Local authorities in Pennsylvania released an illegal immigrant charged with rape while he was training to become a corrections officer.
Ibrahim George Kallon, who hails from Sierra Leone, had been living in the United States illegally since 2024, when his visitor visa expired, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In recent years, he also worked security for the president and first lady of his native Sierra Leone, his former colleague told The Daily Wire. A photo posted to Kallon&#8217;s Facebook appears to show him with the leaders of the West African nation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A former colleague of this illegal immigrant accused of rape while training to be a cop in Pennsylvania tells me he previously worked security for the president and first lady of Sierra Leone just &#8220;a couple years ago.&#8221;
A photo on his Facebook appears to show him with the… <a href="https://t.co/A1fDPefJHF">https://t.co/A1fDPefJHF</a> <a href="https://t.co/IQLisz9JZp">pic.twitter.com/IQLisz9JZp</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2027458338951249981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
ICE had lodged a detainer with the Delaware County Prison in Thornton, Pennsylvania, but he was released on bail on Feb. 5, according to the agency and court records. The court only required that he pay $1 of his $100,000 bond, which was earlier lowered from its original $250,000.
Federal immigration officers were then forced to hunt Kallon down in the community and arrest him on Feb. 11, ICE said.
&#8220;If the county won’t protect its own residents, we’ll do it for them,&#8221; ICE <a href="https://x.com/ICEgov/status/2027384543498457512?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an X post Friday detailing the arrest.
Delaware County asserts on its <a href="https://delcopa.gov/publicrelations/2024/immigrationpolicies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> that it &#8220;is not, and has never been, a sanctuary county.&#8221;
&#8220;We are unsure why people believe or state that Delaware County is a sanctuary county since the County has never taken any actions or votes to declare itself a sanctuary county. In addition, we are in full compliance with all state and federal laws regarding immigration,&#8221; the county&#8217;s website reads.
Kallon faces charges of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, false imprisonment, and indecent assault, according to ICE.
In recent months, ICE has caught several illegal immigrants who were either training or had already joined law enforcement in multiple states.
ICE <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-orleans-police-recruit-turns-out-to-be-illegal-immigrant-fraudster">arrested</a> alleged fraudster Larry Temah, 46, who hails from Cameroon and was hired by the New Orleans Police Department in June. Temah, who had a deportation order, was just one week away from graduating from the New Orleans Police Department academy when he was nabbed.
In October, ICE <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-cop-previously-nabbed-by-ice-returns-to-work-for-illinois-police-department">arrested</a> Radule Bojovic, an illegal immigrant from Montenegro, who was working as an officer with the Hanover Police Department. He was later granted bond by an immigration judge and returned to work with the department in December.
Bojovic overstayed a tourist visa that required him to leave the country on March 31, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security previously said.
Federal authorities arrested alleged “serial immigration fraudster,” 45-year-old Morris Brown of Liberia, in January after he went AWOL from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and pretended to be an American citizen to become a Minnesota corrections officer, <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/serial-immigration-fraudster-working-as-a-minnesota-corrections-officer-arrested" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Federal authorities labeled him as a “serial fraudster&#8221; who had “multiple violations of U.S. immigration law, including overstaying his student visa and making false claims to U.S. citizenship.”

Untitled design – 2026-02-27T090345.768

Local Authorities Released An Illegal Immigrant Training To Be Cop. He Was Just Accused Of Rape.

Sanctuary Authorities Release Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Rape While Training To Be A Cop

