Tag: state and local

Mamdani’s early moves as mayor clash with affordability pledge: ‘Ripple effects are significant’

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ran on a message of making the Big Apple more affordable for everyday Americans, but some of his actions in the first few weeks of his tenure have served to undercut that reality.

In the early days of his time as mayor, Mamdani has already shown a penchant for vehemently defending low-wage, unskilled delivery-app workers in a manner that industry executives and business experts think will hit consumers’ pocketbooks. He sued a delivery app startup earlier this month for allegedly violating the city’s worker-rights laws, and warned the broader range of delivery app companies operating in the city to abide by ramped up worker rights being imposed at the end of the month, or else.

At a press conference announcing the lawsuit and accompanying demand letters issued to delivery app companies warning them to follow the updated worker protections, Mamdani also accused the delivery-app startup, MotoClick, of stealing workers’ tips. Among the reforms Mamdani has signaled he plans to vigorously enforce is a mandated tipping framework that estimates show could push more than half-a-billion in additional costs on consumers annually.

The updated protections will also add more delivery-app companies, such as those that deliver groceries, to the list that must follow the delivery-app worker rights laws, including a mandated minimum wage higher than what some emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in the city make.

‘ZOHRANOMICS’: NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST MATH DOESN’T ADD UP

Zesty is now in beta in San Francisco and New York as DoorDash tests and refines its personalized matching experience. (iStock)

“We know affordability is not just about the cost of goods — it’s about the dignity of work,” Mamdani’s Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Sam Levine told companies including DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber. “Today’s lawsuit against Motoclick is not just an action against one company, it’s a warning to every app-based company from this Administration. You cannot treat workers like they are expendable and get away with it. We will seek full back pay and damages. We will seek full accountability.”

Mamdani pointed to a recent report put out by Levine, which showed disobeying city mandates going into effect later this month, requiring apps to give the opportunity for customers to tip before or at the same time that an order has been placed, significantly impacts the amount of incoming tip revenue. Levine’s report that Mamdani touted estimates alternative tipping frameworks, such as only allowing tips upon completion of a delivery, have altered tipping revenue by an estimated $550 million per year.

Mamdani also stood by in tacit agreement during the press conference as delivery-app worker advocates called for an increase to their already mandated minimum wage they have that is approximately $4.50 higher for delivery-app drivers than the city’s base minimum wage of $17 per hour. The workers said they wanted a mandate that they get paid $35 per hour, to which Mamdani replied: “closed mouths don’t get fed.”

Mamdani campaigned on raising the base minimum wage to $30 per hour for all New Yorkers by 2030.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a press conference defending worker rights for delivery-app drivers on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, his eager enforcement to protect delivery-app drivers will include making sure a wider breadth of delivery-app companies, such as those who deliver groceries like InstaCart and Shipt, abide by New York City’s extended minimum wage laws for their workers – plus the other mandates related to the tipping structure and more.

DCWP has indicated plans to set a minimum pay rate for all delivery apps by early 2027.

HOURS AFTER TAKING OFFICE, NYC MAYOR MAMDANI TARGETS LANDLORDS, MOVES TO INTERVENE IN PRIVATE BANKRUPTCY CASE

“The challenges facing delivery workers, small businesses, and consumers are real, and deeply interconnected. That’s why this issue cannot be reduced to a single policy lever or viewed in isolation,” a spokesperson for the Bronx Chamber of Commerce told Fox News Digital. “Small businesses across the Bronx and throughout New York City are already under extraordinary pressure. When additional costs are layered on without a full economic analysis, those costs are predictably passed down to consumers or absorbed through reduced hours, reduced staffing, or closures. When businesses close, communities lose jobs, services, and economic anchors, and the ripple effects are significant.”

The Chamber of Commerce spokesperson added that Mamdani has an opportunity “to lead by tackling affordability in a holistic way,” which they said would require “comprehensive cost analysis and coordinated solutions that support workers while ensuring the small business ecosystem and consumer affordability are not unintentionally harmed.”

Signage reading ‘Days of a New Era’ is juxtaposed behind New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a press conference he attended about reining in ‘junk fees.’ (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When reached for comment about the discrepancy between Mamdani’s message of making New York City more affordable for everyone, versus his push to protect delivery-app worker rights that could impact consumer pricing, a New York City Hall spokesperson argued that “the insinuation that putting more money in the pockets of delivery workers undercuts affordability is absurd.”

“Delivery Workers are important members of our city’s economy, and deserve to be paid fairly – anything less is unacceptable,” the spokesperson added. “As Mayor Mamdani continues to stand up for everyday New Yorkers and actualize his ambitious agenda to make New York City truly livable for families. Affordability has been, and will continue to be, a guiding light.”

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But DoorDash’s head of public policy for North America, John Horton, said that ensuring delivery-app workers “earn double what many first responders in the city make” is not a policy solution they believe will make New York City more affordable. Currently, a local fire technician and emergency medical services union in the city is in the midst of a public awareness campaign to raise their wages because they make less than delivery-app drivers at $18.94 per hour.

Delivery-app workers in New York City must be paid $21.44 per hour according to local worker protection mandates. (iStock)

“A thriving New York will take a partnership between elected officials, the business community and workers to ensure we are all working in the best interests of New Yorkers in the midst of the city’s affordability crisis,” Horton added.

Fox News Digital followed up with Mamdani’s campaign to inquire about the complaint that EMS and some firemen in the city are making less than delivery-app workers, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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January 26, 2026
Five sleeper races that could upend 2026 – from Pennsylvania’s Alleghenies to New Mexico

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As Clement Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” tells it, families sleep soundly as Santa approaches.

