Family members of slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani — a niece and a grandniece — were arrested by federal immigration agents after their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status in the United States was revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The State Department announced in a Saturday <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/04/secretary-rubio-revokes-green-cards-of-foreign-nationals-with-ties-to-iranian-terror-regime/">press release</a> that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter had been taken into custody and were being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
<blockquote>Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As identified by both press reporting and her own social media commentary, Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran.
While living in the United States, she promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised the new Iranian Supreme Leader, denounced America as the “Great Satan,” and voiced her unflinching support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organization. Afshar Soleimani pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account.</blockquote>
Rubio explained in an X post why he had moved to terminate their LPR status, saying, &#8220;Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States. Afshar is the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani.&#8221;
Rubio went on to note Afshar&#8217;s continued support for the Iranian regime and her attacks on the United States, adding, &#8220;This week, I terminated both Afshar and her daughter&#8217;s legal status and they are now in ICE custody, pending removal from the United States. The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States.
Afshar is the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. She is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio/status/2040454251260809340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Afshar&#8217;s husband, according to the State Department&#8217;s release, will be barred from entering the United States in the future.
The U.S. State Department has also previously revoked legal status of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/their-parents-run-the-iranian-regime-theyre-teaching-your-kids-at-american-universities">Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani,</a> whose father was the late Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani, and her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. In addition to having their status reversed, neither will be permitted to return to the United States.

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Relatives of Infamous Iranian Butcher Get One-Way Ticket From Marco Rubio

Family Members Of Slain Iranian General Arrested, U.S. Legal Status Revoked

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Iran

Marco Rubio

Qassem Soleimani

The Trump administration arrested the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, the Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday, describing the man as a Jordanian terrorist.
Salah Sarsour, who has lived in the United States for over 30 years, was convicted in Israel as a teenager after throwing molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli soldiers. He has also been <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-organizer-recently-met-ex-hamas-operative-has-family-ties-to-terror-group/">accused</a> of helping raise money for Hamas in the 1990s. Sarsour was issued a green card under former President Bill Clinton after lying on his immigration application, Homeland Security said.
Sarsour has been the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee for the past five years. The society is the largest Islamic group in Wisconsin, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/us/ice-milwaukee-muslim-leader-arrest.html">reported</a>. He is also a board member of the American Muslims for Palestine, a group that has faced <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-files-legal-brief-against-american-muslims-palestine-and-other-radical">scrutiny</a> over alleged links to Hamas and its support for intifada in the wake of Hamas&#8217; October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.
&#8220;This terrorist will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,&#8221; DHS said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, <a href="https://twitter.com/ICEgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICEgov</a> arrested a Jordanian national with a prior conviction for THROWING A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL at the homes of Israeli Forces.
He lied on his immigration application and became a green card holder under President Clinton.
This terrorist will remain in ICE custody pending… <a href="https://t.co/L38liuCxVy">https://t.co/L38liuCxVy</a> <a href="https://t.co/9IXWuo0t0f">pic.twitter.com/9IXWuo0t0f</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2039845268091265330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Trump administration posted the description and photo of Sarsour on social media in response to Wisconsin Democratic Governor Tony Evers criticizing the administration over Sarsour&#8217;s arrest.
&#8220;Targeting people because of their beliefs or background is wrong,&#8221; Evers said. &#8220;This is clearly about sowing division and fear and doesn&#8217;t help make Wisconsin safer. I’m thinking of Mr. Sarsour&#8217;s family in this difficult time, and I join [Rep. Gwen Moore] 
in calling for his immediate release.&#8221;
Sarsour&#8217;s attorney said the Milwaukee Muslim leader received deportation papers from the Trump administration, which said that the State Department determined Sarsour &#8220;poses an adverse consequence to foreign policy considerations.&#8221; The man&#8217;s attorneys argued that the Trump administration is only targeting Sarsour because of his anti-Israel views, adding that Sarsour has no criminal record in the United States.
Hundreds of Muslims gathered for a rally at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee&#8217;s Salam School gym following the arrest of Sarsour, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2026/04/02/islamic-society-of-milwaukee-president-salah-sarsour-detained-by-ice/89433525007/">reported</a>. Othman Atta, the executive director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee mosque told the crowd, &#8220;They want to criminalize advocacy for Palestine. That is the only reason that he is being targeted. There is nothing else.&#8221;
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to strip the legal status of immigrants found to be &#8220;Hamas supporters.&#8221; Last year, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-court-rules-against-mahmoud-khalils-release-from-ice-detention">arrested</a> pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who led anti-Israel and anti-America demonstrations at Columbia University after the October 7 attack. The Trump administration won a legal victory in January over its arrest of Khalil when a federal court ruled that he could be taken back into custody after a lower court ordered his release.

Standard Headline

ICE Arrests Islamic Leader Accused Of Aiding Hamas. He’s Lived In The U.S. For Decades.

Department of Homeland Security

Executive

Hamas

Islam

Milwaukee

Trump Administration

U.S.

