Earlier this week, far-Left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) threatened Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan over their commitment to enforce laws related to illegal immigration, specifically a recent incident concerning New Jersey Democrats at an ICE detention center.
As reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hes-not-very-smart-homan-responds-to-newark-mayor-arrested-for-storming-ice-facility?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘He’s+Not+Very+Smart’%3A+Homan+Responds+To+Newark+Mayor+Arrested+For+‘Storming’+ICE+Facility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, a number of Democrats rushed the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility after gates were opened to allow a bus of apparent illegal immigrants into the facility. <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/12/us-news/feds-weigh-assault-charges-for-pols-who-protested-nj-ice-center/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According</a> to DHS, the feds are considering charges against the Democrats involved.
“If anyone’s breaking the law in this situation, it’s not members of Congress, it’s the Department of Homeland Security,” AOC claimed in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJfpuCXsK6p/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> posted to Instagram on Sunday. “It’s people like Tom Homan and Secretary Kristi Noem.”
“You lay a finger on someone, on Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman &#8230; or any of the representatives that were there &#8212; you lay a finger on them, we are going to have a problem,” AOC threatened. “Because the people who are breaking the law are the people not abiding by it.”
Responding to AOC&#8217;s remarks, Homan told the congresswoman that she should do her job.
&#8220;I wish she&#8217;d do her job,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-border-czar-fires-back-aoc-over-doj-probe-remarks-why-doesnt-she-pass-some-legislation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News earlier this week. &#8220;She&#8217;s a legislator, right? Why doesn’t she pass some legislation … and actually improve this country like President Donald Trump is already doing?&#8221;
&#8220;She should try doing her job,&#8221; Homan added.
On CNN airwaves, the border czar had another message for the Democrat: she should be thanking DHS for keeping her constituents safe.
“First of all, you can‘t intimidate me. Come on, give me a break,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You know, and as far as New York, her district, this administration has done more to protect her district than she has. The number of criminal aliens we took off the streets of New York made her community much safer.”
“She ought to be thanking the members of this administration, the men and women of ICE, who protect this country and make her community safer,” Homan added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Tom Homan just obliterated AOC 🔥🔥
“This admin has done more to protect her district than she has. The number of criminal aliens we took off the streets in NYC made her community safer… She ought to love her community more than she hates Trump.” <a href="https://t.co/y8blAnlgqM">pic.twitter.com/y8blAnlgqM</a>
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1922803538125594969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hes-not-very-smart-homan-responds-to-newark-mayor-arrested-for-storming-ice-facility?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘He’s+Not+Very+Smart’%3A+Homan+Responds+To+Newark+Mayor+Arrested+For+‘Storming’+ICE+Facility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘He’s Not Very Smart’: Homan Responds To Newark Mayor Arrested For ‘Storming’ ICE Facility</a>

2024 Democratic National Convention

Border Czar Tom Homan Has Had Enough Of AOC After She Threatens Trump Admin Officials

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Congress

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Kristi Noem

New Jersey

Politics

Tom Homan

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem slammed a Democrat congressman over his advocacy for a deported illegal alien, charging that he has set out to “fight for a terrorist” instead of the people he was elected to represent.
Noem and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) got into a heated spat during a meeting of the House Homeland Security Committee Wednesday morning, in which the Democrat advocated for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old deported Salvadoran illegal alien with suspected ties to MS-13 who is believed to have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-suspected-maryland-man-of-getting-paid-to-traffic-illegals-body-cam-footage-shows?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Police+Suspected+%E2%80%98Maryland+Man%E2%80%99+Of+%E2%80%98Getting+Paid%E2%80%99+To+Traffic+Illegals%2C+Body+Cam+Footage+Shows">engaged</a> in human smuggling. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated the MS-13 gang as a foreign terrorist organization.
Goldman pressed Noem on DHS’s deportation of Abrego Garcia and the agency’s response to a Supreme Court order requiring the government to “facilitate” the return of the illegal alien from his home country of El Salvador back to the United States, despite not being a citizen or legal resident of America.
“What steps have you taken to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to allow him to get due process?” Goldman asked Noem, who explained that “Abrego Garcia is in his home country” before being interrupted by the congressman.
“It&#8217;s got to be extremely discouraging to be one of your constituents,&#8221; Noem continued. &#8220;To see you fight for a terrorist like this and not fight for them is extremely alarming to me, and I’m sure it is to them as well.”
Goldman’s advocacy for Abrego Garcia, who allegedly bragged that he could <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-darling-maryland-mans-wife-he-bragged-he-could-kill-me-and-get-away-with-it">murder his wife</a> and get away with it, comes after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senator-headed-to-el-salvador-on-mission-to-bring-gang-member-back-to-america">flew to El Salvador</a> to visit the illegal alien.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) blasted Goldman after his exchange with Noem, charging that “there is nothing Democrats love more than defending the cartels, the criminals, and the rapists.”
Greene and Goldman faced off earlier in the hearing after the Democrat objected to Greene’s request to file a post from Attorney General Pam Bondi highlighting Abrego’s alleged MS-13 ties in the Congressional record. Greene laid out the various entities that established Abrego’s ties to the criminal gang in response to Goldman’s unsuccessful attempt to keep the post from Bondi out of the Congressional Record.
“A Maryland County Police Gang Unit agreed that he is MS-13, a reliable confidential informant agreed that he is MS-13,” Greene noted. “ICE officers agreed that he is MS-13, an immigration judge agreed that he is MS-13, an appellate board agreed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, your Maryland man, is MS-13.”