As the new year nears, several election contests may prove just as quiet – until close results suddenly come into focus. Here are five potential sleeper races to watch in 2026:

1. MISSISSIPPI’S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, has not often had to worry about a general election challenge since he won a special election on April 13, 1993.

Predecessor Mike Espy, who recently unsuccessfully ran for Senate in a narrow runoff with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., had resigned to accept President Bill Clinton’s appointment as Secretary of Agriculture.

Thompson’s closest race was that one – against Republican Hayes Dent – at 55% to 45%.

Since then, Thompson has never looked back, and instead made himself a nationally-recognized figure later in his tenure.

He chaired the House Select Committee on January 6, and recently went viral for calling the shooting of West Virginia National Guardsmen allegedly by an Afghan refugee an “unfortunate accident.”

Thompson’s district, spanning from Jackson west to Yazoo City and Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, is one of the poorest in the country – landing at 3rd out of 435 with a median income of $37,372, according to data published by the office of Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD, ZERO IN ON NEW HOUSE REPUBLICAN TARGETS

Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) speaks to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital )

Only Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. preside over a poorer population.

Last week, an attorney and former counsel to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., mounted a surprise primary bid against Thompson.

Evan Turnage, 33, who has been alive just about the same time Thompson has been in Congress, made the idea of fighting the region’s persistent poverty paramount to his new campaign, according to Black Press USA.

“I’ve dedicated my life to leveling the playing field so people can not only get by, but get ahead, and raise a family right here,” Turnage said, according to the outlet.

On the Republican side, retired Army captain and Vicksburg cardiothoracic surgeon Ron Eller will fight an uphill battle to unseat the winner of the Thompson-Turnage bout.

2. CONNECTICUT’S 5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Connecticut is another state that is typically not in political conversation as hosting nail-biter partisan elections.

During the Bush-Clinton years, however, the state was competitive if not outright Republican-favored.

Former Gov. John Rowland was the first in decades to be elected to more than two terms. He ended up resigning in 2004 amid the threat of impeachment over accusations contractors with the state were doing work on his vacation home.

CALL TO DUTY: IN BATTLE FOR HOUSE, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO VETERANS

After he resigned, his wife famously wrote a poem critical of the media’s coverage of Rowland’s case, based on Moore’s holiday favorite and called “A Lump of Coal for All the Reporters.” Rowland’s lieutenant, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, took over and was reelected once before retiring in 2010.

Since then, the state has been reliably Democratic – save for former Sen. Joe Lieberman changing his affiliation to independent.

In 2022, then-State Sen. George Logan – the first Black man elected to Hartford’s upper chamber — mounted a bid against Rep. Jahana Hayes and lost by less than one percentage point.

DOUBLING DOWN: TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT SAYS FOCUS ON HIGH PRICES ‘ABSOLUTELY GOING TO CONTINUE’

Jahana Hayes D-CT (left) and her 2024 GOP challenger George Logan (right) (Getty & AP )

Logan tried again in 2024, but lost by a slightly wider margin.

While Logan is not on the ballot at least yet for 2026, recent history shows Republicans could have an outside chance of ending Democrats’ full control of New England’s congressional delegation.

3. MARYLAND’S 6TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Republicans have wanted to win back Maryland’s sixth congressional district ever since partisan gerrymandering was blamed for booting 20-year incumbent Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., from office in 2012.

Bartlett, an eccentric conservative who later relocated to the West Virginia wilderness to live off-the-grid, is now 99, and was known for addressing various topics that were sometimes ignored but have received newfound attention at present, including warnings about the strength, reliability and hardening of the U.S. power grid.

Bartlett won his last campaign by 28 points but then lost by about 20 after the rural district encompassing the entire Maryland Panhandle was adjusted to incorporate the edges of densely-populated Washington, D.C. suburbs.

SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH

He was defeated in 2013 by then-Rep. John Delaney, a finance executive – before Delaney was replaced by Total Wine mogul David Trone, who has largely self-funded his campaigns to the tune of millions of dollars.

Trone won reelection before opting in 2024 to pursue retiring Sen. Benjamin Cardin’s, D-Md., seat – which was ultimately won by Democrat Angela Alsobrooks.

He announced this year that he would challenge Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., the wife of former Rep. John Delaney.

Meanwhile, former longtime state Del. Neil Parrott, R-Antietam, is mounting his fourth consecutive bid for the seat. McClain-Delaney beat Parrott 53-47 in 2024.

The closest that Republicans have gotten to taking back the seat since Bartlett was defeated came in 2014, when now-FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino narrowly lost to Trone by about a point.

Bongino notably sought to nationalize the race, pulling in endorsements like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and rebuking Delaney as someone who could “write himself a check for a million dollars” if he needed to in order to win.

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY

Del. Neil Parrott, left., former Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., right. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

The future G-man suggested at the time he would rather knock on doors in far-flung communities like Oakland and Grantsville, where he said, “nobody seems to know who [John Delaney] is,” according to the Maryland Reporter.

Given newly-drawn, friendlier maps following litigation over O’Malley-era gerrymandering, Republicans may have a chance to surprise in a district in one of the most Democratic-majority states in the country.

4. NEBRASKA’S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

While not typically considered a swing state, or one that gets much attention in federal elections, Nebraska’s only urban-leaning district may decide the future of the House of Representatives if the overall contest is as close as it has been in recent years.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., one of few in his party who have publicly lambasted President Donald Trump, is retiring. The district – centered in Douglas and Saunders counties; including Omaha and Ashland – already has a slew of candidates on both sides hoping to take the moderate’s seat.

Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding leads state Sen. Brett Lindstrom, R-Omaha, in fundraising, while on the Democratic side, at least five people, including congressional staffer James Leuschen and state Sen. John Cavanaugh, D-Omaha, have tossed their hats in the ring, according to the Nebraska Examiner.

