A Democrat in the House of Representatives’ progressive “Squad” is arguing that the Trump administration could soon jail people in the U.S. for a variety of non-criminal reasons, seemingly regardless of their legal status.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., made the comments after visiting college students Rumeysa Ozturk and Mahmoud Khalil. Both are being held at an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility after being accused of espousing pro-Hamas beliefs. Neither are U.S. citizens, though both are in the country legally; Khalil is a legal permanent resident, and Ozturk is on a student visa. 

“If people are tempted to marginalize and ‘other’ who this could happen to, again, in Donald Trump’s America, this could be you. This could be you, for some, for a miscarriage. This could be you for practicing diversity, equity and inclusion. This could be you for reading a banned book,” Pressley said in a press conference after the event. “It is acutely about Mahmood and Rumeysa, because those are some of the most high-profile cases, but it has implications for every single person who calls this country home.”

Pressley traveled to a Louisiana ICE facility alongside fellow Massachusetts Democrats, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

VIDEO SHOWS ARREST OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY STUDENT FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTING HAMAS

She alleged that Khalil and Ozturk are being put through significant strain at the hands of the authorities there.

“This is torture. They are sleep-deprived. They are being denied the basic essentials. Their humanity completely erased,” Pressley said. “And every person of conscience — this is not about Democrat or Republican right now. This is about right and wrong, good and evil. And people of Congress need to join us, apply pressure, continue to say their names to demand their freedom, due process, justice, and to demand that Rumeysa’s visa is reinstated.”

Pressley also claimed that Ozturk “had her hijab removed” by “one of the nurses” at the facility.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT PROTESTER SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO PREVENT DEPORTATION 

“So religious accommodation not being honored. Basic human needs not being met. She talked about a culture of intimidation where they often chide her for being an educated woman and a troublemaker. And yet, even in the face, in the midst of all of that, she is still doing her research. She is still advocating for the women alongside her,” Pressley said.

Meanwhile, like Pressley, McGovern told reporters, “If the government can imprison people, like them, who dissent, without due process — in this instance, there is nothing to stop the government from going after you, too.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called the allegations about Ozturk’s detention “unequivocally false.”

Both Ozturk and Khalil have been accused by the Trump administration of making pro-Hamas statements while enrolled at Tufts University and Columbia University respectively.

The Massachusetts progressives’ trip comes after several Democrats traveled to El Salvador in a bid to secure the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported illegal immigrant married to a U.S. citizen who the Trump administration accused of having ties to MS-13.

The Supreme Court found Abrego Garcia to have been wrongfully deported and ordered the U.S. government to facilitate his release, though El Salvador has no plans to return him.

A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital when reached for comment, “Ms. Ozturk was in communication with legal counsel within hours of her arrival at the facility in Basile. On the day of her arrival, one of her attorneys contacted the facility and was informed that she was already engaged in a meeting with her other attorney. Since then, she has had four attorney visits. Her dormitory has not exceeded capacity.”

“Daily inspections are conducted by the facility administrator, and there have been no reports or documented complaints of rodent activity. In accordance with the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS), the facility maintains regular pest control services. ICE has also provided Ms. Ozturk with prompt medical care and services, and she has not filed any grievances regarding delayed medical care. Being granted a visa to live and study in the United States is a privilege, not a right. The State Department makes specific determinations about visa revocations when an individual poses a threat to national security,” the spokesperson said.

When reached for comment on Pressley’s remarks on Trump, White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded, “”Wow, Democrats being hysterical about President Trump. What else is new?”

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) partnered with a special law enforcement unit of the government of Mexico to arrest a criminal boss affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel known simply as “440.”

This comes after the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration said last year that the U.S. is facing the “most dangerous and deadly drug crisis” in its history, with fentanyl and methamphetamine flowing across the border — and that the “Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of this crisis.” 

The Sinaloa Cartel, which operates a drug trafficking empire out of western Mexico, was recently designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump State Department. 

The administration has also designated several other Mexican cartels, the Salvadoran gang MS-13 and the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations as well.

TRUMP ADMIN FILES FIRST RACKETEERING CHARGES AGAINST MASSIVE MIGRANT TERRORIST GROUP PRESENT IN US

The man arrested by Mexican authorities, Ivan Fernando Zepeda Leyva, is an associate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a member of the “Los Demonios” criminal group and the leader of the drug plazas in Nogales and Imuris in the Mexican state of Sonora, which spans the entire U.S.-Mexico border with Arizona.

According to a statement posted on social media by ICE, Zepeda Leyva was arrested by a specially vetted team with the Mexican Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection and Secretariat of the Navy in collaboration with HSI on April 19.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

ICE said Zepeda Leyva’s arrest marked a “major milestone in combating illegal drug trafficking and racketeering through U.S.-Mexican law enforcement cooperation.”

The Trump administration has promised to be “ruthlessly aggressive” in responding to cartel threats to American citizens.

PRESIDENT TRUMP BLASTS COURTS FOR GETTING IN THE WAY OF DEPORTATION AGENDA

In late March, the Trump administration announced a barrage of sanctions against the Sinaloa Cartel. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated six individuals and seven entities involved in a money-laundering network supporting the Sinaloa Cartel for sanctions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the time that his department “proudly leveled new sanctions against financiers of the criminal Sinaloa drug cartel,” which he said has “flooded our borders with fentanyl and senselessly murdered innocent American citizens.”

“This ends under President Trump’s leadership,” said Bessent. 

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

The state of California plans to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detainer after an illegal immigrant convicted of vehicular manslaughter was set to be released on July 19 – over six years before his full sentence is up.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office announced he would be brought into federal custody ahead of the July release date. Fox News reported earlier that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation tends to follow ICE detainer orders, but there were concerns that the state’s sanctuary policies could have played a role in letting him be released back into the community. 

“After being deported in 2013, this individual unlawfully re-entered the US & committed heinous crimes. A GOP DA then gave him a plea deal instead of pursuing 2nd-degree murder. CDCR will again coordinate with ICE—as they have w/ 10,000+ inmates—to transfer him before release,” the governor’s press account tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. 

EXCLUSIVE: FOX TOURS ICE DETENTION FACILITY; MANAGER HOPES TO ‘DISPEL’ ‘FALSE NARRATIVES’

Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was driving drunk, high, and speeding at nearly 100mph on the 405 freeway in Orange County in November 2021, when he crashed into a car being driven by a young couple, 19-year-old Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin, which killed them both as they burned alive. In spring 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Fox News reported on Wednesday morning that Ortega-Anguiano will be released by the California state government on July 19 after serving just 3.5 years, and the victim’s families were notified on Easter Sunday.

