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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.

Trump Border Czar Lays Down The Law After Democrats Storm ICE Facility

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By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Thomas Homan, CC BY-SA 2.0,

President Trump’s border czar issued a stark warning to Democrats who recently stormed a Newark, New Jersey, ICE facility in the name of an “oversight” visit.

Tom Homan’s warning came days after Democratic officials allegedly stormed the ICE facility

“If you cannot support ICE, shame on you. If you can supportย sanctuary cities, shame on you, but you can’t cross that line,” Homan said Wednesday, railing against the Democrats during an appearance on “Kudlow.”

“When you cross a line of impediment, when you cross the line of knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, when you criminally trespass one of our facilities, we will ask the attorney general to prosecute you.”

“You can’t cross that line of impediment,” he continued.

Homanย previously responded “yes”ย when asked by a reporter if the lawmakers implicated in the situation should face censure or removal of their committee assignments.ย 

He also told Kudlow he had been in touch with Trump counselor Alina Habba, the acting U.S. attorney for the district of New Jersey, regarding the matter.

“Alina’s taking it seriously, going through a lot of videotape, talking to a lot of witnesses, and we’ll see where the investigation falls,” Homan shared.

He proceeded to blast the lawmakers as “very inappropriate” and “unprofessional,” stressing the need to control a facility containing “dangerous” illegal immigrant criminals for the safety of all parties โ€“ the detainees, officers and the public.

“Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) recently offered a specific warning to DHS officials, including Homan andย Sec. Kristi Noem, regarding Democratic officials entangled in the news.

“You lay a finger on [New Jersey Congresswoman] Bonnie Watson Coleman or any of the representatives that were there โ€“ you lay a finger on them, and weโ€™re going to have a problem,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram.

Homan dismissed the rhetoric, saying the New York Democrat “doesn’t know what she’s talking about” and that he has much more knowledge and experience in the border security realm than she does.

House Republicans have introduced measures to punish the Democrats involved in the altercation, including a censureย resolutionย against Rep. LaMonica McIver, another lawmaker from New Jersey who was at the protest, and aย resolutionย to strip them of their committee assignments.

On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned against repercussions for his fellow Democrat lawmakers who clashed with federal agents at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, last week.

During an exchange with Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, Jeffries repeatedly said โ€œtheyโ€™ll find outโ€ when pressed what might happen if the House Democrats involved in the incident were to be arrested by federal authorities or get sanctioned.

Supreme Court Rules Wrongfully Deported Man Must Return To US

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

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, aย Salvadoran national living in Maryland,ย from an El Salvador prison.

Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to the El Salvadoran mega-prison last month for being an allegedย MS-13 gang member,ย however, his attorneys maintain he does not have any gang ties. Garcia’s wrongful deportation has triggered an onslaught of criticisms from both sides of the aisle. (RELATED: IRS, DHS Reach Game-Changing Agreement For Trump Immigration Agenda)

The Supreme Court sided with U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis who initially ordered federal officials to coordinate Garcia’s return back to Maryland in a Monday order, calling his deportation “wholly unlawful.”

Fox News reports:

“On March 15, 2025, the United States removed Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia from the United States to El Salvador, where he is currently detained in the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT),” the order states. “The United States acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was therefore illegal.” 

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she “would have declined to intervene in this litigation and denied the application in full.”

“Nevertheless, I agree with the Courtโ€™s order that the proper remedy is to provide Abrego Garcia with all the processes to which he would have been entitled had he not been unlawfully removed to El Salvador,” Sotomayor wrote. “That means the Government must comply with its obligation to provide Abrego Garcia with โ€˜due process of law,โ€™ including notice and an opportunity to be heard, in any future proceedings.”

The Justice Department responded to the order in a statement to Fox News in a statement. 

“As the Supreme Court correctly recognized, it is the exclusive prerogative of the President to conduct foreign affairs,” the statement says. “By directly noting the deference owed to the Executive Branch, this ruling once again illustrates that activist judges do not have the jurisdiction to seize control of the Presidentโ€™s authority to conduct foreign policy.”

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 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.

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.

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€

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.

Former Border Patrol Chief Exploring 2028 White House Run

Former U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino has launched an exploratory committee as he considers a potential run for president in 2028, according to a report from NewsNation.

Bovino, who retired from the Border Patrol in March after nearly three decades of service, confirmed to NewsNation that his effort is currently exploratory but said he could move forward with a formal campaign if conditions align.

The exploratory committee has launched the website Bovino2028.com as part of the effort.

During President Donald Trump’s administration, Bovino emerged as one of the most visible federal officials involved in immigration enforcement operations. While in charge, he coordinated large-scale enforcement actions in major cities and became a prominent advocate for stronger border security measures and interior immigration enforcement.

Throughout his career, Bovino held leadership roles along the southern border and was widely recognized within Customs and Border Protection for his operational experience. Supporters credit him with helping oversee some of the most aggressive immigration enforcement initiatives in recent years, while also serving as a key public spokesman for border security efforts.

According to The Daily Beast, Bovino stated that if elected president, he would take a hands-on approach to immigration enforcement and deportation operations.

Since leaving government service, Bovino has remained active on social media, where he continues to advocate for expanded immigration enforcement and mass deportation policies. He has also been critical of what he views as a less aggressive approach by some current administration officials.

Bovino has publicly criticized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, White House border czar Tom Homan, and other administration figures over immigration policy and enforcement decisions. He argues that the federal government should pursue stronger action to address illegal immigration and improve border security.

His criticisms have drawn attention because they come from a former senior Border Patrol official who played a prominent role in implementing immigration enforcement operations during Trump’s second administration.

While Bovino has not formally entered the presidential race, the launch of an exploratory committee marks the first significant step toward a potential White House campaign. His prospective candidacy would likely center on border security, immigration enforcement, public safety, and law-and-order policiesโ€”issues that have defined much of his career in federal law enforcement.

No official campaign announcement has been made, and Bovino has not provided a timeline for a final decision on whether he will seek the Republican nomination in 2028.

Tom Homan Announces End Of ICE Surge Operation In Minneapolis

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By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Thomas Homan, CC BY-SA 2.0,

MINNEAPOLIS โ€” Border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that the Trump administration will conclude Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area, saying the large-scale federal immigration enforcement effort achieved its objectives and made the region safer.

Speaking at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, Homan said the stepped-up ICE operation would be scaled back after weeks of heightened federal presence and cooperation with state and local law enforcement. โ€œI have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,โ€ Homan told reporters.

Homan said the successful results of the mission โ€” including arrests of individuals with criminal histories and disrupting unlawful agitator activity โ€” warranted the drawdown. โ€œTwin Cities and Minnesota in general are and will continue to be much safer for the communities here because of what we have accomplished under President Trumpโ€™s leadership,โ€ he said during his third press conference since being tasked with leading the surge.

Federal officials say the initiative, which began late in 2025, has resulted in thousands of arrests of dangerous illegal aliens and public safety threats, helping stem criminal activity and bolster cooperation with local law enforcement.

Homan outlined that federal officers will either return to their home duty stations or be reassigned elsewhere once the drawdown is complete. โ€œLaw enforcement officers drawing down from this surge operation will either return to the duty stations or be assigned elsewhere.โ€

In recent days, Homan confirmed that 700 of nearly 3,000 federal immigration officers have already been reassigned, a move he framed as responsive to productive coordination with state officials.

The operation had drawn intense national attention and criticism after two Americans โ€” Renรฉe Good and Alex Pretti โ€” were killed in separate confrontations with federal agents during enforcement actions, sparking protests and legal challenges.