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Bacon, who hails from suburban Sarpy County, won his last race against former state Sen. Anthony Vargas, D-Omaha, by less than one percentage point.

After a recent wave of GOP losses in Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey, the district shapes up as a tough hold for Republicans in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since Ben Nelson retired in 2012.

5. NEW MEXICO GUBERNATORIAL RACE

While Nebraska is a red state that doesn’t often garner national attention, on the blue ledger lies New Mexico.

Topographically and culturally similar to red neighbor Texas and formerly red neighbor Arizona on the other side, the Land of Enchantment is often one that enchants the observer that looks closer at its politics.

Notably, its mountainous border with Mexico has largely kept it out of politically-contentious Trump-wall debates focused on the flatter, desert and river boundaries of its neighbors.

REPUBLICANS HAVE CHANCE TO SECURE GOVERNORSHIPS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES NEXT YEAR

US Capitol Building at sunset on January 30th, 2025 (Emma Woodhead/Fox News Digital)

While it lacks the urban population that is typical of most blue states like New York, California, New Jersey and Maryland, Republicans have been increasingly out of power there for years.

Former Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., was the last such lawmaker to represent the state in the upper chamber.

He retired in 2008 and was replaced by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., whose surname is the Mountain West’s equivalent of Cuomo or Casey. The Interior Department headquarters is named after Udall’s father.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is term limited. While she was preceded by a Republican, Susana Martinez, her state has been trending more toward Democratic reliability otherwise.

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Deb Haaland, a former New Mexico congresswoman who was also former President Joe Biden’s Interior Secretary, is the biggest name in the Democratic field, while Greggory Hull, the longtime mayor of Rio Rancho, is such for the GOP.

Rep. Gabe Vasquez held off a challenge from predecessor Yvette Herrell in the 2nd congressional district, which spans the southwestern part of the state including Alamogordo and Las Cruces, in what was seen as the GOP’s best chance to make inroads again in the border state.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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December 24, 2025
North Carolina’s longest-serving governor dies at 88 after serving 4 terms in office

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The longest-serving governor of North Carolina, Jim Hunt, died Thursday at the age of 88.

His daughter, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, announced the Democratic leader’s death in a statement on X.

“It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my beloved daddy and hero, former Governor Jim Hunt,” she wrote.

“He devoted his life to serving the people of North Carolina, guided by a belief that public service should expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and always put people first. His leadership and compassion left a lasting impact on so many across our state.”

CONGRESS TO HOLD CRIME HEARING IN CHARLOTTE FOLLOWING DEADLY LIGHT RAIL ATTACK

Former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt responds to reporters’ questions at a hotel, in Durham, N.C., Jan. 20, 1999. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan)

Hunt served a total of 16 years as North Carolina’s governor, holding office from 1977 to 1985 and again from 1993 to 2001. He was the only governor in state history to be elected to four terms, following a constitutional change allowing consecutive service.

Hunt was widely regarded as the state’s education-focused governor who made schools and early childhood learning the centerpiece of his administration. He is widely known for launching “Smart Start,” a 1993 initiative that provided health and education services to children under age five to help prepare them for school.

He also successfully lobbied to raise North Carolina teacher salaries above the national median, expanded access to full-day kindergarten statewide, and established the nation’s first public residential high school focused on science and math.

DESANTIS WARNS GOP FACES ‘ISSUE’ KEEPING TRUMP VOTERS ENGAGED IN FUTURE ELECTIONS

Former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt speaks at the Democratic National Convention, Sept. 5, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“I can think of no one who shaped North Carolina’s recent successes as much as Governor Jim Hunt,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a post on X.

“Governor for 16 years, he was a visionary who founded Smart Start, raised teacher pay, protected air quality, and created the NC Biotech Center. On a personal level, he was a mentor and dear friend. Anna and I are keeping Carolyn, Rachel, and the entire Hunt family in our thoughts and prayers. May Governor Hunt’s memory be a blessing. He certainly was for North Carolina.”

CHARLOTTE BRACES FOR FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AS MURDER RATE RISES 200% IN UPTOWN AREA

Jim Hunt, center, gives the thumbs up to House and Senate leadership after signing the 1999-2001 state budget during a ceremony at the Capitol building, in Raleigh, N.C., June 30, 1999. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Former North Carolina political figures also shared their condolences online following Hunt’s death.

“Not only was he the greatest Governor in North Carolina history, he brought a caring and committed purpose to everything he did, especially our children and our schools,” former Gov. Roy Cooper wrote in a post on X.

“I don’t know anyone who worked harder and had a greater positive effect on the people of North Carolina than Jim Hunt. He was a great friend and mentor and I will miss him.”

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Former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory added in another post on Facebook:

“Jim Hunt was ‘The Governor’ and was the greatest salesperson ever for our state,” he said. “For me personally and despite our political differences, he was a mentor and friend during my tenure as Mayor, Governor and as a former Governor. He will be missed but his spirit and passion for public service will remain forever.”

Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.

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December 18, 2025
Cook County in Illinois establishes permanent guaranteed income program

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The second-largest county in the United States has established a permanent guaranteed basic income program after the success of a previous pilot version.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved $7.5 million for a permanent guaranteed basic income program last week. Chicago, the largest city in the Midwest and third-largest in the country, is the county seat for Cook County.

