FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are launching an effort that would require the nation’s capital to abandon its sanctuary city policies. 

Sanctuary cities are local jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities, including refusing to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests. 

As a result, the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act would eliminate sanctuary city laws in the District of Columbia and bar Washington, D.C., from implementing any policy that allows it to circumvent complying with Homeland Security and ICE on detainer requests for illegal immigrants. 

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER CRACKING DOWN ON ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES, THREATENS THEIR FEDERAL FUNDING

“Unconscionable that our nation’s capital would facilitate illegality and thwart federal law enforcement efforts,” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., who introduced the measure in the Senate Wednesday, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “President Trump’s efforts to enforce immigration laws should not be undermined by local leadership anywhere in the United States, let alone Washington, D.C.”  

Washington has a series of sanctuary city policies. For example, the D.C. City Council adopted a measure in 2020 that restricts D.C. officials from learning the immigration status of individuals in custody, and bars the jurisdiction from transferring individuals to federal immigration agencies. 

Other jurisdictions with sanctuary city policies include Chicago, New York City, Boston and Los Angeles, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

Meanwhile, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration in April from restricting federal funds for sanctuary cities, claiming it violates the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the spending clause, in addition to the Fifth and 10th Amendments.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., introduced the legislation in the House in March. 

“Sanctuary policies have devastating real-life consequences,” Higgins said in a Wednesday statement. “As our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., should be the safest, most ‘America First’ city in the United States, and Congress has the constitutional authority to end the city’s sanctuary status.”

YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING CONTINGENT ON ICE COOPERATION

The legislation aligns with initiatives from the White House to crack down on sanctuary cities. 

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding the Justice Department and Homeland Security establish a list of all sanctuary cities failing to follow federal immigration laws.

Per the executive order, cities will receive notification and have the opportunity to drop the sanctuary status. Failure to do so could cause them to risk losing federal funding, according to the executive order. 

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The order also instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “pursue all legal remedies” to encourage sanctuary cities into compliance with federal law, according to a Monday White House fact sheet shared with Fox News Digital.

“It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “The American public don’t want illegal alien criminals in their communities. They made that quite clear on Nov. 5, and this administration is determined to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.” 

EXCLUSIVE: The American Parents Coalition (APC) is weighing in on a lawsuit against a Florida middle school accused of secretly socially transitioning a 13-year-old girl behind her family’s back.

The group, which advocates for the rights of parents and families across the country, filed a brief in support of the Littlejohn family with the 11th Circuit Court on Wednesday. APC is arguing that so-called social transitioning is a type of medical treatment and that “parents have a substantive due process right to be informed about the treatments a school administers to their minor child and to refuse those treatments.”

The girl’s parents, January and Jeffrey Littlejohn, filed the suit against the school board of Leon County, Florida.  

In an interview earlier this year, January Littlejohn, who was one of President Donald Trump’s guests at his address to a joint session of Congress, shared how the school’s actions had an extreme, “destructive” effect on her daughter and entire family. Littlejohn said that despite the school’s behavior, her daughter has worked through her gender confusion. But she said the school’s actions created a “huge wedge between us and our daughter” that “took many years to repair.”

TRUMP GUEST WHOSE DAUGHTER WAS TRANSITIONED BEHIND HER BACK SPEAKS OUT 

She explained that the school “took it upon themselves to intervene and socially transition my child” when the girl and her friends became fixated on their gender identity.

Though some consider social transitioning virtually harmless, Littlejohn explained that it “goes way beyond name and pronouns.”

“They sit the child down, and, in our case, it was behind closed doors with three adults that consisted of the school counselor, the assistant principal and a social worker I had never met, and they did an official ‘gender support plan,’” she explained.

In this session, Littlejohn said, the school staff asked her daughter what bathroom and locker rooms she wanted to use, which sex she wanted to room with during overnight trips and whether she wanted her parents to be notified.

PARENTS TELL SCOTUS: LGBTQ STORYBOOKS IN CLASSROOMS CLASH WITH OUR FAITH

“They put the burden on her as to whether or not my parental rights would be honored by deciding she was the sole decision-maker as to whether or not my husband and I would be notified of the meeting,” she explained.

Littlejohn said that when she made inquiries about the session to the school, she was told “they could not give me any information about that meeting” and “that my daughter was now protected by a nondiscrimination law.”

Despite this, a three-judge panel from the 11th Circuit Court ruled 2-1 against the Littlejohns, saying the incident did not violate the parents’ due process rights. 

COLORADO’S ‘TOTALITARIAN’ TRANSGENDERISM BILL SPARKS CONCERNS FROM PARENTS

After this ruling, the Littlejohns appealed to have their case heard by the entire 11th Circuit Court. The American Parents Coalition joined in support of the Littlejohns’ lawsuit Wednesday.

In its brief, APC states that the Leon County School Board “violated the requirements of substantive due process when it started a minor child on the road to gender transition without the knowledge and consent of the child’s parents.”

‘LET US BE THE PARENTS’: SUPREME COURT SHOULD LET PARENTS OPT KIDS OUT OF LGBTQ SCHOOL LESSONS, LAWYER ARGUES

The brief argues that, regardless of debates about the safety and efficacy of gender transition treatments, “this much is clear: social transitioning is the first step in a process to treat a psychiatric diagnosis of gender dysphoria that then leads to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries.”

The group said that “even for proponents of this care, this first step can’t be taken lightly.” Yet, in the Littlejohns’ case, “the local school board decided that the parents should not be informed and need not consent before their middle-school age child is socially transitioned.”

“There’s no doubt that social transitioning is a medical treatment,” the group argues. “Parents should be involved in the medical process from this very first step — they should walk with their children through the challenges of growing up.”

Alleigh Marré, executive director of APC, explained the decision to join the Littlejohns’ suit, telling Fox News Digital her group is determined to “support parents and families and ensure nothing stands between parents and their child.”

FLORIDA AG LAUNCHES OFFICE OF PARENTAL RIGHTS, LENDING LEGAL FIREPOWER TO DEFEND PARENTS’ ‘GOD-GIVEN RIGHT’

“No parent should ever be kept in the dark about their child,” said Marré. “When the school took steps to socially transition the Littlejohns’ daughter without their knowledge or consent, it wasn’t a misstep, it was a deliberate attempt to cut parents out of critical decisions while pushing gender ideology onto a child.

“This blatant flouting of parental rights and authority simply cannot be accepted or normalized.”

Leon County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Senate Finance Committee hearing to consider Rodney Scott’s nomination to be commissioner of Customs and Border Protection began with fireworks from the panel’s top Democrat.

Scott was lambasted by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon over a controversy involving a person who died in CBP custody in 2010. The criticisms prompted a Tuesday letter from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is like the point guard for everything the U.S. government does at our borders,” Wyden said at the start of the hearing on Wednesday. 

“A person who holds this job should have deep experience with both customs and with protecting our borders, along with unimpeachable judgment. Today’s hearing is to determine whether Rodney Scott possesses that experience, along with the strength of character to be trusted with one of the most important jobs in the federal government,” he said, claiming Scott “falls short.”

BORDER PATROL CHIEF STEPPING DOWN AFTER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO REPLACE HIM

The Democrat then delved into details of the detention and death of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, who was allegedly beaten while in CBP custody in 2010 when Scott was a top official in the San Diego office.

Wyden claimed Scott’s office “taped over the only video copy” of the man’s death and tampered with evidence, citing court documents.

He then referenced a letter he sent to Noem seeking documents on the Rojas incident.

