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House Passes Aid Bill for Israel but Not for Ukraine
ICE arrests African illegal immigrant, wanted in Senegal for terrorist offenses, who was released into US
Federal immigration authorities arrested an illegal immigrant wanted in Senegal for alleged terrorist activities, two weeks after he was released into the country after being encountered by agents at the southern border.
In a press release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says a 29-year-old “unlawfully present Mauritanian or Senegalese citizen” was arrested on Oct. 17.
ICE says he is wanted by Senegalese authorities for criminal conspiracy in relation to a terrorist organization; destruction, degradation and damages in relation to a terrorist organization; direct provocation of an armed crowd and acts (or preparatory acts) aimed at compromising public safety.
GRASSLEY SOUNDS ALARM ON POTENTIAL DRONE THREAT AT SOUTHERN BORDER AMID HAMAS TERROR CONCERNS
But he had first been encountered on Oct. 3 — two weeks earlier — by Border Patrol agents at the southern border near Lukeville, Arizona. He was then processed by officials and served with a Notice to Appear in New York City and released on his own recognizance.
A week after he was released, on Oct. 10, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations agents notified Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York City that he was wanted on terrorism charges in Senegal.
ICE’s New York City Fugitive Operations team then arrested him “without incident” outside of the Federal Plaza immigration court in New York City. He is now in custody on deportation proceedings.
“Noncitizens who are engaged in or suspected of supporting terrorism are a direct threat to our country’s national security and will be expeditiously removed from the United States,” ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo said in a statement. “ERO New York City will use every tool at our disposal to keep American citizens and residents safe from those who erroneously believe they can exploit our immigration laws to escape justice in other countries.”
But the release of a foreign national who is wanted on terror charges in another country is likely to fuel ongoing concerns about terrorists or terror suspects getting into the U.S. at the besieged southern border — particularly in the wake of the Hamas terror attack against Israel. Border Patrol agents have expressed concerns to Fox News before that, unless someone has committed a crime in the U.S., agents may not know a migrant’s criminal history as many countries do not share their databases with the U.S.
Republicans have separately raised concerns about the number of terror watch list encounters at the southern border, which hit a record in FY23, as well as the number of “special interest aliens” being encountered — in addition to the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who evaded agents as “gotaways.”
Recently, a CBP memo warned agents about the possibility that foreign fighters associated with terror groups like Hamas may try and enter the U.S. — although CBP has stressed that it has seen no indications of fighters trying to do so.
The Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal 2024 threat assessment warned that agents have encountered a growing number on the watch list and warned that “terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States.”
BORDER PATROL STOPS RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON TERROR WATCH LIST AT SOUTHERN BORDER
DHS has stressed that it has “multilayered border security efforts” including screening and vetting, and has also said that encounters of known or suspected terrorists are uncommon.
“Our border security efforts include biometric and biographic screening and vetting,” a DHS official said this week. “CBP screens and vets every individual encountered, and if an individual is determined to pose a potential threat to national security or public safety, in coordination with the Joint Terrorism Taskforce (JTTF), we either deny admission, detain, remove, or refer them to other federal agencies for further vetting and prosecution as appropriate.”
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Trump appeals reinstated gag order in DC federal election case
Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has filed an appeal to remove the partial gag order imposed on him by a federal judge in his Washington, D.C., 2020 election interference case.
“No court in American history has imposed a gag order on a criminal defendant who is actively campaigning for public office — let alone the leading candidate for President of the United States,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in the filing.
“The Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and over 100 million Americans who listen to him,” they added.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan first imposed the partial gag order Oct. 17, blocking Trump from making statements targeting Special Counsel Smith, his staff, witnesses and court personnel.
It was later put on hold pending a previous appeal from the former president before being reinstated by Chutkan Sunday.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Former Memphis Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Tyre Nichols’s Death
Dem senator admonishes Israel over ‘unacceptable’ Gaza civilian death, urges immediate strategy change
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., took to social media Thursday to admonish Israel for what he called an “unacceptable and unsustainable” rate of civilian death amid its ongoing invasion of Gaza, and urged the country to “immediately reconsider its approach” to destroying Hamas.
“It’s time for Israel’s friends to recognize that the current approach is causing an unacceptable level of civilian harm and does not appear likely to achieve the goal of ending the threat from Hamas,” Murphy said in a lengthy statement posted on X.