After the report came out, the Department of Justice said they would be prosecuting Ortega-Anguiano on federal charges in order to keep him behind bars longer.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF KILLING TEENS IN HIGH-SPEED CRASH TO BE RELEASED EARLY: ‘IT’S DISGUSTING’

“My office has filed a felony immigration charge against this defendant. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted for 8 USC 1326. If the State of California will not seek the full measure of justice against this individual, the [DOJ] will,” Bill Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California, tweeted.

Border czar Tom Homan said ICE planned on quickly arresting and deporting him if he was released by the Golden State.

“I will work with [Homeland Security] Secretary Noem on this case, and I guarantee you, if they don’t honor the detainer, we’ll have ICE agents outside that facility to take custody of this individual and deport him,” Homan said Wednesday on “America’s Newsroom.”

TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS FILE CHARGES AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AFTER FOX NEWS EXPOSES EARLY RELEASE PLANS

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

ICE told Fox News that he had entered the country illegally twice before and had a prior criminal background before the two teens were killed in the fatal crash.

“His previous criminal convictions include burglary in 2005; vehicle theft in 2007; and battery on spouse with kidnapping in 2014,” ICE stated.

“An immigration judge ordered Ortega removed Nov. 3, 2014; he filed several unsuccessful appeals and was taken into ICE custody Dec. 2, 2016, and removed to Mexico the same day. Ortega attempted to reenter the United States Feb. 2, 2018, near Otay Mesa, California by presenting a counterfeit document; he was paroled into the U.S. pending criminal prosecution for illegal reentry after removal. An immigration official issued Ortega an expedited removal order and removed him June 1, 2018, to Mexico; after his latest removal, he again illegally reentered the U.S. on an unknown date and location. ICE issued a detainer with the Orange County Jail, California, Nov. 27, 2021, where he was being held on vehicular manslaughter charges at the time,” the statement continued.

Several Supreme Court justices signaled sympathy Tuesday toward Maryland parents who are seeking to opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed classroom materials. One education expert said the case could lead to a ruling that expands parental rights in public schools nationwide. 

“This looks pretty promising for the parent petitioners in this case,” said Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow of the grassroots organization Defending Education. “I heard a lot of very aggressive questioning from the three liberal justices, but no matter how you slice this apple, it looks to be a very clear violation of the First Amendment, as exercised through the 14th Amendment’s right to direct a child’s religious upbringing.”

Perry previously served as the lead lawyer to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education from 2020 to 2021, where she drafted the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) annual report to Congress.

THE SUPREME COURT APPEARS TO SIDE WITH PARENTS IN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY DISPUTE OVER STORYBOOKS 

“They’re very malleable,” Perry said of the 4-and 5-year-olds in the case. “They’re very much shaped by their environment, by what they’re exposed to, and they don’t have the meaningful agency to be able to opt out or object or push back. And so these individuals are learning their own familial values while being exposed to material that is, as Justice [Amy Coney] Barrett and Justice [Neil] Gorsuch pointed out, designed to influence their thinking.”

At the heart of Mahmoud v. Taylor is a lawsuit brought by religious parents—Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Ukrainian Orthodox—who argue that the school district’s policy violates their First Amendment rights by forcing their children to engage with instruction that contradicts their faith.

The Fourth Circuit Court, a federal appeals court, ruled last year that there was no violation of religious exercise rights, stating that the policy did not force parents to change their religious beliefs or conduct and that parents could still teach their children outside of school.

Several conservative justices, including Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, appeared sympathetic to the parents’ concerns during the two-and-a-half-hour oral debate. Alito questioned the moral messages conveyed by books like “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” suggesting that such content might conflict with deeply held religious beliefs. Justice Brett Kavanaugh also pressed the school district’s attorneys on why opt-out provisions, similar to those in sex education, could not be extended to these storybooks.

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

Meanwhile, the liberal justices argued that mere exposure to these books may not constitute coercion or a violation of religious freedoms. The school district contended that the policy promotes inclusivity and exposure to LGBTQ viewpoints does not equate to forced belief changes.

“I think it was highly sort of predictable,” Perry said of the liberal justices’ arguments. “They are trying to prove that there is going to be too much of a burden on the school district to allow these children to opt out because the consequences could, for example, be catastrophic for the ability of a public school to manage its own affairs.”

“The reason we see an issue like this at the Supreme Court is because these are issues directly related to religious liberty and directly related to the very early cognitive stages of development for minor children,” Perry said. “And it’s very clear … that a burden of religious liberty within public education has to be treated quite seriously by the court and deference must be given to religious parents if the burden is very clear.”

“I think in this instance, it is indeed crystal clear,” she added. 

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

Among the storybooks at the center of the case is “Prince & Knight,” a modern fairy tale aimed at children ages 4 to 8, which tells the story of two men who fall in love after joining forces to defeat a dragon and later marry. Another book frequently referenced during oral arguments was “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” which follows a young girl processing her favorite uncle’s decision to marry another man.

“Because parental rights have become sort of the cultural zeitgeist for where we are in this political day and age, I think we are certain to see more litigation, not less, and more pushback,” Perry said. 

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the case by late June.

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds vowed to Fox News that he is “not going to be intimidated by any of these protesters” after he was captured on video shutting down a woman yelling about Israel during a town hall he hosted this week. 

Footage showed the individual being escorted away by security at Estero High School in Florida on Monday night. Donalds, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, is running to succeed term-limited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

“This is why Donald Trump supports me to be Florida’s next governor. Because I will take the message of common sense and conservatism anywhere, any place, any time, in any audience. I’m not going to be intimidated by any of these protesters,” Donalds said during an appearance on “Hannity.” 

“Members of Congress should not be intimidated by these people. They want to shout you down to try to deflect and distract from their terrible policy and how they left America really at the bottom in the pit because of the terrible presidency of Joe Biden,” he continued. “We shouldn’t put up with it. We should confront it head-on, and if they are going to be rude and disrespectful, then kick them out of the room, it’s that simple.” 

FLORIDA PROTESTER SCREAMS AT REP BYRON DONALDS DURING TENSE TOWN HALL 

Donalds also said, “Local Democrats are being organized about coming into congressional town halls” and that he has never seen so many show up at his events. 