Wisconsin

After years on the run, one of Canada’s most wanted murder fugitives has been arrested in Mississippi by federal law enforcement after he illegally crossed into the United States. 
A federal and state task force captured fugitive Adrian Vincent Walker in Tupelo, Mississippi, on March 23 after the 30-year-old evaded Canadian law enforcement for nearly two years, landing on Canada’s top 25 most wanted list. He faces charges in Canada for murder and attempted murder. 
“Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE, one of Canada’s most wanted criminals is behind bars. This illegal alien was wanted for a murder in Canada,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told The Daily Wire. “He is now facing charges for illegal entry into the U.S. and illegal possession of a firearm. DHS is grateful to our law enforcement officers and partners who took this illegal alien off of our streets and behind bars where he will finally face justice for his crimes.”
<div id="attachment_1069049" style="width: 372px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1069049" class="wp-image-1069049 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/image001-3.png" alt="" width="362" height="480" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/image001-3.png 362w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/image001-3-226x300.png 226w" sizes=" (max-width: 362px) 100vw, 362px" />Walker: DHS.</div>
It is unclear when Walker illegally entered the United States, but Toronto Police <a href="https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/65497/">said</a> he murdered 31-year-old Trevor Dalton John and wounded an unidentified woman on May 7, 2024. 
Under former President Joe Biden, illegal crossings at the northern border <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-crossings-are-spiking-at-the-northern-border">surged</a>, with thousands crossing from Canada into New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont. After coming into office, President Donald Trump took steps to pressure Canada into cracking down on illegal immigration into the United States and the trafficking of drugs and guns over the border. 
Walker previously spent three years behind bars in Canada for aggravated assault, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 
After his arrest on March 23, 2026, by a Homeland Security Investigations task force, Walker was charged with illegally entering the country and possession of a firearm by an alien. ICE has placed an immigration detainer on Walker so he will not be released after he faces his charges in the United States. 
“This was a serious case. A Canadian national, wanted for murder, entered our country illegally and was living in our midst. He even made a Canadian Most Wanted list. Seeking sanctuary in Mississippi is not a smart move,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndms/pr/violent-international-fugitive-arrested-lee-county-northern-district-mississippi">said</a> United States Attorney Scott Leary. “Those that continually criticize law enforcement are not in the arena; our agents and officers are, and the folks in our district can sleep soundly knowing law enforcement officers did their job.”

Northern NY State Border With Canada Becomes Illegal Crossing Area For Asylum Seekers Fleeing U.S. For Canada

How ICE Tracked Down A Most Wanted Murder Fugitive Living In The U.S.

Feds Nab Most Wanted Murder Suspect Who Snuck Across Northern Border

Canada

Illegal Immigation

Mississippi

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-DEMONSTRATION

The ‘No Kings’ Protests Released New Levels Of Absurd

China

Democratic Socialism

Democrats

Donald Trump

Leftists

Matt Walsh

Minneapolis

New York City

Opinion

Republicans

We’ve seen this playbook before.
Hollywood went all-in on behalf of illegal immigration over the past decade. Documentaries. Feature films. TV show plots. The messaging proved consistent and one-sided.
We need open borders, even if they never said those words aloud.
Now, Hollywood is tag-teaming more specifically against ICE and any attempt to arrest illegal immigrants. And if what’s past is prologue, reality will prove superior to Hollywood fiction.
<div id="attachment_1067967" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067967" class="size-large wp-image-1067967" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266673336-864x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Malgosia Turzanska, pin detail, attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266673336-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266673336-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266673336-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2266673336.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Mike Coppola/Getty Images</div>
First, a quick review of how aggressively Tinsel Town promoted the open-border madness under Democrats.
Take Fox’s hit series “Party of Five.” The show centered on a tight-knit family surviving after the loss of their parents. The 2020 reboot on Freeform followed a similar storyline, except the parents in question were deported to Mexico.
And, yes, the messaging was as heavy as possible. Newsbusters dubbed the pilot episode pure “<a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/lindsay-kornick/2020/01/08/illegal-immigrant-party-five-reboot-whats-matter-country">parody</a>,” while the saga got a jump on the current anti-ICE mania.
HBO uncorked not one but <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/hbo-torn-apart-liberty-open-borderstorn-apart/">two open-borders documentaries</a> in 2019, and the titles spoke volumes — “Torn Apart: Separated at the Border” and “Liberty: Mother of Exiles.”
More examples? The final season of “Orange Is the New Black” <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/open-borders-hollywood-immigration/">pushed family separation plot lines</a>, while the villain in the third “Descendants” film for kids tried to ban immigration. 
Selena Gomez used her clout to promote the docuseries “<a href="https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/selena-gomez-netflix-docuseries-1203338879/">Living Undocumented</a>.”
<div id="attachment_1067903" style="width: 799px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067903" class="size-large wp-image-1067903" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1178702372-789x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 02: Rosario Dawson (L) and Selena Gomez attend the LA Screening for Netflix Doc Series &quot;Living Undocumented&quot;, produced by Selena Gomez at Netflix Offices on October 02, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)" width="789" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1178702372-789x576.jpg 789w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1178702372-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1178702372-768x561.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1178702372.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 789px) 100vw, 789px" />Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix</div>
Subtle? Hardly. And what happened next?
Donald Trump got re-elected by promising to slam the southern border shut. And when he did just that, by sheer coincidence, America celebrated its <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/murders-plummet-crime-trends-2025/">lowest national murder rate in more than a century.</a> 