That request spurred Noem to write a scathing response to the Oregon Democrat, calling out “the minority’s uninformed account of Mr. Scott’s alleged role in the 2010 investigation of the death of Mr. Anastasio Hernandez Rojas [which] was infuriating and offensive to read.”

“This response seeks to correct the record and clarify that Mr. Scott is a dedicated and honorable public servant,” she said, adding, “Your account alludes to the Committee’s erroneous impression that Mr. Scott was present at the unfortunate series of events leading to Mr. Hernandez Rojas’ death, or that Mr. Scott presided over CBP’s investigation into Mr. Hernandez Rojas’ death.” 

21 REPUBLICANS, LED BY BOEBERT, MOVE TO CENSURE BIDEN OVER ‘FAILURE’ TO ENFORCE BORDER LAWS

“Contrary to what your letter describes, Mr. Scott did not impede any investigation, nor did he take steps to conceal facts from investigators.”

“Mr. Scott’s twenty-nine years of service at the U.S. Border Patrol provides him with the hands-on experience to oversee one of the world’s largest – and most important – law enforcement agencies. 

“President Trump rightfully prioritizes border security and recognizes the need for effective leadership at CBP. Mr. Scott is highly qualified for the job at hand, and the President made an excellent choice in nominating him for this position.” 

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, later offered Scott an opportunity to respond to Wyden.

Scott said he was not involved in the detention of Rojas, nor was he in the vicinity when it happened. 

Asked about a controversial subpoena in the case, he said it was for information gathering and to seek medical records for Rojas since he died in federal custody.

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“Absolutely not,” Scott later answered when asked if he interfered in that investigation at all.

“Secretary… Noem responded to the request and cited official investigations and statutes to note that Mr. Scott’s ministerial work following the death – including authorizing a subpoena to request medical records that were provided to the San Diego police department – was in accordance with his duties, the law and professional standards,” Crapo said in criticizing the allegations.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

–Elon Musk no longer working on DOGE efforts from White House: report

-Kamala Harris plans to take on Trump in first major speech since leaving office 

-Liberal Supreme Court justices grill religious institution in landmark school choice case

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz escalated his war of words with a former Iranian regime official who, as a faculty member at Princeton, was reportedly making Jewish students feel uncomfortable amid global tensions.

“I try not to be in the room with people linked to Iranian terrorists who have murdered dozens of dissidents,” Cruz wrote in response to a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, from former Iranian Ambassador to Germany Seyed Hossein Mousavian.

“Your books are unreadable, and the only debate you should be having is with DHS agents, at the end of which you should be deported,” Cruz quipped…Read more 

‘BACK ON THE TABLE’: Trump admin uses Luigi Mangione case to ‘send a message’ in first 100 days

RAMPING UP: Trump to name Haitian gangs foreign terrorist organizations

‘TRUST, CONNECTED VOICE’: New Trump linked consulting firm launches in DC focused on crypto, AI

JUDGE STRIKES AGAIN: Biden-appointed federal judge keeps blocking Trump admin from nixing funding for lawyers for migrant children

‘INCREASED THE INTENSITY’: Russian attacks on Ukraine intensify in make-or-break week for peace talks

COVER-UP: Iran accused of ‘covering up’ death toll in port explosion amid concerns of uprising

TROOPS IN UKRAINE: 600 North Korean troops killed while fighting Ukraine, South Korea says

DONE DEAL: Germany poised to get new conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz

FIRST ON FOX: US and Uzbekistan reach an agreement for Uzbekistan to accept its nationals

TEHRAN TRICKERY: Warning to Trump nuke negotiators about deceptive ‘Iranian version of the Art of the Deal’

DEPORTATION WAVE: Mexico says it accepted 39K deportees from the US, mostly Mexican nationals

BETTER AT BUSINESS: ‘Shark Tank’ star insists AOC is a capitalist at heart: ‘The best marketeer in politics’

TAX TIME: Millionaire tax-hike proposal has House Republicans divided

LETTER OF THE LAW: Trump’s first 100 days: Pace of executive orders leaves Congress in the dust

SECOND THOUGHTS: What to do if you have REAL ID but wish you didn’t

‘CODE TALK TO WHITE GUYS’: Walz on why Harris picked him for veep

BORDER BURDEN: Texas hospitals hit with $122 million bill for illegal immigrants’ care in single month

SPEAKING UP: Supreme Court to hear arguments on school choice case involving Catholic charter school

DYING ‘WITH DIGNITY’: New York Assembly passes bill to legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill

‘GETTING DESPERATE’: Violent MS-13 gangbangers getting ‘desperate’ as DHS official credits early Trump action

‘SUPRISED AND SHOCKED’: Federal judge says local law enforcement must stop enforcing new immigration law

‘NOT AFRAID OF YOU’: Anti-Israel Columbia protester detained by ICE is freed after federal judge’s order

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., reflected on his visit to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Stewart County, Georgia, last week, emphasizing that he remains optimistic that there is room for congressional achievements on related policies.  

“It was a very transparent visit,” Davis told Fox News Digital in an interview, noting he also had the opportunity to speak with detainees. “We were able to move around and go to places. I was even able to engage, again, with detainees.”

“Probably the best word I would use, which one of the senior administrators used, was ‘busy,’” he added.

TEXAS HOSPITALS HIT WITH $122 MILLION BILL FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS’ CARE IN SINGLE MONTH

The North Carolina Democrat emphasized that although there have been rapid changes in border and immigration policies in recent months, the legislative branch needs to step up to make changes.

“I believe there are broader steps we need to take in Congress to act. I believe we need to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform. I believe that we, without any doubt, need to secure the border as next steps. The number of unlawful entries indeed have come down, but again, we can’t just stop where we are now. We need to continue to make sure, you know, that we protect the American people,” Davis said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“We have to crack down on the illegal fentanyl that’s making entry into the country,” the lawmaker added.

SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN

Since Trump took office, migrant encounters at the border have plummeted with just over 7,000 apprehensions in March, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

“We have the most secure border in the history of this nation, and the numbers prove it. President Trump’s policies are saving lives every day,” border czar Tom Homan said at the 100 days White House news conference on Monday.

Davis is a second-term congressman who represents parts of eastern North Carolina, in one of the few districts that backed President Donald Trump in November but elected a Democrat to Congress.

Last June, Davis and three other Democratic lawmakers called for the Biden administration to ramp up border security.

“This order is an overdue step, but our southern border is still not secure,” the group said regarding an executive order at the time.

TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES SHOCKINGLY LOW NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS COMPARED TO BIDEN YEARS: ‘UNPRECEDENTED’

Davis noted that he observed some detainees actively going through the judicial process that could determine their future, which could entail deportation.

“I was able to observe a detainee actually going through a judicial review and having a hearing,” Davis said, noting he “also witnessed others that were in private security areas, talking to their attorneys.”

“So the takeaway for me is, as we’re seeing more detainees coming through detention centers, it is important that we walk away prioritizing public safety. We cannot compromise on public safety whatsoever. And I believe we can still do it in a way in which we are able to abide by our Constitution.”

There’s been an ongoing discussion about due process for those in the country illegally, as many suspected of criminal gang activity through designated terrorist groups like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have been transported to El Salvador. 

EXCLUSIVE: WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said he feels “very empowered” by President Donald Trump, telling Fox News Digital that there is “complete trust across the senior team,” and “good synergies” in “service of a common vision.” 

Vance sat for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Wednesday in his West Wing office inside the White House. 