HOW DEMOCRATS INFILTRATED ‘THUNDEROUS’ GOP TOWN HALLS   

“That’s OK. If they want to show up now, you are going to hear the truth, you are going to hear the facts. You are not going to hear Democrat talking points. You are not going to hear spin, and they want to yell and be upset because they want you, quite frankly, to reverse course, reverse your positions, stand against things that are right, stand against deporting illegal aliens, stand against Israel,” he added. “That is what they want you to do.” 

“But when you don’t bend to their will, then they yell and they get upset like they did last night,” Donalds said. 

Donalds later shared the Fox News segment on his X account, writing that “ALL REPUBLICAN MEMBERS should hold Town Halls to confront them DIRECTLY.”

President Donald Trump slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement on Crimea, saying it was “very harmful” to peacemaking efforts.

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that make it so difficult to settle this war,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.”

Trump also rejected Zelenskyy’s red line in the Truth Social post, saying it was “not even a point of discussion,” as the territory was “lost years ago” under then-President Barack Obama.

VANCE ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO RUSSIA, UKRAINE ON PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

American officials have apparently floated the idea of recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea, a territory that Russia seized in 2014, as part of a ceasefire proposal. This would also involve the freezing of current frontlines. 

In 2022, Zelenskyy said that the “Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea — and its liberation,” Axios reported. He reiterated this stance on Tuesday, shutting down the idea that Ukraine would recognize Russian control of Crimea.

“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference here on Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”

NIKKI HALEY ON RUSSIA AND UKRAINE SAYS US SHOULD ‘WANT TO BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY’

This is not the first time Trump has criticized Zelenskyy’s statements about the war. During their infamous meeting in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, Trump said that Zelenskyy’s “hatred” of Russian President Vladimir Putin was making it “very tough” to make a deal.

“You see the hatred he’s got for Putin, it’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate, he’s got tremendous hatred,” Trump told reporters. “And I understand that, but I can tell you the other side isn’t exactly in love with, you know, him either.”

TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL

Trump appeared to allude to the Oval Office meeting in his Truth Social post, calling Zelenskyy “the man with no cards to play.” This echoed Trump’s remark during the tense February meeting in which he said that Zelenskyy didn’t “have the cards” to make major demands in peace talks.

While Zelenskyy has made his demands clear, it remains uncertain what might persuade Putin to agree to a ceasefire. Although Trump administration officials have stated that they have had productive conversations with Putin, they have yet to get Russia to agree to a ceasefire proposal.

Earlier on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance suggested that the U.S. was prepared to walk away from peace talks if Ukraine and Russia did not reach a deal soon.

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI assesses that some Venezuelan government officials “likely facilitate” the migration of members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua from Venezuela to the United States to advance the Maduro regime’s objective of undermining public safety in the U.S., Fox News Digital has learned. 

A senior administration official exclusively shared with Fox News Digital Wednesday unclassified portions of the FBI’s classified intelligence assessment of the Venezuelan government’s relationship with Tren de Aragua.

TRUMP ISSUES WARNING TO MADURO AS VENEZUELAN LEADER ENTERS THIRD TERM, US EXPANDS SANCTIONS

President Donald Trump, upon taking office, designated Tren de Aragua, as well as several other migrant gangs present throughout the U.S., as a foreign terrorist organization. 

Fox News Digital has learned that the FBI assesses that some Venezuelan government officials are likely using Tren de Aragua members as proxies for the Maduro regime in an effort to destabilize Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and the United States. The official said the FBI assesses that this demonstrates Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s willingness to violate the territorial sovereignty of Venezuela’s neighbors to advance his regime’s policies. 

The FBI assesses that in the next six to 18 months, Venezuelan government officials likely will attempt to leverage Tren de Aragua members in the United States as proxy actors to threaten, abduct and kill members of the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States who are vocal critics of Maduro and his regime. 

The FBI expects an expansion of similar activities throughout South America. 

TRUMP ADMIN FILES FIRST RACKETEERING CHARGES AGAINST MASSIVE MIGRANT TERRORIST GROUP PRESENT IN US

“These findings should shock Americans but not the law enforcement community,” a senior administration official told Fox News Digital. “They reflect the sentiments of numerous other intelligence assessments across multiple agencies.” 

Any further details or specific examples remain classified.

“Nicholas Maduro is a Marxist dictator who hijacked a once-prosperous Venezuela and brought in nothing but total economic collapse and gang takeover,” the official said. “He crumbled Caracas, now overrun with drugs and violence, and wants to do the same across the United States by sending his most violent and dangerous criminals into our communities.” 

The Venezuelan leader, deemed a “dictator” by American lawmakers, is set to hold office until 2031.

“The Trump administration will continue to use every authority in our power to make sure these TdA terrorists, who are some of the worst in the world, are kept out of our country,” the U.S. official said. “The American people voted overwhelmingly to make America safe again, and that is exactly what we will do.” 

Fox News Digital also spoke to an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Wednesday, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The ODNI official told Fox News Digital that the FBI’s assessment is based on its domestic law enforcement operations against Tren de Aragua in America. 

“This information and intelligence are the most robust and accurate given their focus on domestic security and crimes, versus limited intelligence assessments from other intelligence elements who by law focus solely on foreign intelligence collection and who, until President Trump took office, had very limited resources focused on TdA,” the official said. 

Meanwhile, the ODNI official briefed Fox News Digital on unclassified information from its assessment on Tren de Aragua’s relationship with the Venezuelan government. 

The official said ODNI assesses that Tren de Aragua leaders historically have been “located and broadly benefited from conditions in Venezuela created by the Venezuelan government.” 

“The Venezuelan government gives sanctuary to TdA, aiding and abetting their crimes and terrorist activities against the United States by enabling them to thrive,” the ODNI told Fox News Digital. 

The official said that unlike most countries, the Maduro regime has “been eager to welcome violent TdA criminals back to Venezuela, providing further proof they see them as allies. Again, this mirrors the behavior of the Taliban in Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern failed states like Syria and Libya that have welcomed terrorists with open arms.” 

The Associated Press recently reported on a classified assessment from the National Intelligence Council, citing anonymous sources, that its assessment found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government. 

But Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard blasted the report, saying the officials who illegally shared the classified information weaponized the intelligence to undermine Trump. 

“The weaponization of intelligence to undermine the President’s agenda is an assault on democracy,” Gabbard said. “Those behind this illegal leak of classified intelligence, twisted and manipulated to convey the exact opposite finding, will be accountable under the full force of the law.”