Hollywood’s all-powerful messaging machine had failed. So why not try it again, but this time directly targeting ICE?
It started with “One Battle After Another,” a cinematic love letter to violent revolutionaries. Leonardo DiCaprio played a stoner rebel cosplaying as an anti-ICE warrior. His fiery gal pal (Teyana Taylor) was the real deal, using any means necessary to free illegal immigrants and attack U.S. officials.
Films take much longer than TV shows to produce and release, but writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson somehow grasped his industry’s zeitgeist with Kreskin-like accuracy.
Just days ago, Hollywood gave it the Best Picture Oscar.
<div id="attachment_1067923" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067923" class="size-large wp-image-1067923" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2268276413-864x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 25: Noah Wyle and Harriet Rose speak onstage during the Q&amp;A for 'The Pitt' to celebrate the launch of HBO Max at Rosewood London on March 25, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for HBO Max)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2268276413-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2268276413-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2268276413-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2268276413.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for HBO Max</div>
TV show productions happen faster, allowing small screen scribes to indoctrinate on demand. That allowed HBO’s hit series “The Pitt” to pick up the “OBAA” propaganda baton. A second season story arc follows an illegal immigrant being treated for a shoulder injury in the show’s Pittsburgh emergency room.
The ICE agents are portrayed as aggressive and unfeeling, while patients and workers alike recoil at their presence.
<div id="attachment_1067931" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067931" class="size-large wp-image-1067931" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/The-Pitt-II-1024x576.jpg" alt="Source: HBO Max/The Pitt" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/The-Pitt-II-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/The-Pitt-II-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/The-Pitt-II-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/The-Pitt-II-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/The-Pitt-II.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Source: HBO Max/The Pitt</div>
Then, according to The Hollywood Reporter, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-pitt-ice-episode-scott-gemmill-interview-1236514931/">things get personal</a>:
<blockquote>…at the end of the episode, nurse Jesse (Ned Brower) gets detained for stepping in to protect the patient when the ICE agents get too aggressive.</blockquote>
Over at CBS, the “Matlock” reboot <a href="https://www.primetimer.com/features/matlock-season-2-episode-9-matty-s-high-risk-collateral-move-leaves-julian-with-the-ultimate-truth-bomb">concocted its own anti-ICE narrative</a>. An episode dubbed “Collateral,” during the show’s second season, finds Kathy Bates’ character defending a client detained by ICE agents. That bleeds into a larger story with both the client and his family trying to stay in the country despite their illegal status.
The government’s “deal” is cruel, including a demand that the client pay up to $6 million in restitution with zero path to citizenship. Boo! Hiss!
Meanwhile, the just-released second season of “Daredevil: Born Again” tackles ICE in a less heavy-handed, but equally negative fashion. The villainous Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), now the Big Apple&#8217;s mayor, begins rounding up citizens without due process. That’s been the Left’s battle cry against ICE arrests across the nation.
<div id="attachment_1067935" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1067935" class="size-large wp-image-1067935" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2267624335-864x576.jpg" alt="Vincent D'Onofrio at the &quot;Daredevil: Born Again&quot; Season 2 Launch Event held at Drai's Supper Club New York on March 23, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2267624335-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2267624335-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2267624335-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2267624335.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images</div>
D’Onofrio’s character is an obvious stand-in for President Donald Trump, or at least the cartoonish version Hollywood holds dear.
The show’s creative team has been coy about any real-world comparisons, but that may be a case of artists trying not to steamroll a show that hasn’t lit up the ratings world upon its belated return.
“Daredevil: Born Again” co-star Michael Gandolfini didn’t follow that advice. He <a href="https://x.com/Variety/status/2036625364890628459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2036625364890628459%7Ctwgr%5E22e967c30af443b7a7cea49a0a08d23ed1a607a0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodintoto.com%2Fcolberts-lord-of-the-rings-gig-reveals-ugly-hollywood-truth%2F">praised his show</a> for speaking, wait for it, truth to power.
<blockquote>We do a lot of safe things in film now. To do something risky that says something is rare.</blockquote>
More shows will likely follow. These stories aren’t isolated incidents. Late-night TV hosts routinely rage against ICE efforts in their monologues. 
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” has done the same via its <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/snl-slams-ice-weekend-update-1236640253/">Weekend Update faux news desk</a>.
<blockquote>“I get that ICE agents are people, allegedly, and they have a job to do. But at some point while you’re pepper-spraying old ladies or shooting at a nurse, do you ever stop to ask yourself, ‘Are we d*cks?&#8217;”</blockquote>
Stars have been raging against all things ICE from their favorite bully pulpits — <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/celebs-slam-ice-independent-spirit-awards-2026-1236506162/">awards season stages</a>. &#8220;White Lotus&#8221; alum Natasha Rothwell expressed her feelings at the recent Spirit Awards:
<blockquote>I’m gonna go to the prompter, but I just want to say, ‘F*** ICE.&#8217;</blockquote>
“ICE Out” buttons have been the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/celebrities/2026/03/15/ice-out-ceasefire-pins-2026-oscars-photos/89172466007/">fashion accessory of the season</a> at these events, and stars have used their red carpet remarks to blast any attempt to uphold the law.
Just don’t expect any shows reflecting heinous illegal immigrant murders, like the deaths of Laken Riley or Sheridan Gorman. Nor will a star or starlet name-drop either victim as they collect their new shiny trophies.
Their names won’t be found on any chic Hollywood buttons, either.
The facts behind their tragic deaths are chilling and undeniable, but they’re inconvenient to the narrative in play. And Hollywood is all about narratives, especially the fictional ones.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