Cook County made headlines as it established the guaranteed basic income program after many local governments across the country launched pilot versions.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved $7.5 million for a permanent guaranteed basic income program last week. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

CHICAGO HOMEOWNERS DEMAND ANSWERS AS PROPERTY TAX BILLS RISE: ‘DIVESTMENT IN THIS COMMUNITY’

Guaranteed basic income programs have become a trend across the U.S. in recent years with more than 100 pilots launched since 2018. Mayors for Guaranteed Income grew into a coalition of 150 mayors pushing pilot programs, offering low-income participants up to $1,000 a month with no strings attached. The group has pushed pilot programs that have been adopted by municipalities across the country.

The Cook County program was launched in 2022 with the aid of federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Once the largest publicly funded program in the nation receiving $42 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot provided monthly payments of $500 to 3,250 households for two years, with no strings attached.

Economic Security Illinois Director Sarah Saheb described Cook County’s guaranteed basic income pilot as a “historic success” and said that when the federal government was “stepping back from its responsibilities to working families, Cook County is leading the way to ensure people can afford basic necessities.”

The commissioners told Fox News Digital that the decision to extend the program into permanence was based on findings from a survey on the county’s pilot program.

ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS PASS BILL BANNING ICE IMMIGRATION ARRESTS NEAR COURTHOUSES

Guaranteed basic income programs have become a trend across the U.S. in recent years with more than 100 GBI pilots launched since 2018. (iStock)

The findings released by the commission in April showed that three-quarters of participants reported feeling more financially secure and 94% of participants used the funds to address financial emergencies during challenging times. Majorities also reported the program improved their mental health and lowered their stress levels.

The commission learned from the survey that participants mainly used the funds for essential needs such as food, rent, utilities, and transportation.

Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), a think tank that tracks public policy decisions in the state, told Fox News Digital that “Cook County is making its guaranteed income pilot permanent and committing millions to a failed strategy already shown to leave people with less work experience and lower earnings.”

POLICE SAY THEY’RE ‘TIRED’ OF DEM CITIES SPENDING BILLIONS ON ILLEGAL ALIENS OVER COPS: LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUP

“That should alarm anyone who wants real, long-term progress for low-income residents. A recent pilot program in northern Illinois, including Cook County, decreased workforce participation and lower individual income (before transfers),” said Josh Bandoch, head of policy for the IPI.

Democrats in the Illinois legislature are trying to advance an “Illinois Guaranteed Income Fund” through the Department of Human Services. (iStock)

In response to IPI, the commission told Fox News Digital that “outcomes and impacts vary depending heavily on program design: amount of cash, frequency/duration of payments, eligibility criteria (income-based, place-based, etc.), and local cost of living.”

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“Cook County is partnering closely with the Inclusive Economy Lab at the University of Chicago to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Promise Pilot. We will then design our next program in a thoughtful way that considers short- and long-term outcomes,” the commission said.

Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.

Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders Program.

Story tips can be sent to joshua.nelson@fox.com and Joshua can be followed on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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November 27, 2025
Winsome Earle-Sears concedes Virginia governor race, says she’s ‘not going anywhere’

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LEESBURG, Va. – Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears told the crowd at her election watch party in Loudoun County that she is “not going anywhere” after a defeat to Abigail Spanberger, and adding that she hopes the governor-elect governs as the moderate she repeatedly pledged to be on the campaign trail.

“I think I learn more in a loss than I ever do in a victory,” Earle-Sears said.

“I don’t think we came up short — I think we tried very, very hard — so many had counted me out for so long, and it’s an amazing thing to watch. And we just kept plugging and plugging.”

Earle-Sears said she called Spanberger, but that Spanberger did not pick up. She said she wished her well and that she remains open to volunteering to help the Spanberger administration achieve any goals that would make Virginia successful.

EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears greets supporters on Election Night in Leesburg, Va. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I asked her to please consider all Virginians – that she will represent all of us and not just some of us,” she said.

“I hope that Abigail considers school choice, opportunities for our children to excel – it can’t just be one path. How dare you stand in the doorway of a parent who says I want something different for my child,” she said.

Earle-Sears added that she ran a race based on “foundational ideas” like repealing car taxes, protecting children and their education, and expanding the economy.

WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES ‘TWO BULLETS’ AD SCATHING OPPONENT FOR FAILING TO DEMAND JAY JONES’ OUSTER

“I don’t consider this a loss because … I’m a Christian first and Republican second and that’s the way it always should be — no political party has ever given their life for me,” she said.

“I’m not going anywhere — and neither are you,” she said, adding that Virginia is not a radical-left state and that she intends to keep it that way.

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“We must pray for Abigail, we must pray for our government.”

“I’m really not even supposed to be here to think about it. I mean, I am an immigrant from another country, and yet you all have given me the opportunity to do this,” she said.

In comments to Fox News Digital, Earle-Sears spokeswoman Peyton Vogel said she is “incredibly proud” of the campaign the outgoing lieutenant governor ran, and that Virginia, nonetheless, made history in electing its first female governor.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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November 4, 2025
Virginia’s Ghazala Hashmi becomes first Muslim elected statewide in the Old Dominion

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The Fox News Decision Desk has projected that Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi will become the next lieutenant governor of Virginia.

Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India, grew up in Georgia and has represented Chesterfield County in the Virginia state Senate in her most recent public role.

She has a doctorate in American literature from Emory University and her campaign repeatedly highlighted her curriculum vitae as a public educator.

She was a professor at the University of Richmond as well as the nearby J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College, where she was the first director of its Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

WINSOME EARLE-SEARS REBUKES SPANBERGER PLAN TO UNDO VIRGINIA’S ICE PACT: ‘THIS IS NOT HARD’

State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, gestures to a man offscreen in Richmond, Va. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Hashmi was the only statewide candidate in the Virginia sweeps to repeatedly decline invitations and challenges to debate her opponent.