The ODNI official said the unclassified assessment information shared with Fox News Digital Wednesday “are facts based on intelligence that the illegal leakers and propaganda media conveniently did not include because it gets in the way of their biased narrative and attempt to deceive the American people.” 

The release of the unclassified information to Fox News Digital comes after the Trump administration filed its first racketeering charges — also known as RICO charges, which include conspiring to commit murder, sex-trafficking, assault, dealing drugs and more — against Tren de Aragua members and its associates in New York Tuesday. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

That case was part of “Operation Take Back America,” which it said is a “nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”

The charges filed against 27 alleged current and former Tren de Aragua members include human smuggling, sex trafficking and murder.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that 21 of the 27 alleged gang members and associates are currently in federal custody. The statement said that 16 were already in federal criminal, immigration or state custody, and five were arrested in the past couple of days.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi commented on the RICO charges, saying: “Today’s indictments and arrests span three states and will devastate TdA’s infrastructure as we work to completely dismantle and purge this organization from our country.” 

“Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang,” said Bondi. “It is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in human trafficking, and spread deadly drugs through our communities.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charged an illegal immigrant with the murder of a mother in Maryland on Wednesday, just five days after Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., returned to the state from his high-profile El Salvador visit to try to retrieve a deported alleged MS-13 member.

ICE arrested Keycy Robinson Alexis Barrera-Rosa, a 23-year-old Guatemalan national on April 5 in Charles County. He was later charged on April 23 after the body of Lesbia Mileth Ramirez Guerra from LaPlata was discovered buried near a state forest.

ICE said Barrera-Rose would be “fully prosecuted” for the alleged murder, according to ICE.

NOT A MARYLAND MAN: GOP BLASTS DEMOCRAT SENATOR FIGHTING TO RETURN SALVADORAN NATIONAL

Van Hollen, who returned to Maryland on Friday after trying to bring deportee Kilmar Garcia back from El Salvador, has not appeared to make any public comments on the news regarding Guerra. He has, however, commented on illegal immigrant crime in the past, including in a January statement explaining his no vote on the Laken Riley Act.

“We must keep our communities safe and prioritize the detention of violent offenders,” Van Hollen said on Jan. 20.

Meanwhile, Van Hollen and the several House Democrats who followed his lead in traveling to Central America to aid Garcia have become the focal point of the GOP’s derision in recent days. For instance, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) launched a fake tourism ad saying Democrats “should feel free to make their trip to hang out with MS-13 gangbangers one-way.”

DEMOCRAT’S EL SALVADOR TRIP LAMPOONED IN SENATE GOP FAUX TOURISM AD: ‘BIENVENIDOS’

The ad came after serious crimes at the hands of illegal immigrants cropped up around the Old Line State.

Most recently, Victor Martinez-Hernandez was found guilty of killing Rachel Morin on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air.

Morin’s mother, Patty, was later invited to speak from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, where she lambasted Van Hollen for traveling to El Salvador to help Garcia.

On Sunday, Van Hollen told “Fox News Sunday” that what happened to the Morin family “was awful and unacceptable.”

Last week, a jury took less than an hour to convict another Maryland illegal immigrant murder suspect – Victor Martinez-Hernandez – on first-degree premeditated murder charges in Harford County.

Also last week, ICE arrested Guatemalan national Rene Pop-Chub in Hyattsville, Maryland, outside Washington. Pop-Chub had pending murder, assault and reckless endangerment charges, and was the subject of an ignored detainer by a county corrections office, according to an ICE statement.

“The arrest of Rene Pop-Chub underscores the critical importance of cooperation between federal and local counterparts,” ICE Baltimore Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker said in a statement.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In a 2024 case in Montgomery Village, a northern suburb of Washington, ICE detained an “unlawfully present” Honduran national and previous deportee named Madai Gamaliel Amaya. 

Amaya’s arrest marked what ICE said was a record of 153 arrests of noncitizen sex offenders in Maryland in FY-2024. An ICE official called the case a “landmark arrest” for the Baltimore field office, and said in a statement that Amaya was previously arrested in the same county in 2009 and charged with second-degree rape. He was deported in 2013 and 2018, albeit from other states.

Despite the high-profile cases in Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore told Fox News Digital the state has seen “significant drops” in violent crimes.

“Our law enforcement officials work hard every day, in coordination with federal partners, to root out violent crime in our state. This is exactly what happened in this case, and what we do every day to keep Marylanders safe – hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes, regardless of immigration status,” Moore added, referring to the Guerra case.

Fox News Digital reached out to Van Hollen, DHS and ICE for comment but did not immediately hear back.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday revealed plans to install two “beautiful” 100-foot flagpoles on the White House lawns that will each fly an American flag.

Trump told reporters about the plans after he was spotted touring the North Lawn of the White House with Dale Haney, head White House groundskeeper.

“We’re putting up a beautiful, almost 100-foot-tall American flag,” Trump said, adding that the two flagpoles will be “top of the line.”

“And they’ve needed flagpoles for 200 years,” Trump told reporters. “It was something I’ve often said. You know, they don’t have a flagpole, per se. So we’re putting one right where you saw us, and we’re putting another one on the side on top of the mounds. It’s going to be two beautiful poles.”

TRUMP TO CREATE TASK FORCE TO PLAN ‘EXTRAORDINARY CELEBRATION’ FOR 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE

The president noted that the flagpoles will be “paid for by Trump,” and should arrive at the White House in about a week.

PENNSYLVANIA GOV. SHAPIRO SAYS TRUMP CALLED HIM ABOUT ARSON ATTACK: ‘VERY GRACIOUS’

The White House currently flies an American flag from a flagpole on its rooftop. The flag is always flown there, no matter the president’s location. 

The POW/MIA flag has also been flown at the White House since 2019. 

The Trump administration is filing federal charges after hearing that an illegal immigrant convicted of manslaughter is set to be released over six years early by the California state government. 

Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was driving drunk, high, and speeding at nearly 100mph on the 405 freeway in Orange County in November 2021, when he crashed into a car being driven by a young couple, 19-year-old’s Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin, which killed them both as they burned alive. In spring 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Fox News reported on Wednesday morning that Ortega-Anguiano will be released by California state government on July 19 after serving just 3.5 years of his 10-year sentence, and the families of the victims were informed of the early release on Easter Sunday.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF KILLING TEENS IN HIGH-SPEED CRASH TO BE RELEASED EARLY: ‘IT’S DISGUSTING’

“My office has filed a felony immigration charge against this defendant. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted for 8 USC 1326. If the State of California will not seek the full measure of justice against this individual, the [DOJ] will,” Bill Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California, tweeted.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in following the exclusive Fox News report.