“As we have learned from America’s own counterterrorism campaigns, disproportionately large numbers of civilian casualties come with a moral cost, but also a strategic cost, as terrorism groups feed off of the grievances caused by civilian harm,” he said.
Murphy emphasized that Israel has a right to defend itself following the devastating Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that resulted in the murder of more than 1,300 civilians, including children and babies, but said it had “not struck the right balance between military necessity and proportionality.”
“The current rate of civilian death inside Gaza is unacceptable and unsustainable. I urge Israel to immediately reconsider its approach and shift to a more deliberate and proportionate counterterrorism campaign, surgically targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders and terrorism infrastructure while more highly prioritizing the safety of civilians in accordance with the law of armed conflict,” he added.
Murphy’s statement came just hours after his colleague, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., joined other far-left members of the party in calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
WATCH: BIDEN ADMIN GRILLED FOR FRIENDLY OVERTURES TO QATAR, WHERE HAMAS LEADER LIVES
Durbin, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, told CNN host Poppy Harlow he believes there should be a cease-fire between the Jewish state and the terror group on the condition that Hamas releases all the hostages it took from Israel in their Oct. 7 attack.
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Fox News’ Gabriel Hayes contributed to this report.
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U.S. to Press Israel for ‘Pauses’ in War With Hamas
ND politician accused of traveling to Prague for sex with minor took taxpayer-funded trips to city: report
A former North Dakota legislator charged with traveling to Prague with the intent of paying for sex with a minor used state funds to pay for at least three trips to that city and to other destinations in Europe, according to a group that organized the travel.
Travel records from the North Dakota School Boards Association show that former state senator Ray Holmberg used public funding for trips in 2011, 2018 and 2019 to Prague in the Czech Republic and to other cities, including Amsterdam and Berlin. The trips were arranged through the Germany-based Global Bridges teacher exchange program, which received funding from the North Dakota Legislature.
A federal indictment unsealed Monday charged Holmberg with traveling to Prague with the intent of paying for sex with a minor and also with receiving images depicting child sexual abuse. Holmberg, 79, has pleaded not guilty.
NORTH DAKOTA POLITICIAN CHARGED WITH TRAVELING TO CZECH REPUBLIC FOR SEX WITH MINOR
It’s unclear whether the alleged conduct happened during the publicly funded trips. But the indictment says Holmberg traveled to Prague “from on or about June 24, 2011, to on or about Nov. 1, 2016 … for the purpose of engaging in any illicit sexual conduct.” One of the travel records for the funded trips lists a departure date of June 24, 2011, to Prague and other cities.
The North Dakota Legislature gave money to the state Department of Public Instruction, which essentially passed it along to Global Bridges to pay for trips for teachers and legislators.
State Rep. Bob Martinson said he picked the legislators who went on the trips, usually a combination of men and women, House and Senate, Democratic and Republican for “a balanced group of people who were interested in learning and would all get along together so it would not be a political trip.”
Holmberg “established a really good rapport with Global Bridges, and they liked him, and they requested that he go to those meetings. They wanted him involved,” Martinson said.
His brother, former Association Executive Director Jon Martinson, was the project director and participated in the selection of teachers for the trips. Holmberg traveled with teachers twice and also on independent trips where he was invited to participate, such as for a forum, annual meeting or symposium, said Jon Martinson. He said he didn’t know how many trips Holmberg took through the program.
The trips are beneficial for legislators because of the knowledge they gain on topics such as energy and international relations, Jon Martinson said.
Bob and Jon Martinson said they didn’t know of what Holmberg is accused of doing in Prague.
Holmberg declined to answer questions from The Associated Press.
“My lawyer tells me don’t talk to anyone because I’ve got that criminal thing, so I’m following my attorney’s advice,” Holmberg said Wednesday.
Bob Martinson called the allegations raised by the indictment “terribly sad.” Holmberg has been a friend for over 40 years, he said.
