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Tag: immigration enforcement

  • Dozens rally against proposed ICE facility in Hyattsville – WTOP News

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    Dozens of protesters marched down the streets of Hyattsville, Maryland, protesting a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

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    Dozens rally against proposed ICE facility in Hyattsville

    Dozens of demonstrators marched down the streets of Hyattsville, Maryland, protesting a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

    Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey and other Maryland elected officials sent a letter this week to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Director Todd Lyons for more information about the project.

    “When ICE agents kill people, when ICE agents terrorize people, when ICE agents separate children from parents, and they do not even identify themselves — they hide, they hide their faces — they are given the right to do anything with absolute immunity,” Charles Askins, a Hyattsville resident told WTOP. “That is the worst of the worst, not immigrants.”

    Askins was one of the many protesters who marched through Hyattsville, ending in front of the building of the proposed new office on Belcrest Road.

    In the letter to DHS officials, Ivey wrote, “Given the significant community concern surrounding ICE operations and the potential local impact of this expansion mere blocks from a church, a sensitive location and in the same building as a local Social Services Office of Family Investment, serving young children and families — we are requesting detailed information regarding this proposed facility.”

    The letter was also signed by Maryland senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks. It requests more information about the operations and size and scope of the office, and whether it will be an enforcement arm with holding cells or just an administrative office.

    “I’ve seen what those detention centers look like,” Ivey said. “They treat people terribly. They’re horrible conditions. I’ve seen animal shelters that are better than some of the detention centers they’re running. And we don’t want the roving patrols. We don’t want this to turn into Minneapolis.”

    When asked about the recent ban of 287(g) agreements signed by Gov. Wes Moore and whether President Donald Trump’s administration will continue immigration enforcement in the state, Ivey said, “Trump’s mode of operation has just been to go do what he wants to do, and he keeps doing it until people push back.”

    “That’s what we saw in Minnesota,” he continued. “They rolled in, they sent in 3,000 ICE officers. That’s five times more ICE agents than they had than police officers in the Minneapolis Police Department. The community stood up and pushed back, and they ran them out of town.”

    The congressman walked with other local leaders during their short march, including Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy and Hyattsville Mayor Robert Croslin.

    “The only thing that I can do right now is to thank you all,” Croslin said to the many marchers waving signs reading “No ICE.” “And to let you know that Hyattsville is a sanctuary city.”

    Braveboy announced that she would be signing an executive order Thursday that would further limit local law enforcement from working with ICE officers.

    Hyattsville resident Kathy Hogle said many of her neighbors are immigrants and fear immigration enforcement.

    “Probably the most important thing at this moment is that we have now hundreds of thousands of families who don’t have their breadwinners, hundreds of thousands of families that have been traumatized and that will have to live with this trauma for generations,” Hogle said.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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  • Trump’s $45 billion expansion of immigrant detention sites faces pushback from communities – WTOP News

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    A proposed ICE facility just north of Richmond, Virginia, drew hundreds of people last week to a tense public hearing of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors.

    A man takes photos of a warehouse as federal officials tour the facility to consider repurposing it as an ICE detention facility Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Belton, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)(AP/Charlie Riedel)

    With tensions high over federal immigration enforcement, some state and local officials are pushing back against attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to house thousands of detained immigrants in their communities in converted warehouses, privately run facilities and county jails.

    Federal officials have been scouting cities and counties across the U.S. for places to hold immigrants as they roll out a massive $45 billion expansion of detention facilities financed by Trump’s recent tax-cutting law.

    The fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota have amplified an already intense spotlight on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, increasing scrutiny of its plans for new detention sites.

    A proposed ICE facility just north of Richmond, Virginia, drew hundreds of people last week to a tense public hearing of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors.

    “You want what’s happening in Minnesota to go down in our own backyard? Build that detention center here, and that’s exactly what will happen,” resident Kimberly Matthews told county officials.

    As a prospective ICE detention site became public, elected officials in Kansas City, Missouri, scrambled to pass an ordinance aimed at blocking it. And mayors in Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City — after raising concerns about building permits — announced last week that property owners won’t be selling or leasing their facilities for immigration detention.

    Meanwhile, legislatures in several Democratic-led states pressed forward with bills aimed at blocking or discouraging ICE facilities. A New Mexico measure targets local government agreements to detain immigrants for ICE. A novel California proposal seeks to nudge companies running ICE facilities out of the state by imposing a 50% tax on their proceeds.

    The number of ICE detention sites has doubled

    More than 70,000 immigrants were being detained by ICE as of late December, up from 40,000 when Trump took office, according to federal data.

    In a little over a year, the number of detention facilities used by ICE nearly doubled to 212 sites spread across 47 states and territories. Most of that growth came through existing contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service or deals to use empty beds at county jails.

    Trump’s administration now is taking steps to open more large-scale facilities. In January, ICE paid $102 million for a warehouse in Washington County, Maryland, $84 million for one in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and more than $70 million for one in Surprise, Arizona. It also solicited public comment on a proposed warehouse purchase in a flood plain in Chester, New York.

    Federal immigration officials have toured large warehouses elsewhere, without releasing many details about the efforts.

    “They will be very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards,” ICE said in a statement, adding: “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”

    Detention site foes face legal limitations

    State and local governments can decline to lease detention space to ICE, but they generally cannot prohibit businesses and private landowners from using their property for federal immigrant detention centers, said Danielle Jefferis, an associate law professor at the University of Nebraska who focuses on immigration and civil litigation.

    In 2023, a federal court invalidated a California law barring private immigrant detention facilities for infringing on federal powers. A federal appeals court panel cited similar grounds in July while striking down a New Jersey law that forbade agreements to operate immigrant detention facilities.

    After ICE officials recently toured a warehouse in Orlando, Florida, as a prospective site, local officials looked into ways to regulate or prevent it. But City Attorney Mayanne Downs advised them in a letter that “ICE is immune from any local regulation that interferes in any way with its federal mandate.”

    Officials in Hanover County also asked their attorney to evaluate legal options after the Department of Homeland Security sent a letter confirming its intent to purchase a private property for use as an ICE processing facility. The building sits near retail businesses, hotels, restaurants and several neighborhoods.

    Although some residents voiced concerns that an ICE facility could strain the county’s resources, there’s little the county can do to oppose it, said Board of Supervisors Chair Sean Davis.

    “The federal government is generally exempt from our zoning regulations,” Davis said.

    Kansas City tries to block new ICE detention site

    Despite court rulings elsewhere, the City Council in Kansas City voted in January to impose a five-year moratorium on non-city-run detention facilities. The vote came on the same day ICE officials toured a nearly 1-million-square-foot (92,903-square-meter) warehouse as a prospective site.

    Manny Abarca, a county lawmaker, said he initially was threatened with trespassing when he showed up but was eventually allowed inside the facility, where a deputy ICE field office director told him they were scouting for a 7,500-bed site.

    Abarca is trying to fortify Kansas City’s resistance by proposing a countywide moratorium on permits, zoning changes and development plans for detention facilities not run by the county or a city.

    “When federal power is putting communities on edge, local government has a responsibility to act where we have authority,” he said.

    Kansas City is looking to follow a similar path as Leavenworth, Kansas, which has argued that private prison firm CoreCivic must have an operating permit to reopen a shuttered prison as an ICE detention facility.

    As other ICE proposals have surfaced, officials in Social Circle, Georgia, El Paso, Texas, and Roxbury Township, New Jersey, all have raised concerns about a lack of water and sewer capacity to transform warehouses into detention sites.

    Nationally, it remains to be seen whether local governments can effectively deter ICE facilities through building permits and regulations.

    “We’re currently in a moment where it is being tested,” Jefferis said. “So there is no clear answer as to how the courts are going to come down.”

    New Mexico targets existing ICE facilities

    The Democratic-led New Mexico House on Friday passed legislation banning state and local government contracts for ICE detention facilities, sending it to the Senate. Similar bills are pending in Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.

    The Otero County Processing Center, 25 miles (40 kilometers) from downtown El Paso, Texas, is one of three privately run ICE facilities that could be affected by the New Mexico legislation. The facility includes four immigration courtrooms and space for more than 1,000 detainees. The county financed its construction in 2007 with the intent to use it as a revenue source, and plans to pay off the remaining $16.5 million debt by 2028.

    Otero County Attorney Roy Nichols said the county is prepared to sue the Legislature under a state law that prevents impairment of outstanding revenue bonds.

