The Customs and Border Protection shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis could cause Washington to shut the government down for the second time in three months.
Senate Democrats signaled over the weekend that they would not vote for a bill that would fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year, which contains funding for the Department of Homeland Security. CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — whose agents were involved in the shooting of Renee Good — both fall under the DHS umbrella.
“After their son was killed in broad daylight, they are now forced to defend him against this administration’s lies,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on X. “It’s another reason why Senate Democrats are united in rejecting this DHS spending bill.”
The House of Representatives already voted on spending bills before adjourning ahead of a major snowstorm descending on the capital. The House is not likely to return in time to avert a partial shutdown should the Senate somehow reach a deal, Punchbowl News reported.
&#8220;The Trump Administration and [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem are putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) said in a statement on Saturday.
“They are oppressing Americans and are at odds with local law enforcement,” she added. “This is clearly not about keeping Americans safe, it&#8217;s brutalizing U.S. citizens and law-abiding immigrants.”
It’s unclear exactly how a shutdown would impact CBP and ICE. Much of the president’s immigration agenda was funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, funding that would not be interrupted by a shutdown.
Last year, the United States faced the largest federal government shutdown in history for 43 days over a debate regarding Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Aside from the looming shutdown, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) is requesting testimony from CBP, ICE, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services over “border security and immigration enforcement” in hearings either in February or March, according to letters sent by the congressman on Saturday.
In Minnesota, Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge has led to thousands of arrests of people in the country illegally, but it’s also led to serious clashes with anti-ICE protests in the region — and staunch opposition from Democrats in the state.
“They think they can provoke us into abandoning our values. They are wrong. We will keep the peace. We will secure justice for our neighbors. And we will see this occupation end,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) posted to X on Saturday night.
The Trump administration has stated that Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey need to tone down the rhetoric in the state.
&#8220;The Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor need to take a long, hard look in the mirror,” Noem said at a Saturday press conference. “They need to evaluate their rhetoric, their conversations, and their encouragement of such violence against our citizens and our law enforcement officers.”

Senate Rejects GOP Health Plan As Insurance Premium Spike Looms

Another Government Shutdown Looms Amid Minnesota Immigration Showdown

Chuck Schumer

Customs and Border Protection (CPB)

Department of Homeland Security

Government Shutdown

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Minnesota

Governor Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have all released public statements after an armed suspect was fatally shot by federal immigration authorities in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. While none of the officials mentioned that the suspect was armed in their initial statements, all three placed blame on the Trump administration.
Walz <a href="https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/2015093164999119352">said</a>, “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota.”
Rep. Omar said, “This appears to be an execution by immigration enforcement.”
The congresswoman added that she is “absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled” that federal agents “murdered another member of our community.” She claimed the shooting was not “isolated or accidental,” but the result of the Trump administration “trying to beat us into submission.”
Omar said President Trump has turned Minnesota from a place of refuge into a “warzone where unchecked federal forces murder our neighbors.”
Mayor Jacob Frey <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=e8f5b2d100cbb45b&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1183US1185&amp;sxsrf=ANbL-n4pOcatORFmgkvfJG3qadk6m2PeZQ:1769279232335&amp;udm=7&amp;fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKp0UJuhqwKhR0QUhF54-6jIYFfWbU_Clyew-1Wh7zkL7GXEIyGmuNECR0N8Mieh0vrbko1hIXGpe6KXjyGEMS8qvHaRh07NvGqLEM3M87dnCJpMBzPaV5Lhp5Fj09RARKxk74OrMhODu_WtVQMOJKHENd2SPLAKC7sNmjJeo9Ay2jG82MyzB9jsSwsFJRv2_sldbWqNA&amp;q=jacob+frey+press+conference&amp;sa=X&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiDiJvh5qSSAxUsKVkFHasVIDYQtKgLegQIFBAB&amp;biw=736&amp;bih=787&amp;dpr=2&amp;aic=0#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:60cdfb03,vid:R1WnkJt-2Yc,st:0">said</a>, “How many times must local and national leaders plead with you Donald Trump to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating safety in our city.”
The Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/armed-suspect-fatally-shot-by-federal-immigration-authorities-in-minneapolis?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Armed+Suspect+Fatally+Shot+By+Federal+Immigration+Authorities+In+Minneapolis">told</a> The Daily Wire that the incident occurred as immigration officers carried out a “targeted operation” for an illegal immigrant “wanted for violent assault.” The individual who was shot approached Border Patrol agents with a “semi-automatic handgun.” The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The statement put out by the Department of Homeland Security stands in sharp contrast to those put out by local and national leaders.
“At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun,” DHS said. “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted.”
Other prominent leaders in Washington, D.C., are voicing their opinions as well. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, “Americans are being killed in the street by their government. Our Constitution is being shredded and our rights are dissolving. Resist.” She added, “We have a responsibility to protect Americans from tyranny.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer">declared</a> that ICE needs to be &#8220;out of Minnesota now.&#8221;
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated, “As tens of thousands across America protest the violence that ICE sows with impunity, federal agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis today,” adding, “ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE.”
The Department of Homeland Security has said additional details about the armed struggle are forthcoming.