“This is absolutely unconscionable. What about Justice for these teens? What about the rights of their parents? [The DOJ] will work with ICE to make sure this illegal alien receives full punishment for his crimes,” Bondi tweeted.

MARYLAND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED AFTER WOMAN FOUND MURDERED IN WOODS: OFFICIALS

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put out a detainer for his arrest following his likely release by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. However, California’s sanctuary policies led to questions about whether the state will end up complying with the detainer.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

CDCR does typically cooperate with ICE detainers, but border czar Tom Homan swiftly said federal authorities would step in after his release.

“I will work with [Homeland Security] Secretary Noem on this case, and I guarantee you, if they don’t honor the detainer, we’ll have ICE agents outside that facility to take custody of this individual and deport him,” Homan said Wednesday on “America’s Newsroom.”

ANGEL MOM OF RACHEL MORIN CONDEMNS DEMS’ TRIP TO SEE DEPORTED MIGRANT, MAINSTREAM MEDIA BIAS

According to a notice reviewed by Fox News, he is set to be released to Garden Grove, a suburb in Orange County just south of Los Angeles.

“For safety and security reasons, CDCR cannot provide information on an incarcerated person’s release date or location in advance of their release. Incarcerated persons may earn credits for participating in rehabilitative programming, which may move their parole dates to an earlier date,” the department stated.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The families of the teens killed said they’re writing to the state to keep him locked up.

“It’s disgusting. You have two young, unbelievable future, productive American citizens killed for nothing and that illegal immigrant who already has been deported twice is going to be released again? For what? If even he is deported, he will come back,” Anatoly Varfolomeev, the father of Anya, told Fox News in an interview. 

“I hope he’s going to stay in prison. I hope that he’s gonna get old in prison and I hope he’s getting kicked out from our country in the end,” Pavel Osokin, Nicholay’s father, said.

“Three years for killing two kids! It’s confusing to me. Why you give them 10 if they’re gonna spend five, and then three? Give them three in the beginning, at least we know what to expect. It’s sort of spitting in my face,” he said.

FIRST ON FOX: GOP Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is launching a video campaign to remind gun manufacturers in Colorado that if they move just a few hundred miles to the north, they can be free of one of the nation’s most restrictive gun control bills signed into law earlier this month in their state.

“Do you want to move back to America?” Gianforte is asking Colorado gunmakers, after Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed S.B. 25-003 into law earlier this month. The new law, which is slated to go into effect in August 2026, effectively bans the manufacture, sale or purchase of semi-automatic firearms that accept detachable magazines, which include most AR-15s and AK-47 rifles sold in the United States. Some tactical shotguns and a few select handguns will also be impacted. 

“Our Second Amendment is very clear. It says the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Gianforte told Fox News Digital. “This bill outlaws some of the most popular firearms used for sporting and self-defense. It’s a violation of the Second Amendment.”

BLUE STATE GOP REP FORCED TO REMOVE 2A STICKER FROM LAPTOP: ‘OFFENSIVE’

Gianforte has helped spearhead greater protections for gun owners and sellers in his state, including through making Montana a constitutional carry state and through the passage of a law that prohibits law enforcement from enforcing federal firearm bans or regulations that infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights to possess, transfer or use any firearm, magazine or firearm accessory. 

The GOP Montana governor also spearheaded an effort to ban liberal environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards that served as a basis for private institutions, such as banks, to refuse to work with gun manufacturers and sellers.  

However, Gianforte pointed to not only his state’s defense of Second Amendment rights, but also to its pro-business policies and comparatively low tax burden for reasons why his state is ideal for law-abiding gun makers and sellers. 

EXCESSIVE STATE TAXES ON GUNS, AMMUNITION SALES ARE TARGET OF NEW GOP CRACKDOWN EFFORT

“When this [Colorado bill] came out – this announcement – I personally cold called six Colorado firearms companies. Five of them, the five I’ve spoken to so far, are all planning visits to Montana,” Gianforte recounted to Fox News Digital. The governor said that from his conversation with the companies, he deduced they were all “throwing in the towel on Colorado.”  

“My message to them was pretty simple,” he said. “‘See what’s going on in Colorado? Do you want to move back to America? Because Montana is open for business, and we would welcome you here.'”

Gianforte also pointed out how officials from the state of Montana attend what the governor described as “the largest” firearms and gun trade show in the world, which the officials frequently return from with multiple leads on manufacturers looking to potentially move to Montana every year. 

TRUMP HAILED FOR RESTORING GUN RIGHTS AS GOP FIGHTS BIDEN-ERA POLICIES

Gianforte estimated that officials walked away from the convention last year with about 10 potential new firearm businesses seriously interested in moving to Montana, while he said this year it was closer to 30.

“We have more firearms and ammunition manufacturers today than any other state in the country per capita,” touted Gianforte. “We proudly defend the Second Amendment, not just for our firearms owners, but also for firearms manufacturers and ammunition manufacturers.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Gov. Polis’ office for comment.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro claims President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked his travel visa to the U.S. this week.

Petro made the announcement at a cabinet meeting, responding to questions about whether he would attend meetings with international organizations in Washington, D.C. later this year.

“I can no longer go because I believe they took away my visa,” Petro told reporters.

“I didn’t need to have one, but anyway, I’ve already seen Donald Duck several times, so I’ll go see other things,” Petro added.

HIGH-RANKING TREN DE ARAGUA GANGSTER MURDERED TWO AMERICAN WOMEN, CAPTURED ACROSS COUNTRY: FEDS

The State Department has refused to comment on the topic due to the confidentiality of visa records, according to the New York Post.

Petro’s claim comes months after he caved to Trump after initially refusing to accept deportation flights from the U.S. military.

EXCLUSIVE: GOP MOVES TO AUTHORIZE TRUMP TO WAGE WAR ON CARTELS THROUGH MILITARY FORCE

Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem also traveled to Colombia in late March to meet with her counterpart there, Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia.

Noem said that she had a “candid” conversation with Sarabia, and the pair later jointly announced a data-sharing agreement that would help U.S. authorities identify illegal immigrants.