The state-paid travel was first reported by KFGO and The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Gov. Doug Burgum’s spokesman, Mike Nowatzki, said, “Speaking broadly, (Burgum) finds such allegations involving children disturbing and disgusting and believes perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Longtime Democratic state Sen. Tim Mathern said he has “no objection to conferences and ways to educate our legislators about what’s going on in the world, but certainly the scrutiny needs to be much higher.” The Legislature could take “a fine-tooth comb going through our budgets,” provide accountability such as names of people “promoting certain things,” and revisit records retention, he said.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE SENATOR RESIGNING AFTER TEXTS WITH CHILD PORN SUSPECT
If Holmberg traveled on the state’s dime to commit the alleged conduct, “I would say it was a misuse of dollars,” Mathern said. “I have no question that this was a misuse of tax dollars.” The situation indicates “we as a system need to make some changes,” he said.
Holmberg served over 45 years in the North Dakota Senate. He was a powerful lawmaker, chairing the Senate Appropriations Committee, which writes budgets, and a top legislative panel that handles legislative matters between biennial sessions. He took dozens of state-funded trips throughout the U.S. and abroad in the last decade, according to legislative travel records.
Holmberg resigned last year after The Forum reported on his dozens of text messages exchanged with a man in jail at the time on charges related to images of child sexual abuse.
A state panel on Thursday voted unanimously to suspend Holmberg’s lifetime teaching license, intending to revoke it immediately if he pleads guilty to or is convicted of any charge based on the case’s underlying facts, according to the motion in meeting minutes.
Holmberg, who is retired, had a career with Grand Forks Public Schools from 1967 to 2002, including years as a teacher, child find coordinator and counselor.
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Wisconsin Democrats introduce prison reform package as lockdowns proliferate
Democratic lawmakers introduced a sweeping legislative package Thursday to address deteriorating conditions in Wisconsin prisons as a chronic staffing shortage has led to months-long lockdowns and a federal lawsuit.
The state’s perennially overcrowded prison system has been grappling with a lack of staffing that has only grown worse in recent years. The state’s adult institutions are currently dealing with an overall 32.3% vacancy rate, according to the state Department of Corrections.
“We are here today because conditions are dire in our institutions,” Rep. Ryan Clancy of Milwaukee said at a news conference. “This package is a crime reduction package. When we are less cruel to those we incarcerate, those people are less likely to be incarcerated in the future.”
GOV. EVERS SUES WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE FOR OBSTRUCTING BASIC GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS
The legislation includes proposals that would require inmates get hot showers, weekly in-person visits, and recreational opportunities. Other bills in the package would mandate cells be kept at tolerable temperatures and that prisoners be allowed to at least view the outdoors for several hours daily.
But the package doesn’t address staffing and the bills don’t explain how the mandates would be met without more guards.
Republicans who control the state Assembly and Senate didn’t respond to messages Thursday inquiring about the bills’ chances. GOP lawmakers have introduced almost nothing dealing with prison staffing or conditions this session. The only notable proposal would create a work program for inmates approaching their release date and that bill hasn’t gotten a hearing.
The state budget Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed in July bumped guards’ starting pay from $20.29 to $33 an hour, but it has made little difference. The lack of staffing has become so severe that prisons in Waupun, Green Bay and Stanley have implemented lockdowns in which prisoners are confined to their cells for nearly 24 hours a day, according to inmate advocates.
Waupun’s lockdown began in March; Green Bay’s began in June; Stanley’s lockdown began in early 2023, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Corrections officials have labeled the lockdowns as “modified movement.”
At least three inmates at Waupun have died over the last four months. One death was confirmed as a suicide. The other two deaths remain under investigation.
A group of Waupun inmates filed a federal lawsuit in Milwaukee last week alleging conditions at that prison amount to cruel and unusual punishment. The prisoners allege they can’t get access to health care, with guards telling them their illnesses are “all in your head” and they should “pray” for a cure. They also maintain that they’re allowed only one shower per week, they receive no educational programming, aren’t allowed in-person visits with their families and that the prison is infested with rats and roaches.
WISCONSIN SENATE PASSES $2B TAX CUT PACKAGE, THOUGH EVERS VETO LIKELY
The governor told the Journal Sentinel on Wednesday that his administration is “working on this every single day” but the problems stem from lack of staffing.
“It’s a people issue,” he said.