Jacob Frey/Tim Walz

Dem Leaders Address Latest Minneapolis Shooting Without Mentioning Suspect Was Armed

Border Patrol

Illegal Immigration

jacob frey

Minneapolis

Politics

Tim Walz

Federal immigration agents have endured a sharp spike in vehicle-ramming attacks in recent weeks as anti-ICE violence surges, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin tells The Daily Wire.
McLaughlin sat down with The Daily Wire&#8217;s Mary Margaret Olohan at the White House on the one year anniversary of Trump taking office, and shared the shocking account of the threats federal immigration agents face in cities like Minneapolis, which has become a flashpoint for violent confrontation following a recent fatal shooting during an ICE operation.
And the violence hasn&#8217;t let up since an ICE officer shot and killed protester Renee Good, who appeared to be blocking federal agents before hitting one of them with her car in Minneapolis earlier this month. McLaughlin described such attacks as &#8220;chronic.&#8221;
&#8220;Because we&#8217;re seeing it not just from the rioters themselves, who are blocking our agents in and then weaponizing their vehicles, but we&#8217;re also seeing it from aliens who are targets of our operations. They&#8217;re seeing this as a tactic to potentially evade arrest,&#8221; she said.
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Credit: Daily Wire
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Federal immigration agents have been left to fend for themselves in Minneapolis, where local authorities are under the thumb of sanctuary laws, McLaughlin said. She noted that agents have at times been forced to establish their own medical areas after leftist agitators followed them to the hospital.
McLaughlin placed the blame on Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz as anti-ICE attacks surge.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a dangerous situation that Jacob Frey and Tim Walz have allowed to spiral out of control because they&#8217;re not giving our federal law enforcement the backup they need. They won&#8217;t allow any interaction or engagement backup from state and local law enforcement, so what we&#8217;re seeing on the ground is that where our law enforcement are staying or expected to be staying by these rioters, they have bomb threats there,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen that our officers have had fireworks launched at them, they&#8217;ve been pummeled by ice chunks, by rocks, pushing, shoving, general assault, but also those vehicular rammings. We&#8217;ve seen a major increase in that, 3,200% increase,&#8221; she added.
Still, DHS remains undeterred, with McLaughlin pledging that Americans can expect more deportations in President Donald Trump&#8217;s second year of his second term.
During the first year of Trump&#8217;s second term, ICE deported 675,000 illegal immigrants. An additional 2.2 million illegal immigrants left on their own, according to DHS.
The Trump administration upped the exit bonus paid to illegal immigrants who voluntarily self-deport from $1,000 to $2,600, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday. McLaughlin said roughly 100,000 people have voluntarily self-deported in the past year.

mmo_interview3

Top DHS Official Lays Out Spike In Attacks On ICE, Says It’s Becoming ‘Chronic’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