Sec. Kristi Noem

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Slams Democrat For Advocating For Deported ‘Terrorist’

Border

Dan Goldman

Department of Homeland Security

Immigration

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

MS-13 Gang

The Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for all Afghan refugees on Monday, paving the way for the deportation of tens of thousands of Afghans living in the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-terminating-temporary-protected-status-for-afghanistan#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%93%20Secretary%20of%20Homeland%20Security,effective%20on%20July%2012%2C%202025." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that improving conditions in Afghanistan have made it possible for the refugees to return home. The Biden administration brought in around 76,000 Afghans following the U.S. military&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal from the country in 2021 under the orders of President Joe Biden. Most of the Afghan refugees were <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghan-evacuees-resettled-us-texas-california-virginia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resettled</a> in Texas, California, and Virginia.
&#8220;This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,&#8221; Noem said. &#8220;We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.&#8221;
Following the Trump administration&#8217;s move, deportation protections for Afghans will expire in 60 days, which is the minimum time allowed by law after the notice is filed.
Between 2010 and 2022, the Afghan population in the United States skyrocketed from 54,000 to 195,000. It&#8217;s unclear how many of those nearly 200,000 Afghans received legal permanent residency or citizenship in the United States. In 2006, the United States <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/afghan-immigrants-united-states-2022#:~:text=In%20the%20past%20decade%2C%20the,top%20country%20for%20Afghan%20migrants." target="_blank" rel="noopener">started</a> the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which sought to help Afghan and Iraqi translators who helped the U.S. military receive their green cards. The federal government expanded the SIV program in 2009 to apply to any Afghan national who was employed by the U.S. government.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021 created another crisis for Afghan nationals who sought to quickly flee the country. Immediately after the United States evacuated Afghanistan, the country came under the control of the Taliban, which imposed harsh laws targeting Christians, certain Muslims, and those who were friendly toward the United States. The Taliban also took away any semblance of women&#8217;s rights, severely restricting how women dress and act in public.
Noem&#8217;s reasoning for ending TPS for Afghans cited Chinese tourism returning to the country and reduced warfare. Some remain <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/president-trump-protect-christian-afghan-refugees-who-fled-here-escape-martyrdom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerned</a>, however, that religious minorities who are forced to return to Afghanistan will face persecution or even martyrdom.
Afghanistan also continues to face widespread food insecurity, but Noem wrote in her <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-08201.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a>, &#8220;Though humanitarian need remains prevalent, the number of those in need of assistance has declined to 23.7 million this year, a decrease from the more than 29 million Afghan nationals in need reported the previous year.&#8221;