“Daredevil: Born Again” Season 2 Launch Event

Hollywood’s Biggest Shows Have A New Propaganda Mission: Eliminate ICE

Hollywood Keeps Pushing This Narrative But Ignores What Follows

actors

Celebrities

Entertainment

Film

Hollywood

Television

NASHVILLE—It was a humid night in June 2024 when Matt Carney encountered a pair of men rummaging through his truck.
Carney, who owned the popular chicken restaurant Smokin&#8217; Thighs, went to confront the men. As he did, they sped out of the parking lot, striking Carney and knocking him onto the street. As police hunted for the men behind the fatal hit-and-run, Carney succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
Eventually, Nashville police arrested Ulises Martinez, first confirmed by The Daily Wire to be an illegal immigrant from Mexico, and charged him with murder over the incident. Martinez <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-confesses-to-killing-nashville-man-in-hit-and-run" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> to police that he was driving the car that fatally struck Carney, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement slapped a detainer on him.
Smokin&#8217; Thighs, which Carney built from the ground up, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/saying-goodbye-is-hard-nashville-restaurant-closes-doors-after-owner-killed-by-illegal-immigrant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">closed</a> a few short months after his death. Martinez has yet to face justice as his case <a href="https://sci.ccc.nashville.gov/Search/CriminalHistory?P_CASE_IDENTIFIER=ULISES%5EMARTINEZ%5E09131999%5E624024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">makes</a> its way through the Davidson County court system.
The case quickly made headlines as then-candidate Donald Trump talked about the incident as he warned about a “migrant crime wave.”
“Look at what’s happening to our cities. Our cities are being overrun,” Trump said. “On July 4th, a 42-year-old Nashville man died after he tried to stop an illegal alien from stealing tools out of his truck. The illegal alien did a number on this man that nobody could even believe. The police officers said one of the most vicious crimes they’ve ever seen.”
<div id="attachment_1062437" style="width: 1287px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1062437" class="size-full wp-image-1062437" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-10.41.02-AM.png" alt="" width="1277" height="692" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-10.41.02-AM.png 1277w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-10.41.02-AM-300x163.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-10.41.02-AM-1024x555.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-10.41.02-AM-768x416.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1277px) 100vw, 1277px" />Martinez/Smokin Thighs.</div>
The case illustrated how illegal immigration can impact even deeply red states like Tennessee. While Joe Biden was in office, conservative states struggled to respond as the federal government released millions of illegal immigrants into the United States. With the Trump administration, some Republican lawmakers see a golden opportunity to crack down on illegal immigration.
<h4>‘Once In A Generation Opportunity’ </h4>
Since Trump’s return to the White House, states like California and Minnesota have made headlines for resisting the president’s immigration agenda. Republican leaders in Tennessee, spurred on by cases like Carney’s, want the Volunteer State to be different.
“We have what I refer to as kind of a once in a generation opportunity, given the Trump administration&#8217;s emphasis on removing illegal immigrants and mass deportation,” Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson told The Daily Wire.
“When we look at states like Michigan, New York, and California, others that are literally fighting the Trump administration on those efforts, we wanted to send a very clear message that we were not only going to cooperate, but do everything we could to help make them successful in their efforts in Tennessee,” he added.
Johnson, alongside other state Republican leaders like House Speaker Cameron Sexton and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, introduced an immigration package at the beginning of the 2026 legislative session focused on reducing illegal immigration.
The legislative package, crafted with input from White House officials, includes bills that would make illegal immigration a crime in Tennessee; mandate legal status for public employees and citizenship verification for those who receive public benefits; protect ICE agents from being doxed; and increase cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.
Sexton says he had discussions with the White House after they began collaborating on a project to clean up crime in Memphis. He praised federal officials for their input on the legislative package and said they viewed Tennessee “as being the beacon of showing other states how to do something comprehensive and really transform your state.”
The White House said that it was happy to speak with all state lawmakers about how to fight illegal immigration.
“Illegal aliens should not be receiving federal welfare benefits while hardworking Americans foot the bill,” a White House official told The Daily Wire. “The President’s entire Intergovernmental Affairs team has been willing to speak with state legislators seeking advice on how to effectively enact the President’s agenda and protect the American people from fraud and abuse perpetrated by illegal aliens.”
<h4>A ‘Beacon’ To The Nation </h4>
Republican leaders are confident that most of the bills will make it across the finish line before the legislative session wraps up next month. The proposals are focused on increasing cooperation with the federal government and safeguarding taxpayer dollars.
One of the <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB1710&amp;ga=114" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposals</a> making its way through the legislature would mandate that local governments verify legal residency before doling out benefits. It would also mandate reporting to ICE applicants whose citizenship couldn’t be verified. Under that bill, the Tennessee attorney general would be empowered to withhold shared tax revenue from entities that refuse to restrict public benefits.
“I want to help our people who are Tennessee citizens, who are here legally and lawfully, that need help and assistance,” Sexton told The Daily Wire, noting that reports show 20% of public housing is taken up by illegal immigrants. “That&#8217;s taken up space from someone who is here legally and lawfully in a Tennessee resident who&#8217;s homeless and on the streets, that&#8217;s a problem.”
Another <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB1705&amp;ga=114" target="_blank" rel="noopener">key plank</a> of the package is making <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-the-law-that-would-make-companies-who-hire-illegal-aliens-feel-the-pain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">E-Verify</a> — a free platform from the Department of Homeland Security that employers use to authenticate the legal status of potential employees — mandatory for all state and local government employers, including schools. The proposals come as reports of illegal immigrants being hired as police officers throughout the country. Local entities that don’t implement E-Verify could lose out on shared sales tax revenue.
Some of the proposals are intended to assess the monetary cost of illegal immigration in the state, Sexton told The Daily Wire. He noted that the monetary costs of illegal immigration for the Volunteer State could be as high as $700 million.
One <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB0793&amp;GA=114" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> from Lamberth would instruct schools to count how many illegal immigrants are in Tennessee schools. That would allow officials to determine how much taxpayers were paying to educate kids brought across the border illegally. Originally, the proposal would have required parents to pay tuition if they were illegally in the United States or disenroll their kids.
Other bills would increase the frequency of reporting for state agencies to increase tracking of illegal immigrants by both law enforcement and for the state finance report to produce a report on the cost of illegal immigration, drawing from places like schools, prisons, hospitals, and social services.
Another series of bills would require lawful status for nurses, teachers, contractors, and all licensed professions. One from Johnson and Rep. Jason Zachary <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB1706&amp;ga=114" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would</a> make it a crime for a person illegally in the country to operate a commercial motor vehicle. Other components would make it a requirement to take the driver’s test in English and make it impossible for an illegal immigrant to register a vehicle with the state.
Sexton noted Republicans were also working on legislation to make sure reciprocal licenses are not issued to those from states where citizenship is not verified.
“If you come from a state that does not verify your legal status, then before you get the reciprocal license, you&#8217;re gonna have to show the state of Tennessee that you&#8217;re here legally and lawfully and if you can&#8217;t, then we&#8217;re not giving your license,” he said.
One bill sponsored by Johnson and Lamberth would make it a crime for someone with a final order of deportation to be in the state of Tennessee.
“If that deportation order has been issued for whatever reason and you&#8217;re out and about, but you set foot in Tennessee, we can arrest you and charge you,” Johnson told The Daily Wire, noting that the proposal was crafted to be in line with the Supreme Court on federal immigration enforcement.
Another <a href="https://capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/SB1486.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> would further require local law enforcement to hold illegal immigrants arrested for ICE.
<h4>Cost To Tennesseans </h4>
Thanks to reporting requirements implemented by the legislature last year, district attorneys across the state must produce a report every year on the number of crimes illegal immigrants are arrested and charged with.
The <a href="https://www.tndagc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2025-PC998-Immigration-Report-Final-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> for 2025 found that there were 11,344 illegal immigrants charged or convicted of a crime during the year. The defendants came from 119 different countries and were charged with a total of 21,648 charges. The report identified  2,183 violent offenses, including 41 murders.
Those crimes are in the minds of lawmakers as they advance their immigration package.
Johnson believes that the immigration package from the General Assembly will “demonstrate to our constituents and to the Trump administration that we welcome your efforts to come in and get violent, illegal aliens out of our communities.”
He noted that presidents have vowed for years to secure the border, but he said Trump was the first one serious about doing it. He said Trump is “serious about it” and “we want to be a good partner with [him] and his administration.”
Sexton said that even one crime by an illegal against a Tennessean is unacceptable.
“You still had thousands of victims in Tennessee who became victims because of an illegal, who came into our country illegally, and they&#8217;re still here,” he said. “One victim by one illegal immigrant is one too many still, so I don&#8217;t care if it&#8217;s a 3% number, a 1% number, or a 10% number. Just one crime committed by an illegal against someone in Tennessee should not happen.”