White House

A 21-year-old Ohio man was arrested after investigators say he threatened to shoot Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and those he described as &#8220;retarded maga maggots.&#8221;  
The Justice Department announced Thursday that federal authorities arrested Justin Mesael Novoa for threats to assault or murder a federal law enforcement officer and for threatening interstate communications. A raid of his home in December found two rifles, two shotguns, a handgun, ammunition, helmets, a plate carrier, and a Palestinian flag, according to the Justice Department. 
Novoa allegedly wrote on X on November 9, 2025, “can’t wait to shoot these p*ssy ice agents and retarded maga maggots.” Earlier in June, the account later identified as Novoa’s allegedly posted that “they should blast every ice agent they find” and “masked, unmarked vehicles, no badge or id. Every legal right to shoot these p*ssies.”
<div id="attachment_1032367" style="width: 1578px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1032367" class="size-full wp-image-1032367" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM.png" alt="" width="1568" height="522" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM.png 1568w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-300x100.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-1024x341.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-768x256.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Screenshot-2026-01-23-at-7.22.05-AM-1536x511.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px" />Justice Department.</div>
On December 16, an agent with Homeland Security Investigations served a summons to X to turn over information about the anonymous account that posted the messages. That yielded Novoa’s email and phone number, which investigators then tracked to him. 
When Homeland Security Investigation agents executed a search of his home on December 20, Novoa allegedly admitted to writing the posts. 
“Alright, you got me. That was me,” he said, according to the criminal complaint. “Damn, so Elon does give you access to that,” he reportedly said after agents asked him if the X account was his. 
The account identified as Novoa’s also had a history of making anti-white and anti-Jewish posts, according to the criminal complaint. 
This included posting things like “hitler should have finished the job,” “lets give it back and kill every white person except for the white women,” “id join hamas too. these filthy f***king subhuman rats deserve to be gassed and executed,” and “may the resistance stand tall and wipe out these filthy jews.”
If convicted, Novoa could face more than 10 years in prison. He is currently being held in jail by the Franklin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office. 
The case will be heard by Magistrate Judge Kimberly Jolson and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Prichard. A preliminary hearing was set for February 5.

MixCollage-23-Jan-2026-07-35-AM-6313

Ohio Man Arrested Over Chilling Threats Against ICE Agents And Trump Supporters

Columbus

Department of Justice

Ohio

Political Violence

Pro-Palestinian

Despite mainstream narratives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is largely targeting illegals who have pending criminal charges or convictions in the United States &#8212; in addition to the crime of being in the U.S. illegally.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/12/17/ice-arrests-worst-worst-criminal-illegal-aliens-including-pedophiles-rapists-and">said</a> last month that the Department of Homeland Security law enforcement had arrested more than 600,000 illegals, 70% of whom had been charged or convicted of a crime in the United States.
Additionally, as stressed by McLaughlin, that statistic pertains to charges or convictions only in the U.S., not other nations. Meaning, the percentage of criminals being targeted is likely even higher.
“DHS is targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens — including murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists,&#8221; McLaughlin <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/border-czar-homan-says-catholic-church-is-wrong-on-immigration?">said</a> in a statement published in November. &#8220;[Seventy percent] of illegal aliens ICE arrested across the country have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges just in the U.S.&#8221;
&#8220;This statistic doesn’t account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country, INTERPOL notices, human rights abusers, gang members, terrorists, etc.,&#8221; the assistant secretary explained. &#8220;The list goes on.”
McLaughlin said that the U.S. is a &#8220;nation of laws,&#8221; and DHS is &#8220;committed to enforcing those laws, all of which are just.&#8221;
This past week, a law enforcement agent <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/viral-video-shows-ice-agent-telling-agitators-theyre-disrupting-arrest-child-sex-offender-minnesota?utm_source=chatgpt.com">went viral</a> for addressing protesters and members of the media while agents were on duty. In this particular case, the agent said authorities were picking up a child sex offender, underscoring the absurdity of the protesters.
&#8220;We&#8217;re here to arrest a child sex offender, and you guys are out here honking,&#8221; the agent says in the now-viral video. &#8220;That vehicle has been honking and impeding our investigation while we&#8217;re trying to arrest a child sex offender. That&#8217;s who you guys are protecting. Insane.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
God bless the men &amp; women of <a href="https://twitter.com/ICEgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICEgov</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CBP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBP</a> who risk their lives to arrest these criminals. <a href="https://t.co/eDJQLCrjZh">pic.twitter.com/eDJQLCrjZh</a>
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/2012959699373617343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
Moreover, DHS reports a massive 1,300% jump in assaults against ICE agents.
Still, coordinated obstruction, protests, and riots against ICE agents have raged in liberal cities across the nation, most notably in Minneapolis. Liberal politicians and their counterparts in the legacy media have only emboldened such behavior, too, by dehumanizing ICE agents and ignoring or even supporting violence and obstruction efforts from anti-ICE activists.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-ugly-images-on-tv-shape-immigration-politics?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Ben+Shapiro&amp;category=Opinion&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=How+Ugly+Images+On+TV+Shape+Immigration+Politics">How Ugly Images On TV Shape Immigration Politics</a>

