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Trump Taps New ICE Director

President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after delivering remarks at the House GOP Member Retreat, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at the Donald J. Trump- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is nominating longtime Oklahoma law enforcement officer and Marine veteran Lance Schroyer to serve as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), placing another ally with deep state and local law enforcement experience at the center of his administration’s immigration agenda.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Schroyer’s nearly three decades in law enforcement and described him as a leader prepared to carry out the administration’s aggressive deportation strategy.

“Lance has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma,” Trump wrote. “He is a PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst.”

The president also highlighted Schroyer’s background as a former Oklahoma state trooper and U.S. Marine, adding that he has “firsthand experience getting Illegal Aliens OFF our streets.”

Trump urged the Senate to act quickly on the nomination.

“The Senate must confirm Lance Schroyer IMMEDIATELY. Do not delay,” the president wrote. “Together, we will MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.”

If confirmed, Schroyer would become the first Senate-confirmed ICE director in nearly a decade. The agency has operated under a series of acting leaders since 2017, reflecting years of political battles over immigration enforcement and the role of the agency.

Schroyer most recently worked with the Department of Homeland Security on expanding ICE’s 287(g) program, which allows state and local law enforcement agencies to partner with the federal government on immigration enforcement. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Schroyer comes “straight from the operational field,” where he led large-scale enforcement operations alongside state and federal agencies.

Mullin quickly endorsed Trump’s selection.

“President Trump made a great pick, and I’m confident Lance’s strong leadership and firsthand experience will empower the men and women of ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens, secure the homeland, and protect the American people,” Mullin wrote on X.

“It has been 11 years since @DHSgov has had a Senate confirmed @ICEgov Director. The Senate must quickly confirm Lance Schroyer.”

Schroyer would replace acting leadership that has overseen ICE during one of the agency’s busiest periods in recent history. David Venturella has served as acting director since Todd Lyons stepped down earlier this year.

The nomination comes as immigration remains one of Trump’s signature issues. The administration has made mass deportations, expanded ICE partnerships with local law enforcement and increased daily immigration arrests central pillars of its second-term agenda. Trump claimed Saturday that his administration has achieved the highest daily arrest rates by ICE and Customs and Border Protection of any presidency.

Trump Admin. Partners With Indiana To Create New ‘Speedway Slammer’

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The Trump Administration announced an exciting new partnership with the state of Indiana to create a new ICE detention facility modeled after Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” with the new location called the “Speedway Slammer.”

The new ICE detention facility, which will be established in coordination with the Indiana state government, will be located at the Miami Correctional Facility, located roughly 60 miles north of Indianapolis.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the new facility, explaining that it will allow the federal law enforcement agency to hold another 1,000 illegal aliens at a time.

“COMING SOON to Indiana: The Speedway Slammer. Today, we’re announcing a new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention bed space by 1,000 beds. Thanks to Governor Braun for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country,” Noem said in a statement to Fox News announcing the new ICE detention facility.

“If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Indiana’s Speedway Slammer. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App,” she added, referencing the app that the Trump administration is using to encourage illegal alien self-deportations.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun touted the new partnership with the Trump administration and asserted that the “Speedway Slammer” will assist ICE in its effort to “remove the worst of the worst.”

“We are proud to work with President Trump and Secretary Noem as they remove the worst of the worst with this innovative partnership,” Braun said. “Indiana is taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration and will continue to lead the way among states.”

The “Speedway Slammer” comes on the heels of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” the new ICE detention facility located in the Everglades, which appears virtually impossible to successfully escape from due to the treacherous natural conditions in the area and the dangerous wildlife that populate it.

Trump Greenlights ‘Largest Deportation Operation’As Unrest Spreads

By U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - https://www.ice.gov/about-ice/ero, Public Domain,

President Trump is doubling down…

Over the weekend, President Trump announced ICE must “expand efforts to detain and deport” illegal immigrants in “America’s largest [c]ities,” including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.”

The president’s comment came in a Truth Social post on Sunday evening after a week of anti-ICE protests that have taken place in major cities across the country, with most demonstrations remaining peaceful while others turned into violent riots in places like LA and Portland.

“Our Nation’s ICE Officers have shown incredible strength, determination, and courage as they facilitate a very important mission, the largest Mass Deportation Operation of Illegal Aliens in History,” Trump wrote. “Every day, the Brave Men and Women of ICE are subjected to violence, harassment, and even threats from Radical Democrat Politicians, but nothing will stop us from executing our mission, and fulfilling our Mandate to the American People.”

“ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History,” the president added.

