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.
Trumpโs 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 โsubject to the jurisdictionโ of the United States, a reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment.
Trump signed Executive Order 14156, titledProtecting 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.
Florida Gov.ย Ron DeSantisย has opened โDeportation Depotโ migrant detention center in Florida, a follow-up to the embattled โAlligator Alcatraz.โ
โDeportation Depotโ 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,ย 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 theyโre rounded up by ICE agents throughout the state.
โThere is a demand for this,โ DeSantis told reporters at the time. โIโm confident that it will be filled.โ
The opening of the new facility came a day after the $250 million โAlligator Alcatrazโ was granted a rare win by an appeals court.
The detention center was ordered to ship out all detainees and close within 60 days.ย The rulingย by Judgeย Kathleen M. Williamsย 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 Williamsโ ruling was granted by a three-judge panel in Atlanta on Thursday, pending an appeal. โAlligator Alcatrazโ can continue holding detainees for now.
In a video posted on his X account Thursday, DeSantis declared: โThe mission continues on immigration enforcement.โ
A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month.
In the 48-page opinion, Judge Boasberg said the court had ultimately determined that the Trump administrationโs actions on the March 15 deportation flights, which took place after he issued a bench ruling ordering their immediate return to U.S. soil, demonstrate a “willful disregard” for the court that is sufficient for the government to be found in criminal contempt.”
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Justice Department in a filing Wednesday to answer additional questions by April 23 if they want to “purge” the contempt.
That would involve identifying the individuals responsible for what he described as “contumacious conduct,” and by “determining whose โspecific act or omissionโ caused the noncompliance,” Boasberg said.
The Justice Department could then request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government and, should they decline to prosecute the matter, could “appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt.”
“The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions,” the judge continued. “None of their responses has been satisfactoryโฆ”
“As this Opinion will detail, the Court ultimately determines that the Governmentโs actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt,” Boasberg said Wednesday.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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 yearโs total apprehensions happened during the final 111 days of the Biden administration โ before President Trump returned to office and immediately began reversing his predecessorโs โopen-borderโ policies.
โFiscal year 2025 shows what happens when we enforce the law without compromise,โ said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. โFor 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 Bidenโs Border Chaos
When President Trump took office in January 2025, he inherited what many described as a border crisis fueled by Bidenโs mass-release policies. In just the first 111 days of the fiscal year, under Bidenโs watch, 172,026 apprehensions occurred โ nearly three-quarters of the yearโs total.
But once Trumpโs immigration directives took effect, the situation changed dramatically. Over the next 254 days, apprehensions plummeted to 65,539 โ just 27% of the fiscal yearโs 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 Bidenโs 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 โcatch-and-releaseโ, ensuring illegal migrants are no longer released while awaiting hearings.
Shut down Bidenโs 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 Bidenโs approach, which relied on controversial โparoleโ programs and insisted on new legislation instead of acting on existing laws.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A simmering feud between Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Trumpโs 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 clashโwith roots that appear more personal than ideologicalโhas 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. โKristiโs doing a great job,โ Trump reportedly said. โHer and Tom donโt get along, but theyโre doing great.โ
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, Noemโs 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 Noemโs 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, Noemโs allies say Homanโs 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 administrationโs 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 presidentโs base.
In public remarksโsuch as Noemโs recent testimony before the House Homeland Security CommitteeโNoem has defended the administrationโs approach as strengthening national security and deterring illegal entries, insisting DHS is enforcing the law without selective leniency.
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.
In a disappointing turn for border security advocates, the Texas Legislature has officially canceled the stateโs ambitious effort to build its own border wall โ a project that Gov. Greg Abbott hailed in 2021 as a bold step toward protecting Texans in the absence of meaningful federal action. Despite allocating more than $3 billion to the initiative, only about 65 miles of wall โ much of it scattered in rural areas โ has been completed.
Gov. Abbott launched the state-funded wall project in December 2021 after Biden administration inaction left Texans on the front lines of an escalating border crisis. At the time, Texas was the first state to attempt such a massive undertaking โ one born out of necessity as illegal crossings surged and federal authorities turned a blind eye.
Standing beside towering steel beams at the border, Abbott made it clear that Texas would do what President Biden refused to: secure the southern border. โItโs heavy and itโs wide,โ he said. โPeople arenโt making it through those steel bars.โ He was right โ but it turns out they didnโt have to. Thanks to landowner restrictions, bureaucratic red tape, and court battles, the wall was never continuous. Instead, it became a patchwork of isolated segments that migrants โ and cartels โ could easily walk around.
According to The Texas Tribune, only 8% of the 805 miles identified for construction have been completed. Those segments โ largely concentrated on privately owned ranches โ often sit in remote areas with lower migrant traffic. In other words, the federal governmentโs refusal to act left the state with the toughest and most expensive terrain, forcing Texas to play defense on the hardest frontlines with both hands tied.
And while the total cost of the wall project now stands at more than $3 billion, legislators pulled the plug quietly, slipping the decision into the final state budget without debate or public notice.