The vice president reflected on his role as vice president, which, notably, is not limited to a specific portfolio, but rather a broad role touching on foreign and domestic policy issues and more.

FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM

“Obviously, the president makes decisions. And what’s so good about the team that we have, both on the economic side, but also on the foreign policy side, is the president gives directives, and each person has their role in fulfilling those directives, and there is complete trust across the senior team,” Vance explained to Fox News Digital. “It’s kind of empowering, because you don’t have to constantly check in — you don’t have to micromanage some of these things.”  

Vance told Fox News Digital that he spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tuesday, after not having spoken to him “for four or five days before then.” 

“It’s kind of nice to just know that you’ve got the secretary of State working on his stuff, the Department of Defense secretary who’s working on his stuff, and I’m, of course, working on my stuff,” Vance said. “And then we all come back; we update the president; we go from there.” 

But Vance said it is “a very fluid and dynamic situation.” 

WHITE HOUSE LISTS DOZENS OF ‘HOAXES’ PUSHED BY MEDIA, CRITICS IN TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS

“I think that will certainly continue over the next 100 days — over the next four years,” Vance said. “But I think what enables it — what makes it possible — is that people actually trust one another.” 

Vance told Fox News Digital that the president “has full faith in his team.” 

“And it just makes it very easy to actually work successfully when you’re not constantly checking in and you’re not constantly, you know, dealing with the bureaucracy,” Vance said. “You can just go and do your job.” 

Vance told Fox News Digital that he, as vice president, feels “very empowered by the president.” 

“I was talking to Secretary Rubio about this yesterday, and I think Marco Rubio feels very empowered, and there’s just this sense that the President both likes and trusts his senior team, and so he’s able to govern effectively,” Vance explained. “The president is dealing with a million different things, but it’s a lot more digestible when you can give directives to your team and say, ‘Go and do this.’ And that’s what’s happening on the economic side. It’s what’s happening on the national on the national security side.” 

“And obviously, because I’m the vice president, I have a more global view of this, but it’s really an amazing thing to see, because there’s just a lot of good synergies that, you know, I don’t know if the president had the first administration — I don’t know if any president has had in prior administrations — where there was such great confidence in the team.” 

“You read stories about, you know, Kamala Harris’s portfolio, or you read stories about other vice presidents, about, even Dick Cheney’s portfolio, where there was this dynamic of, there were turf battles, and one person was trying to say, ‘This is what I work on, and this is what you work on, and don’t step on my territory,’” Vance explained. “There’s just none of that.” 

Vance added: “Because our territory is what the president has told us that we have to get done, and we don’t mind sharing that territory if it’s in service of a common vision, which it is.” 

PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT: HOW TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS STACK UP AGAINST INAUGURATION DAY PLEDGES

Meanwhile, when asked for highlights of the first 100 days of the Trump administration, Vance pointed to his first foreign trip in February to France to discuss artificial intelligence.

“A lot of people were very excited about American leadership in AI, but then, of course, we gave a speech heard around the world at Munich where I thought — it’s just one of the things you can do with this office is say things that need to be said,” Vance told Fox News Digital.

“And I thought it needed to be said that some of our European allies have gone backward on free speech, on religious expression, on border control, and in the same way that President Trump is trying to change that dynamic in the United States of America, I think it would behoove our European friends to do the same.”

Another highlight, Vance said, was visiting Eagle Pass, Texas.

“That was another highlight, because there was a sense of — and I don’t mean this negatively — almost boredom at Eagle Pass because the Border Patrol agents were showing me photos of these places that were just overwhelmed by illegal immigrants and now — you can’t see anybody.”

Vance reflected on “visualizing the drop in just a few short weeks of a 95% reduction in illegal immigration, and the fact that these guys felt like they didn’t have as much to do.”

“But if they don’t have that much to do, that means we’re doing the American people’s business,” Vance said. “And just seeing that so crystal clear — a connection between Donald Trump’s policies and the end of the border crisis — just good things for the American people.”

“It was a very cool day,” he said. “I also got to ride in a helicopter.”

FIRST ON FOX: Fox News Digital obtained a second protective order case filed against Kilmar Abrego Garcia from 2020, a year before another protective order that recently surfaced against the suspected MS-13 gang member being held in El Salvador.

Abrego Garcia, 29, is a Salvadoran illegal immigrant and suspected MS-13 gang member who was living in Maryland until he was deported to the high-security Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in his home country during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.  

Though many Democrats hold that Abrego Garcia is an innocent man who was “wrongly deported,” the administration has pointed to considerable evidence that he is a member of the infamous MS-13 gang. In April, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision ordering the Trump administration to arrange Abrego Garcia’s return. 

DEM SENATOR SAYS ABREGO GARCIA SITUATION ‘NOT GOING TO END WELL’ FOR TRUMP, ARGUES HE’S ‘UNDERMINING’ FREEDOM

The court required the “government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’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.” 

The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from returning to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is “up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us.” 

This has caused significant outrage among Democrats, several of whom, despite mounting evidence against Abrego Garcia, have flown to El Salvador to advocate for his release. 

WH SAYS ‘NO DISPUTE’ DEPORTED SUSPECTED GANG MEMBER HAD MS-13 TATTOOS DESPITE PHOTOS TO THE CONTRARY

The document, reviewed by Fox News Digital, alleges that his wife accused him of verbal and physical abuse against her and mental abuse against her children. The petition for protection form filed in Maryland by Jennifer Vasquez Sura has boxes checked for “acts of abuse,” including kicking, slapping, shoving, mental injury of a child and detaining against will.

On Aug. 11, 2020, Vasquez Sura asked for the petition to be rescinded, saying her family wanted to take part in their son’s birthday, and Abrego Garcia “also agreed to continue counseling and if not [he’s] willing to sign divorce papers.”

The original petition form lists their son and Abrego Garcia’s stepchildren needing protection.

It says on Aug. 3, 2020, that her “husband took [her] phone around 1:00 a.m., and in the morning he wanted to take my car, but I told him I was going to go out with my kids. He then got angry. I went upstairs to make food for my kids but he turned off the stove.”

In addition, the form said Abrego Garcia had threatened her and wrote that she has a recording in which he “told [her] ex-mother-in-law that even if he kills me no one can do anything to him.”

VIOLENT MS-13 GANGBANGERS GETTING ‘DESPERATE’; DHS OFFICIAL CREDITS EARLY TRUMP ACTION

The form also describes an incident in November 2019 when he grabbed her “by the hair in the car.” In December 2019, he allegedly grabbed her hair in the car and “dragged” her “out of car leaving [her] in the street.” She wrote that he also “broke” her son’s tablet, “broke doors” in the house, pushed her against a wall, broke a phone and a television and damaged the walls that spring.

This comes after Fox News Digital reported on written domestic violence allegations filed in court against Abrego Garcia by Vasquez Sura in 2021, but the case was dismissed because she did not make it to a court appearance, CBS News reported. 

In the filing, written in Vasquez’s handwriting, she alleges Abrego Garcia repeatedly beat her, writing, “At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me.”

Vasquez alleged that Abrego Garcia punched and scratched her eye, leaving her bleeding. He also allegedly threw her laptop on the floor. She wrote that, on another day, Abrego Garcia got angry again, started yelling and ripped her shirt and shorts off before grabbing her arm and leaving marks.

In addition to this, according to police and court records shared with Fox News Digital, Abrego Garcia was arrested in Hyattsville, Maryland, in October 2019, at which point he was identified by the Prince George’s County Police Gang Unit as an MS-13 gang member. 