    Republicans warned of job losses and economic fallout if the legislation forces immigrant detention centers to close.

    But Democratic state Rep. Sarah Silva, who voted for the ban, and said her constituents in a heavily Hispanic area view the ICE facility as a burden.

    “Our state can’t be complicit in the violations that ICE has been doing in places like Minneapolis,” Silva said. “To me that was beyond the tipping point.”

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  • Democrats poised to trigger government shutdown if White House won’t meet demands for ICE reform

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    Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands ahead of a Thursday morning test vote, including that officers take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest. If those are not met, Democrats say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”“The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks. One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September.Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.Democrats lay out their demandsThere’s a lot of “unanimity and shared purpose” within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday.“Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.”Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement.Many obstacles to a dealAs the two sides negotiated, it was still unclear whether they could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats who want Trump’s aggressive crackdown to end.The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation.The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, making it more difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats have demanded. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline.Even if the Senate can resolve the issue, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE.“The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter.Republican oppositionSeveral Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats’ request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it might be more difficult to for Democrats to find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE.North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he’s OK with separating the bills, but is opposed to the Democrats’ proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.“You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said. “And that’s just the reality of the world that we’re in.”Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that “what happened over the weekend is a tragedy,” but Democrats shouldn’t punish Americans with a shutdown and a “political stunt.”Democrats say they won’t back down.“It is truly a moral moment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we need to take a stand.”___Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.

    As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands ahead of a Thursday morning test vote, including that officers take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest. If those are not met, Democrats say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday.

    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”

    “The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.

    There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks. One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September.

    Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.

    That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

    Democrats lay out their demands

    There’s a lot of “unanimity and shared purpose” within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday.

    “Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.”

    Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.

    Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.

    The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement.

    Many obstacles to a deal

    As the two sides negotiated, it was still unclear whether they could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats who want Trump’s aggressive crackdown to end.

    The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation.

    The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, making it more difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats have demanded. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline.

    Even if the Senate can resolve the issue, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE.

    “The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter.

    Republican opposition

    Several Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats’ request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it might be more difficult to for Democrats to find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE.

    North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he’s OK with separating the bills, but is opposed to the Democrats’ proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.

    “You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said. “And that’s just the reality of the world that we’re in.”

    Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that “what happened over the weekend is a tragedy,” but Democrats shouldn’t punish Americans with a shutdown and a “political stunt.”

    Democrats say they won’t back down.

    “It is truly a moral moment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we need to take a stand.”

    ___

    Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

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  • Maryland graduation rates for Hispanic, multilanguage learners dropped due to ICE actions, officials say – WTOP News

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    Josh Michael, school board president, drew a direct connection between the lower graduation rate and “heightened political tensions including the presence of immigration enforcement activity that are being felt directly inside school communities.”

    Maryland’s overall graduation rate for the class of 2025 dropped by just one percentage point from the previous year — a drop attributed to Hispanic and English-language learners leaving school because of immigration enforcement actions, officials said.

    At a briefing with reporters before Tuesday’s State Board of Education meeting, Maryland State Superintendent Carey Wright said the 1% drop was “primarily due to lower graduation rates for Hispanic students and multilanguage learners.”

    Josh Michael, school board president, drew a direct connection between the lower graduation rate and “heightened political tensions including the presence of immigration enforcement activity that are being felt directly inside school communities.”

    Data from the Maryland State Department of Education showed the 2025 graduation rate at 86.4%, compared to 87.6% in 2024.

    Michael said there was a 4.4% drop in graduation rates for Hispanic students and a 5.5% drop for what education officials categorize as multilanguage learners.

    “I’ve never seen a drop or a gain that significant, year-over-year, in a relatively large subgroup,” he said.

    Wright explained that overall, Hispanic students make up 24% of the total student population in Maryland.

    Asked about the data from the previous school year, prior to increased ICE enforcement actions across the country and in Maryland, Michael said, “This is data from May and June of last year, right? All that is happening now will likely only further compound the trends that we’re starting to see from earlier in the year.”

    At the same time the graduation rate dropped for Hispanic and multilanguage learners, the rate increased for Black, special education and lower-income students — groups that have historically trailed their peers.

    Maryland Assistant State Superintendent Tim Guy told board members during the meeting after the briefing that the class of 2025 was notable in that “this was the first group of students that had all four years of uninterrupted (learning after) COVID,” and that the graduating class at 72,702 was larger than past years.

    During the briefing, Wright said that last week, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement interim director for the Baltimore Field Office met with school superintendents to discuss concerns about ICE enforcement activities. Wright said the director was “very responsive.”

    When one superintendent asked if officials could stop ICE agents from using areas around schools for staging enforcement efforts, the director said “she was not aware that there was staging and so she said she would absolutely take care of that,” Wright said.

    WTOP has contacted the Baltimore Field Office to ask about the meeting but the call was not returned.

    Data from Maryland’s largest school system

    Montgomery County’s graduation rate for students in 2025 was 88.7%, above the statewide average, but lower than its 91.8% graduation rate of 2024.

    “We’re proud of the fact that we actually gained some ground in some critical areas with our African American students and some of our FARM students, as well as students with disabilities,” Montgomery County Superintendent Thomas Taylor told WTOP.

    FARMs refers to students who qualify for Free and Reduced Price Meals.

    “We lost ground with our English language learners, and that made up the largest percentage loss for us,” Taylor added.

    While state education officials attributed the statewide loss to the current political climate and immigration policies of the Trump administration, Taylor told WTOP, “I can’t correlate the two directly, and I don’t have any anecdotal evidence of that.”

    He said it’s something county school officials will look into: “That is certainly a concern of ours.”

    Taylor noted that Montgomery County has the largest percentage of English-language learners “as well as the largest (percentage) of newcomers in the state.”

    “So when see changes in (the graduation) data, it’s tremendously concerning, and it’s a call for action,” he said.

    In a statement following Tuesday’s state board of education meeting, MCPS officials explained the county is “implementing strategies designed to restore academic excellence and reinforce core foundations across the district,” led by the Board of Education’s Future Ready Strategic Plan.

    Among the objectives in that plan is closing performance gaps between reporting categories, including “students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, Multilingual learners, Hispanic/Latino students and Black or African American students.”

    Montgomery County’s school system has information on resources for families within the county’s immigrant community.

    “We want our families to know that we stand with our students … during this very difficult time,” Taylor said.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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  • Charlotte federal defender asks agents to de-escalate after Minneapolis deaths

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    U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive at the Compare Foods on North Tryon Street in Charlotte on November 17, 2025.

    U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive at the Compare Foods on North Tryon Street in Charlotte on November 17, 2025.


    JEFF SINER

    jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

    Western North Carolina’s top federal defender has decried “threats to the rule of law” following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by immigration officials in Minnesota.

    “What we are witnessing on the streets of Minneapolis, and in other cities across the country, shocks the conscience,” John Baker, the federal public defender for the Western District of North Carolina, said in a Monday statement following Pretti’s death on Saturday in Minneapolis.

    Before moving to Charlotte (where federal Border Patrol agents conducted operations in November), Baker worked as the chief defense counsel of the Marine Corps and represented Guantanamo Bay detainees — including those charged in the 9/11 attacks.

    Resharing a statement released on behalf of all federal defenders across the country, Baker called for “all federal immigration officials to immediately de-escalate tensions, fully cooperate with independent and transparent investigations, and recommit to the rule of law.”

    Pretti was the second citizen killed by federal agents who were carrying out the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Minnesota this month.

    Renee Good, also 37, died earlier this month when an agent shot her as she drove an SUV away from officers asking her to get out of the car. The agent who shot her, Jonathan Ross, was in fear for his life, the Department of Homeland Security said.

    The Trump administration has said it will not investigate Good’s death, and it has blocked any local investigations into Pretti’s killing. Their deaths were just two of the at least 12 times immigration agents have shot at people since September, NBC News reported.

    In Pretti’s and Good’s cases, videos contradict the DHS narrative. The same can be said for cases that unfolded in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina when federal immigration agents came to Charlotte in November.

    Defense attorneys working in Baker’s office questioned officials’ testimony while representing citizens charged with assaulting officers in Charlotte’s federal court. In three cases, charges were dropped or reduced.