That opponent, Richmond broadcaster John Reid, in turn released a 45-minute mock debate video in which Hashmi’s public policy positions were highlighted in-fact, but by an AI version of the lieutenant governor-elect.

Hashmi is also the first South Asian to have served in the state Senate.

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She is primed to preside over the upper chamber in the lieutenant governor’s most visible role – where she will wield the gavel over a narrowly-divided, Democratic majority Senate.

Hashmi’s campaign focused on supporting public education, expanding Medicaid and protecting abortion rights.

She also emphasized climate change, environmental protection and affordable housing — themes that align with mainstream Democratic priorities.

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On the campaign trail, Hashmi also reportedly said she hopes to lead a repeal of Virginia’s “Right to Work” law, which provides protections for workers against being required to join unions as a prerequisite for employment.

She also presaged a contentious relationship with President Donald Trump, saying that his second term is “worse than the first time around,” and that the mogul has surrounded himself with “villainous creatures,” according to Annandale Today.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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November 4, 2025
Trump to helm election-eve tele-rally for Virginia ticket, as window to formally endorse Winsome Sears closes

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President Donald Trump is expected to headline a tele-rally for the entire Virginia Republican statewide ticket, offering one of his last opportunities to issue a formal endorsement of the gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.

Trump has praised Earle-Sears during the campaign and said she “must win” against Democrat Abigail Spanberger, but stopped short of issuing a ringing endorsement as he has for former New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, R-Somerville, in that state’s gubernatorial contest.

Little was made public about the tele-rally, and who would virtually attend such an event – including a Ciattarelli event also being held Monday evening.

But tele-town halls in other states, like those held occasionally by state lawmakers in Pennsylvania, often start with voters or constituents receiving a robo-call with a legislator’s voice asking them to press a button to be connected to the call – which then can either be a Q&A or the lawmaker describing their work in the recent term.

TRUMP VOICES SUPPORT FOR GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, ADMITS SHE HAS ‘TOUGH RACE’

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and President Trump (Al Drago/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

A source familiar with prior such tele-rallies between Trump and Virginia voters said they do drive turnout.

The source recounted Trump’s efforts in the waning hours of the 2021 gubernatorial election, when he held a similar event remotely in support of now-outgoing-Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Youngkin had been polling well below ex-Gov. Terry McAuliffe throughout the race – similar to how Earle-Sears has been underperforming against Spanberger – but ultimately engineered an upset by just over one percentage point over the Democrat.

“The president did a tele-rally for [Youngkin] the day before his election and he won by 60,000 votes — that was the difference,” the source said.

SPANBERGER USES SPONGEBOB TO MOCK SEARS-TRUMP RELATIONSHIP, AS PRESIDENT PRAISES GOP NOM

However, after Youngkin won the GOP nomination in 2021, Trump explicitly issued his “complete and total endorsement” to the businessman and slammed McAuliffe as an unsavory “Clinton bagman.”

The themes in the two races remain similar – including the economy, southwestern Virginia’s energy potential and northern Virginia’s transgender bathroom controversies.

In New York, frontrunner Zohran Mamdani mocked independent Andrew Cuomo with a “Trump endorsement” meme, which was retweeted by Virginia pollster Larry Sabato, who warned that if Earle-Sears does get the president’s official nod Monday, “Virginians may see something similar tomorrow, given Trump’s low popularity in Virginia.”

And Democrats argue Trump’s involvement could backfire given his low favorability in Virginia.

In 2021, Youngkin chipped away ever so slightly at Democrats’ margins in deep-blue Washington, D.C., suburbs – while also proverbially running up the score in Republican-rich but vote-poor southwestern Virginia – a combination that propelled him to victory.

RAMASWAMY ENDORSES WINSOME EARLE-SEARS FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR, RALLY PLANNED NEXT WEEK IN SWING SUBURB

At a Montgomery County rally for Earle-Sears, Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., said it is imperative that people on the fence get out and vote in his rural end of the state.

Recent polls showed Attorney General Jason Miyares with the highest current statistical shot of winning his race, leading scandal-plagued former Del. Jay Jones, D-Norfolk.

In the lieutenant governorship sweeps, Richmond broadcaster and former congressional communications director John Reid is tied for or within the margin of error of state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield.

While battling to take back power at the statewide level in Richmond, Republicans are also playing defense in as many as a dozen state delegate seats across the state that Democrats see as pickups.

TRUMP STUMPS FOR ENTIRE VIRGINIA GOP TICKET, WHILE YET TO FORMALLY ENDORSE EARLE-SEARS

They include Loudoun County’s last remaining GOP delegate, Geary Higgins, and several Republicans in the Washington exurbs, including Del. Paul Milde in Prince William County and Ian Lovejoy and House Minority Whip Michael Webert in Fauquier County.

Democrats also hope to unseat Dels. Carrie Coyner in Hopewell, Kim Taylor in Dinwiddie County, A.C. Cordoza in York County and Del. David Owen in Henrico County – which would greatly expand their narrow two-vote majority.

State Senate seats are not up until 2027.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the state of an Earle-Sears endorsement.

TRUMP YET TO ENDORSE IN VA GOVERNOR’S RACE – BUT ALSO KEPT YOUNGKIN AT ARM’S LENGTH

A source familiar with the event said Youngkin urged Virginians to support the full ticket, emphasizing that Earle-Sears would continue the “commonsense, conservative leadership that has delivered results under Governor Youngkin.”

Youngkin and Trump made a clear contrast between the Republican ticket’s platform and the “extreme, far-left policies” of past governors.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Republican National Committee for further comment on Trump’s appearance, while a source familiar with the rally said the event closely mirrored one four years ago that helped propel Youngkin past statistically favored Democrat Terry McAuliffe.