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Pennsylvania

Sanctuary Cities

Axl Omar Palacios was a drag show host who allegedly moonlighted as a border drug trafficker. He was just caught allegedly running a drug stash house along the Texas border last month.
Palacios was seen by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents exiting an apartment in Hidalgo, Texas, before opening the trunk of a car that had just arrived from Mexico, <a href="https://www.valleycentral.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2026/02/Axl-Omar-Palacios-Johan-Eduardo-Rivas-Morales-Criminal-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to court documents. The cosmetologist then allegedly began filling a wagon with &#8220;4-6 medium sized cardboard boxes&#8221; that he hauled into the apartment as the vehicle left.
Special Agent Mark Cruz testified during a hearing on Feb. 6 that the car had &#8220;alerts&#8221; tied to drug trafficking, according to <a href="https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/cosmetologist-pleads-not-guilty-to-federal-drug-trafficking-charges/">ValleyCentral</a>. Palacios was also a &#8220;self-employed cosmetologist who hosted drag shows,&#8221; the local news outlet reported, who &#8220;frequently posted photos on Facebook that featured makeup and brightly colored wigs.&#8221;
Cruz also noted that the wagon &#8220;appeared&#8221; to be &#8220;heavy&#8221; as &#8220;it looked like&#8221; Palacios &#8220;was having difficulties pulling it back into the apartment.”
The agents then saw Palacios exiting the apartment again while &#8220;pulling the same wagon loaded with two cardboard boxes,&#8221; which were placed in a car that soon drove away, court documents allege. A sheriff&#8217;s deputy pulled the car over and began a search, finding &#8220;two brown boxes containing 40 packages&#8221; weighing over 100 pounds that &#8220;contained a white powdery substance that tested positive&#8221; for cocaine.
“We located approximately 40 packages total, between the two boxes,” Cruz said.
The driver, Johan Eduardo Rivas Morales, said he picked up drugs from Palacios &#8220;multiple times&#8221; before, receiving a payment of roughly $3,000 for each load, Cruz said.
Palacios was later observed moving the alleged cocaine-filled boxes into his sister&#8217;s apartment in the same complex, according to court documents.
Federal agents seized 77 kilograms of cocaine upon searching the apartments.
Palacios, who is an American citizen, was arrested and hit with federal drug trafficking charges.
Along with allegedly trafficking drugs, Palacios hosted drag shows just across the border in Reynosa, Mexico, <a href="https://www.valleycentral.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2026/02/Axl-Omar-Palacios-Order-of-Detention.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to court documents.
Palacios regularly posted selfies wearing gaudy makeup on his Facebook page. He had worked as a cosmetologist for the last 12 years.
He allegedly admitted to transferring drugs to Johan Eduardo Rivas Morales &#8220;in the past.&#8221; He also said he received between $200 and $1,000 &#8220;depending on the quantity of narcotics transferred.&#8221;
Palacios pleaded not guilty to his charges Wednesday. If convicted, he faces ten years to life in federal prison.
“The case is very early on,” Palacios&#8217; attorney Uriel A. Guajardo said, according to ValleyCentral. “We’re going to just try to see where the evidence leads us, to then determine where it goes.”

Untitled design – 2026-02-26T095711.321

Drag Queen Moonlighted As Drug Trafficker And Ran Border Stash House, Authorities Say

Drag Show Host Accused Of Operating Border Drug Stash House

Border

drug trafficking

Mexico

Texas

A federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden struck down a key initiative of the Trump administration&#8217;s deportation effort Wednesday.
Judge Brian E. Murphy of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration can&#8217;t deport illegal immigrants to third countries, which are nations other than their native soil. Instead, federal authorities must attempt to remove the illegal immigrant to their home country or another country approved by an immigration judge, Murphy said in the 81-page ruling.
&#8220;It is not fine, nor is it legal,&#8221; Murphy wrote of the deportation policy.
&#8220;This new policy — which purports to stand in for the protections Congress has mandated — fails to satisfy due process for a raft of reasons, not least of which is that nobody really knows anything about these purported &#8216;assurances.&#8217; Whom do they cover? What do they cover? Why has the Government deemed them credible? How can anyone even know for certain that they exist? These are basic questions that the Constitution permits a person to ask before the Government takes away their last and only lifeline.&#8221;
Murphy ruled that illegal immigrants must have &#8220;meaningful notice&#8221; before they&#8217;re deported to a third country so they have the opportunity to share if they fear persecution or torture there.
“These are our laws, and it is with profound gratitude for the unbelievable luck of being born in the United States of America that this Court affirms these and our nation’s bedrock principle: that no ‘person’ in this country may be ‘deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,’” Murphy wrote.
&#8220;The simple reality is that nobody knows the merits of any individual class member’s claim because Defendants are withholding the predicate fact: the country of removal,&#8221; he wrote.
The Trump administration has shipped off illegal immigrants to countries like Eswatini, Rwanda, Ghana, El Salvador, and South Sudan, as part of the strategy.
The government has 15 days to appeal the order, which exempts border crossers who are to face &#8220;expedited removal.&#8221;
The Supreme Court previously ruled in June against Murphy&#8217;s previous order that prevented the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants to third countries. As a result, the Trump administration was able to deport a group of eight illegal immigrants with rap sheets to South Sudan, where none of them held citizenship.
The group of deportees had criminal convictions in the United States and deportation orders, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-sudan-deportation-supreme-court-judge-murphy-148cee2906dc7286b074116d3eec6fd4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Associated Press.