Trump Threatens Insurrection Act As Minnesota Protests Grow

Vast Majority Of Illegals Arrested By ICE Have Criminal Records

Crime

U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more illegal aliens convicted of violent crimes around the country as anti-ICE protests continued in Minnesota. 
The Department of Homeland Security provided The Daily Wire on Monday with over a dozen illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes who were arrested during ICE operations between January 16 and 18.
“Our ICE law enforcement never stop fulfilling their mission to make America safe again,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. “While Americans were enjoying their weekends, our law enforcement was arresting murderers, pedophiles, rapists, and gang members.”  
The arrests highlighted by Homeland Security were carried out by ICE officers in Baltimore, San Francisco, New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio, Buffalo, Los Angeles, Newark, and Philadelphia. 
According to Homeland Security, those arrested included: 
<ul>
<li>Manuel Matta-Reyes, a 55-year-old Guatemalan national convicted of second-degree murder, and first-degree rape in Rutherford County, North Carolina</li>
<li>Benjamin Zaragoza-Garcia, a 32-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of robbery with gang enhancements in Riverside, California</li>
<li>Alfredo Rodriguez-Ordonez, a 31-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor in Shelby County, Tennessee, and possessing a gun in Memphis</li>
<li>Ronal Garbey-Jorin, a 27-year-old illegal alien from Cuba, convicted of assault of a family member in Houston, Texas</li>
<li>Juan Manuel Salinas, a 51-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of larceny of motor vehicle in Lenoir County, North Carolina</li>
<li>Jose Eduardo Choc-Sian, a 35-year-old criminal alien from Guatemala, convicted of simple sexual battery and soliciting a prostitute in Terrebonne, Louisiana</li>
<li>Eubeleo Lopez-Arzate, a 29-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of burglary of a building in Georgetown, Texas</li>
<li>Dorelien Frantzcy, a 37-year-old illegal alien from Haiti, convicted of burglary in New York City</li>
<li>Dilton Merlos-Campos, a 47-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, convicted of burglary in Los Angeles, California</li>
<li>Walace Pereira-Lima, a 43-year-old illegal alien from Brazil, convicted of child pornography in the United States District Court of Massachusetts</li>
<li>Jose Garcia-Samaniego, a 43-year-old Mexican national convicted of 1st degree sexual assault of a minor without consent in Adams County, Nebraska</li>
<li>Roni Ayala-Raines, a 40-year-old criminal alien from Honduras, convicted of assault by pointing a gun in Lee County, North Carolina</li>
<li>Bruno Eliazar Guevara-Suazo, a 34-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, convicted of assault on peace officer in Harris County, Texas</li>
<li>Ehsan Jalal, a 52-year-old Afghan national convicted of robbery in Los Angeles, California</li>
<li>Alexander Alejandro Xol-Pop, a 20-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, convicted of strangulation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania</li>
</ul>
“Despite a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, our officers continue to put their lives on the line seven days a week to remove heinous criminals from American neighborhoods,” McLaughlin said of the arrests. 
Anti-ICE protests continued in full over the weekend, including the targeting of a church by protesters who entered a Sunday morning worship service and started yelling. Those protesters are facing potential federal charges for disrupting a church service.

MixCollage-19-Jan-2026-11-38-AM-3450

Weekend Crackdown: ICE Nabs Dozens Of Violent Illegal Immigrants In Nationwide Sweep

Illegal Immigation

The U.S. military seized another Venezuelan-linked oil tanker in the Caribbean early Thursday morning, as federal authorities intensified enforcement against sanctioned vessels tied to the Maduro regime. 
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn raid of the motor tanker Veronica, the sixth sanctioned vessel seized by the Coast Guard in recent weeks. The operation went smoothly, and the ship was seized without incident, Noem said. 
“As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” Noem posted on X, sharing footage of the operation. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Early this morning, a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn boarding and seizure of Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean. As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of… <a href="https://t.co/MyWyQGH1h0">pic.twitter.com/MyWyQGH1h0</a>
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/2011803374807547909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“As we’ve now demonstrated through multiple boardings, there is no outrunning or escaping American justice — period. Our resolve is unshakeable and our mission coordination has never been better. America&#8217;s Coast Guard remains Always Ready to apply the full force of its unique authorities and specialized capabilities against this threat anywhere, anytime,” she added. 
U.S. Southern Command <a href="https://x.com/Southcom/status/2011798070816612578">said</a> that Marines and sailors assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Spear took part in the seizure after launching from the USS Gerald R. Ford. The task force is focused on disrupting drug trafficking and other illegal activities in the Western Hemisphere. 
“The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” Southern Command said. “The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully.”
Trump has promised that American companies will invest billions to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields. 
Last week, the Coast Guard seized a tanker flying a Russian flag that had previously bypassed an American blockade. The ship, the Marinera, had been on the run for two weeks and was set to be escorted by a Russian submarine and warships. 
The operation came a few hours ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. The meeting is expected to focus on Venezuela’s future following the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. Trump has said he doesn’t expect Machado to have enough support to become Venezuela’s next leader.