FEDERAL JUDGE ALLEGES ‘WILLFUL AND BAD FAITH REFUSAL’ TO COMPLY IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION CASE

A federal immigration court in Baltimore further determined Abrego Garcia was not eligible for release because he “failed to meet his burden of demonstrating that his release from custody would not pose a danger to others, as the evidence shows that he is a verified member of MS-13.”

The court held that “the fact that a ‘past, proven, and reliable source of information’ verified the Respondent’s gang membership, rank, and gang name is sufficient to support that the Respondent is a gang member” and that Abrego Garcia had “failed to present evidence to rebut that assertion.”

Several DHS sources have confirmed to Fox News Digital records indicating that Abrego Garcia was previously pulled over by a Tennessee highway patrol trooper while driving an SUV belonging to Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, another illegal alien who in 2020 confessed to human smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The trooper noticed eight individuals in the car with Abrego Garcia, who said he began driving three days prior from Houston, Texas, to Temple Hills, Maryland, via St. Louis, Missouri, to “perform construction work.” The report on the stop states that the trooper suspected it was a human trafficking incident because there was no luggage in the vehicle. Additionally, the individuals in the car reportedly gave the same address as Abrego Garcia’s home address. 

DEMOCRAT FAULTS HIS OWN PARTY FOR PICKING WRONG BATTLE WITH CASE OF DEPORTED MS-13 SUSPECT

When speaking with the trooper, Abrego Garcia allegedly “pretended to speak less English than he was capable of and attempted to put encountering officer off-track by responding to questions with questions.” After the incident, the officer decided not to issue Abrego Garcia a citation for the driving infractions. Instead, he gave him a warning for driving with an expired license. 

New documents further reveal that Abrego Garcia was driving a black 2001 Chevrolet Suburban that he said belonged to his “boss.” The Suburban was identified by DHS as belonging to Hernandez Reyes, who pleaded guilty to human smuggling after being caught in Mississippi in a car with passengers from Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras.

According to another document also confirmed by DHS sources, the Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore field office further flagged the vehicle being driven by Abrego Garcia as belonging to a target they suspected of human trafficking or smuggling.

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The office said the “vehicle is used by HSI Baltimore target in human smuggling/trafficking operation. Vehicle makes trips to southern border to pick up non-citizens.”

Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., who snagged an endorsement from President Donald Trump this week, is firing back at Colorado Democrats following a series of “People’s Town Halls” that went off the rails during the April congressional recess, as intra-party tensions and strange songs took center stage. 

“While Democrats goof off and sing songs, Congressman Gabe Evans is working hard and fighting to make Colorado a better and safer place to live, work, and raise a family,” Evans’ spokeswoman said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, one of several Democrats hosting town halls in Republican-held congressional districts, traveled to Colorado for a Democrat-run town hall in Evans’ home district last week. The town hall was derailed by questions about the Democratic Party, undercutting the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) plan to provide a “platform to fight back against Republicans’ dangerous agenda.”

Town hall attendees asked question after question about the party’s future and expressed concerns that Democrats aren’t doing enough to resist Trump’s second term, according to a report by The New York Times. Meanwhile, Casar spoke in front of a cardboard cutout of Evans with chicken legs. 

FRESHMAN GOP LAWMAKER REFLECTS ON FIRST 90 DAYS IN CONGRESS AND PREVIEWS WHAT’S NEXT: ‘REALLY REWARDING’

“Republican members of Congress still aren’t willing to meet with their own constituents, so I’m still doing town halls in their districts to talk to their constituents. Today I traveled to Colorado’s 8th District to answer questions and talk about what we can do to fight back,” Casar said on X following the event. 

WISCONSINITES KICKED OUT AND DENIED ENTRY TO THIS DEMOCRAT’S ‘FAKE TOWN HALL’

As of Monday, the DNC reported hosting 100 “People’s Town Halls” in 45 states, alongside the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the Association of State Democrats Committee (ASDC). 

“Americans of every political party are mad as hell that not only are Republicans jacking up the cost of living by slashing your Medicaid, threatening your Social Security, and eliminating your school’s funding to pay for tax cuts for billionaires — they don’t even have the courage to face their own constituents in-person. Colorado Democrats were proud to bring Rep. Greg Casar to town to give folks a real town hall and ensure their voices were heard — right in Gabe Evans’ backyard,” Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib said in a statement this week. 

But as constituents in Colorado used the forum to express their concerns with the Democratic Party, not the Republican Party, the town halls have been ridiculed by conservatives on social media for falling into theatrics. 

A video posted by conservative communicator, Steve Guest, from a town hall hosted by the Colorado Working Families Party last weekend, showed a woman singing into a microphone, “Oh, Gabey boy. Oh, Gabey boy. You work for us,” as the crowd erupted in cheers. 

“Since when is singing a ridiculous song like this part of a serious town hall? Never. The Democrat Party is floundering—that’s why people were singing laughable songs like this one in CO-08 this week,” Guest said on X. 

“You are not here… You just run and hide… We call you here to do your freaking job,” the woman sang. 

According to the event announcement, “The People’s Town Hall: Where is Gabe?” invited Evans to speak to constituents at the progressive group’s town hall. The group planned to listen to stories from the community if he didn’t attend, which he did not. 

Evans was the only candidate to flip a House district red in a blue state in the 2024 election, according to his campaign. The Colorado Republican picked up a key endorsement from Trump this week for his 2026 re-election campaign. 

“Congressman Gabe Evans is an America First Patriot who is doing a fantastic job representing Colorado’s 8th Congressional District!” Trump said on Truth Social, “Gabe Evans has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

“Thank you Mr. President! I am dialed in on making sure our community is free of criminal illegal immigrant gangs and making Colorado a safer place to live, work, and raise a family. Proud to be fighting for #CO08 in Congress,” Evans replied on X. 

Trump also endorsed Evans in 2024 as he unseated former Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo. Cook Political Report, a leading nonpartisan political handicapper, ranked Evans’ district a “toss up” in 2026.

The DNC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

EXCLUSIVE: WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said the first 100 days of the Trump administration were about making changes “very quickly,” but the next 100 days will require Congress and international partners to “step up to the plate.”

Vance spoke about the opportunities he sees ahead to “juice the economy” and end the war between Ukraine and Russia during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Wednesday — Day 101 of the Trump administration — in his office in the West Wing of the White House. 

“The first 100 days is — you’re almost fixing and addressing all the things that are very easy to do,” Vance said. “I mean, the border crisis is a matter of presidential enforcement. You have a different president. You have different enforcement policies that happen immediately that don’t require an act of Congress. It is just something you can change immediately.

TRUMP EASES AUTO TARIFFS AS HE CELEBRATES 100TH DAY WITH MICHIGAN RALLY

“A lot of our energy policies are permitting policies,” he continued. “We’re trying to make it easier to build things. Those are things you can change very quickly.” 

But Vance cautioned that “the next 100 days are going to be a lot of things that don’t change as quickly.” 

“It’s the big, beautiful bill — the reconciliation bill that we think will lead to permanent tax relief for Americans, but also juice the economy a little bit,” he said. “That’s going to be a major focus.” 

“Obviously, we have a lot of foreign policy issues that we’ve been working on that I think are going to come to fruition one way or another over the next 100 days,” he said. “You know, the president made very clear that he doesn’t want Iran to have a bomb. He would like to bring the Russia–Ukraine conflict to a durable solution where you don’t have 5,000 people dying every single week on both sides of that conflict.” 