    DHS also published inaccurate information about the people its agents were arresting in Charlotte, at one point falsely asserting that a Honduran man charged with murder was released.

    In a statement, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said Monday that while his office does not expect an incident like Pretti’s death to occur here, he takes “every incident involving use of force by law enforcement very seriously and will always conduct a full and fair investigation in such cases.”

    “We have a good and long-standing relationship with CMPD,” his spokesperson said, “and do not expect that to change.”

    The statement shared by Baker, who has led the federal public defenders’ office in North Carolina’s western district for more than three years, said: “We stand in solidarity with those who are lawfully asserting their Fourth Amendment constitutional rights to be free from unlawful seizures and racial profiling, and their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.”

    This story was originally published January 26, 2026 at 7:37 PM.

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  • ICE deports Maryland father despite ‘do not remove’ orders

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    Federal immigration authorities removed a Maryland father to El Salvador on Tuesday despite two court orders saying not to.During an emergency hearing Thursday at federal court in Baltimore, a federal judge examined what happened to Jose Serrano-Maldonado.Federal authorities admitted they made a mistake, conceding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated court orders filed in the system, even with a banner in Serrano-Maldonado’s file that said, “Do not remove.”But the feds couldn’t say why they did it anyway.The judge called this a very bad situation and demanded to know, in writing, exactly who took what steps, when and why.Serrano-Maldonado’s immigration attorney, Anna Alyssa Tijerina, is fighting for his immediate return to the United States, telling the judge that her client’s life is in danger.”He told me he is going to try and remain in his house as much as possible until this is resolved. He told me he wants to come back to the United States, even if it’s back to the detention center,” Tijerina told sister station WBAL-TV.Assistant U.S. Attorney Beatrice Thomas offered no comment outside the court when asked questions by WBAL. In court, Thomas told the judge that the government is working to fly Serrano-Maldonado back on “ICE Air” but that there’s a lot of red tape and it could take many days.The judge ordered status updates to be filed daily until Serrano-Maldonado is returned to the U.S. It’s unlikely that those daily status updates will be accessible publicly because the government said it plans to file the updates under preliminary seal.”I can’t imagine being in (the family’s) position of knowing, not knowing. At least, ‘There’s no new update today,’ is an update, right? They know something, they know that nothing was done today, but something will be done tomorrow,” Tijerina told WBAL. “For the sake of my client, for the sake of my client’s life in El Salvador, and for the sake of his family, I hope that this gets resolved quickly.”Thursday’s hearing was the first of three immigration hearings for this sole judge in the single courtroom on just one day.

    Federal immigration authorities removed a Maryland father to El Salvador on Tuesday despite two court orders saying not to.

    During an emergency hearing Thursday at federal court in Baltimore, a federal judge examined what happened to Jose Serrano-Maldonado.

    Federal authorities admitted they made a mistake, conceding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated court orders filed in the system, even with a banner in Serrano-Maldonado’s file that said, “Do not remove.”

    But the feds couldn’t say why they did it anyway.

    The judge called this a very bad situation and demanded to know, in writing, exactly who took what steps, when and why.

    Serrano-Maldonado’s immigration attorney, Anna Alyssa Tijerina, is fighting for his immediate return to the United States, telling the judge that her client’s life is in danger.

    “He told me he is going to try and remain in his house as much as possible until this is resolved. He told me he wants to come back to the United States, even if it’s back to the detention center,” Tijerina told sister station WBAL-TV.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Beatrice Thomas offered no comment outside the court when asked questions by WBAL. In court, Thomas told the judge that the government is working to fly Serrano-Maldonado back on “ICE Air” but that there’s a lot of red tape and it could take many days.

    The judge ordered status updates to be filed daily until Serrano-Maldonado is returned to the U.S. It’s unlikely that those daily status updates will be accessible publicly because the government said it plans to file the updates under preliminary seal.

    “I can’t imagine being in (the family’s) position of knowing, not knowing. At least, ‘There’s no new update today,’ is an update, right? They know something, they know that nothing was done today, but something will be done tomorrow,” Tijerina told WBAL. “For the sake of my client, for the sake of my client’s life in El Salvador, and for the sake of his family, I hope that this gets resolved quickly.”

    Thursday’s hearing was the first of three immigration hearings for this sole judge in the single courtroom on just one day.

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  • What’s included in Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s first 10 executive orders – WTOP News

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    Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger wasted no time during her first day in office, signing 10 executive orders Saturday, some aimed at boosting affordability.

    Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks after being sworn into office at the Virginia State Capitol Jan. 17, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. Spanberger is the first woman elected to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s highest office. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Win McNamee)

    Gov. Abigail Spanberger wasted no time during her first day in office, signing 10 executive orders Saturday at the Virginia State Capitol aimed at boosting affordability and steering the commonwealth away from former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s policies on education, immigration, diversity and public safety.

    Like many Democrats nationwide, Spanberger seized on the affordability issue on the campaign trail, and three of her 10 executive orders centered around lowering costs for Virginians.

    One order directs all the state’s executive branch agencies to find ways to reduce living expenses; another establishes a task force to make health care spending more efficient and lower costs; the final affordability minded order mandates a review of housing regulation and permitting practices to encourage more development.

    “Whether it’s cutting red tape within the government or enacting policy that provides relief, we must address high housing costs, health care, child care and energy costs,” Spanberger said Saturday.

    Changes to the federal workforce have had a particularly significant impact in Northern Virginia, and that’s also something Spanberger addressed with her initial wave of executive action. With the stroke of a pen Saturday, she created the Economic Resiliency Task Force, which will coordinate a statewide response to federal cuts.

    “We need a full assessment of the federal funds that have been cut, delayed, reduced or potential projected impacts that we may see in the future, and we need recommendations for how we can mitigate the damage — current or future,” Spanberger said.

    Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, told WTOP Spanberger is carrying forward her positive momentum by getting to work quickly.

    “Spanberger won by a massive landslide, unlike Younkin’s very narrow victory,” Sabato said. “Fifteen and a half points is a pretty incredible victory, and it gives her a lot of capital to spend. And she’s going to spend it. She only has four years,” he said.

    Virginia governors are limited to one four-year term.

    Spanberger’s final order Saturday related to immigration enforcement, another response to President Donald Trump and his administration’s priorities. Her order rescinds executive action taken by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin that increased cooperation between local and state police and federal immigration enforcement authorities.

    Democrats nationwide have called for limiting cooperation and criticized the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency whose officers have been deployed to major cities across the country and tasked with deporting immigrants who are in the country without legal permission.

    Congressional Democrats have also floated the idea of holding up funding for ICE.

    “Virginia state and local law enforcement officers must be able to focus on their rapport, responsibilities, investigating crime and community policing,” Spanberger said.

    Other orders were aimed at targeting discrimination, bolstering education and making sure her office can respond to crisis or emergency situations.

    The full text of each order is available here.

    “Executive orders represent just the beginning, first steps that we are taking to make a more affordable Virginia, a safer Virginia and one focused on ensuring that the future of all of our kids is bright,” Spanberger said.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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  • Anti-ICE protests erupt across the country after shootings

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    Protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown erupted across the United States this weekend, including outside the White House, following two recent shootings involving immigration officers.A border officer wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday. In a separate event on Wednesday, an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, where thousands marched on Saturday. Minnesota leaders urged demonstrators to remain peaceful after several protesters were arrested on Friday. The Trump administration insists that federal officers acted in self-defense in both shootings. The Department of Homeland Security is not backing down from what it has called its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. The agency highlighted the arrest of “criminal illegal aliens” in social media posts on Saturday. Meanwhile, the administration faces pushback from Democrats and certain Republicans on Capitol Hill. Critics are calling for a full, objective investigation into the Minneapolis shooting after state officials were left out of the probe.Some Democrats are calling to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, while others want to restrict funding for her department and add further restrictions on federal agents.Cellphone video below from the ICE agent who shot Renee Good shows the moments before and during the shooting. Viewer discretion is advised.

    WASHINGTON —

    Protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown erupted across the United States this weekend, including outside the White House, following two recent shootings involving immigration officers.

    A border officer wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday. In a separate event on Wednesday, an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, where thousands marched on Saturday.

    Minnesota leaders urged demonstrators to remain peaceful after several protesters were arrested on Friday.

    The Trump administration insists that federal officers acted in self-defense in both shootings.