MixCollage-15-Jan-2026-11-15-AM-4169

Another Venezuelan-Linked Oil Tanker Seized As U.S. Enforces Trump Blockade

Coast Guard

Kristi Noem

Marines

Venezuela

There’s still chaos surrounding what&#8217;s going on with ICE.
The anger is palpable in places like Minneapolis. People don&#8217;t believe they&#8217;re breaking the law even when they&#8217;re breaking the law. But if you get in the way of ICE officials who are attempting to pursue a federal operation, you are violating federal law, and you will get yourself into hot water.
 According to The Washington Post:
<blockquote>The fatal shooting of Renee Good last week, as ICE officers and residents faced off on a residential street here, has brought new attention to these activities. &#8230; Federal court rulings say citizens can observe and record police activity in public areas as part of their First Amendment rights, and many of the observers are doing nothing more than that. They say that they believe authorities are less likely to use force if someone is recording and that they are providing a public service by letting their communities know when federal immigration officers are nearby.
But as officers and agents employ aggressive tactics, some activists have blown whistles to warn community members of approaching law enforcement, tried to follow immigration enforcement vehicles or used their own cars to block the roadways — entering murkier legal territory. Some legal experts said such behavior could in theory justify obstruction-of-justice charges, but they added that any such prosecution would be unusual.</blockquote>
I interviewed Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for Homeland Security, who noted that the department’s “top priority are these gang members who are murderers, rapists, child pedophiles.”
“I see the reports every single day,” she continued. “And what we&#8217;ve seen is just flabbergasting as far as the number of criminals who have been allowed to walk around with impunity in this country. There&#8217;s been over a thousand known or suspected terrorists that we&#8217;ve arrested in the last year, 3,500 members of Tren de Aragua that we&#8217;ve arrested and there&#8217;s plenty more who are out there. And that&#8217;s why we have been flooding the zone to get these individuals out of our country.”
I asked if ICE needed to be as visible as they are while pursuing these operations.
“I think we should take a step back and talk about what a sanctuary city means when we&#8217;re talking about Minneapolis, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago,” she replied. “What exactly does that mean? It means that these sanctuary city politicians are harboring these criminal illegal aliens, but it also means that our law enforcement is not permitted to work with them  &#8230; ICE law enforcement is not allowed into the jails.”
“So if Chicago picks up a criminal illegal alien — maybe they picked up somebody who was convicted of rape and that person is in their jail — they&#8217;re not allowed to release them to ICE or coordinate their eventual release to ICE for eventual deportation,” she continued. “What happens is that person will serve a certain amount of time, then they&#8217;ll be released back onto the street. So the reason that we have such a large law enforcement presence is because we can&#8217;t go into those jails to target those criminals, and so we have to really sweep the city, and target them using intelligence, using our case analysis, and make sure that we&#8217;re going after these individuals.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2345-trump-declares-war-on-jerome-powell"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-974957 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
“Immigration enforcement is polarizing, particularly to those on the Left, but the truth of the matter is, this was the mandate that President Trump was given when he was elected into office,” she asserted. “The American people saw that crime was surging. If you look at Minneapolis alone, since Governor Walz became governor, homicides in Minneapolis have increased 50%. But I think when you look at this particular incident, of course, any loss of life is tragic. And we pray for the deceased and her family. But what happened leading up to this, those facts are incredibly important.”
“At 10:25 a.m. Central time on Wednesday, January 7, what happened was this individual had been impeding and blocking in our eyes, law enforcement officers,” she explained. “She had been doing that throughout the day, obstructing lawful operations, which is a felony. At one point, our ICE law enforcement officers approached her vehicle and said to get out of the car, she was going to be under arrest, and they commanded her to stop obstructing operations. That&#8217;s when she would not obey those lawful commands. And that&#8217;s when we see in the video, the law enforcement officer is in front of her. She hits the gas, and he was in fear of his own life and he was in fear for the law enforcement who were around him. She weaponized her vehicle she used as a deadly weapon on an officer. He responded as his training instructs him to do. And unfortunately, there was a loss of life here. But our officer conducted himself in the way he should have. And he did save his own life.”
I asked her what her reaction was to major Democrats comparing ICE to the Gestapo, suggesting that we are living now under the predations of a police state, and vowing that they were going to try to impede ICE operations themselves.
“They&#8217;re clearly legally illiterate, because ICE, CBP, and other DHS law enforcement are conducting these operations with the law behind them,” she answered. “If people don&#8217;t like ICE enforcing the rule of law — which is what our men and women are doing every single day — these politicians should change the law. They can lobby Congress to change the law.”
“But continuing to demonize and vilify our law enforcement, you&#8217;re going to see more incidents like this because people who are either brainwashed or lunatics are going to take matters into their own hands,” she predicted. “We&#8217;ve already seen these vehicles be routinely and perpetually weaponized against our law enforcement. We have a 1,000% increase in assaults against law enforcement. Just last week alone, we had ten of these vehicle rammings. These vehicles are deadly weapons. And one of our law enforcement officers could easily end up killed if we don&#8217;t see a stop to this.”
“As far as the political nature of this for the Democrats, Minneapolis has been a flashpoint because of the massive amount of fraud that we&#8217;ve seen and that Homeland Security Investigations are investigating,” McLaughlin said. “And so I think that there is a part of this where they&#8217;re trying to circle the wagons and really use this as a smokescreen so people stop talking about the fraud.”
Something left unnoticed is that the number of deportations from red states often outnumbers the number of deportations from blue states. The difference is that the blue state governors and sanctuary city mayors are trying to obstruct operations in these blue areas.
In red states, as they cooperate with ICE, these operations tend to go off pretty easily without a hitch. And then the deportations are actually pretty sizable. So it is not as though the Trump administration is only targeting blue areas of blue states. A huge number of deportations are happening in red states and red areas now.
But the rhetoric of the Left ignores that. They are intent on using whatever they can to target the Trump administration, and if it means vilifying the men and women of law enforcement, they are only too happy to do so.