The immigration protests began in LA on June 7, after local ICE raids resulted in hundreds of arrests.

The president immediately deployed the National Guard to the area when protests started two weeks ago, garnering criticism from Democrats insisting their presence would only escalate tensions.

As the protests and riots expanded nationally, continuing into this weekend, violence also took hold of certain crowds, injuring both federal and local law enforcement officials, as well as demonstrators. 

On Saturday, an innocent bystander was fatally shot during an organized protest in Salt Lake City, Utah, when two event peacekeepers in neon vests opened fire on a suspect, Arturo Gamboa, 24, who ran toward the crowd with a rifle, and ended up shooting the wrong person.

In spite of the protests, Trump doubled down on his efforts to deport illegal immigrants in his Sunday post.

“In order to achieve this, we must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,” he said. “These, and other such Cities, are the core of the Democrat Power Center, where they use Illegal Aliens to expand their Voter Base, cheat in Elections, and grow the Welfare State, robbing good paying Jobs and Benefits from Hardworking American Citizens.”

He added that he wants ICE officers “to know that REAL Americans are cheering [them] on every day.”

“The American People want our Cities, Schools, and Communities to be SAFE and FREE from Illegal Alien Crime, Conflict, and Chaos,” he wrote. “That’s why I have directed my entire Administration to put every resource possible behind this effort, and reverse the tide of Mass Destruction Migration that has turned once Idyllic Towns into scenes of Third World Dystopia. Our Federal Government will continue to be focused on the REMIGRATION of Aliens to the places from where they came, and preventing the admission of ANYONE who undermines the domestic tranquility of the United States.”

The Trump administration called for a halt on deportation raids on agricultural sites, hotels and restaurants, and not to arrest “noncriminal collaterals” the New York Times reported. The move came out of fears that the sweeping raids were hurting key industries in the U.S.

Latino District Flips To Trump As Democrats Confess ‘Massive Shift’ On Border Policy

Some Democrats are finally acknowledging they need to course correct on their immigration stance.

A new report from The New York Times revealed some leading Democrat lawmakers have admitted that open borders and immigration are costing the party and

“When you have the most Latino district in the country outside of Puerto Rico vote for Trump, that should be a wake-up call for the Democratic Party,” said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas).

The report highlighted that Gonzalez witnessed President Donald Trump “win every county in his district along the border with Mexico.” Gonzalez’s 34th district in Texas has swung dramatically from voting heavily Democratic in recent presidential elections to going in favor of Trump in 2024.

“This is a Democratic district that’s been blue for over a century,” Gonzalez told the Times.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said the Democrat Party “got led astray by the 2016 and the 2020 elections, and we just never moved back.” 

“We looked feckless, we weren’t decisive, we weren’t listening to voters, and the voters decided that we weren’t in the right when it comes to what was happening with the border,” Gallego told the Times. 

In May, Gallego released a border security plan that would speed up asylum seekers’ claims and make other countries do their “fair share” in receiving asylum seekers, as well as take action against cartel violence.

The New York Times reported that various Democrats “are pushing for a course correction they see as overdue,” noting a new proposal from the Democratic policy shop and left-wing think tank Center for American Progress. The organization is calling for expanding legal immigration but also for ramping up border security and clamping down on abuse of the nation’s asylum system, the latter two of which are longtime Republican priorities.

Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, admitted to the Times that Democrats will have to adopt some level of border security policy.

“I’m happy to argue with Stephen Miller or anyone else about why they are wrong,” Tanden told the New York Times. “But the way we’re going to be able to do that is to also honestly assess that the border has been too insecure, that it allowed too many people to come through and that we need to fix that.”

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to deport illegal immigrants as well as increase security at the U.S. border. The administration’s efforts have been criticized by progressives and violent anti-ICE protests recently prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard to California.

DeSantis Opens ‘Deportation Depot’ in Florida a Day After Alligator Alcatraz Court Victory

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Ron DeSantis via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has opened “Deportation Depot” migrant detention center in Florida, a follow-up to the embattled “Alligator Alcatraz.”

“Deportation Depot” is located about 45 miles away from Jacksonville in the community of Sanderson, at the site of the Baker Correctional Institution.

The facility has the capacity for 1,500 detainees, Fox News reported. As of Friday, a little over 100 migrants had been moved there.

DeSantis said last month that he moved to begin work on a new facility to fulfill an urgent need for more shelter for illegal migrants as they’re rounded up by ICE agents throughout the state.

“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis told reporters at the time. “I’m confident that it will be filled.”

