended.

This horrific attack unfolded while hundreds of National Guard troops remain deployed across D.C., under Mr. Trumpโ€™s 2025 strategy to restore public safety in the capital.

Administration Response: Immigration Crackdown

In response to the ambush, President Trump not only called for a complete halt to migration from unspecified โ€œThird World Countries,โ€ but late Thursday the administration also announced an indefinite pause on Afghan immigration. Officials said they would conduct a sweeping review of green card approvals tied to the 19 countries flagged in June.

In his statement, Trump did not list which additional countries would be subject to the pause โ€” though the 19-country list already includes several nations the administration deemed high risk.

Why This Matters โ€” and What It Signals for National Security

Supporters of the presidentโ€™s crackdown argue that the D.C. ambush underscores the danger of lax vetting under previous administrations. The suspect in this case reportedly worked in a CIA-backed unit during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, then obtained resettlement under a program from the prior administration.

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.

ICE Tracking App Maker Sues Over Trump Administration Pressure

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President Donald J. Trump participates in a roundtable discussion on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station Friday, April 5, 2019, in Calexico, Calif. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

The creator of ICEBlockโ€”an iPhone app designed to alert users to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officersโ€”has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming federal officials violated his free-speech rights by urging Apple to pull the app from its store.

Joshua Aaron, the developer behind the app, contends in his complaint that building, distributing, and promoting ICEBlock is โ€œFirst Amendment-protected speech.โ€ He alleges that Attorney General Pam Bondi and other administration officials engaged in a coordinated โ€œpressure campaignโ€ to force Apple to remove the app, calling the effort an unlawful act of censorship.

โ€œWeโ€™re basically asking the court to set a precedent and affirm that ICEBlock is, in fact, First Amendment-protected speech and that I did nothing wrong by creating it,โ€ Aaron told The Associated Press on Monday. โ€œAnd to make sure that they canโ€™t do this same thing again in the future.โ€

The lawsuit also asks a federal judge to bar any criminal prosecution of Aaron, citing what he describes as โ€œunlawful threatsโ€ from Bondi, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons, and White House Border Czar Tom Homanโ€”all of whom, according to Aaron, indicated they would investigate him for creating the app.

He told the AP that one of his motives for suing is โ€œto basically have them stop threatening myself and my family.โ€

Why the App Was Removed

Apple removed ICEBlock and similar apps in October after Bondi publicly warned that the tools endangered federal immigration officers by allowing the publicโ€”including individuals seeking to evade law enforcementโ€”to monitor ICE activity in real time.

Bondi defended the removal in a Fox News interview, arguing that Aaronโ€™s app could compromise officer safety. โ€œHeโ€™s giving a message to criminals where our federal officers are. And he cannot do that,โ€ she said. โ€œAnd we are looking at it, we are looking at him, and he better watch out, because thatโ€™s not protected speech.โ€

Broader Context: Trumpโ€™s Immigration-Enforcement Strategy

The dispute comes amid the Trump administrationโ€™s continued efforts to restore aggressive federal enforcement of immigration lawโ€”an agenda that has been a central pillar of the presidentโ€™s policy platform. ICE has been directed to prioritize arrests of criminal offenders, expand cooperation with local law-enforcement agencies, and counter efforts by progressive โ€œsanctuaryโ€ jurisdictions to obstruct federal operations.

Officials like Noem, Homan, and Bondi have repeatedly emphasized the dangers facing ICE officers on the ground. From hostile sanctuary-city policies to the rapid spread of mobile apps that help individuals avoid lawful apprehension, the administration argues that these challenges make it more difficult to enforce immigration laws and protect communities.

Trump Threatens To Deport Elon Musk By Using DOGE

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UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Billionaire Elon Musk is on thin ice…

Speaking with reporters ahead of a flight to Florida on Tuesday, the president was asked about whether he would consider deporting the South African mogul.

โ€œWeโ€™ll have to take a look,โ€ Trump said. โ€œWe might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon! Wouldnโ€™t that be terrible?โ€

Watch:

After a brief ceasefire between the president and his former DOGE lieutenant, the war of words has ratcheted up again over the past 24 hours โ€” with Musk revving up his criticism of the Trump-backed โ€œBig, Beautifulโ€ budget bill. Musk, in aย Monday post on X, denounced the legislation andย floated the idea of forming a new political party. (RELATED: White House Responds After Elon Musk Calls Trump Megabill A โ€˜Disgusting Abominationโ€™)

โ€œIt is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country โ€“ the PORKY PIG PARTY!!โ€ Musk wrote. โ€œTime for a new political party that actually cares about the people.โ€

Musk followed his post up with another, targeting the House Freedom Caucus, whose members mostly voted for the House version of the bill. โ€œHow can you call yourself the Freedom Caucus if you vote for a DEBT SLAVERY bill with the biggest debt ceiling increase in history?โ€ Muskย asked, tagging Reps.ย Chip Royย (R-Texas) andย Andy Harrisย (R-MD).

โ€œEvery member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame! And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,โ€ Musk later added, making a clear threat to help primary challengers to incumbent Republicans.

Trump, in hisย Monday night response on Truth Social,ย threatened Muskโ€™s government subsidies.

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one,” Trump wrote. “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”

Trump renewed that threat Tuesday morning outside the White House.

โ€œHeโ€™s upset that heโ€™s losing his E.V. Mandate, and heโ€™s very upset about things,โ€ Trump said. โ€œBut you know, he could lose a lot more than that, I can tell you right now. Hey, Elon can lose a lot more than that!โ€

Bizarre Discoveries At US-Mexico Border Result In Several Arrests

Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

You don’t see this every day…

Border patrol agents at theย Texas-Mexico borderย made two interesting finds while searching vehicles last weekend, resulting in the arrests of three people in two separate incidents.ย 

According to Fox News, a 20-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, both U.S. citizens, were crossing into the United States through theย Anzalduas International Bridgeย when their vehicle was flagged by CBP agents for a second inspection on Sunday.ย 

Upon investigation, officials discovered a spider monkey stowed inside a backpack in the vehicle. The two individuals were taken into custody and the monkey was transported to Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. 

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora protects certain types of monkeys and their importation is regulated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to CBP officials. However, monkeys are not permitted to be imported as pets. 

On the same day, CPB agents at the Hidalgo International Bridge stopped a 68-year-old Mexican citizen crossing into the U.S. for a second inspection. 

Agents discovered approximately 73 pounds of alleged cocaine stashed inside the manโ€™s Ford Explorer. Authorities estimate the alleged narcotics have a street value of approximately $980,000. 

The man was taken into custody byย Homeland Securityย and the cocaine was seized by CBP.ย 

The suspects identities have not yet been released by officials.

“Our frontlineย CBP officersย and agriculture specialists continue to remain vigilant as they conduct their inspections; their attention to detail and inspections experience led to an interception of an endangered species and a significant narcotics seizure in two separate enforcement events,” Hidalgo Port Director Carlos Rodriguez said in a statement. “We remain committed to preventing the exploitation of protected animals and the spread of animal diseases. Seizures of narcotics also reinforce our continued commitment to our border security mission.”