When asked where negotiations stand with regard to Russia and Ukraine, Vance told Fox News Digital “the first and necessary step of getting the Russia-Ukraine conflict solved is to get each of them to make a peace proposal.

DEFUNDING DEI: HERE’S HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS UNDONE BIDEN’S VERY PRIZED PROGRAMS

“And that’s actually happened. The Ukrainians have said, ‘This is what we want.’ The Russians have said, ‘This is what we want,’ and now the work of diplomacy is to try to sort of bring these two sides closer together,” Vance said. “Because there’s a very big gulf between what the Russians want and what the Ukrainians want.” 

Vance said “a lot of our European friends who, in public, will say, ‘Well, you know, we didn’t necessarily agree with the president what he said, or what he’s done, or, you know, all parts of his policy.’ They will at the same time say he’s the only person who could have actually forced a peace proposal out of each side because these guys weren’t even talking — not to each other, not to anybody. They were just fighting. That was it.

“So, we’ve got this first step,” Vance added. “We’ve got the peace proposal out there and issued, and we’re going to work very hard over the next 100 days to try to bring these guys together.” 

TRUMP HAS HIS OWN DEADLINE, ‘NO ALLEGIANCE TO ANYBODY’ IN UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL

Meanwhile, the vice president will travel Thursday to Huger, South Carolina, for a factory tour at Nucor Steel Berkeley, one of the largest manufacturers of steel in the United States. 

“The message tomorrow is really just a pro-American manufacturing message,” Vance said, adding he is going to “tie it back to national security.” 

“One of the things that we learned the hard way over the last, you know, 15 to 20 years in this country is that national security is downstream of economic power,” Vance said. “And if there are things that your troops need or things that your critical industries need that they can only get from a hostile adversary, then you’re not nearly as strong as you thought you were.” 

Vance said President Donald Trump “has really set about rebalancing this in a very fundamental way.” 

“This is, in my view, a once-in-a-generation change, and it was totally necessary. It has to happen,” Vance said. “And we’re going to talk about the things that we’re going to do to facilitate that rebalancing of global trade.” 

Vance said that because supply chains of companies “are so complicated, the goal is to facilitate them, moving more stuff on shore.” 

“We work with industry,” Vance continued. “The president has an extremely open door, and so when he is persuaded that he has to pursue a particular policy in an effort to facilitate more American manufacturing, that’s what he’s going to do, because that’s the goal. And I think you’re going to see, certainly, that continue over the next 100 days in the same way it has over the first 100 days.

“So, that’s kind of how I think about it. The first 100 days, you can get a lot done with just the president’s signature on a piece of paper,” Vance said. “The next 100 days are going to be a lot of things where we need Congress, and, in some cases, some of our international partners, to step up to the plate.

“I have great confidence in Congress. I have some confidence in our international partners. We’ll see how it goes.” 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday that a restructuring was underway at President Donald Trump’s direction to eliminate “well-documented politicization” of the agency. 

Trump joked during a meeting of his Cabinet secretaries on Wednesday that perhaps Ratcliffe was the only one “who’s not allowed to talk about the great job he’s done,” given the classified nature of the Central Intelligence Agency’s work. 

“At your direction, the CIA has deployed our unique covert action, authorities in various places and continents, to successfully advance your national security and foreign policy priorities, to advance peace, to end wars, to take terrorists off the battlefield, and to keep illicit drugs from coming into this country and harming Americans,” Ratcliffe reported to Trump, in front of news cameras. “Unfortunately, as much as I would love to detail your accomplishments in that regard, we can’t do so with this crowd. But you and I both know, Mr. President, that you have had a profound positive impact on America’s national security posture. And Americans are safer because of your leadership.”

ELON MUSK TOUTS ‘TREMENDOUS’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ‘GREATEST ADMINISTRATION SINCE FOUNDING’

“Mr. President, the CIA is being restructured at your direction to focus on our core mission and to eliminate the political – the well-documented politicization that has taken place in the intelligence community from bad actors in the past to focus on our core mission and to Make America Safe Again,” Ratcliffe added, thanking Trump for the opportunity without elaborating further. 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also referenced efforts to combat “politicization” within the intelligence community at the Cabinet meeting. 

“I’m grateful to have the privilege of leading the intelligence community towards ending the weaponization. Politicization of the intelligence community has gone on for far too long,” Gabbard said. “And building out what is truly a lean and agile and effective intelligence community that is helping you deliver that promise to the American people of safety, security, and freedom.” 

“We’re working every day to hold the deep state accountable to end the politicization of weaponization of the intelligence community,” Gabbard continued. “This past week, I sent three criminal referrals for illegal and unauthorized leaks to the media of classified intelligence for prosecution. We have 11 more that are under investigation. We’ve revoked, at your direction, 67 security clearances, and we continue the work of declassifying documents.” 

The U.S. government has already declassified documents surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and Gabbard said she was working to declassify more documents around the assassination of former U.S. Attorney General and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy – the father of Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as the assassination of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. 

TRUMP TO NAME HAITIAN GANGS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS: REPORT

“And we continue our extensive investigations around exposing the very serious issues we have related to election integrity, illegal abuses of FISA, Crossfire Hurricane, and others,” Gabbard said. “Mr. President, under your leadership, we are working every day to bring about that transparency and accountability that the American people deserve.” 

Last month, Trump signed an executive order instructing the FBI to immediately declassify files concerning the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the agency probe launched in 2016 that sought information on whether Trump campaign members colluded with Russia during the presidential race.

At the Cabinet meeting, another U.S. intelligence leader, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, separately acknowledged that multiple federal agencies came together under the president’s leadership to capture terrorists, including the “evil individual responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing” during the Biden administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Thirteen U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians were killed when an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated at Kabul’s airport. 

One of those agencies was the CIA. Ratcliffe told the gathering of Cabinet secretaries that the CIA “provided the intelligence that led to the apprehension of the Abbey Gate bomber, who is now being prosecuted by our great attorney general and providing a measure of justice to those 13 families that suffered as a result of that disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, during the last administration.”  

Trump reiterated at the Cabinet meeting that what happened at Abbey Gate was a “disgrace” under the Biden administration and that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is working on prosecuting the alleged planner of the attack. The Justice Department announced last month that ISIS-K member Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as “Jafar,” has been arrested on federal terrorism charges in connection to the attack and was extradited to the U.S. He made a brief appearance in Virginia federal court. 

Ratcliffe also told the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the CIA, at Trump’s direction, has negotiated and secured the release of Americans like Mark Fogel and Ksenia Karelina, “who had been wrongfully detained, sending the message that you will forget about no Americans that are being held in other places unfairly and unjustly.” 

Elon Musk received a round of applause from President Donald Trump’s Cabinet as he prepares for a planned exit from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

“You have been treated unfairly,” Trump said to Musk during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. “But, the vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you. And this whole room can say that very strongly. It’s really been a tremendous help. You opened up a lot of eyes as to what could be done. And we just want to thank you very much.”

“You’re invited to stay as long as you want,” Trump added as applause broke out in the room for Musk. “At some point, I guess he wants to get back home to his cars and his family.” 

Musk has been the public leader of DOGE since the administration began in January, leading teams through various federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and mismanagement, which has received repeated praise from Trump and his administration. 

ELON MUSK NO LONGER WORKING ON DOGE EFFORTS FROM WHITE HOUSE: REPORT

The tech billionaire, who leads both SpaceX and Tesla, was hired as a “special government employee,” which is a role Congress created in 1962 that allows the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.