Corrections spokesman Kevin Hoffman said in an email to The Associated Press that the agency has been working with Democrats to craft legislation but hasn’t seen final versions of the bills yet. He disagreed with the term “lockdown,” saying under a lockdown all movement would stop. Inmate activities at Waupun and Green Bay are simply taking place “less frequently or with fewer numbers,” he said. He did not address conditions at Stanley.
Hoffman declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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The border deal Biden is considering to get Ukraine aid
Top Biden officials are preparing Democratic lawmakers and immigration policy advocates for the likelihood the administration will have to swallow compromises on asylum law in order for the president’s national security funding request to pass.
In calls with those lawmakers and advocates in recent weeks, officials from the White House and Department of Homeland Security floated potential changes as a means of winning over Republicans opposed to aid for Ukraine, according to four people familiar with the talks.
The outreach illustrates how challenging the coming days will be for the White House as it tries to move a $106 billion supplemental aid package that includes money for Ukraine, Israel, the southern border and Taiwan. Republicans have insisted that any large-scale plan include border policy changes as well. In the process, they have placed a political lighting rod of an issue squarely into the biggest legislative matter before Congress — and forced the White House to balance competing interests.
A former administration official familiar with the discussions, who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, said the White House’s openness to asylum reform “was a huge substantive risk, and political one.”
“It could get ugly,” the person added.
While the administration has begun broaching the contours of a possible immigration policy compromise, similar movement is harder to detect on the Hill. Democratic lawmakers have resisted engaging in talks over what concessions they would make before Republicans detail what concrete policy asks they have, even as they express a willingness to talk.
“I think it’s hard to do those things fast, right, without having a whole lot of unnecessary consequences,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). “But we got to be open to the discussions.”
But in broad strokes, Democrats have also discussed asylum policy changes as a place of possible overlapping legislative interest. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the Senate Homeland Security Committee chair, said “the process of asylum is clearly something that needs to be looked at,” while Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), another member of Homeland Security, said “the judicial process and the timing” of asylum should be considered.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday emphasized the need for Congress to move forward with Biden’s supplemental request, which the administration views as the best way to manage border security needs.
“We’ve been very clear, if Republicans are serious about dealing with border security, this is something that they should move forward with — easily. Easily. But what we’ve seen them do over and over again is play political games,” she said.
The specific asylum reform that has come up in private conversations with administration officials, according to people familiar with them, is a change to the credible fear standard. Under current law, if a migrant is subject to expedited removal and put through the credible fear process, that person is required to show a “significant possibility” of credible fear of persecution, torture or fear returning to their country. A tweak to the law’s language could in theory mean fewer migrants hitting the credible fear threshold and, therefore, more being denied the opportunity to apply for asylum.
It is unlikely that such a change would placate Republicans, who are floating proposals such as reimplementing Remain in Mexico — a Trump-era policy that forced migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims were processed — alongside other changes to asylum law.
“The second thing we’d like to see is changing the asylum claims standard, where you don’t have 21,000 people claiming asylum every three days. I think those are the two big issues, and there are a lot of other smaller issues that I think are going to come up in negotiations,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) told POLITICO.
The administration’s move could, moreover, spark blowback among Democrats, including those who have accused the White House of lacking a humane approach to the border and migration. One person familiar with the talks told POLITICO that if the White House moves forward with pushing changes to asylum law without trying to secure progress on something like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, immigration advocates would likely denounce the deal.
The insertion of immigration policy into the debate around the president’s supplemental request has already proven to be a magnet for elected officials looking for related, peripheral reforms.
A group of Democratic mayors descended Thursday on Washington to meet with White House and DHS officials — including White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Office of Intergovernmental Affairs director Tom Perez — before later heading to the Hill to meet with Democratic senators. They met with Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
As their cities manage an influx of migrants, they too, are hoping the imperative of passing Ukraine and Israel funding will help them move forward their own immigration asks — not only funding but policy changes that would allow migrants to work. The thinking among the mayors is that a sweet spot for the deal could be around adjusting asylum law in exchange for work authorization, all tied together with Ukraine and Israel funding.
“It’s pretty hard to ignore when both parties in Congress, the White House and mayors from major cities all agree that there needs to be resources and changes with regard to how we manage migration,” said another former administration official.
“But where it quickly breaks down is what does that look like? And what are the specific policy changes?”
Burgess Everett contributed to this report.
Go to Source: Politico