MixCollage-27-Mar-2026-01-03-PM-3477

Red State Seizes ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Chance To Crack Down On Illegal Immigration

Nashville

Tennessee

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent jumped into action after a baby stuck in a crowded TSA line with his family stopped breathing at JFK International Airport in New York on Thursday.
Video footage released by the Department of Homeland Security showed a man holding a baby notice something wrong with the child and begin to rush out of the line. An ICE agent who noticed the emergency sprinted over to help the man. The agent performed a Heimlich maneuver, and the baby began breathing again, the Homeland Security Department said.
&#8220;This officer’s extraordinary bravery embodies the selfless service of DHS law enforcement,&#8221; Homeland Security added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At JFK Airport, as travelers waited in hours-long lines, an infant became unresponsive and stopped breathing. The panic of the child’s family and nearby passengers were heard by an ICE agent stationed at a checkpoint.
This heroic officer immediately sprang into action—rushing… <a href="https://t.co/JOJaFSEIZK">pic.twitter.com/JOJaFSEIZK</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2037224777598042472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to Fox News, the baby was a 1-year-old boy who was being held by his father when he suddenly stopped breathing.
&#8220;The agent working at his post heard the screams from the father and other passengers and sprinted to the scene,&#8221; the DHS told Fox News. &#8220;The father handed the child to the officer, who then assessed the unresponsive child and began performing the Heimlich maneuver. After a few seconds, the child started breathing again. EMS personnel arrived on scene with medical equipment to further monitor and re-assess the child. The child was re-assessed and determined to be healthy enough to fly.&#8221;
ICE agents were deployed by President Donald Trump earlier this week to help with crowd control and security as the partial government shutdown affecting TSA employees continues. Many American travelers have praised the ICE agents for helping bring down wait times at busy airports and for handing out water and helping people navigate the airport headaches.
Daily Wire reporter Jennie Taer was at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston this week and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reality-vs-political-narrative-daily-wire-goes-to-the-front-lines-of-ice-at-airports">reported</a> that the interactions between ICE agents and passengers were largely positive, with some shaking hands and expressing appreciation as they waited in long screening lines.
President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116290799193660420">praised</a> ICE agents&#8217; work at airports around the country, writing, “I am so proud of our ICE Patriots! They were unfairly maligned by the Lunatic Democrats for years, and now, at the Airports, in addition to what they are supposed to be doing, they are helping people with bags, even picking up and cleaning areas.&#8221;

Trump Sends ICE Agents To Airports As DHS Remains Unfunded

WATCH: ICE Agent Saves Baby Who Stopped Breathing In TSA Line

Airports

New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose hostility to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been well-documented, slammed the Trump administration’s decision to deploy ICE agents to some airports as staffing shortages resulting from a partial government shutdown continue.
Mamdani, a vocal critic of Trump&#8217;s immigration enforcement efforts, took to social media on Tuesday, saying &#8220;ICE doesn’t belong at our airports,&#8221; while simultaneously directing illegal immigrants to a municipal &#8220;legal hotline&#8221; to help them with &#8220;updated guidance.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ICE doesn’t belong at our airports.
Our Office of Immigrant Affairs has updated guidance and you can call their legal hotline at 800-354-0365. <a href="https://t.co/D5LW8FEwyq">https://t.co/D5LW8FEwyq</a>
&mdash; Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2036538879742820369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
For Mamdani, the presence of ICE isn&#8217;t about security; it&#8217;s about &#8220;terrorizing&#8221; people. He has called for abolishing ICE, describing it as a &#8220;rogue agency&#8221; with &#8220;no interest in laws,&#8221; apparently oblivious to the irony that his own administration’s &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; posturing is the ultimate defiance of law and order.
In 2025, he stated that ICE was &#8220;a rogue agency, one that has no interest in laws, no interest in order.&#8221;
Appearing on CNN in January, Mamdani lamented the &#8220;heightened sense of anxiety and fear&#8221; felt by New Yorkers, describing the deployment of law enforcement as &#8220;cruel and inhumane.&#8221;
While Mamdani has played the role of the aggrieved activist, border czar Tom Homan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-homan-lays-out-what-americans-can-expect-as-ice-moves-into-airports-monday?utm_source=chatgpt.com">provided</a> the cold, hard dose of reality. With the TSA hobbled by a DHS shutdown, Homan explained that ICE agents — highly trained law enforcement professionals — are stepping in to fill the gaps, guarding exits and managing security lines so the remaining TSA staff can focus on specialized screening. When pressed on whether ICE would still be performing its primary mission while at the airport, Homan was refreshingly blunt: &#8220;We do immigration enforcement at airports all the time &#8230; it’s not going to change.&#8221;
Predictably, the left-wing establishment trotted out John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director under President Obama. Sandweg <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ice-agents-deploy-to-major-u-s-airports-as-tsa-faces-shutdown-shortages">railed</a> against the move, claiming TSA agents have to be “highly skilled” and undergo extensive training, bloviating, “Although ICE agents have tremendous law enforcement experience, they&#8217;re not &#8212; they can&#8217;t step in and run the X-ray or conduct one of those pat-down searches, or even do the baggage inspection that happens behind the scenes,” he said.
Ultimately, Mamdani’s hostility toward ICE isn&#8217;t about airport efficiency or &#8220;public safety.&#8221; It is about a fundamental rejection of the idea that a nation-state has the right to monitor its own points of entry. While Homan works to keep the lines moving and the borders secure, Mamdani remains committed to a radical ideology that prioritizes political posturing over the safety of the city he supposedly leads.