ICE Homeland Security Federal Detainee Flight, Minnesota, December 2025

Biden-Appointed Judge Rules Against Trump’s Third Country Deportations

Deportations

Donald Trump

illegal immigrants

Two heroic off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers patrolling in Minnesota saved the life of a four-year-old boy who drowned after falling into a hotel pool.
The young boy&#8217;s panicked mother approached the off-duty officers last Friday as they were eating at a restaurant in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth hoping they could help save her unresponsive son. The officers jumped to the rescue.
The child had been under water for over five minutes after jumping into the pool to find a toy, the local police department said.
The agents performed CPR on the child for several minutes before paramedics arrived and he eventually regained consciousness.
The Daily Wire obtained a letter the Plymouth Police Department sent to ICE in recognition of their heroic actions, saying the federal officers responded &#8220;without hesitation &#8230; immediately began CPR and activated emergency medical services.&#8221;
&#8220;The child was not breathing and showed no signs of life,&#8221; the letter read.
&#8220;In a situation like this, the first few minutes of emergency aid and quality CPR are critical. Without the quick response and professional actions [of the officers] the outcome of this event would have likely been tragic.&#8221;
The department spoke with one of the officers, who they said humbly &#8220;tried to downplay&#8221; their lifesaving work.
&#8220;On behalf of the Plymouth Police Department, I want to extend our thanks and gratitude for the efforts [of the ICE officers] in saving the life of a 4-year-old boy &#8230; truly excellent work,&#8221; the department said.
The Department of Homeland Security is also praising the officers for their &#8220;heroism and swift action &#8230; to save the life of a sweet, innocent child.&#8221;
“If our agents had not been there and stepped up, this would have been a tragic outcome,” Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told The Daily Wire.
“Because of their training, these two agents were able to save a life. Our agents are the best of the best. Every single day they put their lives on the line to save American lives. President Trump and Secretary Noem will always stand with our law enforcement. If you see a law enforcement officer today, thank them for their service.”
Following two fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents, the Trump administration ended &#8220;Operation Metro Surge,&#8221; which deployed thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota to arrest illegal immigrants and investigate fraud.
The drawdown also came after President Donald Trump&#8217;s border czar brokered a deal, securing what he called &#8220;unprecedented cooperation&#8221; from local authorities who previously refused to work with ICE.
ICE still maintains an office in the Twin Cities and continues operations, albeit at a smaller scale.

Swimming pool in hotel, Albany, Georgia, USA

Heroic ICE Agents Save Four-Year-Old Boy From Drowning In Minnesota Pool

Minnesota

Democratic California Governor has once again offered an excuse for not contacting the family of a young girl whose life has forever changed after she was victimized by an illegal immigrant truck driver with a commercial driver&#8217;s license from the Golden State.
President Donald Trump brought Dalilah Coleman, 7, and her father, Marcus, as guests to his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. Dalilah was severely injured in a multi-car pileup in 2024, allegedly caused by Indian illegal immigrant Partap Singh, who was behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler with a California-issued commercial driver&#8217;s license.
Dalilah suffered a traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and developmental delay. She currently cannot eat orally and has to learn to walk again.
Marcus has repeatedly stated that Newsom has failed to offer his sympathies directly.
Dalilah&#8217;s father, who happens to be a truck driver himself, shared his frustrations with Newsom&#8217;s silence.
&#8220;How do you not see Dalilah? How do you allow politics to blind you from a five-year-old girl at the time whose life is forever changed, and your only answer is it&#8217;s the federal government,&#8221; Marcus told The Daily Wire.
“What happened to Dalilah is heartbreaking, and we commend her family for turning their grief into advocacy,&#8221; Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;While our Constituent Affairs team has no record of outreach from the Coleman family, we would welcome the opportunity to connect them to available state resources,&#8221; Crofts-Pelayo said.
Newsom&#8217;s office failed to respond to a follow-up question asking if he regrets handing the illegal immigrant trucker a commercial driver&#8217;s license.
Singh has since been taken into federal immigration custody.
Trump recognized Dalilah and her father Tuesday night as he highlighted a surge in illegal immigrant trucking crashes and vowed to address the issue.
&#8220;We will take care of this problem,&#8221; Trump said Tuesday. &#8220;We’re going to take care of this problem. We are not playing games. Dalilah — Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more. The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders, politicians, and California. Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life.&#8221;
&#8220;She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk, and she is here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man. Dalilah, please, you are a great inspiration. Please stand up. Thank you, Dalilah,&#8221; Trump said.
The Department of Transportation has threatened to withhold federal funding from Democratic states issuing commercial driver&#8217;s licenses to illegal immigrants. The Trump administration is currently holding up roughly $160 million from Newsom&#8217;s California &#8220;for failing to cancel over 17,000 illegally issued&#8221; commercial driver&#8217;s licenses &#8220;by the agreed-upon deadline of January 5, 2026.&#8221;
Newsom has responded by blaming the federal government for issuing work permits to illegal immigrant truckers.
Trump also vowed to enact legislation dubbed &#8220;The Dalilah Law&#8221; to ban states from &#8220;granting commercial licenses to illegal aliens.&#8221; Republican Indiana Senator Jim Banks will formally introduce the bill Wednesday afternoon.
&#8220;Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location,&#8221; Trump said.

Untitled design – 2026-02-25T112929.567

Newsom Makes Excuses As Father Pleads — Trump Spotlights His Child Injured By Illegal Trucker