The 2025-26 state budget, passed in early June, includes a substantial $3.4 billion allocation for border security โ but none of that will fund further wall construction. Instead, those resources are being redirected to Operation Lone Star, Abbottโs ongoing border crackdown that mobilizes Texas Department of Public Safety officers and National Guard troops to deter illegal crossings and apprehend migrants.
Sen. Joan Huffman (R), who led budget negotiations, defended the shift, stating that wall construction โshould have always been a function of the federal government.โ Texas had stepped up, she said, because Washington had failed โ and continued to fail.
Some GOP lawmakers have raised concerns not about the need for border security, but about the strategic wisdom of funding isolated wall segments. Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) questioned whether lawmakers were spending billions โto give the appearance of doing something rather than taking the problem on to actually solve it.โ Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) was more blunt, calling it a โhamster wheelโ strategy.
Illegal Immigration in the United State via Wikimedia Commons
According to new reports, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller delivered a blunt ultimatum to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership in mid-May: ramp up arrests to 3,000 per day or face personnel changes.
During a tense meeting at ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C., Miller reportedly warned that regional offices failing to meet the target would see their leadership replaced. Sources familiar with the meeting said Miller left no room for interpretation โ improved numbers werenโt encouraged, they were mandatory. (RELATED: Legal Battle May Reveal Big Payouts Tied To Bidenโs Border Policies)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, also in attendance, struck a more measured tone. Still, the message was clear, according to NBC News: immigration enforcement efforts must intensify and take precedence:
Misdemeanor cases for border crossings are regularly appearing in federal court, a rarity in recent years. Justice Department teams focused on other issues are being disbanded, with members being dispersed to teams focused on immigration and other administration priorities.
And prosecutors say cases without immigration components have stalled or are moving more slowly, according to documents seen by NBC News and conversations with six current and former prosecutors and a senior FBI official, who described how immigration is now a central part of discussions around whether to pursue cases.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
โImmigration status is now question No. 1 in terms of charging decisions,โ an assistant U.S. attorney said. โIs this person a documented immigrant? Is this person an undocumented immigrant? Is this person a citizen? Are they somehow deportable? What is their immigration status? And the answer to that question is now largely driving our charging decisions.โ
At least one U.S. attorneyโs office abandoned a potential federal prosecution of someone who prosecutors felt was dangerous because the case against the person lacked an immigration component, an email obtained by NBC News showed. The office instead left the case to state prosecutors.
Mobilizing National Resources
Following the confrontation, ICE launched โOperation At Large,โ a coast-to-coast initiative designed to supercharge apprehensions. The scale is unprecedented. Over 21,000 National Guard troops and 250 IRS agents have been folded into the effort, alongside thousands of ICE and federal law enforcement personnel. (RELATED: Police Case That Fueled 2020 Protests Returns To Supreme Court)
The operationโs reach has required coordination across agencies, pulling FBI and DOJ resources away from their usual focus areas and toward immigration-related priorities.
The Daily Mailhas more on Miller’s dramatic call to action:
He then reportedly gave them an open challenge and asked: ‘Why aren’t you at Home Depot? Why aren’t you at 7-Eleven?’
Miller further pushed, getting into what an official called a ‘p***ing contest,’ saying: ‘What do you mean youโre going after criminals?โ
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
In a statement to the Examiner, ICE deputy assistant director of media affairs Laszlo Baksay said the descriptions were ‘inaccurate.’
However, the conservative-leaning outlet cited sources within ICE and DHS who claimed Millerโs remarks further eroded morale among rank-and-file agents, which was already low.
โHe had nothing positive to say about anybody,โ one official told the paper, describing the mood following Millerโs visit.
Another source painted a darker picture of the internal climate confronting ICE agents:
โTheyโve been threatened, told theyโre watching their emails and texts and Signals. Thatโs what is horrible about things right now. Itโs a fearful environment. Everybody in leadership is afraid. Thereโs no morale. Everybody is demoralized.โ
Despite the backlash, Miller defended the administrationโs approach during an appearance with Sean Hannity, insisting the 3,000-arrest-per-day quota is only a temporary benchmark โ and warning that agents should be prepared for that figure to rise.
Localized operations have revealed just how expansive the crackdown has become since Miller and Noem appeared at Potomac Center Plaza in Southwest D.C. Across the nation, agents have ramped up early-morning sweeps and workplace raids, often coordinated with minimal local notification. In Florida, a weeklong action labeled โOperation Tidal Waveโ resulted in 1,120 arrests โ the largest ICE enforcement action ever recorded in a single state.
Tennessee saw similar efforts, with 196 arrests in the Nashville area. The local response was sharply critical. Nashvilleโs mayor denounced the operation as out of step with the cityโs values and implemented policies limiting cooperation with ICE. Republicans in Congress are now investigating whether the mayorโs office leaked information about ICE agents โ a serious charge with national implications.