The opening of the new facility came a day after the $250 million “Alligator Alcatraz” was granted a rare win by an appeals court.

The detention center was ordered to ship out all detainees and close within 60 days. The ruling by Judge Kathleen M. Williams stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the Friends of the Everglades and the Miccosukee Tribe that accused the Sunshine State of violating the National Environmental Policy Act.

A stay on Williams’ ruling was granted by a three-judge panel in Atlanta on Thursday, pending an appeal. “Alligator Alcatraz” can continue holding detainees for now.

In a video posted on his X account Thursday, DeSantis declared: “The mission continues on immigration enforcement.”

Until yesterday, “Alligator Alcatraz” faced a series of legal and PR losses, with some detainees alleging mistreatment.

Report: Trump Border Czar Homan, DHS Chief Noem Barely Speaking Or Meeting

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A simmering feud between Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has grown so strained that the two leaders reportedly barely speak or meet with each other, according to a new Axios report. Despite the tension, neither official is in danger of losing their job, and President Trump continues to stand by both as key figures in his aggressive border-security agenda.

The clash—with roots that appear more personal than ideological—has raised eyebrows inside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A White House adviser told Axios that Trump views the competition between Noem and Homan as a healthy dynamic that can improve overall performance. “Kristi’s doing a great job,” Trump reportedly said. “Her and Tom don’t get along, but they’re doing great.”

Personality Clash, Not Policy Collapse

Sources say the feud stems largely from a personality clash and differing leadership styles. While both leaders support tough enforcement of immigration laws, Noem’s backers have criticized Homan for oversaturating conservative media with frequent appearances, especially on Fox News, which they say sometimes carries him past official channels or consultation with DHS communications staff. Homan has appeared on conservative outlets far more than Noem this year, which insiders say has aggravated the divide.

Career Officials Bristle, But Trump Wants Results

Career immigration officials have reportedly bristled at Noem’s leadership style, including her public-facing promotion of policies like the CBP Home self-deportation app and the outsized influence of her senior adviser, Corey Lewandowski, who can only officially serve limited days under federal rules.

At the same time, Noem’s allies say Homan’s media presence sometimes strays into self-promotion, making news on policy pronouncements without coordination. But neither side is backing down, and several White House sources say Trump is satisfied with the job both are doing.

What This Means for Border Security

Despite internal friction, the Trump administration’s border enforcement efforts remain robust. Deportations have reached record levels under this team, and DHS continues to pursue hard-line priorities. That focus on illegal immigration enforcement aligns with what Trump was elected to deliver and remains popular among the president’s base.

In public remarks—such as Noem’s recent testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee—Noem has defended the administration’s approach as strengthening national security and deterring illegal entries, insisting DHS is enforcing the law without selective leniency.

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.

“We’ll have to take a look,” Trump said. “We 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! Wouldn’t that be terrible?”

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 — with Musk revving up his criticism of the Trump-backed “Big, Beautiful” budget bill. Musk, in a Monday post on X, denounced the legislation and floated the idea of forming a new political party. (RELATED: White House Responds After Elon Musk Calls Trump Megabill A ‘Disgusting Abomination’)

“It 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 – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” Musk wrote. “Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people.”

Musk followed his post up with another, targeting the House Freedom Caucus, whose members mostly voted for the House version of the bill. “How can you call yourself the Freedom Caucus if you vote for a DEBT SLAVERY bill with the biggest debt ceiling increase in history?” Musk asked, tagging Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Andy Harris (R-MD).

“Every 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,” Musk later added, making a clear threat to help primary challengers to incumbent Republicans.

Trump, in his Monday night response on Truth Social, threatened Musk’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.

“He’s upset that he’s losing his E.V. Mandate, and he’s very upset about things,” Trump said. “But 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!”

Federal Judge Faces Impeachment Threat Over Recent Deportation Fight

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Image via Pixabay

Things are heating up…

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump called for the impeachment of a judge in a Truth Social post, referring to U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg who recently sought to block deportation flights to El Salvador.

“This Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, was not elected President – He didn’t WIN the popular VOTE (by a lot!), he didn’t WIN ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, he didn’t WIN 2,750 to 525 Counties, HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY,” Trump declared in the post.

“I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” the president added.

Over the weekend, Republican Rep. Brandon Gill (Texas) said he would be pushing to impeach the federal judge who ordered the Trump administration to halt deportations of Venezuelan gang members.

“I’ll be filing Articles of Impeachment against activist judge James Boasberg this week,” Gill wrote in a post on X.