TOPSHOT-US-IMMIGRATION-ICE-SHOOTING

Tricia McLaughlin Defends ICE’s Visible Presence

Ben Shapiro

illegal immigrants

Protests

Sanctuary Cities

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promised Friday to always stand with her law enforcement amid nationwide protests targeting Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers.
Noem’s commitment comes as anti-ICE protesters across the country have popped up after a 37-year-old woman was shot in Minneapolis while driving her car toward an ICE officer. Noem has said that the woman was attempting to run down the officer and said she had engaged in an act of domestic terrorism.
“I want to take a moment to express how thankful I am every single day for the men and women who put on the badge and put their lives on the line to protect the American people,” Noem said on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. “With more than 80,000 officers and agents, our Department is the largest law enforcement agency in the federal government.”
Noem added that Americans should take time to buy law enforcement officers coffee or a meal to say thank you.
“We recognize the sacrifice you and your families make to protect and serve the American people and our great country. President Trump and I will always stand with you,” she said. “Please take some time today to thank an officer or agent today. Make them a meal, buy them a cup of coffee, or simply thank them. To every officer who puts on the badge each day: thank you. Your service is paramount to our nation’s safety.”
DHS says that its officers have faced a 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats.
The agent who fatally shot the woman in Minneapolis had previously been dragged 100 yards by a vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant sex offender he was trying to take off the streets.
Despite the ongoing protests, ICE agents continued to pick up illegals on Thursdays convicted of heinous crimes. DHS told The Daily Wire they arrested the following “worst of the worst” illegals on Thursday:
<blockquote>-Angelica Maria Lua-Pinon, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 in San Fernando, California.
-Jorge Alberto Olivares-Lagunes, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Hays County, Texas.
-Ricardo Garcia-Villegas, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of murder in Queens, New York.
-Edwin Sanchez-Montiel, an illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of accessory after the fact relating to first-degree murder in Montgomery County, Maryland.
-Inmar Hernandez-Carcamo, an illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of firearms trafficking conspiracy in the U.S. District Court, District of Maryland. </blockquote>
<div id="attachment_1025807" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1025807" class="size-full wp-image-1025807" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-02-24-PM-7785.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-02-24-PM-7785.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-02-24-PM-7785-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-02-24-PM-7785-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-02-24-PM-7785-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-02-24-PM-7785-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-02-24-PM-7785-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Lua-Pinon/Olivares-Lagunes: DHS.</div>

