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Mother Of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavittโ€™s Nephew Nabbed By ICE

Federal immigration authorities have detained the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavittโ€™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 Leavittโ€™s older brother, Michael Leavitt. In a statement to New Hampshire outlet WMUR, Michael emphasized his sonโ€™s welfare amid the situation. โ€œThe only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of my son,โ€ 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 โ€œfor many years,โ€ adding that the child โ€œhas lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born. He has never resided with his mother.โ€

According to DHS, Ferreira entered the United States legally in 1998 but failed to depart when required. โ€œShe entered the US on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the US by June 6, 1999,โ€ the agency said. โ€œShe 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.โ€

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 Massachusettsโ€™ online court records.

Ferreiraโ€™s attorney, Todd Pomerleau, strongly disputes DHSโ€™s characterization of his client, arguing she should not be facing deportation. He said she has โ€œmaintained her legal statusโ€ through the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and was actively working toward obtaining a green card before her arrest.

โ€œSheโ€™s in the process of actually getting her green card and she was abruptly arrested and taken from her young child right before Thanksgiving,โ€ Pomerleau told WCVB. โ€œBruna has no criminal record whatsoever. I donโ€™t know where that is coming from. Show us the proof. Thereโ€™s no charges out there. Sheโ€™s not a criminal illegal alien.โ€

Pomerleau said the family has been struggling with the distance, noting that Ferreiraโ€™s son has not spoken to her since she was taken into custody. โ€œIโ€™m just trying to fight to get her out of jail,โ€ he said. โ€œShe should not be sitting in a jail hours away from her family and from her childโ€™s life. Sheโ€™s a great mom, and from what I heard, I think heโ€™s been a pretty good dad.โ€

He added, โ€œHis mother is locked up in Louisiana, where she should have never been in the first place.โ€

The case comes as the Trump administration carries out what it describes as a broad โ€œmass deportation campaign,โ€ 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 โ€œfollowed all protocols.โ€ The fundraiser says, โ€œSince 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.โ€

Ferreira remains in federal custody as her removal proceedings continue.

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.

Blue City Prosecutor Vows To Pursue Federal Agents Criminally After Trump Term Ends

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

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Soros-backed progressive prosecutor, is facing mounting bipartisan criticism after making fiery remarks comparing federal immigration agents to Nazis and suggesting they should be โ€œhunted down.โ€

Speaking last week, Krasner denounced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as โ€œa small bunch of wannabe Nazis,โ€ adding, โ€œIf we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities.โ€

The comments prompted swift backlash from Republicans, with Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) a member of the House Intelligence Committee, urging the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation.

Steube cited federal statutes that make threatening a federal law enforcement officer a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

โ€œThe DOJ should absolutely arrest and convict this guy,โ€ Steube said.

Krasner has a history of antagonism toward federal immigration enforcement. He previously claimed he would seek to arrest and prosecute federal agents who โ€œcome to Philly to commit crimes,โ€ an apparent reference to controversial law enforcement actions during a Minnesota operation in which a woman was shot after allegedly attempting to ram officers with her vehicle.

In the speech that drew Steubeโ€™s condemnation, Krasner boasted that the 350 million Americans living in the United States vastly outnumber ICE agents, and he floated the idea of coordinating with prosecutors in other states to pursue them criminally after President Donald Trumpโ€™s term ends.

Even prominent Democrats distanced themselves from Krasnerโ€™s rhetoric. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called the remarks โ€œunacceptableโ€ฆ abhorrent and it is wrong; period; hard-stop; end of sentence.โ€

Republicans were far less restrained.

โ€œWe have a psychopath with a badge,โ€ Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa) said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Meuser blasted Krasner for what he described as chronic failures to prosecute violent crime, pointing to reports that the district attorneyโ€™s office prosecutes only about 30% of violent crime arrests.

โ€œEvery responsible Democrat must condemn this behavior,โ€ Meuser said. โ€œFailure to do so only increases the temperature in an already volatile situation, endangering federal law enforcement and communities alike.โ€

Meuser also accused Senate Democrats of borrowing Krasnerโ€™s โ€œreckless political playbookโ€ by using Department of Homeland Security funding as leverage in government shutdown negotiations.

Critics have long dubbed Krasner โ€œLet โ€™Em Go Larryโ€ for his lenient prosecution policiesโ€”an approach Meuser contrasted sharply with Krasnerโ€™s aggressive posture toward federal immigration officers.