    The Department of Homeland Security is not backing down from what it has called its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. The agency highlighted the arrest of “criminal illegal aliens” in social media posts on Saturday.

    Meanwhile, the administration faces pushback from Democrats and certain Republicans on Capitol Hill. Critics are calling for a full, objective investigation into the Minneapolis shooting after state officials were left out of the probe.

    Some Democrats are calling to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, while others want to restrict funding for her department and add further restrictions on federal agents.

    Cellphone video below from the ICE agent who shot Renee Good shows the moments before and during the shooting. Viewer discretion is advised.

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  • Protests against ICE are planned across Northern California on Saturday

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    Protests against ICE are planned across Northern California on Saturday

    Updated: 10:54 AM PST Jan 10, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    National protests against immigration enforcement on Saturday include many cities in Northern California.At least 1,000 demonstrations are planned under the banner “ICE Out for Good” across the country. Protests planned for cities in KCRA 3’s coverage area include:RosevilleVacavilleStocktonWoodlandFair Oaks/CarmichaelFairfieldModestoSacramentoSonora(LiveCopter 3 will have a view over the demonstrations. Watch in the video above.) The protests are being organized by groups that include Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Citizen, Voto Latino, United We Dream and the 50501 movement.They come after the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis, where immigration agents have surged as part of a new crackdown tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. Good, a mother of three and a U.S. citizen, was shot when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot into her vehicle on Wednesday morning as she was driving forward in an area where agents were operating. Trump administration officials have alleged the shooting was done in self-defense, which state and local officials have disputed. At least four people have been killed and seven hurt in 16 shooting incidents by immigration officials during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to Hearst’s Get the Fact Data Team. In another 15 incidents, federal immigration agents held people at gunpoint but didn’t shoot. In the latest encounter, two people were shot and wounded by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in east Portland. This story is developing. Stay with KCRA 3 for updates. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel–The Associated Press contributed to this story. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    National protests against immigration enforcement on Saturday include many cities in Northern California.

    At least 1,000 demonstrations are planned under the banner “ICE Out for Good” across the country. Protests planned for cities in KCRA 3’s coverage area include:

    • Roseville
    • Vacaville
    • Stockton
    • Woodland
    • Fair Oaks/Carmichael
    • Fairfield
    • Modesto
    • Sacramento
    • Sonora

    (LiveCopter 3 will have a view over the demonstrations. Watch in the video above.)

    The protests are being organized by groups that include Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Citizen, Voto Latino, United We Dream and the 50501 movement.

    They come after the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis, where immigration agents have surged as part of a new crackdown tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.

    Good, a mother of three and a U.S. citizen, was shot when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot into her vehicle on Wednesday morning as she was driving forward in an area where agents were operating. Trump administration officials have alleged the shooting was done in self-defense, which state and local officials have disputed.

    At least four people have been killed and seven hurt in 16 shooting incidents by immigration officials during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to Hearst’s Get the Fact Data Team. In another 15 incidents, federal immigration agents held people at gunpoint but didn’t shoot.

    In the latest encounter, two people were shot and wounded by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in east Portland.

    This story is developing. Stay with KCRA 3 for updates.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    –The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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  • Minnesota governor says state must play a role in investigation after ICE agent fatally shoots woman

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    Minnesota must play a role in investigating the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Gov. Tim Walz insisted Thursday, pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to keep the investigation solely in federal hands.A day after the unidentified ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good as she tried to drive away on a snowy Minneapolis street, tensions remained high, with dozens of protesters venting their outrage outside of a federal facility that’s serving as a hub for the administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major city.Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of the crackdowns in other cities, walked along the long line of officers, looking at the crowd as protesters yelled at him, including a man who shouted, “Border Patrol should be along the border!” Many activists tried to converse with the officers and persuade them that the job they were doing was wrong.“We should be horrified,” protester Shanta Hejmadi said as demonstrators shouted “No More ICE,” “Go Home Nazis,” and other slogans at a line of Border Patrol officers, who responded with tear gas and pepper spray. “We should be saddened that our government is waging war on our citizens. We should get out and say no. What else can we do?”Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in his administration characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.Vice President JD Vance weighed in Thursday, saying the shooting was justified and that Good was a “victim of left-wing ideology.”“I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,” Vance said, noting that the officer who killed her was injured while making an arrest last June.But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying video of the shooting shows the self-defense argument to be “garbage.” Video below: VP Vance addresses, answers questions on ICE shooting in Minneapolis An immigration crackdown quickly turns deadlyThe shooting happened on Day 2 of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which the Department of Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers taking part, and Noem said they have already made more than 1,500 arrests.It provoked an immediate response in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of people turning up to the scene to vent their outrage at the ICE officers and the school district later canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution.Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to an immigration crackdown under Trump — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, as anti-immigration enforcement protests took place or were expected Thursday in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago. Protests were also scheduled for later this week in Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.Video above: Witness describes Minneapolis shooting involving ICE officerWho will investigate?On Thursday, the Minnesota agency that investigates officer-involved shootings said it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with the department, effectively ending any role for the state to determine if crimes were committed. Noem said the state has no jurisdiction.“Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands,” Drew Evans, the bureau’s superintendent, said.Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very, very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.Noem, he said, was “judge, jury and basically executioner” during her public comments about the confrontation.“People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem — have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate,” the governor said.Frey, the mayor, told The Associated Press: “We want to make sure that there is a check on this administration to ensure that this investigation is done for justice, not for the sake of a cover-up.”Video above: Kristi Noem questioned on ICE shootingA deadly encounter seen from several anglesSeveral bystanders captured footage of Good’s killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown.The videos show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.Graphic video shows woman shot by ICE agent in MinneapolisIt isn’t clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.The mayor said he’s working with community leaders to try to keep any protests peaceful.“The top thing that this Trump administration is looking for is an excuse to come in with militarized force, to further occupy our streets, to cause more chaos, to have this kind of civil war on the streets of America in a Democratically run city,” Frey told the AP. “We cannot give them what they want.” ___Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski, Giovanna Dell’Orto and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma, Michael Biesecker In Washington, Jim Mustian in New York and Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa contributed.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    Minnesota must play a role in investigating the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Gov. Tim Walz insisted Thursday, pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to keep the investigation solely in federal hands.

    A day after the unidentified ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good as she tried to drive away on a snowy Minneapolis street, tensions remained high, with dozens of protesters venting their outrage outside of a federal facility that’s serving as a hub for the administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major city.

    Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of the crackdowns in other cities, walked along the long line of officers, looking at the crowd as protesters yelled at him, including a man who shouted, “Border Patrol should be along the border!” Many activists tried to converse with the officers and persuade them that the job they were doing was wrong.

    “We should be horrified,” protester Shanta Hejmadi said as demonstrators shouted “No More ICE,” “Go Home Nazis,” and other slogans at a line of Border Patrol officers, who responded with tear gas and pepper spray. “We should be saddened that our government is waging war on our citizens. We should get out and say no. What else can we do?”

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in his administration characterized the shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.

    Vice President JD Vance weighed in Thursday, saying the shooting was justified and that Good was a “victim of left-wing ideology.”

    “I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it is a tragedy of her own making,” Vance said, noting that the officer who killed her was injured while making an arrest last June.

    But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying video of the shooting shows the self-defense argument to be “garbage.”

    Video below: VP Vance addresses, answers questions on ICE shooting in Minneapolis

    An immigration crackdown quickly turns deadly

    The shooting happened on Day 2 of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which the Department of Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers taking part, and Noem said they have already made more than 1,500 arrests.

    It provoked an immediate response in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of people turning up to the scene to vent their outrage at the ICE officers and the school district later canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution.

    Good’s death — at least the fifth tied to an immigration crackdown under Trump — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, as anti-immigration enforcement protests took place or were expected Thursday in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago. Protests were also scheduled for later this week in Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.

    Video above: Witness describes Minneapolis shooting involving ICE officer

    Who will investigate?

    On Thursday, the Minnesota agency that investigates officer-involved shootings said it was informed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department would not work with the department, effectively ending any role for the state to determine if crimes were committed. Noem said the state has no jurisdiction.

    “Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands,” Drew Evans, the bureau’s superintendent, said.

    Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.

    Walz publicly demanded that the state be allowed to take part, repeatedly emphasizing that it would be “very, very difficult for Minnesotans” to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.

    Noem, he said, was “judge, jury and basically executioner” during her public comments about the confrontation.