Focus on Career Criminals โ But Collateral Arrests Are Rising
Officially, the crackdown targets individuals with criminal records or prior deportation orders. But internal ICE guidance reportedly encourages officers to make โcollateral arrestsโ โ detaining illegal immigrants encountered in the field, even if they werenโt the original target and have no criminal history.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_icegov/54295293536/in/photostream/, Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal (CC BY-NC-SA 1.0)
The broader approach has raised legal and logistical concerns, as well as fears of potential overreach, according to immigrant advocacy groups.
Leadership Purge Signals Internal Pressure
It also hasnโt come without fallout inside ICE. Two senior officials โ Kenneth Genalo and Robert Hammer โ have been removed from their posts in recent weeks. Sources say the firings reflect internal friction over how aggressively to pursue the administrationโs ambitious targets. They also serve as a warning to others who might be perceived as resistant to the push.
White House: Fulfilling the Mandate, Critics Question the Cost
The administration stands by the operation. Officials say it delivers on President Trumpโs second-term promise: to secure the border and remove criminal illegal aliens.
Still, questions remain. Legal scholars are raising red flags over the breadth of federal involvement, and local-federal cooperation is growing more strained. As the operation continues, so does the debate โ over strategy, law, and the real-world impact on communities nationwide.
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 manโs Ford Explorer. Authorities estimate the alleged narcotics have a street value of approximately $980,000.
Breaking: ๐จ Texas border patrol found another spider monkey trying to be smuggled into America over the weekend!
And with the MAHA news: ๐จ $980K in cocaine was intercepted at the Texas-Mexico border over the weekend!
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.”
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the Trump administration may continue swiftly deporting migrants while a legal challenge to the policy proceeds.
In a 2โ1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit allowed the deportations to continue and moved to speed up the timeline for the next stage of the case. The panel issued its order without an accompanying explanation.
The Trump administration has expanded the use of โthird-country removalsโ as part of its broader immigration crackdown, deporting migrants to nations other than their countries of origin. The administration has reached agreements with several countries โ including Cameroon, South Sudan and Eswatini โ to accept deportees.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has defended the policy as a way to remove individuals it describes as particularly dangerous.
In court filings, the administration has also argued that federal judges lack the authority to intervene in how immigration enforcement policies are carried out.
The majority on the three-judge panel included Judge Jeffrey Howard, nominated by former President George W. Bush, and Judge Seth Aframe, a nominee of former President Joe Biden. Judge Lara Montecalvo, also nominated by Biden, dissented.
The ruling lifts limits imposed by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, another Biden nominee, who is overseeing a class-action lawsuit filed last year by four noncitizens challenging the deportation policy.
Murphy ruled last month that the administration could not deport migrants to third countries without first attempting to send them to their country of citizenship or another country with which they have ties.
โIt is not fine, nor is it legal,โ Murphy wrote in his decision.
His order required immigration authorities to first attempt deportation to a migrantโs country of citizenship or the country normally designated for removal. If that effort failed, Murphy said migrants must be given a โmeaningful opportunityโ to challenge their deportation once a third country is selected.
Murphy delayed the implementation of his ruling to allow the appeals court time to weigh in. The 1st Circuitโs order keeps his decision on hold while the appeal moves forward.
Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, which represents the migrants, said the group welcomed the expedited timeline.
โWhile the order unfortunately delays implementation of the decision, we appreciate that the First Circuit ordered a swift resolution of the merits of the governmentโs appeal,โ Realmuto said.
The dispute has already reached the Supreme Court once. Last year, the Trump administration successfully appealed to the high court after Murphy imposed earlier limits on the policy.
In a statement following Mondayโs ruling, a DHS spokesperson said the courtโs decision supports the administrationโs position.
โThe Biden Administration allowed millions of illegal aliens to flood our country, and the Trump Administration has the authority to remove these criminal illegal aliens and clean up this national security nightmare,โ the spokesperson said. โIf these activist judges had their way, aliens who are so uniquely barbaric that their own countries wonโt take them back, including convicted murderers, child rapists and drug traffickers, would walk free on American streets.โ
Federal immigration authorities have detained the mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavittโs 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 Leavittโs older brother, Michael Leavitt. In a statement to New Hampshire outlet WMUR, Michael emphasized his sonโs welfare amid the situation. โThe 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 โfor many years,โ adding that the child โhas 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. โShe entered the US on a B2 tourist visa that required her to depart the US by June 6, 1999,โ the agency said. โShe 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.
Ferreiraโs attorney, Todd Pomerleau, strongly disputes DHSโs characterization of his client, arguing she should not be facing deportation. He said she has โmaintained 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.
โSheโs 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. โBruna has no criminal record whatsoever. I donโt know where that is coming from. Show us the proof. Thereโs no charges out there. Sheโs not a criminal illegal alien.โ
Pomerleau said the family has been struggling with the distance, noting that Ferreiraโs son has not spoken to her since she was taken into custody. โIโm just trying to fight to get her out of jail,โ he said. โShe should not be sitting in a jail hours away from her family and from her childโs life. Sheโs a great mom, and from what I heard, I think heโs been a pretty good dad.โ
He added, โHis 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 โmass 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 โfollowed all protocols.โ The fundraiser says, โSince 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.