Untitled design (87)

Mamdani Slams ICE Airport Deployment While Promoting ‘Hotline’

Zohran Mamdani

It&#8217;s time to ask some serious questions.
When you get to the airport next week, a record 171 million of us will get on a plane this spring. Will you be safe?
When you look at the southern border or when you read about Sheridan Gorman, 18 years old, shot in the head while going out for a walk with friends to see the Northern Lights, do you feel safe?
You may even be reading this in line at an airport right now, probably waiting for hours if you are. That is because Democrats decided to shut down funding for the Department of Homeland Security in order to punish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — which is a part of DHS — for enforcing the law.
It doesn&#8217;t matter that ICE&#8217;s legal authority has not changed for decades. 
It doesn&#8217;t matter that under President Trump, they&#8217;re simply doing their job for the first time in decades. DHS must be closed down because ICE is doing their job.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2394-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/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>
Democrats don&#8217;t want to enforce the border. If they get the chance, they&#8217;ll return to Biden-era open borders as soon as possible.
Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student at Loyola University in Chicago, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/murder-suspect-in-loyola-university-slaying-is-venezuelan-illegal-released-by-biden?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=67&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Murder+Suspect+In+Loyola+University+Slaying+Is+Venezuelan+Illegal+Released+By+Biden">murdered</a> by a masked man while she was walking in Rogers Park last Thursday.
According to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/suspect-due-court-shooting-loyola-chicago-freshman-sheridan-gorman/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CBS News</a>:
<blockquote>The shooting happened early last Thursday as Gorman, 18, was walking with her friends near the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach at Pratt Boulevard to take in the Chicago skyline. Prosecutors said, as Gorman and her friends were walking toward the lighthouse at the end of the pier shortly after 1 a.m., Gorman told her friends she saw someone hiding behind the lighthouse. When Medina came out from behind the lighthouse, Gorman and her friends ran away, and Medina shot Gorman in the back. The bullet exited her neck.</blockquote>
The alleged murderer was a Venezuelan national in the United States illegally, according to the New York Times. Medina was released into the United States by the Biden administration in May 2023 after he had contact with Border Patrol agents. According to federal officials, Medina was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting in Chicago in June 2023, and then released. 
Gigantic shock.
You might ask yourself: If someone is arrested for shoplifting and they are an illegal immigrant, why are they still here?
The answer, of course, is that Chicago is a sanctuary city. That means that the city and state of Illinois, a Democratic state, prevent local officials from cooperating with federal law enforcement. That is why Medina was free to allegedly commit a cold-blooded murder.
If local law enforcement had notified ICE that they&#8217;d arrested an illegal immigrant and then held him until ICE arrived, Gorman would probably still be alive. Republicans up to and including President Trump have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doesnt-hold-back-when-daily-wire-asks-about-loyola-murder-suspect-and-biden-era-link?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=44&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Doesn%E2%80%99t+Hold+Back+When+Daily+Wire+Asks+About+Loyola+Murder+Suspect+And+Biden-Era+Link">pointed out</a> that simple fact.
Senator Ted Cruz correctly <a href="https://x.com/SenTedCruz/status/2036194371318731131">pointed out</a>, “Gorman&#8217;s killer was an illegal alien who should never have been in our country. Joe Biden&#8217;s open border policies and Governor Pritzker&#8217;s refusal to accept President Trump&#8217;s help are the reasons why she is not with us today.”
Correct. 
President Trump <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/2036097183275975161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2036097183275975161%7Ctwgr%5Ec0874bea6be8bc9e9e71c1ae489ffb7959454bd9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Ftrump-doesnt-hold-back-when-daily-wire-asks-about-loyola-murder-suspect-and-biden-era-link">said</a>, “It&#8217;s devastating. These people were let in by Biden. We&#8217;re getting them out. We&#8217;re getting them out fast. That&#8217;s why ICE is so important. They&#8217;re doing such a good job. This &#8230; this animal — I saw the whole thing last night, they gave me a briefing — came in through Joe Biden with his open door policy and his border czar Kamala, who never saw the border.”
Democrats, however, are still making excuses. A Chicago alderman named Maria Hadden actually speculated it might have been Gorman&#8217;s fault.
You see, when you get shot in the back of the head by an illegal immigrant who was hiding while you were out seeing the Northern Lights, it&#8217;s possible that it&#8217;s your fault for startling that illegal immigrant. It’s like walking into an endangered species arena at the zoo or something. It&#8217;s your fault if something bad happens to you.
She <a href="https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/2036134913921937785">said</a>: “Then they go out on the pier, they walk around. So the kids were out doing normal, normal things people do in the neighborhood. And it sounds like this might have been a wrong place, wrong time, running into a person who had a gun. They might have startled this person at the end of the pier, unintentionally.”
Other Democrats, of course, are claiming that this is all happening because we incarcerate too many criminals.
This is the big Democratic move: It&#8217;s been true for decades. The idea is that criminality happens because too many criminals are in jail. It’s sort of like the argument that if you kill too many terrorists, you&#8217;re just creating new terrorists.
Which is weird because when you kill terrorists, then they&#8217;re dead. The same thing is true of people who are in jail: When they&#8217;re in jail, you know what they&#8217;re not doing?
They&#8217;re not on the streets shooting people.
And yet, this is the typical Democratic take. It is idiotic.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson <a href="https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/1993419780108550293">said back in</a> November 2025, “We cannot incarcerate our way out of violence. We&#8217;ve already tried that, and we&#8217;ve ended up with the largest prison population in the world without solving the problems of crime and violence, the addiction on jails and incarceration in this country. We have moved past that. It is racist. It is immoral. It is unholy, and it is not the way to drive violence down.”
I beg to differ. I think it&#8217;s a great way to drive violence down. Keeping criminals in jail is a great way for them not to commit crimes against people on the streets, because they&#8217;re in jail.
Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office issued this statement: “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and Loyola University community grieving the senseless murder of Sheridan Gorman. Violent crime has no place in our streets. We expect the alleged perpetrator to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The Trump administration needs to stop politicizing heinous tragedies and instead focus on real solutions, like reinstating federal funds to prevent violence that support our public safety efforts.”
That&#8217;s crazy. Politicizing heinous tragedies instead of focusing on real solutions? It is not politicization to point to the specific policy that could have stopped this murder in the first place. In fact, it is playing politics to ignore that policy for political reasons.
But Democrats are addicted to playing politics on illegal immigration. They&#8217;ve decided that illegal immigrants are the finest among us and deserve our undying sympathy, and that we ought to defund the agency that houses ICE in order to facilitate illegal immigration.
Meanwhile, the partial DHS shutdown has had the effect not just of defunding ICE, but defunding the TSA — in the middle of a war. This initially led to gigantic lines around the country at airports. In response, the administration said that it will deploy ICE officers to man the TSA lines because ICE actually has some leftover funding from the last round of funding.
Now, even CNN is saying ICE is helping with wait times.
If safety is your number one issue, I don’t see how you can vote Democrat.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRANSPORTATION-AVIATION