    “People in positions of power have already passed judgment, from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem — have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate,” the governor said.

    Frey, the mayor, told The Associated Press: “We want to make sure that there is a check on this administration to ensure that this investigation is done for justice, not for the sake of a cover-up.”

    Video above: Kristi Noem questioned on ICE shooting


    A deadly encounter seen from several angles

    Several bystanders captured footage of Good’s killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown.

    The videos show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

    Graphic video shows woman shot by ICE agent in Minneapolis

    It isn’t clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

    The mayor said he’s working with community leaders to try to keep any protests peaceful.

    “The top thing that this Trump administration is looking for is an excuse to come in with militarized force, to further occupy our streets, to cause more chaos, to have this kind of civil war on the streets of America in a Democratically run city,” Frey told the AP. “We cannot give them what they want.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski, Giovanna Dell’Orto and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma, Michael Biesecker In Washington, Jim Mustian in New York and Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa contributed.

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  • ICE officer fatally shoots Minneapolis woman amid immigration crackdown

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    An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis driver on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials said was an act of self-defense but that the city’s mayor described as “reckless” and unnecessary.LIVE video above: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz holds press conference on deadly ICE shootingThe woman was shot in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets and about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. Her killing quickly drew a crowd of angry protesters.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a visit to Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted that characterization as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown.“What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” Frey said, calling on the immigration agents to leave. “They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people.”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“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” the mayor said.Videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The SUV begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.Video below: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says federal agents are “sowing chaos on our streets”It was not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with the officer. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop. Witnesses screamed obscenities, expressing shock at what they’d seen.The shooting marks a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. The death of the Minneapolis woman, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was at least the fifth linked to immigration crackdowns.The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, which is at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. During her Texas visit, Noem confirmed that DHS had deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area and said they had already made “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests.Video above: Witness describes Minneapolis shooting involving ICE officerMinneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara briefly described the shooting to reporters but, unlike federal officials, gave no indication that the 37-year-old driver was trying to harm anyone. He said she had been shot in the head.“This woman was in her vehicle and was blocking the roadway on Portland Avenue. … At some point a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot and the vehicle began to drive off,” the chief said. “At least two shots were fired. The vehicle then crashed on the side of the roadway.”A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.In a scene that hearkened back to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.“Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” they loudly chanted from behind the police tape.For nearly a year, migrant rights advocates and neighborhood activists across the Twin Cities have been preparing to mobilize in the event of an immigration enforcement surge. From houses of worship to mobile home parks, they have set up very active online networks, scanned license plates for possible federal vehicles and bought whistles and other noisemaking devices to alert neighborhoods of any enforcement presence.On Tuesday night, the Immigration Defense Network, a coalition of groups serving immigrants in Minnesota, held a training session for about 100 people who were willing to hit the streets to monitor the federal enforcement operation.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis driver on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials said was an act of self-defense but that the city’s mayor described as “reckless” and unnecessary.

    LIVE video above: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz holds press conference on deadly ICE shooting

    The woman was shot in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets and about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. Her killing quickly drew a crowd of angry protesters.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a visit to Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

    But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted that characterization as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown.

    “What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” Frey said, calling on the immigration agents to leave. “They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people.”

    “They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” the mayor said.

    Videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The SUV begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

    Video below: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says federal agents are “sowing chaos on our streets”


    It was not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with the officer. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop. Witnesses screamed obscenities, expressing shock at what they’d seen.

    The shooting marks a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. The death of the Minneapolis woman, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was at least the fifth linked to immigration crackdowns.

    The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, which is at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. During her Texas visit, Noem confirmed that DHS had deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area and said they had already made “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests.

    Video above: Witness describes Minneapolis shooting involving ICE officer

    Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara briefly described the shooting to reporters but, unlike federal officials, gave no indication that the 37-year-old driver was trying to harm anyone. He said she had been shot in the head.

    “This woman was in her vehicle and was blocking the roadway on Portland Avenue. … At some point a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot and the vehicle began to drive off,” the chief said. “At least two shots were fired. The vehicle then crashed on the side of the roadway.”

    A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.

    In a scene that hearkened back to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

    “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” they loudly chanted from behind the police tape.

    For nearly a year, migrant rights advocates and neighborhood activists across the Twin Cities have been preparing to mobilize in the event of an immigration enforcement surge. From houses of worship to mobile home parks, they have set up very active online networks, scanned license plates for possible federal vehicles and bought whistles and other noisemaking devices to alert neighborhoods of any enforcement presence.

    On Tuesday night, the Immigration Defense Network, a coalition of groups serving immigrants in Minnesota, held a training session for about 100 people who were willing to hit the streets to monitor the federal enforcement operation.

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  • ICE agent shoots and kills a woman during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown

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    A federal officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist when she allegedly tried to run over law enforcement officers during an immigration crackdown in the city, authorities said Wednesday.The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot the woman in her vehicle in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.Livestream above: Officials speak at press conference on shooting of woman by ICE agent in MinneapolisThe shooting marks a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major American cities under the Trump administration. The woman is at least the fifth person killed in a handful of states since 2024.The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, with 2,000 agents and officers expected to participate in the crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after Wednesday’s shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.In a scene similar to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the crackdowns.“Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” they loudly chanted from behind the police tape.After the shooting, Mayor Jacob Frey said immigration agents were “causing chaos in our city.”“We are demanding ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities,” Frey said on social media.The area where the shooting occurred is a modest neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area and a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.The Immigration Defense Network, a coalition of groups serving immigrants in Minnesota, held a training session Tuesday night for about 100 people who are willing to hit the streets to monitor the federal enforcement.“I feel like I’m an ordinary person, and I have the ability do something so I need to do it,” Mary Moran told KMSP-TV. Dell’Orto reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press reporter Ed White in Detroit contributed.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    A federal officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist when she allegedly tried to run over law enforcement officers during an immigration crackdown in the city, authorities said Wednesday.

    The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot the woman in her vehicle in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

    Livestream above: Officials speak at press conference on shooting of woman by ICE agent in Minneapolis

    The shooting marks a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major American cities under the Trump administration. The woman is at least the fifth person killed in a handful of states since 2024.

    The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, with 2,000 agents and officers expected to participate in the crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.

    A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after Wednesday’s shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.

    In a scene similar to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the crackdowns.

    “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” they loudly chanted from behind the police tape.

    After the shooting, Mayor Jacob Frey said immigration agents were “causing chaos in our city.”

    “We are demanding ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities,” Frey said on social media.

    The area where the shooting occurred is a modest neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area and a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

    The Immigration Defense Network, a coalition of groups serving immigrants in Minnesota, held a training session Tuesday night for about 100 people who are willing to hit the streets to monitor the federal enforcement.

    “I feel like I’m an ordinary person, and I have the ability do something so I need to do it,” Mary Moran told KMSP-TV.

    Dell’Orto reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press reporter Ed White in Detroit contributed.

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  • Charlotte will financially help families hurt by layoffs, other hits to income

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    Charlotte is committing $100,000 to help households hurt by layoffs and other hits to their income, city officials said Friday.

    The city will assist with rent and utility bills in the effort that begins Monday, officials said.

    Crisis Assistance Ministry will handle applications from families and payments to them.

    Funds will support households identified by the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, OurBRIDGE for Kids, Latin American Coalition, Carolina Migrant Network and other nonprofits.

    Anyone interested in receiving support should reach out to the community organizations, officials said. They’ll need to show proof of household income, a Social Security number and photo ID.

    The effort aligns with Charlotte’s “track record of supporting residents during extraordinary times such as displacement events and the COVID pandemic,” City Manager Marcus Jones said in a statement.

    “As we head into the holiday season, it’s important for all of us to lean in and support each other,” Mayor Vi Lyles said in the statement. “We know many law-abiding people across Charlotte were financially hurt, and this support will help provide reassurances and comfort in what should be a festive time of year.”

    Families hurt by federal enforcement action

    Recent events “have profoundly impacted lives and families” in Charlotte’s immigrant community, said Larissa Mañón Mervin, CEO of Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.

    The federal immigration enforcement operation dubbed “Charlotte’s Web” resulted in about 370 arrests in the Charlotte area. The Department of Homeland Security has not released most names of people taken.

    “We continue to work tirelessly alongside our immigrant community and appreciate the City of Charlotte’s commitment to maintaining housing stability for impacted families in need,” Mervin said in the city statement.