Special government employees are permitted to work for the federal government for “no more than 130 days in a 365- day period,” according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk’s 130-day time frame, beginning on Inauguration Day, runs dry May 30. 

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told the New York Post Tuesday that Musk is no longer working regularly from the White House. 

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE

“Instead of meeting with him in person, I’m talking to him on the phone, but it’s the same net effect,” Wiles told the outlet as the tech billionaire prepares to depart from his role at DOGE. “He hasn’t been here physically, but it really doesn’t matter much.” 

Musk said during the Cabinet meeting Wednesday that DOGE has now saved the U.S. $160 billion through his efforts trimming government fat, and celebrated the accomplishments of the administration in the meeting. 

“The American people voted for secure borders, safe cities and sensible spending,” Musk said. “And that’s what they’ve gotten. Tremendous amount has been accomplished in the first hundred days. As everyone has said, it’s more than has been accomplished in any administration before. Ever. Period. So, this portends very well for what happens for the rest of the administration. I think this could be the greatest administration since the founding of the country.” 

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The tech billionaire notably wore two Trump hats during the meeting, quipping: “Mr. President they say I wear a lot of hats,” he said. “Even my hat has a hat.”

DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved July 4, 2026, according to Trump’s executive order.

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Musk and Trump have both previously previewed that Musk’s role was temporary and would come to end in the coming weeks. 

“You, technically, are a special government employee and you’re supposed to be 130 days,” Fox News’ Bret Baier asked Musk during an exclusive interview with the DOGE leader in March. “Are you going to continue past that or do you think that’s what you’re going to do?” 

“I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame,” Musk responded. 

Trump also told the media in March that he would keep Musk “as long as I can keep him,” but that “he’s got a big company to run.”

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Tesla dealerships have faced repeated protests amid Musk’s work with DOGE, including physical attacks on cars and monetary boycotts of the company. 

Musk noted during the Cabinet meeting that protesters “do like to burn my cars, which is not great,” which received laughter from colleagues.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the creation of an Office of Parental Rights in the Sunshine State that will lend legal muscle to help parents fight for the rights they’ve been granted by God.

Uthmeier pointed out during remarks on Tuesday that “it is not the role of the government to raise kids,” but that the role is parents’ “God-given right.” He said that “parents have the God-given rights to raise their kids the way they deem appropriate.”

The attorney general said that there will be a “team of litigators focused on fighting” battles that parents alert them about — he noted that there will be a portal where parents can reach out.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO STOP ENFORCING NEW IMMIGRATION LAW

When someone asked about the potential costs, Uthmeier noted that the efforts will also involve working with nonprofits and outside groups. 

He indicated that he is not seeking to rack up costs, but noted, “when it comes to fightin’ the right fights, I’ll spend every dollar we have.”

A press release about the effort indicates that Uthmeier’s Office of Parental rights can help with a range of cases including, “Denial of access to school records,” “Lack of consent for biometric or personal data collection,” “Unauthorized healthcare, counseling, or mental health services,” “Interference with educational choices,” “Failure to notify parents or suspected criminal offenses,” “Coercion or encouragement to withhold information,” “Objectionable instructional or library materials,” “Violations of parental notification for health services,” “Restrictions on parental participation in school governance,” as well as “Unauthorized data sharing or surveys.”

SUNSHINE STATE DEM ANNOUNCES SWITCH TO NO AFFILIATION: ‘DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN FLORIDA IS DEAD’

Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon have both cheered on the effort.

“Great initiative that will ensure that Florida’s protections for the rights of parents are upheld,” the governor said in a post on X.

McMahon noted in a tweet, “Parents have the right to know what’s going on in their child’s education and to make the decisions. It’s great to see a state showing how enforcing parents’ rights is a priority without the federal government micromanaging them.”

DESANTIS EXCORIATES FL HOUSE LEADERSHIP AMID REPUBLICAN CIVIL WAR, ACCUSING THEM OF ‘REVOLT AGAINST’ VOTERS

Uthmeier thanked McMahon for her support.

“It’s great to have an administration in DC that respects state sovereignty and, most importantly, the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children,” he noted in a tweet when responding to her comments.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration’s decision to send an accused MS-13 gang member back to his native country of El Salvador — and said the U.S. is seeking other countries to do the same. 

“I say this unapologetically: We are actively searching for other countries to take people from third countries. So we are active, not just El Salvador,” Rubio said Wednesday during a cabinet meeting at the White House. “We are working with other countries to say, ‘We want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countries.’”

“We do that as a favor to us, and the further away from America the better so they can’t come back across the border,” Rubio said. “I’m not apologetic about it. We are doing that…[the] president was elected to keep America safe, and we get rid of a bunch of perverts and pedophiles and child rapists out of our country.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

FIRST ON FOX: The Congressional DOGE Caucus is planning a meeting with the White House sometime next month, one of the group’s leaders confirmed to Fox News Digital.

“We’re talking with the White House about our next meeting, and they may be hosting us. We’ll see what happens,” Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

“We’re ready to take the reins and continue to push no matter who’s leading [the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)].”

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Bean did not give a date for the meeting but said, “The answer is always, whenever Trump wants to host.”

It’s not immediately clear if President Donald Trump himself will participate, but the meeting would come as Republican lawmakers get ready to consider a roughly $9 billion list of spending cuts proposed by the White House, known as a rescissions package.

It’s expected to include a host of USAID programs, one of Trump’s first targets in his campaign on government efficiency.

A senior House GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital they expected that package to be delivered to Congress next week.

The Congressional DOGE Caucus was founded by Bean alongside Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and House GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, to coordinate a legislative response to Elon Musk’s work with DOGE.

Musk recently told Tesla investors that he would be stepping back from the federal role beginning next month.

“Starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk said on a first-quarter earnings call.

He added, however, “I’ll have to continue DOGE for, I think, the remainder of the president’s term just to make sure that the waste and fraud that we stop does not come roaring back.”

DOGE SLASHES ‘WASTEFUL’ ‘PROBLEM-SOLVING’ CONTRACT WORTH $50K IN LATEST ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS

A spokesperson for the Congressional DOGE Caucus declined to comment when Fox News Digital reached out for more details on the tentative White House meeting.

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A senior White House official did not say whether Trump would attend the meeting nor whether the rescissions package would be discussed.

“The president is reviewing a wide range of tax cut proposals for inclusion in the reconciliation bill. He is most focused on tax policy that will help create more good-paying jobs in America and delivering the major tax cuts he campaigned on for working and middle-class Americans,” the official said.

President Donald Trump defended the deportation of illegal alien and alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia during a fiery interview with ABC, pointing to a photo he shared on social media clearly showing the notorious gang’s name tattooed across Abrego Garcia’s knuckles. 

Other recent photos of the illegal alien, however, do not appear to show the tattoo, Fox News Digital found. 

“Ask any law or immigration enforcement official who’s been on the ground about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s tattoos: they’re MS-13,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital Wednesday when asked about other photos appearing not to show “MS13” tattooed on Abrego Garcia’s hand. “An ICE investigation, a local police investigation, and the government of El Salvador have all determined that he is a wife-beating MS-13 terrorist illegal alien who should never have been in the United States. There is no dispute about these facts.”

Trump joined ABC News for an interview in the Oval Office that aired on Trump’s 100th day back in the White House, where he defended that Abrego Garcia had “MS13” scrawled across his hand. 

“On his knuckles he had MS-13,” Trump told ABC in an interview that aired Tuesday, referring to Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador’s notorious high-security prison CECOT in March, before he was moved to another detention center in the country earlier in April. 