California

Gavin Newsom

State of the Union

President Donald Trump promised to carry out a historic mass deportation effort on the campaign trail and has since removed more than 670,000 illegal immigrants from the United States.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shared some of the bad hombres and their rap sheets with The Daily Wire. Here&#8217;s what we know about them.
Earlier this month, ICE shipped Mexican illegal immigrant Akira Salinas-Ruiz, who brutally shook his then-girlfriend&#8217;s 18-month-old baby to death in 2006, out of the country. The toddler, Santiago Teniente Jr., was left with fatal injuries that included abusive head trauma and bruises on his neck and stomach that were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
Salinas-Ruiz was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide on July 11, 2007. He pleaded no contest to his charge and was sentenced to 20 years in a Wisconsin prison.
An immigration judge ordered Salinas-Ruiz&#8217;s deportation in 2008 while he was behind bars.
And on Feb. 17, ICE arrested Salinas-Ruiz after he was released from prison, and has since deported him.
Salinas-Ruiz was encountered at the border in 2002 and agreed to &#8220;voluntarily return&#8221; to Mexico, according to ICE.
ICE also deported Salvadoran national Ruben Alonso Hernandez-Lainez, 29, who was convicted of second-degree assault and second-degree rape in Frederick County, Maryland, ICE said.
He was arrested just before Maryland passed a law in early February that bars local and state police from communicating with ICE.
Hernandez snuck across the border in 2021 and was later caught by Border Patrol agents in May 2022 near Hidalgo, Texas. The agents were &#8220;forced to release him &#8230; thanks to the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policies&#8221; before he went on to assault and rape his victim, according to ICE.
Police in Maryland arrested Hernandez for his crimes on May 15, 2023. A judge handed him a conviction in February 2025, sentencing him to three years and four months behind bars with all but 18 months suspended. He was placed on five years of supervised probation.
An immigration judge ordered his deportation on Jan. 20, and he was removed from the country ten days later, ICE said.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/friendly-fire?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_content=20260224_sotu_aa_desktop&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-73871">Watch the State of the Union with The Daily Wire! Live coverage from the nation&#8217;s capital begins at 7:45 ET.</a>
ICE also deported a convicted killer tied to a murder case that went cold.
Jamaican illegal immigrant Kemar Hamilton, who was deported on Jan. 8, was convicted of the killing of 58-year-old Jamaican immigrant Edgar McCalla. Hamilton shot McCalla, who was the father of seven children, during a 2009 robbery outside of the victim&#8217;s Bronx home before fleeing the scene.
It was just one year after he crossed the border illegally.
While searching the murder scene, police found a prepaid cell phone left behind by the killer. The DNA from the phone, however, didn&#8217;t yield a match, and the case went cold.
Two years later, police arrested Hamilton after pulling him over for a traffic violation and finding a loaded firearm in his car. The officers then matched his DNA to the cold case.
By that time, he had already received a deportation order. He was sentenced to over a decade in prison and was scooped up by ICE on Oct. 6 as he was being released from prison in Alden, New York.
While Trump&#8217;s deportation numbers fall short of his past-stated goal of carrying out one million removals each year, more than 2 million illegal immigrants have &#8220;self-deported,&#8221; leaving on their own, according to ICE.
“Immigration enforcement plays a critical role in public safety,” Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement.
“Criminal illegal aliens like these, who completely disregard our immigration laws and our criminal laws, don’t belong in the United States — and ICE is going to continue keeping our cities, communities and neighborhoods safe by arresting and removing them,&#8221; Lyons added.

Untitled design – 2026-02-24T123138.544

Thanks To ICE, Trump Heads To SOTU With Historic Deportation Numbers

As Trump Heads To SOTU, His Admin's Deportation Tally Is Staggering

deportation

The Trump administration is keeping up the pressure on the Mexican government after assisting in the operation that killed a major drug cartel kingpin over the weekend.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the Trump administration is &#8220;pushing&#8221; Mexico to take stronger action to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
&#8220;We are coordinating and cooperating and pushing the Mexican government to do more to end the scourge of deadly drugs coming through our United States Southern border, which of course is now secure thanks to President Trump as well,&#8221; Leavitt said during a Fox News appearance.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;We encourage all Americans in Mexico to of course adhere to the guidance provided by the <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a>&#8230; and the Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gwbUaD5oi9">pic.twitter.com/gwbUaD5oi9</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2026293274827272418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Leavitt said the Sunday strike that took out longtime Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during an operation in the southwestern town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, &#8220;would not have happened without the leadership of President Trump.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/friendly-fire?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_content=20260224_sotu_aa_desktop&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Watch the State of the Union with The Daily Wire! Live coverage from the nation&#8217;s capital begins at 7:45 ET.</a>
&#8220;He has made it a day one priority to target and go after these vicious drug cartels that have shipped deadly poison to our country for far too long,&#8221; Leavitt said, citing President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to designate some of Mexico&#8217;s most notorious cartels as terrorist organizations and the administration&#8217;s dozens of military strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Following Sunday&#8217;s operation, cartel members set buses and cars ablaze and erected roadblocks in some of the most popular vacation spots frequented by American tourists.
The State Department <a href="https://x.com/TravelGov/status/2025636042007605353" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> American citizens to “shelter in place” if they are in the Mexican state of Jalisco — including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara — as well as in Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
American and Canadian airlines quickly canceled flights out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, leaving tourists stranded.
American tourist Jim Beck, who said he has been going to Puerto Vallarta “for almost twenty years,” <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cnn/video/7609924460602313997?q=puerto%20vallarta&amp;t=1771858884471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN that it’s the first time he’s been “actually terrified” while visiting the area.
“We saw people running down the streets, running from the flames and stuff and the fire. And we ran back to the hotel and then that’s when they got the shelter in order place and we’ve been here all day,” Beck said.
“It’s been pretty scary … all the locals being locked up and hidden with us too, there’s a few homeless people that were brought into this hotel … so that they had some place to go too. It’s been quite surreal knowing this warm, wonderful place that we come to visit a couple times a year is in lockdown and just terrifying for all the people,” he said.
Leavitt said the Trump administration is &#8220;unaware of any reports of any Americans being hurt, kidnapped, or killed,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this president.&#8221;
The State Department has also set up &#8220;24/7 phone lines&#8221; to help Americans who are stranded in Mexico, Leavitt said.