Trump Admin Ends Deportation Protections For Tens Of Thousands More Refugees

Afghanistan

Deportations

Donald Trump

Refugees

Trump Administration

The acting administrator of FEMA has been ousted one day after he said that he disagreed with the Trump administration&#8217;s push to dismantle the agency and return emergency response authority back to the states.
Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired on Thursday and replaced with another senior Department of Homeland Security official. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to The Daily Wire that David Richardson, currently the assistant secretary for DHS&#8217; Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, would be taking on the role of senior official performing the duties of administrator.
Hamilton&#8217;s firing comes after he testified before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security and said he did not support eliminating FEMA.
“As the senior advisor to the president on disasters and emergency management, and to the Secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he said on Wednesday. “Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the President of the United States and this governing body.”
President Donald Trump formed a government council earlier this year intended to evaluate FEMA and potentially consider its elimination.
“I am proud to announce the formation of the FEMA Review Council, comprised of Top Experts in their fields, who are Highly Respected by their peers,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1916943942156734688">posted</a> on Truth Social last week. “I know that the new Members will work hard to fix a terribly broken System, and return power to State Emergency Managers, who will help, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Congratulations to all!”
That came after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-promises-overhaul-of-fema-floats-getting-rid-of-agency?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Promises+Overhaul+Of+FEMA%2C+Floats+‘Getting+Rid+Of’+Agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in January that he was looking at potentially &#8220;getting rid&#8221; of FEMA and giving states more control over their response to natural disasters. Under Trump&#8217;s plan, the federal government would still provide funding for emergency operations.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-dem-no-evidence-fema-discriminated-against-trump-supporters-under-biden?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=House+Dem%3A+‘No+Evidence’+FEMA+Discriminated+Against+Trump+Supporters+Under+Biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Tuesday that Trump believed that FEMA had largely failed the American people.
“President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response, in many, many circumstances, has failed the American people and that FEMA, as it exists today, should be eliminated and empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government support,” she said.
FEMA has come under fire in recent months after it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> to have skipped the homes of Trump supporters in Florida for political reasons. The agency was also criticized over its sluggish response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

Acting Director Of FEMA Cam Hamilton Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee

Top FEMA Official Fired After Saying He Doesn’t Think Agency Should Be Dismantled

Executive

FEMA

U.S.

Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro claimed Tuesday that there was &#8220;no evidence&#8221; that FEMA discriminated against disaster victims based on political affiliation under President Joe Biden, even though one agency supervisor was fired last year after directing relief workers to skip Trump homes during his administration.
DeLauro made the comments as she questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a congressional hearing about the Trump administration&#8217;s plans to bring dramatic reforms to FEMA. DeLauro downplayed the need for changes at FEMA, saying that she had seen little evidence of failure.
“Where is the evidence of the failure of FEMA?” she asked Noem. 
“Congresswoman, we still have claims open from Hurricane Katrina. We have fire claims that are still unpaid to people who said they were due them seven to eight to ten years old, that have never been paid by FEMA,&#8221; Noem replied. &#8220;So one of the worst things that the federal government can do is to stand up in front of the American public and say, ‘We will be there, we will walk alongside you in the most horrible time of your life,’ and then never follow through on that. What the president has said is that he&#8217;s sick and tired of federal agencies that pick and choose who wins and who loses.”
DeLauro responded by saying that FEMA&#8217;s Office of Professional Responsibility found &#8220;no evidence, no direction of agency or field leadership to discriminate against disaster victims based on political affiliation&#8221; under Biden, she said, brushing off the fact that FEMA supervisor Marn&#8217;i Washington was fired in November 2024 after directing supervisors to skip homes &#8220;advertising Trump&#8221; in Lake Placid, Florida.
Noem told DeLauro that she would provide her with evidence of the agency&#8217;s failings.
In February, the Office of Special Counsel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fema-supervisor-lied-about-threats-to-get-workers-to-skip-trump-homes-special-counsel-finds?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=FEMA+Supervisor+Lied+About+Threats+To+Get+Workers+To+Skip+Trump+Homes%2C+Special+Counsel+Finds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that Washington had issued the discriminatory directive, confirming what The Daily Wire had first reported in November 2024. The office recommended that Washington face further disciplinary action over the directive, finding that she had lied about alleged threats facing relief workers in the area.
Just one month later, FEMA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/3-more-fema-employees-fired-after-probe-into-guidance-to-skip-trump-homes?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=3+More+FEMA+Employees+Fired+After+Probe+Into+Order+To+Skip+Trump+Homes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fired</a> three more employees as part of the investigation into Washington&#8217;s directive. While the agency said that these employees weren&#8217;t directly involved, it did say that they were in her supervisory chain.
President Donald Trump cited the incident in an executive order he issued in January, directing the creation of a council to look into getting rid of FEMA and returning control over natural disaster response to the states.
“There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA,” Trump wrote in the executive order. “Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President.”
When asked Tuesday what about the administration&#8217;s plans for FEMA, Noem said they were looking at shifting power to the states.
&#8220;President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response, in many, many circumstances, has failed the American people and that FEMA, as it exists today, should be eliminated and empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government support,&#8221; she said.