    Related Stories from Charlotte Observer

    Joe Marusak

    The Charlotte Observer

    Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news.
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  • How can US Border Patrol come to Charlotte if it’s not near a border?

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    Despite Charlotte being thousands of miles away from the nearest U.S. border, national news reports say that U.S. Border Patrol could soon be on the way to the Queen City.

    U.S. Border Patrol’s presence in cities across the nation has been part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Most recently in Chicago, the agency sent 200 border patrol agents who made 1,500 arrests since their arrival in September.

    Details of the border patrol’s plans are still unknown. Here’s what we know about the organization, where it has jurisdiction and its involvement in other U.S. cities.

    Where does border patrol usually have jurisdiction?

    While they are often linked together, U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are different agencies.

    U.S. Border Patrol acts as the law enforcement arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The organization is responsible for protecting the country’s borders from smugglers, traffickers and illegal crossers.

    The agency patrols 6,000 miles of international border between the United States, Mexico and Canada. It also watches over the 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding the Florida Peninsula and the Island of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

    “Although the Border Patrol has changed dramatically since its inception in 1924, its overall mission remains unchanged: to detect and prevent the illegal entry of individuals into the United States,” the agency says in a description of its duties on its website. “Together with other law enforcement officers, the Border Patrol helps maintain borders that work, facilitating the flow of legal immigration and goods while preventing the illegal trafficking of people and contraband.”

    Immigration violations within the United States are usually handled by ICE.

    How has the Trump administration used them?

    Despite U.S. Border Patrol usually focusing on ports of entry into the country, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said these agents have authority anywhere in the nation.

    “Their ability to operate nationwide ensures border patrol can enforce immigration laws, combat smuggling and address national security threats anywhere in the United States,” Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman told the New York Times. “And that immigration enforcement is not limited to border regions when individuals who evade detection at the border can still be apprehended.”

    While border patrol agents have been used to make arrests domestically in the past, it’s not common.

    In other immigration crackdowns across the nation — such as in Chicago and Los Angeles — border patrol was usually not sent alone. They’ve been accompanied by ICE agents or the National Guard. It’s unclear if these other federal agencies would also make their way to Charlotte.

    After the death of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail line in August, groups like the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police requested Trump to send the National Guard to Charlotte to curb crime. According to CMPD, there has been an 8% reduction in crime overall and a 20% reduction in violent crime in Charlotte since last year.

    A recent Charlotte Observer investigation found that ICE arrests in Charlotte were up three times in the first half of 2025 as compared to last year.

    Briah Lumpkins

    The Charlotte Observer

    Briah Lumpkins is the emerging news reporter for the Charlotte Observer. In this role, she finds important and impactful enterprise stories impacting the Charlotte-metro region. Most previously, Briah spent time in Houston, Texas covering underrepresented suburban communities at the Houston Landing. Prior to that, she spent a year at the Charleston Post and Courier for an investigative reporting fellowship through FRONTLINE PBS. When she’s not at work you can find her binge reading on her kindle or at the movie theater watching the latest premieres.

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    Briah Lumpkins

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  • DC residents say police department is still cooperating with ICE, violating human rights – WTOP News

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    Last month marked the end of a 30-day cooperation between D.C. police and ICE agents. Mayor Muriel Bowser said then that officers would no longer be involved in immigration arrests. But residents said it’s still happening.

    Dozens of District residents spoke out at a public hearing before the D.C. Council on Wednesday about what they described as a continued collaboration between the city’s police department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

    The neighbors told D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau, who hosted the discussion, that what they’re seeing on city streets are human rights violations.

    “I walk with my passport in hand,” said Nadia Salazar Sandi, a core organizer with Colectivo de Familias Migrantes, a human rights nonprofit in D.C. “I’m a parent and I can’t fathom being separated from my 3-year old. … My parents walk with a fear that I’ve never seen before, with passport copies in hand and a prayer that nothing will happen to anyone in our family.”

    Last month marked the end of a 30-day cooperation between D.C. police and ICE agents. Mayor Muriel Bowser said then that officers would no longer be involved in immigration arrests.

    But residents said it’s still happening.

    “Every single day within one mile of the house where I was born and raised, 15 to 20 immigrants are snatched up by masked federal agents with no warrants and no due process,” said Tanya Golash-Boza, a professor of sociology at the University of California who studies immigration law enforcement.

    “Our neighbors are being attacked. Families are living in terror. Children are losing their parents. And people are scared to leave their houses,” she said. “If we allow it to continue here, in the nation’s capital, what happens next?”

    WTOP has reached out to Bowser’s office about the residents’ concerns. Her office did not comment on the issue.

    Residents said D.C. police are arresting undocumented immigrants for minor infractions. Then, minutes later, ICE agents will arrive on the scene to arrest them.

    “On the way to grab my morning coffee, about a dozen masked ICE agents were staging in the firehouse parking lot on the corner of 14th and Newton Street,” said D.C. resident Dante O’Hara. “The workers … on the same corner of the firehouse are absolutely terrified. One of their workers told me that she was afraid to walk her daughter to school in fear of being kidnapped in front of her daughter.”

    O’Hara called for the city to follow the lead of Chicago, which recently set up “ICE-free zones.” It bans federal immigration agents from using city property and private businesses as staging areas to scope out suspected undocumented immigrants.

    Residents are also asking the city for more legal services for immigrants and more data collected during arrests to track which agencies are on the scene.

    Nadeau’s committee invited the D.C. Office of Human Rights, which handles cases involving human rights violations, to attend the meeting. She said the office turned down her request to join.

    “If actions by our own agencies do not comply with D.C. law and human rights, we need to know and we need to make demands of the executive to put an end to those actions,” Nadeau said.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Gigi Barnett

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  • What issues are bringing record numbers of Virginia early voters to the polls? – WTOP News

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    The ongoing federal government shutdown, increased immigration enforcement, and the role parents play in public schools in Virginia were among the issues on some voters’ minds at an early voting satellite center.

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    What issues are bringing record numbers of Virginia voters to the polls, early

    The ongoing federal government shutdown, increased immigration enforcement and the role parents play in public schools in Virginia were among the issues on local voters’ minds during a recent WTOP sampling at a Loudoun County early voting satellite center.

    The number of early ballots cast so far this year is at a record high for a nonpresidential election in Virginia, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, or VPAP.

    During a mid-morning visit with voters outside the Dulles South Recreation Center, one of Loudoun County Office of Elections’ four early voting satellite locations, WTOP asked voters which issues prompted them to cast their ballots before the Nov. 4 general election.

    Most cited convenience as the reason they decided to vote early in person, but the issues they cared about most varied.

    One voter specified the ongoing federal government shutdown as his prime reason for voting, because it affects his livelihood.

    “When the government gets shut down, contractors also get shut down,” he said. “I had skin in the game, to be honest.”

    Another voter characterized himself as a retired civil servant: “I’ve been through many, many shutdowns before, but this one is just very different, and very bad.”

    He said he has family and friends working in the federal government, which has traditionally been a predictable, stable work environment.

    “They never thought they’d ever be impacted, even if it shut down. Usually, there’s an answer that’s in the works, but nobody’s working it,” he said.

    The role of parents in schools

    One husband and wife, who introduced themselves as conservative Christians, said their votes reflected the candidates’ positions “on the more conservative issues — obviously abortion, and also current issues in some of our public schools, as far as gender identity and locker rooms.”

    His wife concurred: “As parents, we want our voices heard. And we want to fight for our kids, to have a say in our kids’ education and any kind of policies that affect them, especially within the confines of school.”

    The retired civil servant said that his children are now grown. He questions whether children are actually benefiting from the “parents matter” issue that buoyed Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s election and gubernatorial term.

    “Parents first? Some get too involved. I think it’s either crossed the line or has touched the line too much,” he said.

    Another man said that he doesn’t have any children, “but I do recognize it as something that is important to the rest of the community.”

    Internal conflicts about immigration 

    Most of the people WTOP spoke with said the increased law and immigration enforcement agents around the country is an intensely political issue.

    “I would like to see discussions and real solutions, rather than some of what I’ve seen,” said the government contractor.

    “Most of the people that are getting deported are getting their lives torn up,” he said. “They’re as American as we are, I think — it’s just that somewhere either their parents didn’t have the papers or didn’t necessarily do things right.”