TOPSHOT-MEXICO-CRIME-DRUG TRAFFICKING-OPERATION

Trump Sends Clear Message After Cartel Rampage Leaves Americans Stranded

Claudia Sheinbaum

Drug Cartels

Executive

Karoline Leavitt

National Security

Politics

Some of the most popular vacation spots for American tourists have been rocked by cartel violence following the weekend killing of a top cartel leader, stranding some travelers.
Mexican special forces killed longtime Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes during an operation in the southwestern town of Tapalpa, Jalisco, the Mexican government said.
Following the killing, cartel members set buses and cars ablaze and erected roadblocks in certain areas.
As a result, the State Department <a href="https://x.com/TravelGov/status/2025636042007605353" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> American citizens to &#8220;shelter in place&#8221; if they are in Jalisco State — including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara — as well as in Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
American and Canadian airlines quickly canceled flights out of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. By Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said flights were expected to resume out of both cities, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2026/02/23/mexico-safe-travel-flights/88822423007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to USA Today.
Some American tourists have taken to TikTok to share their experiences while stranded during their vacations, describing hotels placed on lockdown amid nearby violence.
&#8220;Flights are canceled, we couldn&#8217;t even get to the airport. So we&#8217;re stuck here,&#8221; one woman named Kaila posted on social media from her trip in Puerto Vallarta.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@kailargibson/video/7609837137051094303" data-video-id="7609837137051094303">
<section><a title="@kailargibson" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kailargibson?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kailargibson</a> I wanna go home 😭 <a title="vacation" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/vacation?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#vacation</a> <a title="mexico" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/mexico?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#mexico</a> <a title="puertovallarta" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/puertovallarta?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#puertovallarta</a> <a title="♬ Atomized Language - yasuhiro soda" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Atomized-Language-7596970562758395920?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ Atomized Language &#8211; yasuhiro soda</a></section>
</blockquote>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
One American tourist, Jim Beck, who said he has been visiting Puerto Vallarta &#8220;for almost twenty years,&#8221; <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cnn/video/7609924460602313997?q=puerto%20vallarta&amp;t=1771858884471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN that it&#8217;s the first time he&#8217;s been &#8220;actually terrified&#8221; while there.
&#8220;We saw people running down the streets, running from the flames and stuff and the fire. And we ran back to the hotel and then that&#8217;s when they got the shelter in order place and we&#8217;ve been here all day,&#8221; Beck said.
&#8220;It&#8217;s been pretty scary &#8230; all the locals being locked up and hidden with us too, there&#8217;s a few homeless people that were brought into this hotel &#8230; so that they had some place to go too. It&#8217;s been quite surreal knowing this warm, wonderful place that we come to visit a couple times a year is in lockdown and just terrifying for all the people,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@vivianharrah/video/7609905469561310478" data-video-id="7609905469561310478">
<section><a title="@vivianharrah" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@vivianharrah?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@vivianharrah</a> We have been sheltered in place all day! Stay safe out there everyone! <a title="mexico" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/mexico?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#mexico</a> <a title="puertovallarta" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/puertovallarta?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#puertovallarta</a> <a title="♬ New Sun - Chihei Hatakeyama" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/New-Sun-6703723351497508865?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ New Sun &#8211; Chihei Hatakeyama</a></section>
</blockquote>
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Another tourist shared how the once-vibrant beach town appeared deserted.
&#8220;We&#8217;re locked down at the hotels. Absolutely no cars or buses on the road,&#8221; one tourist named Mikey said in a TikTok video. &#8220;There&#8217;s absolutely nobody out, the hotels are locked, nobody in or out of the resort.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if we&#8217;re gonna be able to get out, but we&#8217;ll be able to keep the room if we need to stay here a few days,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@nymikeca4718/video/7609879387327958302" data-video-id="7609879387327958302">
<section><a title="@nymikeca4718" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nymikeca4718?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@nymikeca4718</a> We’re locked in at the hotel for now. Monitoring updates and staying put. Hoping things settle down tonight and don’t escalate. Grateful we’re safe and just taking it hour by hour. Sharing real-time so anyone traveling can stay informed. <a title="puertovallartaupdate" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/puertovallartaupdate?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#PuertoVallartaUpdate</a> <a title="traveladvisory" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/traveladvisory?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#TravelAdvisory</a> <a title="staysafe" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/staysafe?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#StaySafe</a> <a title="realtimeupdate" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/realtimeupdate?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#RealTimeUpdate</a> <a title="mousai" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/mousai?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#Mousai</a> <a title="♬ original sound - Mikey C ❌" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7609879427274591006?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; Mikey C ❌</a></section>
</blockquote>
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MEXICO-CRIME-DRUG TRAFFICKING-OPERATION