Connecticut Lawmakers Sen. Blumenthal And Rep. DeLauro Attend Event Recyling Guns Into Gardening Tools

House Dem: ‘No Evidence’ FEMA Discriminated Against Trump Supporters Under Biden

House Democrats

Illegal immigrants who self-deport will receive a $1,000 stipend under a plan that the Trump administration says will protect law enforcement and save American tax dollars, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday.
Along with giving illegal immigrants a $1,000 stipend, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dhs-unleashes-possible-money-saving-measure-illegal-aliens-self-deport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Trump administration would also pay for the cost of airfare. The total cost for the stipend and airfare would be around $4,500 on average, a significant reduction from the estimated $17,000 it costs the federal government to detain and deport an illegal immigrant, according to DHS, which added that illegal immigrants would not receive the stipend until it was verified that they had left the United States.
&#8220;If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,&#8221; Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X. &#8220;DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.&#8221;
&#8220;This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers,&#8221; Noem added. &#8220;Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest.
DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.
This is… <a href="https://t.co/2f02wLWQi5">pic.twitter.com/2f02wLWQi5</a>
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1919402136753811733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The CBP Home App, initially launched as the CBP One App under the first Trump administration to help with truck inspections at the border, was repurposed by the Biden administration to help migrants claim asylum in the United States. Under the new Trump administration, the app is being used mainly to help illegal immigrants return to their home countries as President Donald Trump focuses on his deportation operation.
According to Fox News, DHS acknowledged the concerns of some critics who argue that the $1,000 stipends reward those who illegally entered the country. The DHS, however, argued that the initiative&#8217;s cost-cutting function and the overall goal of mass deportations are justifiable reasons to pay illegal immigrants to leave the United States.
Last month, the department said it would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-to-fine-illegal-aliens-nearly-1k-a-day-for-refusing-to-self-deport" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fine illegal immigrants</a> nearly $1,000 a day if they remain in the United States beyond their removal date. The fines would also be retroactive, stretching back up to five years and hitting some illegal immigrants with more than $1 million in fines. Trump wants Customs and Border Protection to administer the penalties and seize the property of those who cannot pay.
At the end of March, the Trump administration said it had <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/31/us-news/ice-arrested-113k-deported-over-100k-since-trumps-return-as-prez-maintains-promise-to-boot-illegal-migrants-alleged-gangbangers-sources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deported</a> more than 100,000 illegal immigrants since Trump was sworn in on January 20. The administration has said it is focused on going after illegal immigrants who are accused of being violent gang members, sending them to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Trump has been celebrating his action on deportations, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/28/trump-posters-white-house-arrested-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">placing</a> mug shots of arrested illegal immigrants along the White House driveway last week.

Kristi Noem, Tom Homan

Trump Admin To Pay Illegal Immigrants To Self-Deport, Says It Will Save 70% ‘For U.S. Taxpayers’