“He had some tattoos that were interpreted that way,” ABC’s Terry Moran replied.

“M-S-1-3 — It says M-S-one-three,” Trump continued in the interview. 

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“That was Photoshop,” Moran responded while attempting to change the topic of conversation. 

Trump shared a photo to his social media accounts April 18 showing a man’s hand with “MS-13” tattooed across his knuckles above other tattoos, such as a marijuana leaf, smiley face, cross and a depiction of a human skull. 

Trump continued that Moran was doing “such a disservice” by claiming a photo clearly showing “MS-13” tattooed across the hand was “Photoshopped,” arguing Moran was spreading “fake news.”

FEDERAL JUDGE ALLEGES ‘WILLFUL AND BAD FAITH REFUSAL’ TO COMPLY IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION CASE

“Fair enough, he did have tattoos that can be interpreted that way,” Moran added during the interview. “I’m not an expert on them.” 

Fox News Digital examined two separate photos of Abrego Garcia shared with the media in recent weeks that do not appear to show the MS-13 tattoo. 

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who struck an agreement with the Trump administration to accept thousands of violent gang members illegally living in the U.S. and house them in a high-security prison in the country, shared a photo of Abrego Garcia after his arrival to El Salvador in March that does not appear to show “MS13” tattooed across his hand. 

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“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” & “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador,” Bukele posted to X April 17, accompanied by photos of Abrego Garcia shaking hands with Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who visited El Salvador in April to protest the Trump administration’s deportation of the man. 

The photo shows other tattoos across Abrego Garcia’s knuckles — including the marijuana leaf, smiley face, cross and human skull tattoos — but does not appear to show “MS13” like in the photo shared by Trump. 

Another photo shared by CASA, an immigration activist group, earlier in April showed a separate photo of Abrego Garcia with his young son that also did not appear to show the tattoo. Fox News Digital reached out to CASA for additional details and comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply Wednesday morning. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Abrego Gacria’s attorney for comment on the photos and reported MS-13 tattoo, but did not immediately receive replies.

Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally from his home country in El Salvador in 2011 and was issued a deportation order in 2019, Fox News Digital previously reported. Trump administration officials acknowledged in court in March that his March 15 deportation had been an administrative error, but have since defended the deportation and argued that El Salvador could release him if the nation chose to do so. 

DEPORTED ILLEGAL ALIEN AND SUSPECTED MS-13 GANG MEMBER TRANSFERRED FROM NOTORIOUS EL SALVADORAN MEGA-PRISON

Abrego Garcia was suspected of partaking in labor/human trafficking, according to a 2022 Homeland Security Investigations report previously obtained by Fox News. The report also stated that “official law enforcement investigations” revealed that Abrego Garcia was a member of the notorious gang MS-13, which Trump has designated as a terror organization.

Abrego Garcia was pulled over by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper Dec. 1, 2022, after he spotted the car speeding and not remaining in its lane, according to the Homeland Security Investigations report. 

The trooper noticed eight individuals in the car with Abrego Garcia, who said he began driving three days prior from Houston to Temple Hills, Maryland, via St. Louis to “perform construction work,” Fox Digital previously reported. The report states that the trooper suspected the group was involved with a human trafficking incident, as there was no luggage in the vehicle. 

MARYLAND GOVERNOR SAYS HE WON’T TRAVEL TO EL SALVADOR FOR ABREGO GARCIA

New documents further revealed that Abrego Garcia was driving a black 2001 Chevrolet Suburban that he said belonged to his “boss.” The Suburban was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as belonging to Hernandez Reyes, who pleaded guilty to human smuggling after being caught in Mississippi in a car with passengers from Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras, Fox Digital previously reported. 

The Homeland Security Investigations report also notes that in October 2019, the Prince Georges County Police Gang Unit identified Abrego Garcia as a member of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.

DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS WAS PULLED OVER DRIVING CAR BELONGING TO HUMAN SMUGGLER

Abrego Garcia was also recently revealed to have a record of being a “violent” repeat wife beater, according to court records filed in a Prince George’s County, Maryland, district court by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez.

His wife, however, has since publicly defended him. 

“I find myself pleading with the Trump administration and the Bukele administration to stop playing political games with the life of Kilmar,” she said earlier this month before a federal court judge. “Our family is torn apart during this scary time. Our children miss their dad so much.”

The deportation has been wrapped up in court proceedings since last month, with a Maryland federal judge ordering the Department of justice to “take all available steps to facilitate” his return to the U.S., which was a ruling upheld by an appeals court and the the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The Trump administration, however, contends that “cannot guarantee success in sensitive international negotiations” with El Salvador to secure the release. 

“The United States does not control the sovereign nation of El Salvador, nor can it compel El Salvador to follow a federal judge’s bidding,” Solicitor General John Sauer wrote in the Trump administration’s Supreme Court petition earlier this month, the New York Post reported. 

Fox News’ Stepheny Price, David Spunt and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

Scott Jennings, CNN’s Trump-supporting commentator who has gone viral on social media for his sparring matches with left-leaning guests, responded to reports that he may run for Senate in Kentucky to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell.

“Man, the internet’s a crazy place. Long way until next May,” Jennings, who formerly advised multiple McConnell campaigns, told Fox News Digital at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday. “I read all this with some amusement, but again, it’s a long way until next year.” 

Fox News Digital reported in February that he is being encouraged to run and the Lexington Herald-Leader reported last Friday that he’s mulling a bid.

Jennings went on to say that he believes “Kentucky has benefited from having Republican senators for a long time” and that he thinks the Senate seat “ought to be in the hands ultimately of somebody who’s going to help Donald Trump execute on the president’s agenda.”

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“And frankly, I think politics is a team sport. The president’s the head of our team and I think eventually he’ll need to weigh in here on who he thinks is the best to help him execute on his agenda,” Jennings added.

At President Donald Trump’s 100-day rally in Michigan on Tuesday night, the president invited Jennings to address the audience.

“We have a man here that I don’t know, but he’s defending me all the time on CNN. And he defends me really well, but he can’t go too far because if he goes too far he’ll get fired,” Trump said.

“I got to get a farm in Michigan, because when you own as many Libs as I do, you gotta get a place to put ‘em all!” Jennings joked.

CNN’S JENNINGS SAYS LEFT ‘IN LOVE WITH THE WORST PEOPLE’ DURING PANEL ABOUT ILLEGAL ALIEN DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR

Currently, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., and former Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron are in the race for the seat on the Republican side. There has also been speculation that Kentucky businessman Nate Morris, a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, will hop into the race.

In the Democratic primary, Kentucky House Minority Leader Pamela Stevenson is in the race. Trump won the state by a wide margin in November and it is generally considered a red state, with the notable exception of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

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The 83-year-old McConnell, who has regularly butted heads with the president despite also receiving high praise from Trump, said in February he would not run for re-election after being in the seat since the 1980s. 

As for Jennings, who was initially floated as a potential pick for the White House press secretary role before Karoline Leavitt was chosen, he was formerly a top advisor to McConnell and served in the George W. Bush administration. He has also advised several other campaigns and is the founding partner of RunSwitch, which is advertised as “Kentucky’s largest PR and public affairs firm.”

During the confirmation hearing for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) nominee Terrance Cole, Sen. Lindsey Graham produced a photo of deported alleged gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia and asked Cole to essentially translate the man’s controversial tattoos.

“Are you familiar with MS-13? Briefly, what are they?” Graham asked.

“They’re a terrorist organization,” Cole replied.