Cartel Kingpin Taken Out — Now Americans Are Caught In The Middle

Crime

Tourism

World

The Trump administration is proposing new regulations that would make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to receive work permits.
Under the Biden administration, as millions of illegal immigrants poured across the southern border, they were afforded the opportunity to receive work permits rapidly before even receiving immigration status. The new proposed rule would make it more difficult for illegal border crossers whose asylum claims have no standing to obtain work permits.
“For too long, a fraudulent asylum claim has been an easy path to working in the United States, overwhelming our immigration system with meritless applications,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.
“We are proposing an overhaul of the asylum system to enforce the rules and reduce the backlog we inherited from the prior administration. Aliens are not entitled to work while we process their asylum applications. The Trump administration is strengthening the vetting of asylum applicants and restoring integrity to the asylum and work authorization processes,&#8221; the spokesperson added.
The plan would include a pause on the issuance of work permits for asylum seekers until they&#8217;re able to process applications within 180 days, according to the Friday notice.
It could take between 14 and 173 years to reach that benchmark, according to Reuters.
Once the rule is imposed, new illegal border crossers will be ineligible for work permits, according to the plan. Illegal immigrants who notify federal immigration authorities within 48 hours of crossing the border for fear of returning to their home country based on &#8220;persecution or torture&#8221; will be exempt from the rule.
&#8220;USCIS [United States Citizenship and Immigration Services] expects this rule to support another downward trend in the long term, but USCIS also expects that, upon implementation of this rule, new EAD [Employment Authorization Document] applications for pending asylum applicants would be paused for an extended period, possibly many years,&#8221; the notice read.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services currently has more than 1.4 million pending asylum claims on its plate, the agency said.
Work permits for asylum applicants are not considered &#8220;an entitlement,&#8221; according to the Department of Homeland Security, which &#8220;believes that this rule is key to disincentivizing aliens from using asylum primarily as a path to seek employment authorization in the United States and to ensuring more timely processing of asylum applications.&#8221;
The Trump administration will accept public comment for 60 days before attempting to move forward with the plan.
Some illegal immigrants who previously received work permits used them to obtain commercial driver&#8217;s licenses. While behind the wheel of heavy trucks, some of them caused fatal accidents.
Chinese <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-tour-bus-driver-with-new-york-license-accused-of-causing-fatal-wreck">illegal immigrant</a> Yisong Huang, 54, is accused of killing a 31-year-old truck driver and injuring several others in Tennessee on Dec. 9 while he was distracted by a video on his phone as he drove a tour bus.
Huang crossed the border illegally in 2023 and was swiftly released into the country. He was later granted a work permit and Social Security card.
On Wednesday, an Indian illegal immigrant, Singh Sukhdeep, behind the wheel of a semi-truck allegedly caused an accident that killed 64-year-old Terry Schultz in Hendricks County, Indiana.
Singh crossed the border illegally in 2018 and was released into the country because he was a minor at the time, federal law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire.
The illegal immigrant had a valid work permit at the time of the crash. The Indian national also had an Indiana commercial driver’s license, <a href="https://noticias.foxnews.com/us/illegal-immigrant-truck-driver-accused-killing-indiana-man-after-running-red-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News.

Surge Of Migrants Overwhelms Border Crossings

Trump Seeks Tougher Work Permit Rules For Illegals With Asylum Claims

Asylum

Department of Homeland Security

Fraud

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Kristi Noem

U.S.