Illegal Immigation

The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to greenlight its efforts to end a Biden-era immigration program shielding hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals from deportation. 
Solicitor General John Sauer filed a 38-page <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25925690/24a1059.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emergency appeal</a> to SCOTUS asking it to block a federal judge’s ruling that said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem could not end Temporary Protected Status for 348,202 Venezuelans. Sauer argued that Noem’s decision to end one of the TPS designations for Venezuela was unreviewable and up to her discretion. 
“The Secretary’s decision whether to designate, extend, or terminate TPS implicates sensitive judgments as to foreign policy and, in this case, the ‘national interest’—a discretionary determination that Congress expressly committed to her judgment,” Sauer wrote in his filing. 
Noem <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/noem-ends-biden-program-shielding-thousands-of-venezuelans-from-deportation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> in February that she would end the program, which was started during the Biden administration in October 2023, because she had determined it was not in America’s best interest to continue with it, adding that conditions in Venezuela had improved. Just weeks before leaving office, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas extended the designation until October 2026. 
“TPS has allowed a significant population of inadmissible or illegal aliens without a path to lawful immigration status to settle in the interior of the United States, and the sheer numbers have resulted in associated difficulties in local communities where local resources have been inadequate to meet the demands caused by increased numbers,&#8221; the Department of Homeland Security said.
In April, U.S. Senior District Judge Edward Chen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-says-trump-admin-must-keep-biden-era-program-shielding-venezuelans-from-deportation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sided</a> with the National TPS Alliance and blocked Noem from ending the program, saying that the revocation would cause “irreparable harm” and hurt the economy. The Obama-appointed judge also claimed that TPS recipients were more educated, involved in the workforce, and less likely to commit crimes than American citizens. 
Sauer argued that Chen’s ruling “undermines the Executive Branch’s inherent powers as to immigration and foreign affairs.”
“The court contravened an express bar on judicial review, sidestepped black-letter law authorizing agencies to reverse as-yet-inoperative actions, and embraced a baseless equal-protection theory on the road to issuing impermissible universal relief that intrudes on central Executive Branch operations,” he wrote. “Its order upsets the judgments of the political branches, prohibiting the Executive Branch from enforcing a time-sensitive immigration policy and indefinitely extending an immigration status that Congress intended to be ‘temporary.’”
Last month, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan illegals suspected of being members of Tren de Aragua under the Alien Enemies Act. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.

US-IMMIGRATION-politics-court

Trump Admin Asks Supreme Court To Revoke Legal Protections For 350K Venezuelans

Courts

Joe Biden

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

Venezuela

President Donald Trump announced Monday the members of his FEMA review council, which he tasked with returning power to state-level emergency managers.
Trump, who has been very critical of FEMA&#8217;s handling of recent natural disasters, signed an executive order in January aimed at bringing serious reform to the agency. In previous interviews, Trump has floated the idea of getting rid of FEMA all together, and handing back responsibility to the states to handle their own emergencies with federal funding.
&#8220;I am proud to announce the formation of the FEMA Review Council, comprised of Top Experts in their fields, who are Highly Respected by their peers,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1916943942156734688">posted</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;I know that the new Members will work hard to fix a terribly broken System, and return power to State Emergency Managers, who will help, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Congratulations to all!&#8221;
Members of the task force include Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, RNC Chair Michael Whatley, and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
&#8220;As a proud son of Western North Carolina, I have seen first-hand the incredible work of the Trump Administration to help the region recover from Hurricane Helene and look forward to working with these great leaders to bring much-needed reforms to federal emergency response across the country,&#8221; Whatley <a href="https://x.com/ChairmanWhatley/status/1917045935286182331" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in response to the news.
In his executive order, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/council-to-assess-the-federal-emergency-management-agency/">said</a> the council will assess “the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest.”
The executive order stipulates that the council develop proposals to improve FEMA, survey states and other stakeholders impacted by natural disasters, and produce a comprehensive report on the agency and how disaster relief was handled before its creation.
His executive order also referenced the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">story</a> broken by The Daily Wire, revealing that a FEMA supervisor in Florida had ordered FEMA response workers to skip the homes of people with Trump signs or flags in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
“There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA,” Trump wrote in the executive order. “Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President.”

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Attend Hurricane Briefing at FEMA