    The conservative husband and wife both said they believe there’s “a right way to come into the country.”

    According to the wife, “By coming to the country illegally, you already are breaking the law by coming in.”

    And while she “has no problem with criminals going the right way,” she doesn’t believe the increased enforcement has been limited to criminals.

    “I do have a hard time with that. I feel like the Trump administration said they were going after the criminals first, and they have, but I also think that they have opened that up,” she said.

    “I don’t think they’ve been as honest that they’ve been coming after people who are hard-working parents that are probably working double jobs and trying to keep their family afloat,” she said. “As a mom of a lot of kids, it’s heartbreaking to see families pulled apart.”

    She said she feels for families that are being impacted by the increased enforcement: “The truth is, we let them come in illegally, that’s our fault for doing that. So you can’t even blame them.”

    When asked if the immigration issue was important to him, the retired civil servant’s guttural reaction suggested saying it was important to him was an understatement: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement isn’t being monitored. The lack of oversight across the administration is just awful.”

    As for how long the increased immigration enforcement might last, “I would pay attention to what the governor says, whoever the governor turns out to be. That, and sending National Guard from Virginia into another state,” he said.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Neal Augenstein

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  • What issues are bringing record numbers of Virginia early voters to the polls? – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    The ongoing federal government shutdown, increased immigration enforcement, and the role parents play in public schools in Virginia were among the issues on some voters’ minds at an early voting satellite center.

    This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
    In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.

    What issues are bringing record numbers of Virginia voters to the polls, early

    The ongoing federal government shutdown, increased immigration enforcement and the role parents play in public schools in Virginia were among the issues on local voters’ minds during a recent WTOP sampling at a Loudoun County early voting satellite center.

    The number of early ballots cast so far this year is at a record high for a nonpresidential election in Virginia, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, or VPAP.

    During a mid-morning visit with voters outside the Dulles South Recreation Center, one of Loudoun County Office of Elections’ four early voting satellite locations, WTOP asked voters which issues prompted them to cast their ballots before the Nov. 4 general election.

    Most cited convenience as the reason they decided to vote early in person, but the issues they cared about most varied.

    One voter specified the ongoing federal government shutdown as his prime reason for voting, because it affects his livelihood.

    “When the government gets shut down, contractors also get shut down,” he said. “I had skin in the game, to be honest.”

    Another voter characterized himself as a retired civil servant: “I’ve been through many, many shutdowns before, but this one is just very different, and very bad.”

    He said he has family and friends working in the federal government, which has traditionally been a predictable, stable work environment.

    “They never thought they’d ever be impacted, even if it shut down. Usually, there’s an answer that’s in the works, but nobody’s working it,” he said.

    The role of parents in schools

    One husband and wife, who introduced themselves as conservative Christians, said their votes reflected the candidates’ positions “on the more conservative issues — obviously abortion, and also current issues in some of our public schools, as far as gender identity and locker rooms.”

    His wife concurred: “As parents, we want our voices heard. And we want to fight for our kids, to have a say in our kids’ education and any kind of policies that affect them, especially within the confines of school.”

    The retired civil servant said that his children are now grown. He questions whether children are actually benefiting from the “parents matter” issue that buoyed Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s election and gubernatorial term.

    “Parents first? Some get too involved. I think it’s either crossed the line or has touched the line too much,” he said.

    Another man said that he doesn’t have any children, “but I do recognize it as something that is important to the rest of the community.”

    Internal conflicts about immigration 

    Most of the people WTOP spoke with said the increased law and immigration enforcement agents around the country is an intensely political issue.

    “I would like to see discussions and real solutions, rather than some of what I’ve seen,” said the government contractor.

    “Most of the people that are getting deported are getting their lives torn up,” he said. “They’re as American as we are, I think — it’s just that somewhere either their parents didn’t have the papers or didn’t necessarily do things right.”

    The conservative husband and wife both said they believe there’s “a right way to come into the country.”

    According to the wife, “By coming to the country illegally, you already are breaking the law by coming in.”

    And while she “has no problem with criminals going the right way,” she doesn’t believe the increased enforcement has been limited to criminals.

    “I do have a hard time with that. I feel like the Trump administration said they were going after the criminals first, and they have, but I also think that they have opened that up,” she said.

    “I don’t think they’ve been as honest that they’ve been coming after people who are hard-working parents that are probably working double jobs and trying to keep their family afloat,” she said. “As a mom of a lot of kids, it’s heartbreaking to see families pulled apart.”

    She said she feels for families that are being impacted by the increased enforcement: “The truth is, we let them come in illegally, that’s our fault for doing that. So you can’t even blame them.”

    When asked if the immigration issue was important to him, the retired civil servant’s guttural reaction suggested saying it was important to him was an understatement: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement isn’t being monitored. The lack of oversight across the administration is just awful.”

    As for how long the increased immigration enforcement might last, “I would pay attention to what the governor says, whoever the governor turns out to be. That, and sending National Guard from Virginia into another state,” he said.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Neal Augenstein

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  • Federal immigration enforcement surge is now paused in East Bay too, Oakland mayor says

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    A planned increase in federal immigration enforcement in the Bay Area is now on pause throughout the region and in major East Bay cities, not just in San Francisco, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said Friday.

    Lee said in a statement that Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez had “confirmed through her communications” with federal immigration officials that the planned operations were “cancelled for the greater Bay Area — which includes Oakland — at this time.”

    The announcement followed lingering concerns about ramped up immigration enforcement among East Bay leaders after President Trump and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Thursday that a planned “surge” had been called off in San Francisco.

    Trump and Lurie had very specifically addressed San Francisco, even as additional Border Patrol agents were being staged across the bay on Coast Guard Island, which is in the waters between Alameda and Oakland.

    At a press conference following Trump’s annoucement about San Francisco, Lee had said the situation remained “fluid,” that she had received no such assurances about the East Bay and that Oakland was continuing to prepare for enhanced immigration enforcement in the region.

    Alameda County Dist. Atty. Ursula Jones Dickson had previously warned that the announced stand down in San Francisco could be a sign the administration was looking to focus on Oakland instead — and make an example of it.

    “We know that they’re baiting Oakland, and that’s why San Francisco, all of a sudden, is off the table,” Jones Dickson said Thursday morning. “So I’m not going to be quiet about what we know is coming. We know that their expectation is that Oakland is going to do something to cause them to make us the example.”

    The White House on Friday directed questions about the scope of the pause in operations and whether it applied to the East Bay to the Department of Homeland Security, which referred The Times back to Trump’s statement about San Francisco on Friday — despite its making no mention of the East Bay or Oakland.

    In that statement, posted to his Truth Social platform, Trump had written that a “surge” had been planned for San Francisco starting Saturday, but that he had called it off after speaking to Lurie.

    Trump said Lurie had asked “very nicely” that Trump “give him a chance to see if he can turn it around” in the city, and that business leaders — including Jensen Huang of Nvidia and Marc Benioff of Salesforce — had expressed confidence in Lurie.

    Trump said he told Lurie that it would be “easier” to make San Francisco safer if federal forces were sent in, but told him, “let’s see how you do.”

    Lurie in recent days has touted falling crime rates and numbers of homeless encampments in the city, and said in his own announcement of the stand down that he had told Trump that San Francisco was “on the rise” and that “having the military and militarized immigration enforcement in our city will hinder our recovery.”

    In California and elsewhere, the Trump administration has aggressively sought to expand the reach and authority of the Border Patrol and federal immigration agents. Last month, the DOJ fired its top prosecutor in Sacramento after she told Gregory Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector, that he could not carry out indiscriminate immigration raids around Sacramento this summer.

    In Oakland on Thursday, the planned surge in enforcement had sparked protests near the entrance to Coast Guard Island, and drew widespread condemnation from local liberal officials and immigrant advocacy organizations.

    On Thursday night, security officers at the base opened fire on the driver of a U-Haul truck who was reversing the truck toward them, wounding the driver and a civilian nearby. The FBI is investigating that incident.

    Some liberal officials had warned that federal agents who violated the rights of Californians could face consequences — even possible arrest — from local law enforcement, which drew condemnation from federal officials.

    Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche responded with a scathing letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and others on Thursday in which he wrote that any attempt by local law enforcement to arrest federal officers doing their jobs would be viewed by the Justice Department as “both illegal and futile” and as part of a “criminal conspiracy.”