“[They’re involved in] extortion, kidnapping, drugs, intimidation, money laundering…”

‘MARYLAND MAN’ KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA EXPOSED IN POLICE RECORDS AS ‘VIOLENT’ REPEAT WIFE BEATER

Graham then asked whether MS-13 members have “membership cards” or anything similar for the public to identify them, given disputes about what Garcia’s knuckle tattoos really mean.

“Not necessarily the membership cards, but they are well recognized based on tattoos and different [things],” Cole said.

Producing a photo of the tattoos, Graham asked Cole to translate each of them in the fashion of a Rebus puzzle.

“Based on your time and experience and expertise in the DEA, what does that photo or those markings suggest to you?” he asked.

‘NOT A MARYLAND MAN’: GOP BLASTS DEMOCRAT SENATOR FIGHTING FOR RETURN OF SALVADORAN NATIONAL

“Well, they suggest that he’s an MS-13 member – that those are his markings. That’s his brand.”

When asked what the leaf on his first knuckle stood for, Cole said it was marijuana, which starts with “M.” The second finger was a “smiley face,” he said, which starts with “S,” followed by the number “1” and what “looks like a backwards 3, from here.”

“So based on your time as a DEA agent in the field, particularly in Mexico, these tattoos are consistent with MS-13 associations,” Graham asked.

“Yes sir, that’s correct,” Cole replied.

To dispel further criticism, Graham went on to ask if there might be any other organizations that would use that series of symbols.

Cole responded in the negative.

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On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was asked by the outlet “The Bulwark” about Democrats’ recent trips to El Salvador to meet with Garcia.

Democratic aides later told the outlet that Jeffries had reportedly discouraged any more visits.

The controversy over Garcia’s tattoos also boiled over during a recent interview between ABC News’ Terry Moran and President Donald Trump.

“Wait a minute, he had ‘MS-13’ on his knuckles,” Trump said, before Moran countered that there were “some tattoos that were interpreted that way.”

A federal judge ordered the release of an anti-Israel protester who helped organize riots and protests at the University of Columbia on Wednesday.

Authorities with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Mohsen Mahdawi, a green card holder, earlier this month in Vermont. U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release following a hearing Wednesday morning.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Mahdawi declared in a message to President Donald Trump as he left the courthouse.

According to the court filing, Mahdawi co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia in the fall of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack. He founded the group with Mahmoud Khalil, another pro-Palestinian activist who was detained by federal immigration officials under the Trump administration earlier this year.

‘SAFER WITHOUT HIM’: COLUMBIA STUDENT CLAIMS CLASSMATE ARRESTED BY ICE ‘HATES AMERICA’

Vermont’s two U.S. senators, Bernie Sanders, an independent, and Peter Welch, a Democrat, as well as the state’s sole member of Congress, Rep. Becca Balint, a Democrat, condemned Mahdawi’s arrest on April 14.

COLUMBIA ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTER MAHMOUD KHALIL CAN BE DEPORTED, JUDGE RULES

The three issued a joint statement saying Mahdawi walked into an immigration office for “what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process” and was instead “arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed individuals with their faces covered.”

“These individuals refused to provide any information as to where he was being taken or what would happen to him,” the statement alleged.

HOMELAND SECURITY TO SCAN MIGRANTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FOR ANTISEMITISM: ‘NO ROOM FOR TERRORIST SYMPATHIZERS’

“This is immoral, inhumane, and illegal,” it continued. “Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”

As a student at Columbia, Mahdawi was an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and organized campus protests until March 2024. 

According to a court filing, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014. He recently completed coursework at Columbia and was expected to graduate in May before beginning a master’s degree program there in the fall.

Fox News’ Peter Pinedo and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz escalated his war of words with a former Iranian regime official who, as a faculty member at Princeton, was reportedly making Jewish students feel uncomfortable amid global tensions.

“I try not to be in the room with people linked to Iranian terrorists who have murdered dozens of dissidents,” Cruz wrote in response to a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, from former Iranian Ambassador to Germany Seyed Hossein Mousavian.

“Your books are unreadable, and the only debate you should be having is with DHS agents, at the end of which you should be deported,” Cruz quipped.

Mousavian was responding to a Fox News Digital story in which Cruz called on Princeton to fire him from his role as a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist. Mousavian had been a spokesman for Iran during nuclear negotiations in the 2000s.

CRUZ URGES PRINCETON TO TAKE ACTION OVER PROFESSOR ACCUSED OF PRO-IRAN ALLEGIANCES, CITING RISK TO STUDENTS

Mousavian had invited Cruz to publicly debate him so that the American people could judge the facts of the matter.

“If you do not accept this offer, I ask you to read some of the books and articles I have written over my 15 years of academic work at Princeton University,” he wrote.

“You will see that all of them focus on establishing peace between Iran and the United States, introducing a peaceful resolution of Iran’s nuclear crisis based on NPT, avoiding dragging America into another devastating war in the Middle East, promoting peace, stability, and security in the Persian Gulf, and making the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.”

SCHUMER KICKS OFF PLANNED DEMOCRAT ALL-NIGHTER, RAILING AGAINST TRUMP’S 100 DAYS: HE’S ‘BEING A MOB BOSS’

The ex-Tehran official said he had been arrested by Iran in 2007 and forced out of the country in 2009.

Fox News Digital reached out to Cruz, Mousavian and Princeton University for comment.

Cruz further discussed the matter on his podcast “Verdict,” noting concerns about Mousavian’s influence and the safety of Jewish students.

Mousavian previously expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah and attended the funeral of terrorist Qassem Soleimani – who had been killed in an attack ordered during President Donald Trump’s first administration.

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In 2023, several top Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and now-DOGE chairman Aaron Bean of Florida, wrote to Princeton with their concerns about Mousavian’s tenure.

The letter expressed how Mousavian had been the Berlin ambassador during a time when “a German court found [it] served as the headquarters for the planning of the 1992 assassination of four Iranian dissidents” at a Greek restaurant in the capital.

“Did Princeton consult with U.S. government officials regarding the hiring of Mousavian?” they asked.

Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín is continuing to block the government from cutting off funding for legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children.

“This injunction precludes cutting off access to congressionally appropriated funding for its duration,” the court ordered.

The move to grant the motion for a preliminary injunction came after the court had previously granted a temporary restraining order to the same effect.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM TERMINATING LEGAL AID FOR UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT CHILDREN

In 2023, then-Vice President Kamala Harris broke a tie vote in the U.S. Senate to confirm then-President Joe Biden’s nomination of Martínez-Olguín to serve as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of California.

The judge has previously worked as an attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, according to her biography on the court’s website.

“Working at the intersection of immigrant, economic, and racial justice, NILC deploys a multi-pronged strategy to secure lasting, transformational change,” the organization notes on its website.

100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT

The preliminary injunction comes amid a challenge against the government’s move to cut off funding pertaining to legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children.

Various organizations lodged a legal challenge after the government partially terminated a contract with the Acacia Center for Justice, though Acacia itself is not a plaintiff.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO STOP ENFORCING NEW IMMIGRATION LAW

“Until March 21, 2025, the Acacia Center for Justice (“Acacia”) managed a network of 89 legal services organizations (including Plaintiffs) in 159 offices across the country providing representation to unaccompanied children through funding from HHS and ORR, under a contract between Acacia and DOI (contracting on behalf of HHS and ORR),” a complaint asserted, referring to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Department of Interior.

The Trump administration has been facing a string of legal challenges over a variety of issues during the first 100 days of the president’s second term in office.