On Saturday, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The order was intended to target members of the Tren de Aragua gang, who Trump said could be arrested, restrained and removed from the country. The moment marked only the third time the wartime act has been used and the first time since World War II.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg had earlier ordered a temporary block on the deportation of five of the group’s members, which prompted Trump to issue the proclamation.

The editorial board of The New York Post also hammered billionaire Elon Musk for calling to impeach Judge Boasberg, calling the move “way out of line.”

“Elon Musk is way out of his lane in cheering a bid to impeach federal Judge James Boasberg, who’s put a temporary hold on deportation flights of illegal migrant gangbangers,” the editorial board wrote in their Sunday piece, which was highlighted by Mediaite.

“We like the idea of the flights: The brutes of Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have had it too easy for far too long, and current efforts to get tough are a necessary correction to Biden-era denial,” they added

“The case seems destined to go all the way to the Supreme Court. Can the feds simply declare anyone a TdA member before putting them on a plane off to an El Salvadoran prison?” the Post editorial board questioned in their piece.

“Which makes it just plain silly for Musk to tweet ‘necessary’ of a Texas rep’s plan to file to impeach the judge: It’s nothing of the kind, and cheering it only makes Musk look reckless — a reputation he doesn’t need when many DOGE actions also face court challenge,” they added.

Trump Administration Delivers Historic Border Security Win — 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 — 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 — 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 year’s total apprehensions happened during the final 111 days of the Biden administration — before President Trump returned to office and immediately began reversing his predecessor’s “open-border” policies.

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


Reversing Biden’s Border Chaos

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

But once Trump’s immigration directives took effect, the situation changed dramatically. Over the next 254 days, apprehensions plummeted to 65,539 — just 27% of the fiscal year’s total.

September 2025 alone saw only about 279 apprehensions per day along the Southwest border — 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 — 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 Biden’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 “catch-and-release”, ensuring illegal migrants are no longer released while awaiting hearings.
  • Shut down Biden’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 Biden’s approach, which relied on controversial “parole” programs and insisted on new legislation instead of acting on existing laws.

Mother Of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s Nephew Nabbed By ICE

Federal immigration authorities have detained the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew, a woman who officials say overstayed a decades-old tourist visa. Bruna Caroline Ferreira was taken into custody in Revere, Massachusetts, after allegedly remaining in the United States illegally since her B2 visa expired in June 1999, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson quoted by NBC News.

Ferreira, originally from Brazil, shares an 11-year-old son with Leavitt’s older brother, Michael Leavitt. In a statement to New Hampshire outlet WMUR, Michael emphasized his son’s welfare amid the situation. “The only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son,” he said.

Karoline Leavitt, 28, the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history, declined to comment on the arrest. However, a source told WMUR that Ferreira and Leavitt have not been in contact “for many years,” adding that the child “has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother.”

According to DHS, Ferreira entered the United States legally in 1998 but failed to depart when required. “She entered the US on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the US by June 6, 1999,” the agency said. “She is currently at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center and is in removal proceedings. Under President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem, all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.”

NBC News reported that Ferreira had previously been arrested on suspicion of battery, though the outcome of that case is unclear. No charges appear in Massachusetts’ online court records.

Ferreira’s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, strongly disputes DHS’s characterization of his client, arguing she should not be facing deportation. He said she has “maintained her legal status” through the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and was actively working toward obtaining a green card before her arrest.

“She’s in the process of actually getting her green card and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving,” Pomerleau told WCVB. “Bruna has no criminal record whatsoever. I don’t know where that is coming from. Show us the proof. There’s no charges out there. She’s not a criminal illegal alien.”

Pomerleau said the family has been struggling with the distance, noting that Ferreira’s son has not spoken to her since she was taken into custody. “I’m just trying to fight to get her out of jail,” he said. “She should not be sitting in a jail hours away from her family and from her child’s life. She’s a great mom, and from what I heard, I think he’s been a pretty good dad.”

He added, “His mother is locked up in Louisiana, where she should have never been in the first place.”

The case comes as the Trump administration carries out what it describes as a broad “mass deportation campaign,” emphasizing stricter enforcement of existing immigration laws. The initiative includes encouraging voluntary return for those in the country illegally and increasing operations by ICE, the Border Patrol, and state National Guard units.

A relative of Ferreira has launched a GoFundMe campaign, stating she was brought to the U.S. as a child and “followed all protocols.” The fundraiser says, “Since then, she has done everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here. She has maintained her legal status through DACA, followed every requirement, and has always strived to do the right thing.”

Ferreira remains in federal custody as her removal proceedings continue.