Meuser has authored the Holding Prosecutors Accountable Act, legislation that would strip Justice Department grant eligibility from district attorney offices that fail to prosecute at least two-thirds of arrests.

The Department of Homeland Security weighed in as well. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called Krasnerโ€™s comments โ€œvile,โ€ accusing him of encouraging violence and doxing of law enforcement officers.

โ€œHe is intentionally stoking the flames of hatred and division in this country for political gain,โ€ McLaughlin said, citing a reported 1,300% increase in assaults against ICE agents. โ€œThe violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop.โ€

McLaughlin argued that Krasner should instead be thanking ICE for removing dangerous criminals from the Philadelphia region, including Yehi Badawi of Egypt, convicted of aggravated assault and robbery; Cuban national Alan De Armas-Tundidor, a convicted drug trafficker; and Thanh Long Huynh of Vietnam, convicted of rape and cocaine distribution.

Other Pennsylvania Republicans emphasized that Krasnerโ€™s threats are legally hollow.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg) who taught constitutional law at the U.S. Army War College, noted that the federal supremacy clause would override any attempt by Philadelphia officials to interfere with lawful federal immigration enforcement.

โ€œThe Constitution is not optional,โ€ Mastriano said bluntly.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-Allentown) chairman of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, echoed that warning, calling claims that city officials can block ICE โ€œempty threats.โ€

โ€œIf they do obstruct federal law enforcement efforts, the Pennsylvania Senate will be the least of their worries,โ€ Coleman said, adding that if Krasner focused more on prosecuting violent offenders, โ€œPhiladelphia wouldnโ€™t be such a s—hole.โ€

As criticism intensifies, Krasnerโ€™s remarks have reignited a broader debate over progressive prosecutors, public safety, and the limits of local resistance to federal law enforcementโ€”one that now may draw scrutiny from the Justice Department itself.

Report: Impeachment Articles Officially Hit Federal Judge

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By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

On Tuesday, A house Republican filed articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who recently ordered the Trump administration to stop deportation flights being conducted under the Alien Enemies Act.

“For the past several weeks, we’ve seen several rogue activist judges try to impede the president from exercising, not only the mandate voters gave him, but his democratic and constitutional authority to keep the American people safe,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “This is another example of a rogue judge overstepping hisโ€ฆauthority.”

Gill’s resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accused U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg of abusing his power in levying an emergency pause on the Trump administration’s plans to deport illegal immigrants under a wartime authority first issued in 1798, which President Donald Trump recently invoked to get members of the criminal Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua out of the U.S.

“Chief Judge Boasberg required President Trump to turn around planes midair that had aliens associated with Tren De Aragua, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the resolution said. “This conduct jeopardizes the safety of the nation, represents an abuse of judicial power, and is detrimental to the orderly functioning of the judiciary. Using the powers of his office, Chief Judge Boasberg has attempted to seize power from the Executive Branch and interfere with the will of the American people.”

In a brief interview with Fox News Digital shortly before filing his resolution, Gill suggested he wanted the matter to go through the House in traditional form โ€“ which would first put the resolution in front of the House Judiciary Committee, where Gill is a member.

“I’ll be talking to [Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio] about it,” Gill said. “I think the best way to do thisโ€ฆis to go through the judiciary committee, which is where impeachment of judges runs through. I think the more we can stick with that plan, the better.”

Read:

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.”

Supreme Court Rules Trump May Rescind Biden-era Immigration Policy

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

The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a significant immigration win on Friday…

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a lower court order that blocked the Trump administration from deporting roughly 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.ย 

Fox News reports:

The Supreme Court decision stays, for now, a lower court ruling that halted Trump’s plans to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for some migrants living in the U.S., which allows individuals to live and work in the U.S. legally if they cannot work safely in their home country due to a disaster, armed conflict or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions.” 

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.

U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer asked justices earlier this month to allow the administration to proceed with its decision to revoke the status for the migrants, accusing U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of improperly intruding on the executive branchโ€™s authority over immigration policy.

“The district courtโ€™s reasoning is untenable,” Sauer told the high court, adding that the program “implicates particularly discretionary, sensitive, and foreign-policy-laden judgments of the Executive Branch regarding immigration policy.”