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Holds News Conference

Noem Promises To ‘Always’ Stand By Officers Amid Anti-ICE Protests

American forces seized another sanctioned oil tanker early Friday morning that had departed Venezuela after dodging a United States blockade, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
The Coast Guard boarded the Motor Tanker Olina without incident and took control of the vessel, which was believed to be carrying embargoed oil. 
“The world’s criminals are on notice,” Noem said, sharing a video of the operation on X. “Early this morning, the [Coast Guard] executed a boarding and seizure of the Motor Tanker Olina in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea. As another &#8216;ghost fleet&#8217; tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil, this vessel had departed Venezuela attempting to evade U.S. forces.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
The world’s criminals are on notice.
Early this morning, the <a href="https://twitter.com/USCG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USCG</a> executed a boarding and seizure of the Motor Tanker Olina in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea. As another &#8220;ghost fleet&#8221; tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil, this vessel had departed… <a href="https://t.co/vvS3u3nrvl">pic.twitter.com/vvS3u3nrvl</a>
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/2009628070047604976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The operation was a joint effort between the State Department, War Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. Earlier this week, the Coast Guard seized two other sanctioned oil tankers. 
“The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality,” Noem said. “The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce U.S. and international law, and eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity including narco-terrorism.”
The ship, which was <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/u-s-forces-board-fifth-tanker-in-campaign-to-track-down-venezuelan-oil-08d1721f?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqc9vJYA4QxW6SYWxg8Msh1lAsHcsTRBmNvfhfVV50U_yX0supI5zFkaCUeMC6U%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69610fed&amp;gaa_sig=KEHiI01OMwEl4YNSpbE__LdVRJLjzijQon3_7UIb17NyYwm0Bzu96d6yxEVHkKHEiYPkJCdUBge-WcpmvkNQRQ%3D%3D">sanctioned</a> for carrying Russian oil, was previously known as the Minerva M.
U.S. Southern Command also posted footage of the seizure, noting that Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear were involved in the operation. The troops were launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford, Southern Command said. 
“The Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere,” Southcom said. 
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals.”
In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS… <a href="https://t.co/1ASoajGVHG">pic.twitter.com/1ASoajGVHG</a>
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2009626517660107010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Wednesday, the Coast Guard seized two additional oil tankers, including one flying a Russian flag that had previously bypassed an American blockade. The ship, the Marinera, had been on the run for two weeks and was set to be escorted by a Russian submarine and warships. 
Russia protested the seizure, claiming that “no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in other states’ jurisdictions.” 
The second ship, the Bella 1, was seized after it was sanctioned for transporting oil to Iran.