Thanks, Democrats! Unsafe Airports, Unsafe Streets

J.B. Pritzker

Murder

President Donald Trump thanked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for helping TSA employees on Monday and suggested that he could also deploy the National Guard to address ongoing airport chaos.
&#8220;I want to thank ICE because they stepped in so strongly. They&#8217;ll do great, and if that&#8217;s not enough, I&#8217;ll bring in the National Guard. We&#8217;re not going to have the Democrats destroy our country,&#8221; Trump told reporters on Monday.
ICE agents began shifts at airports nationwide on Monday morning as TSA delays worsen at major hubs amid a partial government shutdown that has stretched into its 37th day. Over the weekend, more than a third of TSA employees called in absent or sick at some of the largest airports in the United States, including Atlanta, Houston, and New York City, according to the Department of Homeland Security. TSA agents have not been paid since the partial government shutdown began.
The ICE agents at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport appeared to be focusing on patrolling lines outside TSA checkpoints and assisting with crowd control as lines stretched out of the building, CBS News <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036064185814032754">reported</a> on Monday morning. Some passengers told CBS News that they had been waiting in line for hours and had arrived at the airport four hours before their flights.
ICE agents are <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036061908931940601">expected</a> to help the short-staffed TSA crews by checking passengers&#8217; IDs while TSA employees focus on security screenings. Atlanta Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens assured travelers that ICE agents would not conduct immigration operations at the airport and would report to TSA.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
The heroes of ICE have arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to assist the short-staffed TSA agents, who&#8217;ve gone more than a month without pay as a result of the Democrat shutdown of <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a>. <a href="https://t.co/3bmtJqRawd">pic.twitter.com/3bmtJqRawd</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036061351878013410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump also asked for ICE agents to keep masks off while they work at airports, arguing that air travelers &#8220;typically aren&#8217;t murderers, killers, drug dealers, etc.&#8221;
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t think it was an appropriate look for an airport,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s a very appropriate look when they&#8217;re out on the street trying to find one of the 11,888 murderers that sleepy Joe Biden let into the country.&#8221;
Trump told reporters that the partial shutdown, which is affecting funding for the Department of Homeland Security, &#8220;is all caused by the Democrats.&#8221;
&#8220;Just so you know, all this money was approved. &#8230; The Democrats went in, and they want to have radical Left lunatics come into our country, they want to have drug dealers, they want to have murderers come into our country. They want to have open borders, and we&#8217;re not letting it happen,&#8221; Trump said.
The DHS funding lapse stems from a fight between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill as Democratic lawmakers push for ICE reform to be part of any funding deal. While Congress remains deadlocked over DHS funding, some TSA employees have said they can&#8217;t afford to miss any more paychecks, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-deploy-ice-to-airports-if-democrats-wont-fund-dhs">reported</a>.
After the record-breaking government shutdown last year, TSA employees who remained on the job received a $10,000 bonus on top of back pay. Trump told reporters on Monday that another bonus could be a possibility for TSA employees who remain on the job during this shutdown.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not easy for them,&#8221; Trump said of the TSA workers going without paychecks.