    Blanche wrote that the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution precludes any federal law enforcement official to be “held on a state criminal charge where the alleged crime arose during the performance of his federal duties,” and that the Justice Department would pursue legal action against any state officials who advocate for such enforcement.

    “In the meantime, federal agents and officers will continue to enforce federal law and will not be deterred by the threat of arrest by California authorities who have abdicated their duty to protect their constituents,” Blanche wrote.

    The threat of arrest for federal officers had originated in part with San Francisco Dist. Atty. Brooke Jenkins, who had written on social media that if federal agents “come to San Francisco and illegally harass our residents … I will not hesitate to do my job and hold you accountable just like I do other violators of the law every single day.”

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    Kevin Rector

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  • Democratic senator protests Trump’s ‘grave threats’ in marathon overnight floor speech

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    Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon has been speaking on the Senate floor for more than 12 hours after announcing he would protest what he called President Donald Trump’s “grave threats to democracy.”He began his remarks at 6:24 p.m. ET Tuesday and was still speaking as of Wednesday morning.“I’ve come to the Senate floor tonight to ring the alarm bells. We’re in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War. President Trump is shredding our Constitution,” Merkley said in his opening remarks.The Democratic senator pointed to the Trump administration’s previous halting of research grants for universities in its battle over campus oversight as well as the recent indictments of several of the president’s political opponents as well as his push to deploy National Guard troops to Portland.“President Trump wants us to believe that Portland, Oregon, in my home state, is full of chaos and riots. Because if he can say to the American people that there are riots, he can say there’s a rebellion. And if there’s a rebellion, he can use that to strengthen his authoritarian grip on our nation,” Merkley said.Video below: Merkley: Trump tightening ‘authoritarian grip on our nation’Early on Wednesday, the senator condemned the tactics of federal law enforcement against protesters outside of an immigration detention facility in Portland, and in other cities that are seeing a surge of immigration enforcement.His comments on the situation in Oregon come after an appeals court on Monday cleared the way for Trump to deploy troops there after a previous, Trump-appointed federal judge blocked his first efforts to do so.“This is an extraordinarily dangerous moment,” Merkley added Wednesday morning. “An authoritarian president proceeding to attack free speech, attack free press, weaponize the Department of Justice, and use it against those who disagree with him, and then seeking the court’s permission to send the military into our cities to attack people who are peaceful(ly) protesting.”The senator’s remarks represent a symbolic show of Democratic resistance as the party has blocked Republican efforts to reopen the government 11 times, remaining in a standoff over health care subsidies.The shutdown is expected to drag on Wednesday as the impasse enters a fourth week.Earlier this year, Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey held the Senate floor for 25 hours and 5 minutes, warning against the harms he said the administration was inflicting on the American public. The effort broke the record for the longest floor speech in modern history of the chamber.This was also not Merkley’s first time holding the Senate floor – he previously spoke for more than 15 hours in 2017 against Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court.In recent years, the chamber has seen a number of marathon speeches mounted by senators of both parties, including Sens. Chris Murphy on gun control in 2016; Rand Paul over National Security Agency surveillance programs in 2015; and Ted Cruz against the Affordable Care Act 2013.

    WASHINGTON —

    Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon has been speaking on the Senate floor for more than 12 hours after announcing he would protest what he called President Donald Trump’s “grave threats to democracy.”

    He began his remarks at 6:24 p.m. ET Tuesday and was still speaking as of Wednesday morning.

    “I’ve come to the Senate floor tonight to ring the alarm bells. We’re in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War. President Trump is shredding our Constitution,” Merkley said in his opening remarks.

    The Democratic senator pointed to the Trump administration’s previous halting of research grants for universities in its battle over campus oversight as well as the recent indictments of several of the president’s political opponents as well as his push to deploy National Guard troops to Portland.

    “President Trump wants us to believe that Portland, Oregon, in my home state, is full of chaos and riots. Because if he can say to the American people that there are riots, he can say there’s a rebellion. And if there’s a rebellion, he can use that to strengthen his authoritarian grip on our nation,” Merkley said.

    Video below: Merkley: Trump tightening ‘authoritarian grip on our nation’

    Early on Wednesday, the senator condemned the tactics of federal law enforcement against protesters outside of an immigration detention facility in Portland, and in other cities that are seeing a surge of immigration enforcement.

    His comments on the situation in Oregon come after an appeals court on Monday cleared the way for Trump to deploy troops there after a previous, Trump-appointed federal judge blocked his first efforts to do so.

    “This is an extraordinarily dangerous moment,” Merkley added Wednesday morning. “An authoritarian president proceeding to attack free speech, attack free press, weaponize the Department of Justice, and use it against those who disagree with him, and then seeking the court’s permission to send the military into our cities to attack people who are peaceful(ly) protesting.”

    The senator’s remarks represent a symbolic show of Democratic resistance as the party has blocked Republican efforts to reopen the government 11 times, remaining in a standoff over health care subsidies.

    The shutdown is expected to drag on Wednesday as the impasse enters a fourth week.

    Earlier this year, Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey held the Senate floor for 25 hours and 5 minutes, warning against the harms he said the administration was inflicting on the American public. The effort broke the record for the longest floor speech in modern history of the chamber.

    This was also not Merkley’s first time holding the Senate floor – he previously spoke for more than 15 hours in 2017 against Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

    In recent years, the chamber has seen a number of marathon speeches mounted by senators of both parties, including Sens. Chris Murphy on gun control in 2016; Rand Paul over National Security Agency surveillance programs in 2015; and Ted Cruz against the Affordable Care Act 2013.

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  • Trump’s lawyers ask the Supreme Court to uphold using the National Guard in Chicago

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    WASHINGTON — President Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to uphold his deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.

    His lawyers filed an emergency appeal urging the court to set aside rulings of judges in Chicago and hold that National Guard troops are needed to protect U.S. immigration agents from hostile protesters.

    The case escalates the clash between Trump and Democratic state officials over immigration enforcement and raises again the question of using military-style force in American cities. Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly gone to the Supreme Court and won quick rulings when lower-court judges have blocked his actions.

    Federal law authorizes the president to call into service the National Guard if he cannot “execute the laws of the United States” or faces “a rebellion or danger of rebellion against the authority” of the U.S. government.

    “Both conditions are satisfied here,” Trump’s lawyer said.

    Judges in Chicago came to the opposite conclusion. U.S. District Judge April Perry saw no “danger of rebellion” and said the laws were being enforced. She accused Trump’s lawyers of exaggerating claims of violence and equating “protests with riots.”

    She handed down a restraining order on Oct. 9, and the 7th Circuit Court agreed to keep it in force.

    But Trump’s lawyers insisted that protesters and demonstrators were targeting U.S. immigration agents and preventing them from doing their work.

    “Confronted with intolerable risks of harm to federal agents and coordinated, violent opposition to the enforcement of federal law, the President lawfully determines that he is unable to enforce the laws of the United States with the regular forces and calls up the National Guard to defend federal personnel, property, and functions in the face of ongoing violence,” Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer wrote in a 40-page appeal.

    He argued that historically the president has had the full authority to decide on whether to call up the militia. Judges may not second-guess the president’s decision, he said.

    “Any such review [by judges] must be highly deferential, as the 9th Circuit has concluded in the Newsom litigation,” referring to the ruling that upheld Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.

    Trump’s lawyer said the troop deployment to Los Angeles had succeeded in reducing violence.

    “Notwithstanding the Governor of California’s claim that deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles would ‘escalat[e]’ the ongoing violence that California itself had failed to prevent … the President’s action had the opposite, intended effect. In the face of federal military force, violence in Los Angeles decreased and the situation substantially improved,” he told the court.

    But in recent weeks, “Chicago has been the site of organized and often violent protests directed at ICE officers and other federal personnel engaged in the execution of federal immigration laws,” he wrote. “On multiple occasions, federal officers have also been hit and punched by protesters. … Rioters have targeted federal officers with fireworks and have thrown bottles, rocks, and tear gas at them.”

    “More than 30 [DHS] officers have been injured during the assaults on federal law enforcement” at the Broadview facility alone, resulting in multiple hospitalizations, he wrote.

    Officials in Illinois blamed aggressive enforcement actions of ICE agents for triggering the protests.

    Sauer also urged the court to hand down an immediate order that would freeze Perry’s rulings.

    The court asked for a response from Illinois officials by Monday.

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    David G. Savage

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