Youngkin did overperform expectations in both red and blue areas that election.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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November 3, 2025
California using back door to get federal funds for illegal immigrant healthcare, GOP says; Dems say nonsense

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Democrats want to remove a provision of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) before reopening the government, but Republicans argue the line item they want removed is allowing California to use a “loophole” to draw down funds from the federal government to help pay for the state’s ballooning cost of healthcare for illegal immigrants.

The White House released a memo on Wednesday during the first day of the government shutdown fight indicating Democrats want to repeal Trump reforms in his “big, beautiful bill” that aimed to close this alleged backdoor tactic. However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office and left-leaning health policy experts insist claims that California is using this tactic are not true.

“When Democrats say, as they keep saying, that there is no federal money or any taxpayer money going for illegal immigrant healthcare because it’s illegal and barred by federal law, it’s simply not true,” said Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host now running to replace Newsom as governor of California.

Hilton claimed that California has been using a complex Medicaid provision known as a “provider tax” to obtain matching federal dollars, which then gets pooled into the money used by the state to pay for its healthcare offered to undocumented immigrants.

WHITE HOUSE MEMO SAYS DEMOCRATS’ PLAN COULD SPEND $200B ON HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

California is being accused of utilizing a Medicaid “loophole” to draw down federal funds to help pay for the ballooning cost of illegal immigrant healthcare. (Getty/iStock)

“If [federal dollars] are funding non-emergency healthcare for ineligible immigrants, the sole cause is provider taxes,” Michael Cannon, a health policy expert at the CATO Institute told Fox News Digital.

Cannon, however, suggested Republicans shot themselves in the foot by choosing only to limit the scope of eligibility around provider tax funds in the OBBBA, saying no more could go to states providing illegal immigrants healthcare, and they should have just quashed them altogether.

“What they did was that Republicans preserved the ability of states to use provider taxes to fund healthcare for undocumented immigrants using Medicaid,” he argued.

However, Newsom’s office insisted to the Los Angeles Times that the claim California is utilizing a provider tax “loophole” to fund illegal immigrant healthcare is simply not true. It is effectively impossible to make a determination one way or the other because states do not keep records on how provider tax funds from the federal government are spent.

“This is false — CA does not do this,” Gardon said in a one-line email to the LA Times. Newsom’s office did not reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment in time for publication.

FED AUDIT, EMERGENCY MEDICAID UNDERCUT DEMS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTH COVERAGE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom during a bill signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps Aug. 21, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Other healthcare policy experts agree as well that this is not happening.

“The so-called California loophole references a provision in the law that ends a waiver of the uniformity requirements for provider taxes. This provision has nothing to do with using federal funds to pay for care for undocumented immigrants,” Jennifer Tolbert, a healthcare expert at the nonprofit healthcare research organization KFF.

“But the White House makes the claim that California uses the money they get from the provider tax to pay for care for undocumented immigrants.”

Chris Pope, a health policy expert from the Manhattan Institute, argues California is also using emergency care claims to draw down even more funds to help pay for its ballooning cost of being the first state in the nation to offer comprehensive healthcare coverage for anyone regardless of their immigration status.

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Supporters of single-payer health care march in Sacramento, Calif. (Rich Pedroncelli, File/AP Photo)

Federal law does not permit federal funds to be used for non-emergency medical care for illegal immigrants, but it does not prohibit them from being used for emergency care for these folks.

“The enormous and open-ended discretion Medicaid gives states to claim federal funding makes it hard for the feds to ensure that the program’s expenditures are reserved for its intended purposes,” Pope wrote in an Op-Ed for the New York Post Friday. “Until that changes, the Democratic claim that federal money isn’t being used on illegal immigrants is simply not true.”

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October 3, 2025
North Carolina Dem says ‘no correlation’ between Charlotte train attack and accused killer’s repeated releases

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A North Carolina state representative is under fire for saying there is “no correlation” between the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old refugee from Ukraine, and the fact that her accused killer had been released from jail 14 times.

State Rep. Marcia Morey, a longtime Democratic lawmaker and former judge, made the comments while defending the state’s bail system. Critics argue the system has allowed violent offenders to cycle in and out of custody with little accountability.

Decarlos Brown has been described by authorities as a dangerous career criminal who was repeatedly in and out of jail before he allegedly stabbed Zarutska to death on a light rail train in Charlotte. Many believe a broken bail system allowed him to remain free despite his violent record.

CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS

Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska, who was killed on a train in Charlotte, and North Carolina State Rep. Marcia Morey (D). (GoFundMe; AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Morey, one of North Carolina’s most vocal advocates for bail reform, defended her comments and went on to condemn efforts to connect the case to bail policies.

“But don’t correlate what happened in January and a magistrate who set a bail according to guidelines to what happened in August. There is no correlation,” she said during a legislative session.

Her argument has been countered by many lawmakers, who claim the tragedy shows exactly why it’s dangerous to allow repeat offenders back on the street.

NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS PASS ‘IRYNA’S LAW’ TO ELIMINATE CASHLESS BAIL AFTER CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING

L-R: A mugshot of Decarlos Brown; Surveillance footage showing Brown on the light rail train. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office; CATS)

Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger argued that bail reform measures designed to keep more defendants out of jail while awaiting trial are endangering public safety.

“Iryna should still be alive. She should be thriving and enjoying time with her family and friends,” Berger said. “We cannot let North Carolina be held hostage by woke, weak-on-crime policies and court officials who prioritize criminals over justice for victims. We are also taking steps to revive the death penalty for those who commit the most heinous crimes.”

Iryna Zarutsk fled Ukraine for the U.S. and was murdered on the Charlotte light rail train on her way home from work. (@lucaveros225/Instagram)

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However, supporters of bail reform argue the system unfairly punishes low-income defendants who cannot afford release.