Trump Rolls Out FEMA Taskforce To Fix ‘Terribly Broken’ Emergency System

Glenn Youngkin

Greg Abbott

Michael Whatley

Natural Disaster

Pete Hegseth

Federal agents arrested a former New Mexico Democrat judge and his wife on Thursday after they were accused of harboring a suspected member of Tren de Aragua at their home. 
Former Dona Ana County Magistrate Judge Jose “Joel” Cano and his wife, Nancy, were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at their home in Las Cruces, KFOX14 <a href="https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/home-of-ex-judge-raided-after-claims-of-hosting-tren-de-aragua-gang-member-in-las-cruces-cristhian-ortega-lopez-dona-ana-county-venezuela-joel-cano-nancy-tda-nm-hsi-homeland-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Both the 67-year-old former judge and his wife are <a href="https://apps.donaanacounty.org/www/sites/all/modules/dac/dac_inmates/dac_create_pdf.php?&amp;GCode=4&amp;FelonID=2500003171&amp;FelonPIC=387831&amp;CurrentFlag=0">charged</a> with tampering with evidence. 
The couple is currently in custody at the Dona Ana County Jail, awaiting their appearance in federal court. They were arrested as part of a probe by Homeland Security Investigations into their association with 23-year-old Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, who authorities say is linked to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. Ortega-Lopez was arrested at the Canos&#8217; home in February. 
“Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem <a href="https://x.com/Sec_Noem/status/1915559976229052564">said</a>, commenting on the arrest. “If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
Cano resigned from his judgeship earlier this week and was banned by the New Mexico Supreme Court from holding any judicial office again. The court <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-mexico-supreme-court-bans-judge-after-alleged-tda-member-arrested-home">ordered</a> that Cano “shall never again hold, become a candidate for, run for, or stand for election to any New Mexico judicial office in the future.”
Ortega-Lopez, originally from Venezuela, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-judge-resigns-after-harboring-alleged-tren-de-aragua-gang-member" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was accused</a> of illegal entry to the United States near Eagle Pass, Texas. He spent three days in Border Patrol custody before he was released because of overcrowded facilities at the Border Patrol’s South Laredo, Texas, processing center, according to court records, the Albuquerque Journal <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_47926b51-d481-4aa9-8d76-5de8cc13809b.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawJwuu9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHn4jO0OhVrwODcJdaJgEwwkzhtKl5MdUs320h3z25_0FkfgnT9xnpoaAox6a_aem_F7zjdLNkrsY9LSG6RfZRmA">reported</a>. He met Nancy in El Paso, where he was working as a construction worker and handyman, and she offered for him to stay in a small house behind their home.
Ortega-Lopez has been charged with being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and is seen in court documents holding guns.
Cano has denied any knowledge of the suspected ties between Ortega-Lopez and Tren De Aragua. Investigators have said that they have text messages and voice mail messages that confirm the links to the notorious gang.
“Let me be as crystal clear as possible,” Cano <a href="https://www.koat.com/article/las-cruces-former-judge-allegations-gang-new-mexico/64583129" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New Mexico Supreme Court. “The very first time I ever heard that the boys could possibly have any association with Tren de Aragua was when I was informed of that by [the] agents on the day of the raid.”

MixCollage-25-Apr-2025-09-44-AM-6237

Former Judge And Wife Arrested, Accused Of Housing Suspected Venezuelan Gang Member