“We’re going to strengthen our regional security systems and make sure that we’re disrupting the movement of threatening actors that perpetuate illegal activity and also facilitate illegal trafficking of migrants across the Western Hemisphere,” Noem said at the time.

“Through this expansion of sharing of biometric data, it will be much more efficient, effective, accurate, and it will also build cooperation that will open doors to new ways that we can continue to work together,” she added.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Ill., the Senate Democratic whip and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, has announced he will not seek re-election in 2026. 

Durbin, who was first elected to the Senate in 1996, made the announcement in a video message on X Wednesday.

“The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy,” Durbin said. 

“I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch. So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

Deborah Lipstadt, who served as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism during much of the Biden administration, has indicated that she is “pleased” the Trump administration is seeking to tackle antisemitism.

“I’m pleased that they’re addressing it, because that’s what I did for the past three years, which was to really push the Biden Administration to seriously address it. So I am very, very pleased that it’s on their agenda,” she told the New Yorker. The outlet noted that the conversation with Lipstadt was edited for length and clarity.

Emory University announced in December that Lipstadt would return to the higher educational institution later in the academic year.

ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS BREAK RECORD FOR 4TH STRAIGHT YEAR, ADL FINDS

Fox News Digital attempted to reach to Lipstadt on Wednesday via the email and number listed on Emory University’s website, but did not receive a response to the comment request by the time of publication.

Lipstadt told the New Yorker that the Trump administration has been “calling universities to account.” 

JEWISH HARVARD STUDENTS SPEAK OUT AFTER UNIVERSITY SUES TRUMP ADMIN OVER FUNDING FREEZE

“I also think there are many Jews, and some non-Jews, too, but many Jews who are disappointed by how universities have behaved since October 7th, and they see a strong – to use Passover terminology – a strong hand being used. Now, whether that hand is being used properly or not raises certain questions about what’s happening,” she reportedly said, noting, “a lot of people were relieved to see this forceful approach. I think, in many respects, it’s going too far.”

She indicated that many colleges have fallen short in tackling antisemitism.

“Look, the universities failed to address this seriously. And by failing to address this seriously, they failed the Jewish students on campus. They dismissed their grievances. They created an inhospitable atmosphere. We’re now seeing the fruits of that failure. What disturbs me so much is that the debate will now become over whether antisemitism is being used as a weapon to fight against people we don’t like. Antisemitism should not be a cudgel,” she noted, according to the outlet.

ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATOR CHARGED IN VIOLENT HATE CRIME ATTACK ON TWO JEWISH COLLEGE STUDENTS

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The fight should be against antisemitism and not against the institutions. The institutions opened the door. Most universities failed miserably to address this, and we’re seeing the consequences of that now,” she told the New Yorker.

The White House is steadfast in its support for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid media reports regarding his imminent ouster. 

Hegseth has attracted scrutiny once more in recent weeks after the New York Times reported Sunday that he disclosed details about a March military airstrike in Yemen against the Houthis in a Signal messaging app group chat that included his wife, brother and lawyer – about a dozen people in total – on a personal phone before his confirmation. Hegseth maintains that no classified information was disclosed over Signal. 

The incident follows a similar episode in March, where the Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was included on a Signal group chat with other high-ranking Trump administration officials, including Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, discussing the same attack on the Houthis. National security advisor Mike Waltz later took “full responsibility” for that chat blunder. 

But the White House says it supports Hegseth, and argued he’s faced a “smear campaign” since Trump tapped him for the post in December 2024. 

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REBUFFS NEW GROUP CHAT ALLEGATIONS AS ATTEMPT TO ‘SABOTAGE’ TRUMP’S AGENDA 

“The secretary of defense is doing a tremendous job, and he is bringing monumental change to the Pentagon, and there’s a lot of people in the city who reject monumental change, and I think, frankly, that’s why we’ve seen a smear campaign against the secretary of defense since the moment that President Trump announced his nomination before the United States Senate,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. 

“Let me reiterate: the president stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth and the change that he is bringing to the Pentagon, and the results that he’s achieved thus far speak for themselves,” Leavitt said. 

Hegseth has received backlash ever since Trump announced his nomination to lead the Pentagon, especially after allegations of sexual assault and alcohol misuse surfaced. In response, Hegseth told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he is not a “perfect person,” but asserted that he was the subject of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.” 

Ultimately, no Democrats voted to confirm Hegseth. In contrast, only one Democrat voted against Trump’s first secretary of defense in 2016, retired Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis. 

Hegseth has spearheaded multiple reforms, including a series of efforts to curb diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the Pentagon that he says are in accordance with executive orders from the Trump administration. 

NPR reported Monday that the White House was eyeing a new secretary of defense, but Leavitt shut down the report immediately, labeling the report “fake news.” The NPR story was based on one anonymous U.S. official not authorized to speak to the media. 

Meanwhile, Hegseth has maintained that the second Signal chat, like his first, did not include “war plans,” and that all discussions conducted over Signal were unclassified. Included in the group chat were Hegseth’s brother, Phil, who works at the Pentagon as a Department of Homeland Security liaison and senior advisor, according to the Associated Press. The defense secretary’s longtime personal attorney, Tim Parlatore, who was commissioned as a Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps commander right before the Signal chat, was also included, according to the Times report. 

“I said repeatedly, nobody is texting war plans,” Hegseth told Fox News Tuesday. “I look at war plans every day. What was shared over Signal then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things. That’s what I’ve said from the beginning.”

Meanwhile, even some in Hegseth’s orbit predict that he will not remain in his post for much longer. 

John Ullyot, a former senior communications official for the Pentagon who resigned in April under Hegseth, wrote that the abrupt Friday firings of three of Hegseth’s “most loyal” advisors – his aide Dan Caldwell, his deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, Colin Carroll – were alarming and “baffling.” 

“The dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president – who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote in a Sunday op-ed for Politico. 

“Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account,” he wrote. “Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.”

Caldwell and Selnick were included in the second Hegseth group chat, according to the Times. 

HEGSETH SHARED DETAILS OF YEMEN STRIKES IN SECOND SIGNAL CHAT: REPORT

Senate Democrats are also clamoring for Hegseth to resign. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member, asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to conduct a report into Hegseth’s use of the Signal chat. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Since he was nominated, I have warned that Mr. Hegseth lacks the experience, competence, and character to run the Department of Defense,” Reed said in a Sunday statement. “In light of the ongoing chaos, dysfunction, and mass firings under Mr. Hegseth’s leadership, it seems that those objections were well-founded.” 