Families of victims like Zarutska, on the other hand, believe the consequences are deadly when repeat offenders are given chance after chance.

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September 26, 2025
Dearborn mayor refuses to apologize for telling Christian minister he was ‘not welcome here’

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At Dearborn, Michigan’s first city council meeting since his clash with a local Christian minister went viral after a heated exchange over a controversial honorary street sign naming, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud declined to apologize for his saying the minister was “not welcome here” and that he would “launch a parade” when he left town.

Ted Barham, the same Christian minister, opened his remarks at Tuesday’s meeting by repeating the words that went viral at the previous one on Sept. 9.

“The mayor, in a way, cursed me, as was seen around the world. And I would like to repeat what I said that day to you, Mr. Mayor: ‘God bless you,’” Barham said.

Barham said he had no plans to file a lawsuit despite pressure from supporters.

EXCLUSIVE: MAN WHO SPARRED WITH MUSLIM DEARBORN MAYOR, TOLD HE WASN’T ‘WELCOME’ REVEALED AS CHRISTIAN MINISTER

Ted Barham, a Christian minister, speaks during the Dearborn City Council meeting Tuesday, weeks after his clash with Mayor Abdullah Hammoud drew national attention. (City of Dearborn)

“People have been saying I should do that all over the world. I have no intention of doing that,” Barham said.

Instead, he urged the council to consider his larger message: “Bless those who curse you… love your haters. And I would say that in regard to Hezbollah as well. I would [say] that in regard to Mr. Siblani and I would [say] to Israel, too. ‘Love your haters.’”

He then made a new appeal.

“Would it be possible for you, Mayor Hammoud, in front of the world and council members to join me in saying we would like to put out a Christian call to prayer and a Christian call to faith in all the countries around the world where an Islamic call to prayer goes out?”

Others took the microphone to press the council more directly.

DEARBORN’S MUSLIM MAYOR TELLS CHRISTIAN HE’S ‘NOT WELCOME’ IN DEBATE ON HONORING PRO-TERROR ARAB LEADER

Ted Barham, a Christian minister, makes a point while addressing the Dearborn City Council in Michigan on Tuesday. (City of Dearborn)

Anthony Deegan told the chamber, “We love you with the love of Christ. We want the blessings of God to be in your life… it’s not a matter of us versus them.” But he then asked pointedly: “Do you definitively, unequivocally, by name, denounce Hamas and Hezbollah? Or do you support them?”

Shane Rife of Garden City said he was “shocked” to learn that Hammoud had appeared at a rally where Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani praised Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a “hero.”

“We have a mayor in the United States who is sharing a platform with somebody, with [a] terrorist!?” Rife asked. “Where is your allegiance? Is your allegiance to the United States or is your allegiance to Hezbollah?”

Pastor Jeff Davis of Dearborn Evangelical Covenant Church also voiced support for Barham, stressing his long service in the city.

WHITMER SILENT ON MUSLIM MAYOR TELLING RESIDENT HE’S ‘NOT WELCOME’ FOR SLAM ON TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud listens during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, where he declined to apologize for remarks that drew national scrutiny. (City of Dearborn)

Nagi Almudhegi, a Yemeni-American engineer and candidate for mayor, also weighed in during an interview with Fox News Digital.

“The United States of America is built on the principles of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. These two principles are sacrosanct,” Almudhegi said. “If I were in Mayor Abdullah Hamoud’s spot at that time, I would have not said anything. The gentleman has a right, as an American citizen, to speak his mind. And he did it in a respectful, calm way. The mayor should have afforded him that opportunity instead of launching into that tirade.”

He warned that Hammoud’s “not welcome here” remark risked fueling a false impression that Christians are not accepted in Dearborn.

“People would get the impression, or it would feed into the paranoia that is very, very wrong, that Dearborn is a racist place, or there’s no place for Christians. And that is what I’m 100% against,” Almudhegi said.

Almudhegi had previously released an official statement condemning Hammoud’s remarks as “uncalled for, classless, unprofessional and just plain wrong,” and voiced support for Barham.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud speaks during a City Council meeting in Dearborn, Mich., on Sept. 9. (City of Dearborn)

When Hammoud spoke later in the evening at the meeting, he did not answer the many calls for an apology or the demand for a specific denunciation. Instead, he said, Dearborn “represents the best of America” where “people of all backgrounds, of all faiths, and of all beliefs can live peacefully and respectfully as neighbors.”

“For decades, people have been intent on dividing and disparaging our city,” Hammoud said. “Dearborn has never fallen for these divisive attempts. Back then and still now, Dearborn residents from every corner of this city have come together to shun hatred and to root it out of the place that we’re all proud to call home.”

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The controversy continues to loom over Dearborn’s November mayoral election, where Hammoud faces Almudhegi.

With only two names on the ballot, the clash over religious freedom and free speech sparked by Barham’s remarks and the mayor’s response may become the defining issue for voters.

Hammoud’s office did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.

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September 24, 2025
Alabama conducts first state-federal checkpoint operations with ICE, detaining over 20 people

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In what is reportedly one of the first instances of “checkpoint” operations between the Department of Homeland Security and a state police agency, more than two dozen people were detained within the past several days.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey confirmed to Fox News Digital that she directed the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and other cabinet agencies to “work closely with ICE to catch criminal illegals.”

Ivey praised ALEA’s work on a particularly lucrative “bust” in Russellville, which saw at least 20 people detained.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, ALEA confirmed that operation in which agency troopers conducted drivers’ license checkpoints in Franklin and Colbert counties, where ICE special agents were present.