New Mexico

Tren De Aragua

As if being a country music star and successful businessman weren&#8217;t enough, John Rich has a new mission.
The singer is working to raise awareness about the dangers of child sexual extortion, or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-teen-boys-take-their-own-lives-as-online-sextortion-cases-spike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“sextortion”</a> – a form of harassment wherein an offender coerces or tricks a minor into sending them sexually explicit images or videos, and then threatens to release the content unless the child furnishes more sexual content or some form of payment. As The Daily Wire reported, sextortion has led dozens of young boys to commit suicide.
On Wednesday, Rich is teaming up with the Department of Homeland Security to host an X Space that he says is the most vital information he’s ever put out on social media. Rich will be joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Dennis Fetting. It will air live at 8 p.m. Eastern on Rich’s X account, <a href="https://x.com/johnrich" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@JohnRich</a>. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
7CST tomorrow night, a livestream event with <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> and myself, right here on my <a href="https://twitter.com/X?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@x</a> channel for parents and teens. This is a VERY important presentation if you have kids. Please watch the video for details, and please repost🙏 <a href="https://t.co/Fl2RHduTdM">pic.twitter.com/Fl2RHduTdM</a>
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich/status/1914807009355931693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
Rich said he’ll be acting as the “sit-in parent on behalf of American parents,” asking all the important questions you’d want to know. 
“Spend 60 minutes watching it. It will change the way you perceive what&#8217;s going on around your kids,&#8221; Rich told The Daily Wire. &#8220;It can save your kid’s life. It could definitely save their future.”
Rich has been an advocate for children for years now, <a href="https://tennesseestar.com/news/country-music-star-john-rich-testifies-before-tennessee-house-criminal-justice-committee-on-pornographic-material-in-schools/klbaigert/2022/02/24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testifying</a> before the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2022 about removing pornography and obscene content from K-12 schools in the state. Asked if there was a specific moment he felt he had to do something about child exploitation and abuse, Rich replied: &#8220;When I became a dad.” 
Still, Rich only learned about child sextortion a few months ago, after his wife and 15-year-old son attended a talk on the subject by Homeland Security Agent Dennis Fetting.
Rich and his wife immediately changed the settings on their kids’ technology. Rich&#8217;s marketing mind also kicked in, and he got to work thinking about how he could spread the word to as many parents as possible
“I was astonished not only by what he said, but how my wife reacted to it and my son,” he recalled. “So I went into the DHS.gov site and looked up <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Know2Protect,&#8221;</a> he said. &#8220;I read through that and went, &#8216;This needs to be seen by everybody.’”
Then, he shot Fetting an email.
“I do know Secretary Kristi Noem — but she’s rather hard to get on the phone these days, so I didn&#8217;t go to her with this,” he said with a chuckle. “I actually called the local DHS agency in Tennessee and said, ‘Hey, it&#8217;s John Rich. Here&#8217;s the idea: I wanna get with an agent, do a live stream on X, other platforms as well, where we can get this broad message out.’ I said, ‘I know you&#8217;ve got a website, but people are too busy. They&#8217;re not gonna go looking up a website. Let&#8217;s put it right in front of them and let&#8217;s have a conversation, more than a seminar.’”
The Trump administration listened to him, kicked it up the flagpole extremely quickly, and Noem signed on immediately.
“It&#8217;s one great thing about the Trump administration — on top of a lot of great things — they&#8217;re accessible,” he said, adding that “They want to have a positive impact.&#8221;
&#8220;They wanna work with you, and they&#8217;re listening. They&#8217;re listening to the general public.&#8221;
“I&#8217;m fully aware of the dangers that are out there for our kids right now — it&#8217;s totally different than when I grew up,” Rich said. “They are being targeted on apps, video games, social media — places you would never dream of, on innocent-sounding games like Roblox, Minecraft, things like that, where predators are acting like they&#8217;re another kid and they&#8217;re creating a relationship with your kid, and then they lower the boom, then they start to extort and extort.”
“They do everything from force the kids to send nude pictures of themselves, to take pictures of their parents&#8217; credit cards front and back so they can extort money,” Rich continued. “They threaten them with killing their family, burning their house down, posting the pictures all online.”
“It results in kids, some of them becoming suicidal — it’s a major, major problem,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So to me, millions of parents needed to hear about this.” 
Rich underscored how Homeland Security, in his experience, was eager and open to listening to him and put things into action. He encouraged others to use their platforms in this space. In particular, he called on celebrities to speak out — but he&#8217;s not optimistic that Hollywood will rise to the occasion.
&#8220;A lot of what Hollywood&#8217;s been about is the exploitation of children,” Rich said. “So, they would have to put something out that rebuts their own stances.”
“I mean, that&#8217;s just the truth. I&#8217;m sorry, that&#8217;s hard to hear, but that&#8217;s really what it is,” he said. “If you look at the way they sexualize children in Hollywood, that&#8217;s not theory anymore. That&#8217;s part of the ethos.”
It&#8217;s up to parents, Rich said, to educate their children on the dangers of sextortion.
“You put fear into your son or daughter about not playing in the street. Do you put fear into your son or daughter about not talking to strangers, or don&#8217;t take a pill if somebody hands you one, or whatever it might be? Of course you do,” Rich said. “That&#8217;s part of being a good parent.”
“Well, now it&#8217;s time to put fear into them, a healthy fear about what they&#8217;re dealing with online, and do not trust anybody that you don&#8217;t know personally online,” he added. 
Rich hopes that his livestream is just the beginning of a longer conversation, and a continued awareness campaign.
&#8220;This needs to be a viral moment in America,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Parents need to have a viral moment with what&#8217;s gonna happen tonight on this live stream. The livestream will be recorded and posted to YouTube and Rumble. It&#8217;s gonna live on forever and ever.&#8221;
You can watch the X Space tonight, live, at 8 p.m. Eastern, on <a href="https://x.com/johnrich" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rich&#8217;s X account</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A conversation about online child predators with Homeland Security and John Rich: PLS Repost! <a href="https://t.co/zChy4K5HQU">https://t.co/zChy4K5HQU</a>
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich/status/1915190100058923202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-teen-boys-take-their-own-lives-as-online-sextortion-cases-spike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dozens Of Teen Boys Take Their Own Lives As Online Sextortion Cases Spike</a>