“Accountability starts at the top, and I have grave concerns about Secretary Hegseth’s ability to maintain the trust and confidence of U.S. service members,” he stated. 

A woman dining with her family recently had her purse stolen in downtown Washington, D.C., just a few blocks away from the restaurant where Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s handbag was swiped, according to a report. 

The victim told NBC News that she was eating at a restaurant inside the Westin Hotel last Thursday and noticed that her purse was missing around the time her family received the check. A police report cited that the suspect snatched her bag “from the chair it was hanging on,” the network added. 

Three days later, Noem’s purse, which contained $3,000 in cash as well as personal documents, including her passport, keys, driver’s license and a DHS badge, was stolen at The Capital Burger, a restaurant located less than a quarter mile away. 

In both incidents, the suspect was identified as a White male wearing dark clothing, a dark baseball hat and a N95 mask, NBC News reported, citing the victim of the Westin theft and two sources familiar with surveillance footage viewed by law enforcement in the Noem case. 

DHS CHIEF KRISTI NOEM’S PURSE STOLEN WITH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DC RESTAURANT: SOURCES 

“I’m shocked at the similarity of the crime,” the victim of the Westin incident told NBC News. 

It’s unclear if the two incidents are connected, but the victim also said police contacted her Tuesday, mentioned the Noem case and asked if she herself was involved in politics – she is not.

KIMMEL MOCKS KRISTI NOEM FOR GETTING ROBBED, SAYS HER BEING CRIME VICTIM IS ‘EMBARRASSING’ 

A Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the agency cannot comment on the Noem theft because it is not leading the investigation. 

In the Noem incident, “Her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren” and she was using the cash in her purse “to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” a Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News. 

Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: The families of the victims of an Orange County, Calif., high-speed car crash are sending letters to the state to keep an illegal immigrant convicted felon behind bars, as he’s expected to be released from prison over six years before his 10-year sentence is up.

Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, 43, was driving drunk, high, and speeding at nearly 100mph on the 405 freeway in Orange County in November 2021, when he crashed into a car being driven by a young couple, 19-year-olds Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin, killing them both as they burned alive. In 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. 

“It’s disgusting. You have two young, unbelievable future, productive American citizens killed for nothing and that illegal immigrant who already has been deported twice is going to be released again? For what? If even he is deported, he will come back,” Anatoly Varfolomeev, the father of Anya, told Fox News in an interview. He has not changed Anya’s room since her death. 

EXCLUSIVE: FOX TOURS ICE DETENTION FACILITY; MANAGER HOPES TO ‘DISPEL’ ‘FALSE NARRATIVES’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put out a detainer for his arrest following his likely release by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. However, the Golden State’s sanctuary laws lead to questions about whether the state will adhere to that detainer. CDCR does typically cooperate with ICE detainers. 

Before the tragedy, Ortega-Anguiano had multiple felonies on his record, as well as several convictions for driving without a license. Border czar Tom Homan vowed on Fox News to honor the detainer and swiftly place him into federal custody upon his release.
 
In spring 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO TRUMP ADMIN’S CFPB TERMINATIONS

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer with North Kern State Prison, Delano, California, June 9, 2022, on Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, 43, of Mexico. He is serving time after being convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. His previous criminal convictions include burglary in 2005; vehicle theft in 2007; and battery on spouse with kidnapping in 2014,” the statement from ICE explains.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE
 
“An immigration judge ordered Ortega removed Nov. 3, 2014; he filed several unsuccessful appeals and was taken into ICE custody Dec. 2, 2016, and removed to Mexico the same day. Ortega attempted to reenter the United States Feb. 2, 2018, near Otay Mesa, California by presenting a counterfeit document; he was paroled into the U.S. pending criminal prosecution for illegal reentry after removal. An immigration official issued Ortega an expedited removal order and removed him June 1, 2018, to Mexico; after his latest removal, he again illegally reentered the U.S. on an unknown date and location. ICE issued a detainer with the Orange County Jail, California, Nov. 27, 2021, where he was being held on vehicular manslaughter charges at the time,” it continues.

Fox News reviewed the obtained notice of release sent to Varfolomeev, which suggests releasing him in Garden Grove.

GORSUCH, ROBERTS SIDE WITH LEFT-LEANING SUPREME COURT JUSTICES IN IMMIGRATION RULING

“For safety and security reasons CDCR cannot provide information on an incarcerated person’s release date or location in advance of their release. Incarcerated persons may earn credits for participating in rehabilitative programming, which may move their parole dates to an earlier date,” the department stated.

The families say this is a slap in the face to them, given how early he’s expected to be brought back into the community. They remain fearful that even if he is deported, that he could re-enter the country as a gotaway, as he’s done twice before. 

“I hope he’s going to stay in prison. I hope that he’s gonna get old in prison and I hope he’s getting kicked out from our country in the end,” Pavel Osokin, Nicholay’s father, said.

“Three years for killing two kids! It’s confusing to me. Why you give them 10 if they’re gonna spend five, and then three? Give them three in the beginning, at least we know what to expect. It’s sort of spitting in my face,” he said.

A federal judge in Maryland accused the Trump administration of “willful and bad faith refusal” to comply with court orders in the case of illegal immigrant and suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis – who was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama – accused the Trump administration of obstructing the legal process and refusing to provide information about the steps they have taken, if any, to free Abrego Garcia from Salvadorian custody and return him to the United States. 

“For weeks, Defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege, using them as a shield to obstruct discovery and evade compliance with this Court’s orders,” Xinis wrote in an eight-page order Tuesday. “Defendants have known, at least since last week, that this Court requires specific legal and factual showings to support any claim of privilege. Yet they have continued to rely on boilerplate assertions. That ends now.”

4 MORE DEMS TRAVEL TO EL SALVADOR TO PUSH FOR ABREGO GARCIA’S RETURN TO US

“If Defendants want to preserve their privilege claims, they must support them with the required detail. Otherwise, they will lose the protections they failed to properly invoke,” the judge added. 

She gave the administration until 6 p.m. Wednesday to provide those details.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a photo to TRUTH Social of himself in the Oval Office holding up a photo of the gang-affiliated tattoos etched on Abrego Garcia’s knuckles. 

“This is the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, that the Courts are trying to save from being deported?” Trump wrote. “He was supposed to be, according to the Judge and the Democrats, a wonderful father from Maryland, but then they noticed he had “MS-13″ tattooed onto his knuckles (and lots of really bad stories about his past!). This is the gang that is, perhaps, the worst of them all. What is wrong with our Country?” 