ICE agents

Trump Praises ICE At Airports As Crisis Deepens And Hints At A Bigger Move

ICE Agents Begin Airport Shifts As Americans Face Ongoing TSA Delays

Absences among transportation security workers this weekend reached their highest since a partial government shutdown began five weeks ago, the Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday, as immigration enforcement agents prepared to fill in for them at some of the busiest U.S. airports.
Nationwide, about 11.5% of Transportation Security Administration staff were absent on Saturday, DHS said, but that figure soared to 42.4% at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, 33.4% at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and 33.6% at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Overall, more than 9% of TSA employees have been absent from work over the past seven days, leading to lengthy lines for passengers trying to get to their gates, according to DHS.
To help fill the staffing gaps, hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will deploy to airports starting on Monday, officials have said.
DHS said on Sunday it would not publicly share details about the ICE deployment, in order to preserve operational security. Sources briefed on the matter said the current plan calls for deploying ICE agents to 14 locations, although that figure may change.
Tens of thousands of airport security personnel have been working without pay for weeks while congressional Democrats and Republicans argue over a budget for DHS.
&#8220;Many TSA officers cannot pay their rent, buy food, or afford to put gas in their cars — forcing them to call out sick from work,&#8221; a DHS spokesperson said on Sunday.
Trump announced on Saturday that ICE agents would be sent to airports unless Democratic lawmakers agree to fund DHS. Democrats have criticized the department&#8217;s immigration operations and are demanding a change in rules.
For now, ICE agents will not be deployed in areas behind security checkpoints because they lack the specific clearance needed, the sources said.
Border czar Tom Homan said on Sunday that sending out immigration agents to bolster short-staffed TSA teams will speed up airport lines, but the union for TSA workers said that does not solve what they see as the underlying problem of pay.
In appearances on Sunday news shows, Homan and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy argued that ICE personnel can help with airport security screening, starting on Monday, even though they have not been specifically trained for it.
&#8220;When we deploy tomorrow, we&#8217;ll have a well thought-out plan to execute,&#8221; Homan said on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; program.
Hundreds of TSA agents have simply resigned, according to their labor union and TSA.
&#8220;ICE will do the job far better than ever done before!&#8221; Trump wrote in a Sunday morning social media post.
Details of how ICE agents would help with the lines were scant, although Homan told CNN a plan would be in place by the end of the day &#8220;to move those lines along.&#8221;
Homan and Duffy, in separate interviews, had different ideas about how the ICE agents might be deployed. Homan said he doubted ICE agents would operate X-ray baggage and passenger screening machines because they did not have experience. Duffy, in contrast, said ICE agents &#8220;know how to pat people down, they know how to run the X-ray machines.&#8221;
The labor union representing TSA workers criticized Trump&#8217;s decision, saying their members spend months in training learning to detect explosives and weapons.
&#8220;Our members at TSA have been showing up every day, without a paycheck, because they believe in the mission of keeping the flying public safe,&#8221; Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement. &#8220;They deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.&#8221;
Unlike TSA employees, ICE agents have continued to get paid by the government through a separate funding provision while lawmakers debate whether ICE funding should be tied to new rules and procedures.
Democrats have said new rules are needed after masked ICE agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in the streets of Minneapolis earlier this year. The two had come out to protest or observe Trump&#8217;s deportation surge in Minnesota.
Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat and the minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, told CNN that his caucus is open to a separate funding agreement for TSA employees while lawmakers debate measures to &#8220;get ICE under control.&#8221; But there has been little movement on an actual deal so far, especially in the Senate.
&#8220;We have an obligation to not fund an agency that is acting this lawlessly,&#8221; Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, told NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; program.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York, David Shepardson in Washington and Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Additional writing by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle, Aurora Ellis, Sergio Non and Edmund Klamann)

Why ICE Agents In Airports May Be Arriving Just In Time

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and agents have mixed reactions to President Donald Trump&#8217;s plan to deploy them to airports to assist TSA during the partial government shutdown.
Trump announced the plan Saturday to begin the effort Monday in the hopes of reducing airport security wait times as TSA officers report massive staff shortages as they continue to go unpaid.
Multiple Department of Homeland Security sources told The Daily Wire that there&#8217;s word that the deployment will consist of agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE whose mission goes beyond just investigating immigration-related crimes. HSI special agents are tasked with child exploitation cases, cybercrimes, and the smuggling of antiquities.
They also maintain offices at several major airports across the United States, sources said.
One ICE source said they &#8220;wouldn&#8217;t mind&#8221; helping TSA, adding, &#8220;However, a lot of us have reached our overtime caps.&#8221;
&#8220;They would need to provide waivers &#8230; I don&#8217;t think it would jeopardize field arrests if that happens,&#8221; the source added.
A second ICE source emphatically said, &#8220;I&#8217;ll go.&#8221;
In response to a postal worker strike in 1970, President Richard Nixon deployed hundreds of soldiers with the Army, National Guard, Army Reserve, Air National Guard, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Reserve to deliver Americans&#8217; mail.
An ICE source said Trump should do the same.
&#8220;I think the National Guard or military reserves are better suited,&#8221; the source said.
Two recently-retired ICE officials also expressed their opposition.
&#8220;This is the problem. ICE are the tool that gets thrown around to do everything other than their job,&#8221; one of the retired officials said.
Another called Trump&#8217;s plan &#8220;profoundly misguided and reckless.&#8221;
&#8220;TSA officers receive specialized, intensive training in passenger screening, threat detection, and the use of advanced equipment training that ICE personnel, despite their excellence in interior enforcement, do not possess,&#8221; the retired officer said.
&#8220;Redirecting ICE agents from their current, highly effective operations where they maintain a proven rhythm in arresting and detaining those unlawfully present would undermine both airport security standards and nationwide immigration priorities,&#8221; the former fed added.
Another officer expressed concern with the optics as they&#8217;re increasingly perceived as “the gestapo” who are &#8220;harassing U.S. citizens.&#8221;
Trump tasked his border czar, Tom Homan, with leading the airport deployment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tom Homan says he’s working on the plan to deploy ICE agents to assist TSA at airports starting tomorrow. One area he said they’ll be able to help is monitoring airport exits, saying “I don‘t see an ICE agent looking at an x-ray machine because they‘re not trained in that.” <a href="https://t.co/fEgdBs8XAv">pic.twitter.com/fEgdBs8XAv</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2035718654591914214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Sunday, the former ICE director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-homan-lays-out-what-americans-can-expect-as-ice-moves-into-airports-monday?author=Frank+Camp&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Tom+Homan+Lays+Out+What+Americans+Can+Expect+As+ICE+Moves+Into+Airports+Monday">told CNN</a> he&#8217;s working with the TSA administrator and ICE director to get a plan in place &#8220;by the end of today.&#8221;
&#8220;The ICE agents are assigned at many airports across the country already and they do a lot of criminal investigations on smuggling at airports. You&#8217;ve got TSA agents covering exits, people that enter through the exits, you know, surely a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit &#8230; that would leave that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines,&#8221; Homan said.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine because they&#8217;re not trained in that. There&#8217;s certain parts of security that TSA&#8217;s doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs to help move those lines,&#8221; he added.

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What Do ICE Officers Really Think Of Trump’s Plan To Deploy Agents For Airport Security?

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