52nd Academy Of Country Music Awards – Arrivals

How Country Star John Rich Teamed Up With Kristi Noem To Combat Child Sextortion

John Rich

Morning Wire

Sex Trafficking

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem&#8217;s handbag, containing about $3,000 in cash, her DHS badge, passport, and other sensitive items, was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/21/politics/homeland-security-kristi-noem-purse-stolen/index.html">reportedly</a> stolen by a man wearing a medical mask at a Washington, D.C. restaurant on Sunday night.
Noem confirmed the incident on Monday while attending the White House Easter Egg Roll, but indicated that the matter remains unresolved.
Secret Service agents reviewed security camera footage at the Capitol Burger restaurant, which showed an unknown white male wearing a surgical mask stealing her unattended bag before quickly exiting the establishment.
Other stolen contents include Noem&#8217;s driver&#8217;s license, apartment keys, medication, makeup, and blank checks.
A DHS spokesperson <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/why-kristi-noem-had-3000-cash-purse-when-it-was-stolen-2062146">told</a> Newsweek that Noem had such a large amount of cash on hand to &#8220;treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts.&#8221;
&#8220;We can confirm this occurred last night. Her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren,&#8221; DHS said.
A law enforcement source confirmed that the Secret Service has initiated an investigation to trace any potential unauthorized use of Noem&#8217;s financial instruments.
“This is a security breach that actually has high consequences, and it needs immediate and further review by the Secret Service and DHS, and other law enforcement partners,” former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow told CNN.
“If necessary, the Secret Service will need to make operational changes on how they deal with these types of private events moving forward,” Wackrow said.
He added that Noem remains “at higher risk for targeted threats, both by foreign and domestic actors, and just her public profile alone makes her a symbolic target.”

Connecticut Democrats And Survivors And Families Of Gun Violence Victims Mark 12th Anniversary Of Sandy Hook School Shooting

Kristi Noem’s Purse — With DHS Badge, Passport, $3,000 Cash Inside — Stolen

Crime

Restaurant

Theft

Washington D.C.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reopened an office created in the first Trump administration but shut down by the Biden administration that supports families impacted by illegal alien crime.
Called the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office, it offers resources and referrals to legal aid for families impacted by illegal alien crime and will establish a tip line for crime victims.
“We have enemies living among us because of what the Biden administration has done by opening our borders,” Noem <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/09/us-news/kristi-noem-relaunches-biden-axed-ice-office-dedicated-to-migrant-crime-helping-angel-families/">said</a> while announcing the recreation of the VOICE office at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters.
“They have allowed terrorists, people that are on the terrorist watch list, dangerous criminals, gang members, and criminals to enter our country and to perpetuate violence on American families, and that is going to stop now,” Noem charged as she spoke in front of angel moms like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-one-is-safe-mothers-of-illegal-alien-crime-victims-blast-kamala-border-policies">Alexis Nungaray</a>, whose 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn Nungaray was raped and killed by members of Tren de Aragua.
Also present was Maureen Maloney, who lost her 23-year-old son in 2011 after he was struck by an illegal alien who was driving without a license.
“The illegal alien ran through a stop sign in the residential area and collided with Matthew’s motorcycle. Matthew survived the collision and was getting up out of the street when the illegal alien fled, and when he did, he ran Matthew over,” Maloney said as she recounted her son’s tragic death. “Matthew became lodged in the truck wheel well. And he was dragged to his death while witnesses were pleading with the driver to stop and banging on his truck. The driver never stopped. Matthew became dislodged. The illegal alien backed up over him again and continued to flee.”
“We’ve heard far too many stories about American lives that were taken because of illegal aliens who should have never been here in the first place,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin charged.
The office was closed by the Biden administration in 2021, with then DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stating that “all people, regardless of their immigration status, should be able to access victim services without fear.”
Noem said that the Trump administration is “righting the ship” by reopening the office, adding that the president is “going to prioritize not only these families but all the families that will be impacted by illegal immigration and the tragedy of losing someone because of the consequences of it.”

DHS Sec. Kristi Noem

Kristi Noem Reopens ICE Office To Support Families Who’ve Lost Loved Ones To Illegal Alien Crime

Illegal Immigration

Trump

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