The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia, 29, to El Salvador in what it described in court filings as an “administrative error,” and has since said that it is up to El Salvador whether Abrego Garcia returns to the U.S. 

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

The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration nearly two weeks ago to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S., so that court proceedings could continue, rejecting the White House’s claim that it couldn’t retrieve him. 

Trump administration officials have pushed back, arguing that it is up to El Salvador — though the president of El Salvador has also said he lacks the power to return Abrego Garcia. The administration has also argued that information about any steps it has taken or could take to return Abrego Garcia is protected by attorney-client privilege laws, state secret laws, general “government privilege” or other secrecy rules.

But Xinis said those claims, without any facts to back them up, reflected a “willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations.”

A three-judge panel on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals scolded the administration last week, saying its claim that it can’t do anything to free Abrego Garcia “should be shocking.” 

The Justice Department unveiled documents last week detailing domestic violence allegations that Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez, included in a court filing in 2021. Vasquez alleged in the filing that Abrego Garcia beat her and that she had documentation of the bruises he left on her. Additionally, a 2022 Homeland Security Investigations report obtained by Fox News claims that Abrego Garcia was suspected of partaking in labor and human trafficking. The report said a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper pulled Abrego Garcia over in 2022 after swerving. The patrol officer found eight other individuals in the car with Abrego Garcia, who had just begun driving three days prior. 

The officer originally believed the incident qualified as a human trafficking case because no luggage was found in the car, but the officer ultimately only wrote up Abrego Garcia for driving with an expired license. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, Diana Stancy, David Spunt, Rachel Wolf, Greg Norman and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Vice President JD Vance told reporters in India that the U.S. had offered Russia and Ukraine “a very explicit proposal” to end the war that has been ongoing for over three years: make a deal or risk the U.S. walking away.

“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the U.S. to walk away from this process. We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work,” Vance told reporters.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE A PASS’ ON UKRAINE PEACE EFFORTS IF RUSSIA REFUSES TO PLAY BALL

The vice president also said that “the only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing and to get on with the business of actually building a better Russia and a better Ukraine.”

Vance’s comments come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he would not be attending talks in London aimed at facilitating a ceasefire. On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that Rubio would not be attending the talks due to “logistical issues.” 

The secretary later wrote in a post on X that he was planning on “following up after the ongoing discussions in London and rescheduling my trip to the UK in the coming months.”

During Tuesday’s briefing, Bruce also said Gen. Keith Kellogg, special presidential envoy for Ukraine, would represent the U.S. at the talks in London.

TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL

On Friday, Rubio suggested that the U.S. might walk away from negotiations to end the war within “a matter of days,” despite President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire deal. Trump later told the press that Rubio was “right in saying that we want to see it end.”

“Think about it, every day a lot of people are being killed as we talk about, you know, as they play games, so we’re not gonna take that,” Trump told reporters. He also said he thinks the U.S. has a “good chance” of bringing peace to Ukraine and Russia.

Security experts, however, are not as confident that peace is on the horizon, as some warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace.

Trump seems to be hoping to entice Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop the fighting with talk of how both countries could benefit from doing business with the U.S. after the war ends. He made the remark after Ukraine and Russia’s temporary Easter ceasefire ended. Both Ukraine and Russia accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

The Department of Homeland Security in May will begin implementing REAL ID requirements for U.S. travelers for the first time, a move that comes as the administration looks to act on some of President Donald Trump’s top policy priorities, including its crackdown on illegal immigration and border security.

The enhanced ID requirements are slated to take effect May 7 and will apply to all U.S. travelers over the age of 18. 

The law establishing REAL IDs isn’t new: Congress first passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in an effort to crack down on identity verification in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and set “minimum security standards” for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. 

But after 20 years of slow-walking the law’s enforcement, the abrupt timing of the May 7 enforcement is likely to catch many Americans flat-footed.

Just how necessary is obtaining a “REAL ID”? We broke down the changes coming next month and what’s at stake for those who don’t comply. Here’s what you need to know in the final weeks before the new rules take force.

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ORAL ARGUMENTS IN BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP CASE

Beginning May 7, all federal agencies, including DHS and TSA, are required to accept only state-issued driver’s licenses and state identification cards that comply with the updated identity verification standards.

The goal of the REAL ID Act is “to make state driver’s licenses and ID cards (which are identification cards that states issue to non-drivers) more secure, less susceptible to fraud, and more reliable as a form of identification,” Magdalena Krajewska, an associate political science professor, wrote in a 2020 article for the Oxford Academic. (The government has for years tried to stand up the REAL ID requirements, most recently in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The law seeks to add another layer of security to various forms of identification and to make it harder to counterfeit state IDs.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO TRUMP ADMIN’S CFPB TERMINATIONS 

The short answer: It depends. In order to obtain this enhanced form of ID, individuals must present to their local DMV valid proof of identity; proof of their Social Security number and date of birth, and two additional documents that prove they live in the state. This varies from state to state, though updated guidance can be found here.

The good news is that individuals can obtain one of the enhanced IDs at any time. All 50 states, D.C., and five U.S. territories are now issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards, according to the DHS. 

The REAL ID requirements are a “coordinated effort by the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of driver’s licenses and identification cards for individuals across the federal government,” Bart Johnson, TSA’s federal security director for upstate New York, told reporters this month. 

Every adult in the U.S., if they want to travel by plane or enter government facilities.

“Every air traveler 18 years of age and older must have a REAL ID-compliant ID, which is a state-issued driver’s license, state-issued identification card, or another acceptable form of ID, such as a U.S. passport” before the May 7 deadline, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.

Though the other IDs are not rendered obsolete, the TSA said Americans will need to present these new IDs every time they board a commercial flight, even when traveling on a domestic trip. They will also need this updated ID to access federal facilities or be granted access to federal buildings.

No, not everyone needs to get a new ID. In fact, certain states have required REAL ID verification from residents for years, meaning individuals living in those states and with active forms of identification need not hustle to the local DMV.

Enhanced and “REAL ID-compliant” identification cards are marked with a seal, often a star in the top right-hand corner, according to DHS. 

The abrupt enforcement timeline could catch many Americans flat-footed, especially ahead of what is predicted to be a busy summer travel season.

While legacy IDs are still valid for travel, including driving, airline passengers who present noncompliant forms of ID before boarding, and without another acceptable alternative, such as a passport, “can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint,” DHS officials said.