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

Democrat Files Articles Of Impeachment Against Kristi Noem

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Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

On Wednesday, Rep.ย Robin Kellyย (D-Ill.) introduced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretaryย Kristi Noem.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Kelly outlined three impeachment articles against the secretary, accusing Noem of obstruction of Congress, โ€œviolation of public trustโ€ and โ€œself-dealing.โ€

โ€œSecretary Noem has brought her reign of terror to the Chicagoland area, L.A., New Orleans, Charlotte, Durham, and communities north to south to east to west,โ€ Kelly said at the press conference. โ€œShe needs to be held accountable for her actions.โ€

The Hill reports:

The first impeachment article alleges Noem denied Kelly and other members of Congress โ€œoversight of ICE detention facilities,โ€ the congresswoman said at her presser.

Kelly explained the second article, which accuses Noem of violating public trust, by saying Noem โ€œdirected DHS agents to arrest people without warrants, use tear gas against citizens, and ignore due process.โ€

Kelly said Noem frequently says โ€œsheโ€™s taking murderers and rapists off our streets, but none of the 614 people arrested during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago has been charged or convicted of murder or rape.โ€

On the third impeachment article, which accuses the secretary of self-dealing, Kelly said Noem โ€œabused her power for personal benefit,โ€ and โ€œsteered a federal contract to a new firm run by a friend.โ€

Kelly announced her intention to file the impeachment articles last week, after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Jonathan Ross, ICE agent whoย shot Goodย in her car last week in Minneapolis, experienced internal bleeding as a result of the encounter, officials claim.

In video shot by an eyewitness, Ross and other ICE agents were seen approaching Goodโ€™s red Honda Pilot as she blocked a road during an ICE operation. When one of the agents ordered Good to โ€œget out of the f*cking carโ€ and stuck his hands in the vehicle, she tried to drive off. Thatโ€™s when Ross, who was in front of the car, fired off three shots. Good was pronounced dead a short time later.

The Trump administration has argued that the shooting was justified as self-defense, going so far as to call Good a โ€œderanged leftistโ€ and โ€œdomestic terroristโ€ who was looking to harm federal agents.

Video shows Ross walking away on his own after firing the fatal shots. Noemย said at the timeย that he was hospitalized, but she did not specify his injuries.

The congresswoman said that as of Wednesday morning the measure has the support of almost 70 members of Congress.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) brushed off the impeachment effort as โ€œsilly.โ€

โ€œHow silly during a serious time. As ICE officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, Rep. Kelly is more focused on showmanship and fundraising clicks than actually cleaning up her crime-ridden Chicago district,โ€ the spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Hill.

โ€œWe hope she would get serious about doing her job to protect American people, which is what this Department is doing under Secretary Noem.โ€

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

First Judge Approves Trump’s Use Of Alien Enemies Act For Venezuelan Deportations

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Image via Pixabay

On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines ruled that President Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged illegal immigrant gang members complies with the law.

Haines, a Trump appointee with a background as a prosecutor in Pennsylvania, ruled that Trumpโ€™s use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798 to deport Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members is legally valid, citing TdAโ€™s actions as a โ€œpredatory incursionโ€ under the law.

As The Hill reports:

Haines, a Trump appointee, emphasized her โ€œunflagging obligation is to apply the law as written.โ€ 

โ€œHaving done its job, the Court now leaves it to the Political Branches of the government, and ultimately to the people who elect those individuals, to decide whether the laws and those executing them continue to reflect their will,โ€ Haines wrote in her 43-page ruling. 

The new split comes as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has filed a wave of lawsuits across the country challenging Trumpโ€™s use of the AEA, calls on the Supreme Court to immediately take up the issue and swiftly provide a nationwide resolution.

“The Alien Enemies Act โ€” historically invoked during wartime, including World War II โ€” empowers the president to detain or deport nationals of enemy nations. Trumpโ€™s application of the law targets TdA, a Venezuelan transnational gang designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization during his second administration, despite ongoing legal debate over whether gang activity constitutes an “invasion” or “incursion.”

Tuesday’s ruling contrasts with other federal judgesโ€™ decisions, such as Judge Fernando Rodriguezโ€™s May 1, 2025, injunction against the AEAโ€™s use, highlighting a judicial split that may lead to a Supreme Court challenge.

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.