MixCollage-09-Jan-2026-08-45-AM-6187

U.S. Coast Guard Seizes Another ‘Ghost Ship’ Trying To Evade American Blockade

Russia

The latest batch of illegal aliens arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) includes a man convicted of sexually assaulting a child and another convicted of human trafficking, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire. 
The “worst of the worst” arrests on Tuesday come as ICE enters 2026 with a 120% increase in manpower and looks to increase arrests and deportation numbers. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire that the increase in manpower meant that ICE was ready “to arrest even more criminal illegal aliens and get them OUT of our country.”  
“Another day, another round of pedophiles, violent thugs, and human traffickers removed from American communities,” McLaughlin said.  “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is targeting removing the WORST OF THE WORST criminal illegal aliens terrorizing American families. 
According to DHS, those arrested Tuesday included: 
<ul>
<li>Hiram Urgell-Pardo, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of sexual assault of a child in Starr County, Texas</li>
<li>Randolfo Agusto Diaz-Cabrera, an illegal alien from the Dominican Republic convicted of course of second-degree sexual conduct against a child in Kings County, New York</li>
<li>Brett Archer, an illegal alien from Barbados convicted of assault in Brooklyn, New York</li>
<li>David Llama-Lopez, an illegal alien from Cuba convicted of human trafficking in Miami, Florida</li>
<li>Jimena Vaglio-Navarrete, an illegal alien from Costa Rica convicted of second-degree burglary in Iredell County, North Carolina.</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_1024437" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1024437" class="size-full wp-image-1024437" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-22-AM-5879.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-22-AM-5879.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-22-AM-5879-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-22-AM-5879-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-22-AM-5879-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-22-AM-5879-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-22-AM-5879-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Credit: Urgell-Pardo/Diaz-Cabrera via DHS.</div>
DHS has maintained that 70% of those arrested by ICE have criminal convictions or charges in addition to illegally entering the country. 
Thanks to funding allocated in President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” ICE has hired over 12,000 new agents after receiving over 220,000 applications. The new agents hired brought the total force from 10,000 to over 22,000.
&#8220;The good news is that thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump signed, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country,” McLaughlin said. “That’s a 120% increase in our workforce. And that’s in just about four months.”

MixCollage-07-Jan-2026-11-30-AM-7617

ICE Enters 2026 With Increased Manpower, Arrests More ‘Worst Of The Worst’ Illegal Immigrants

Entering 2026 With Increased Manpower, ICE Arrests More 'Worst Of The Worst' Ilegals

The Trump administration sketches out its vision for Venezuela, a Minnesota hotel attempts to ban ICE, and lawmakers are putting other states under a microscope amid the rampant fraud in Minnesota.
It’s Wednesday, January 7, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumps-venezuela-plans-ices-minnesota-crackdown-1-7-26/id1576594336?i=1000744103654" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump’s Plan For Venezuela</h2>
As Nicolás Maduro prepares to stand trial in the United States, President Donald Trump’s plan for Venezuela is beginning to take shape. In the immediate aftermath of the operation to arrest Maduro, the president turned heads when he said the United States planned to “run” the country. But it now appears the administration prefers to control Venezuela through a pressure campaign.
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Venezuela’s interim authorities will transfer between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States.
The White House reportedly has three priorities. First, a government-led crackdown on drug cartels that for years have acted with impunity throughout the country. Second, Washington wants Maduro’s replacement, Delcy Rodriguez, to loosen Caracas’ relationship with Iran, Cuba, and other adversaries. Finally, Trump wants the regime to stop the sale of oil to countries such as Cuba and Russia and open up <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-venezuela-will-turn-over-30-50-million-barrels-of-oil-to-u-s">access</a> for American companies.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Immigration Agents Surge To Minnesota</h2>
The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-deploys-2000-federal-agents-to-minnesota-for-month-long-immigration-crackdown">sent</a> roughly 2,000 immigration agents to Minnesota as the federal government doubles down on its fraud crackdown. Officers from across the country received orders over the weekend to head to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-ice-director-blames-sanctuary-laws-for-minnesota-fraud?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+ICE+Director+Blames+Sanctuary+Laws+For+Minnesota+Fraud">Minnesota</a> “ASAP” to assist in a major immigration operation. At the same time, Homeland Security Investigations agents are expected to aid in fraud investigations after federal prosecutors found that dozens of Somali immigrants living in Minnesota were allegedly tied to a multibillion-dollar swindling scheme. More than 90 people have been charged since 2021, and more than 60 have been convicted.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Expands Probes Into Blue State Fraud</h2>
Following the latest Minnesota fraud scandal, there’s now a nationwide push to crack down on fraud in other states. Five blue states, including California, are among the targets of the Trump administration&#8217;s probe into fraud. The Department of Health and Human Services <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-freezes-welfare-funds-to-five-blue-states-over-fraud-concerns">said</a> it is suspending certain welfare payments while investigations proceed. The Minnesota scandal brought social-service fraud into the national spotlight and accelerated the crackdown. In addition, the state of Texas is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-minnesota-scandal-abbott-orders-statewide-review-for-fraud-in-texas-childcare-subsidies">launching</a> its own proactive investigation into childcare payments to assess the extent to which social-service fraud may be defrauding taxpayers in the Lone Star State.

MRN_260107_V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s Venezuela Plans, ICE’s Minnesota Crackdown & Blue State Fraud Probes

Morning Brief: Trump’s Demands To Caracas, MN Immigration Crackdown, And Blue State Fraud Probe

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