California Republican gubernatorial candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has said he supports creating a &#8220;path to citizenship&#8221; for illegal immigrants living currently in the United States, a stance that has drawn scrutiny from conservative voters in a crowded GOP primary.
During a November interview with Pastura California that recently resurfaced, Bianco laid out his plan for allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the country.
&#8220;My family immigrated here from Italy and they came here for jobs, that&#8217;s what things were here for. You came here [for] a job, you said that America is the greatest country in the world and I wanna be an American and you bust your behind to make sure that you provide for your family. That&#8217;s what it was then,&#8221; Bianco <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/02/19/republican-chad-bianco-vows-support-path-citizenship-illegal-aliens-california-governor/">said</a> during the interview.
&#8220;The people that are coming here now, especially illegally, are coming here for free stuff, and then we are the ones that are paying for that. So the immigration system has to be fixed. We have to have a secure border.&#8221;
Bianco also said he believes the border &#8220;is secure right now,&#8221; though he argued the country faces a major problem with visa overstays and illegal immigrants already in the United States.
&#8220;But we have to address it, we have to make it right, whether they came across illegally into the country, legally or not, is irrelevant because we allowed it to happen. So now we just have to fix it. Secure our borders, don&#8217;t let that happen again, and now we have to give a path to citizenship to the ones that are here. We have to create a way for them to become U.S. citizens and &#8230; make their families great. If they truly did come here to make their lives and their families&#8217; lives better, we have to get to a position where we allow that to happen.&#8221;
Bianco added that if illegal immigrants are caught breaking laws &#8220;and committing crimes, they gotta go back.&#8221;
&#8220;As the governor of California, we will fight for a path to citizenship,&#8221; he said, adding, &#8220;We have to start working for the people that are here trying to make California great and we have to make their lives easier.&#8221;
When asked about his resurfaced remarks, Bianco told Breitbart on Thursday that he&#8217;s “been very clear” on immigration and that “both sides of the political aisle” have used his comments “to benefit them.”
“Immigration is being made into a political tool, and California residents are the pawns,” Bianco said.
But it&#8217;s not the first time Bianco has appeared to favor illegal immigrants.
Last April, Bianco told podcast host Britt Mayer that he did not want his deputies cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that doing so could deter illegal immigrant crime victims from reporting offenses.
“I don’t want my line deputies, my patrol deputies, absolutely cannot be cooperating with the federal government in immigration reform because the people that we go to help are calling for our help,” Bianco said. “They are being victimized. And if they are afraid to report crime because they’re afraid to be deported themselves for being a victim.”
“If a woman is raped and she will not report that to law enforcement because she believes she is going to be deported, then we are failing as an absolute country because we should be only caring about who victimized that poor girl or woman or man, and how can we make sure we get that criminal off the streets and behind bars, and if they’re illegal, they need to be deported immediately,” Bianco said.
Bianco also reiterated that the United States &#8220;absolutely must have a path to citizenship for people that are here.&#8221;
In a statement to Breitbart, Bianco said he believes “every person who is in jail for victimizing Californians should be deported” and that &#8220;sheriffs operating jails should be cooperating with the federal government.”
“The sanctuary policies prevent that from happening and force the release of criminals back into our neighborhoods,” Bianco said. “Sanctuary policies place sheriffs at risk of criminal prosecution and removal from office because of ridiculous sanctuary state laws. The vast majority of residents, including immigrants, want that to end.”
The gubernatorial hopeful also said that “the threat of deportation cannot be used by criminals to prevent the reporting of crime.”
“A child being molested under threat of deportation should not be afraid of turning toward a deputy for protection,” Bianco said. “With all that said, sanctuary state policies need to be repealed. They harm our communities. As California governor, I will gladly work with other governors to pressure Congress to fix a broken immigration system.&#8221;

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, A California Gubernatorial Candidate, Tours Skid Row

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate’s Immigration Stance Raises Eyebrows In Deep Blue State

Elections

gubernatorial race

Republican

An Indian illegal immigrant behind the wheel of a semi-truck allegedly caused a fatal accident on an Indiana road on Wednesday.
Sukhdeep Singh allegedly ran a red light before striking 64-year-old Terry Schultz in his pickup truck in Hendricks County, according to reports. Schultz died at the scene.
Federal law enforcement sources told The Daily Wire that Singh crossed the border illegally in 2018 and was released into the country because he was a minor at the time.
Singh had a valid work permit at the time of the crash and, <a href="https://noticias.foxnews.com/us/illegal-immigrant-truck-driver-accused-killing-indiana-man-after-running-red-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox News, an Indiana commercial driver&#8217;s license.
The Indian national is currently in ICE custody, where he will be held without bond, per a Trump administration policy.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday that deadly collisions involving illegal immigrants are becoming all too common.
“This tragedy comes less than two weeks after another illegal alien driving a semi-truck killed four innocent people in Indiana. It is incredibly dangerous for illegal aliens, who often don’t know our traffic laws or even English, to be operating semi-trucks on America’s roads. These tragedies are 100% preventable and we pray for the family and victim,&#8221; McLaughlin said.
“Thanks to ICE and our state and local partners in law enforcement, this criminal illegal alien is now off our roads,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Hendricks County Sheriff’s department just released details about the fatal crash that happened at noon today in Avon.
According to multiple eyewitnesses a Freightliner semi-truck with trailer was traveling eastbound on US 36 when it ran the red light at the intersection of… <a href="https://t.co/hFZOLmVrEP">pic.twitter.com/hFZOLmVrEP</a>
— Angela Ganote (@angelaganote) <a href="https://twitter.com/angelaganote/status/2024219636552564858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Singh already had previous traffic violations on his record, <a href="https://fox59.com/news/driver-responsible-for-fatal-crash-in-hendricks-county-detained-by-ice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Fox59. That included a ticket for lacking insurance after a car crash in January.
He also had three speeding tickets and a citation for no registration, the outlet reported.
One witness, Kate Breedlove, went to comfort Schultz as he took his last breaths, according to Fox59.
“I think there was a lot of chaos going on and I made it my job to be calming to him,” Breedlove recalled.
“I was just telling him everything was going to be okay. He was unresponsive, but at some point, I think he definitely took his last breath,” she said.
Republican Indiana Senator Jim Banks recently created a hotline &#8220;for truckers and those in the trucking industry to report concerns about carriers employing or contracting with drivers who are in the country illegally.&#8221;
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In early February, an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-truckers-hauling-amazon-trailers-tied-to-major-crashes">illegal immigrant from Kyrgyzstan</a> who was given a Pennsylvania commercial driver’s license allegedly killed four people in Indiana while behind the wheel of a truck.
In November, an illegal immigrant from the Republic of Georgia who was driving an 18-wheeler allegedly caused a fatal wreck that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-plows-18-wheeler-into-military-humvee-killing-national-guardsman">killed Indiana National Guardsman</a> Terry Frye.
&#8220;How many times are we going to see this same story happen again? It feels like every single week there is another family planning a funeral because illegals who can’t read our road signs and don’t follow our laws are allowed on our highways,&#8221; Banks said in a post on X Thursday.
&#8220;This is not bad luck. This is not just another accident. This is a national crisis! I am sick of it. We need real accountability and a major overhaul. I’m calling on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to investigate chameleon carrier networks in Indiana and will be introducing legislation to get unsafe, illegal drivers off our roads before another life is lost and another family gets destroyed,&#8221; he added.
The Trump administration has already commenced a nationwide crackdown on trucking companies, commercial driver&#8217;s license schools, and states issuing licenses to illegal immigrants.
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Untitled design – 2026-02-19T150821.679