GOP GOVERNOR GREENLIGHTS STATE TROOPERS TO JOIN ICE IN IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

More than one-third of area residents identify as Hispanic, according to census figures, which eclipses the statewide proportion of 6%.

ALEA directed Fox News Digital to ICE for immigration-specific data from its collaboration.

“Driver license checkpoints occur all over the state and are one of the ways we stop criminals in their tracks, and now, we include ICE agents in these efforts,” Ivey said.

The Republican, who is term-limited next year, added that criminal illegal immigrants are not welcome in her state, and that every “tool in the toolbox” will be used to keep residents and visitors safe.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who is hoping to shift from Washington to Montgomery and succeed Ivey next year, said he was glad to see ALEA work with ICE in this way.

ALABAMA GOV SIGNS WHAT IS A WOMAN ACT: ‘IF THE GOOD LORD MADE YOU A BOY, YOU’RE A BOY’

“When 77 million Americans voted for President Trump, they sent a clear message: they want mass deportations – and they want them now,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital.

The longtime Auburn football icon expressed hope that other states will follow Alabama’s lead and adapt such new cooperative strategies with federal law enforcement to crack down on illegal immigrants and maintain public safety.

“[Illegal immigrant] criminals shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Tuberville said.

Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter also indicated his support for Ivey’s and ALEA’s work.

Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, lamented that there are too many other states where leaders “fight harder for criminals than [for] law-abiding citizens.”

In those places, he said, “politics matter more to [elected officials] than public safety … I expect this state and federal partnership to continue yielding positive results.”

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, is pictured. (REUTERS/Marvin Gentry)

Birmingham immigration attorney Brett Pouncey told statewide news outlet AL.com that numerous communities are also working with ICE to set up license-checking “roadblocks” – citing reports from his own clients.

Russellville community organizer Evelyn Servin told the outlet that police should not be working with the feds, and claimed people in her area may be racially profiled and detained.

Throughout the summer, ICE also made two dozen arrests in Baldwin County, home of the famed white-sand “Redneck Riviera” beach towns.

Arrests were made at sites in Loxley – along Interstate 10 north of Orange Beach – and Spanish Fort, which lies on the other end of the George Wallace Tunnel from Mobile.

The operations led one immigration advocate in that region to suggest immigrants write phone numbers on their bodies to be able to contact family in case they are detained by ICE, according to AL.com.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for further comment and data.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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September 21, 2025
America’s original sanctuary state rebukes Bondi’s warning, denies ‘obstruction’ of ICE

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Attorney General Pam Bondi received a response this week from the governor of the first state to pass “sanctuary” legislation, after she had warned it was engaged in “policies and procedures that hinder federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, confirmed receipt of Bondi’s original letter from the prior week, writing back that she “respectfully disagree[s]” with Bondi’s assertion.

“The State of Oregon, its public officials, and its law enforcement officers do not engage in conduct that thwarts federal immigration enforcement,” Kotek said, noting the Beaver State passed America’s first sanctuary state law in 1987.

State Rep. Rocky Barilla, D-Eugene, introduced the bill which was then signed by Gov. Neil Goldschmidt amid concerns police were wrongly profiling Latinos about their immigration status.

BOSTON’S WU FIRES BACK AT BONDI, CITING REVOLUTION, AS OTHER CITIES SLAM FEDS OVER ‘SANCTUARY’ WARNINGS

Attorney General Pam Bondi, left; Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, right (Reuters; IMAGN)

In her response to Bondi, Kotek said in the nearly 40 years since, Oregon officials and law enforcement have not violated federal immigration law while abiding by the state policy.

“A 2018 ballot measure to repeal portions of Oregon’s federal immigration enforcement law failed when 63% of Oregon voters opposed repealing the existing law,” she said, adding that the 1987 law was revisited and “strengthened” by Salem lawmakers in 2021.

Kotek cited Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s statement after the 2021 actions:

“Oregon stands for the safety, dignity, and human rights of all Oregonians,” the state prosecutor said at the time, as Kotek also echoed the contention the state is acting within the law due to legal precedent from contemporary Tenth Amendment called the Anticommandeering Rule.

That rule, borne out of cases like New York v. U.S. in 1992 – which focused on requests for states to dispose of nuclear waste — prescribes that the federal government cannot force them to administer federal programs.

TRUMP ADMIN SLAMS ACLU FOR COMPARING ICE CENTER TO JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMP: DERANGED AND LAZY

President Joe Biden, left; Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, right (Reuters)

Kotek said in her letter to Bondi that she is aware of warnings that the Trump administration may pursue civil actions against public officials on grounds they are obstructing federal immigration efforts or facilitating lawbreaking.

“The state does not take on the additional expense or burden to perform federal immigration enforcement as it is the job of the federal government,” Kotek went on, citing the Anticommandeering Rule.

“The state of Oregon is in compliance with federal law and will continue to follow state law. Therefore, no ‘immediate initiatives’ are necessary to eliminate laws that impede immigration enforcement,” she concluded, noting that her letter was delivered to the Justice Department via Federal Express.

The back and forth comes as an Oregon federal judge is poised to decide on a notable immigration case in the state, and rule on whether a twice-deported Guatemalan asylum-seeking farmworker can be released from federal custody despite prior deportations.

President Joe Biden, left, and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, right, enjoy ice cream at a shop in 2024. (Reuters)

Identified only as L.J.P.L., the foreign national had been deported during the Obama administration, and litigants argued whether he could be released so long as he makes regular check-ins at a Eugene immigration office.

Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee whom Chief Justice John Roberts also named to the FISA Court, will decide whether ICE can move forward and immediately deport “L.J.P.L.,” according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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August 22, 2025