‘100% Preventable’: Illegal Immigrant Trucker Accused Of Causing Fatal Wreck In Indiana

illegal immigrant

Indiana

Truckers

The Biden administration waved in an illegal immigrant and shielded him from deportation before he allegedly attempted to kill a woman by drowning her at a Florida beach, The Daily Wire has exclusively learned.
Venezuelan illegal immigrant Said Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez, 26, allegedly preyed upon the woman, who was walking as she talked on the phone with her sister on Tiger Shores Beach in Stuart at about 11 p.m. last Thursday, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said during a Monday press conference.
The Biden administration paroled Hernandez Gonzalez into the United States in 2023 before granting him temporary protected status, preventing federal authorities from deporting him, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire Thursday.
“Said Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez — a product of the Biden administration’s open-border policies brutally attacked a woman on the beach and attempted to drown and kill her,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
“She bravely fought back and survived this wicked attack. ICE has lodged an immigration detainer with the Martin County Sheriff’s office, and because of Florida’s cooperation with ICE, this sicko will never walk American streets again. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,&#8221; she added.
<div id="attachment_1046727" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1046727" class="wp-image-1046727 size-medium" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Untitled-design-2026-02-19T130824.587-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Untitled-design-2026-02-19T130824.587-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Untitled-design-2026-02-19T130824.587-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Untitled-design-2026-02-19T130824.587-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Untitled-design-2026-02-19T130824.587.jpg 1080w" sizes=" (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />Credit: Martin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office</div>
Hernandez Gonzalez allegedly grabbed the woman by the throat as he pushed her into the ocean and tried to drown her during a 3-5 minute struggle before the woman lost consciousness, according to the sheriff.
&#8220;During that struggle, she punched him, she grabbed his groin area trying to get him to release her,&#8221; Budensiek said.
&#8220;He said he just held her down until she went limp,&#8221; he added.
The Venezuelan national then fled the scene, believing that he murdered her, according to the sheriff. She miraculously later awoke on the beach and located an officer nearby to report the attack.
Sheriff&#8217;s deputies searched the area for two days with no success.
But on Sunday night, a woman called the Port St. Lucie police department to report that her boyfriend was &#8220;suicidal,&#8221; Budensiek said. When police responded to the report, they encountered Hernandez Gonzalez, who claimed that he murdered a woman on a nearby beach.
Detectives with the Martin County sheriff&#8217;s office interviewed Hernandez Gonzalez, determining that he was the suspect in the drowning attack, according to Budensiek.
Hernandez Gonzalez told authorities he was at the beach, where he had been smoking marijuana and drinking &#8220;some vodka,&#8221; when he encountered the woman and began attacking her, the sheriff said.
He allegedly told investigators that &#8220;she made him angry, so he attacked her and drowned her&#8221; and that he only &#8220;stopped when he believed she was dead.&#8221;
Before he fled the scene, Hernandez Gonzalez &#8220;grabbed her cell phone and threw it into the ocean,&#8221; according to the sheriff&#8217;s office.
He then returned to his car, where he consumed more marijuana and vodka before leaving the area, authorities said.
&#8220;When asked if he was remorseful, Hernandez Gonzalez stated he felt nothing,&#8221; the sheriff&#8217;s office said.
Hernandez Gonzalez is charged with attempted murder.

Untitled design – 2026-02-19T122858.617

Biden Shielded Him From Deportation. He Was Just Arrested For Trying To Drown A Woman.

Illegal Immigrant Shielded From Deportation By Biden Attempted To Drown Florida Woman

Florida

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

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