Senate border security talks grind on as Trump invokes Nazi-era 'blood' rhetoric against immigrants
Time slipping, White House and Senate negotiators are struggling to reach a U.S. border security deal that would unlock President Joe Bidenโs request for billions of dollars worth in military aid for Ukraine and national security.
Michigan election workers want more done to keep them safe as they face threats, harassment
During the 2020 election, Canton Township Clerk Michael Siegristโs office collected more than 57,000 ballots. They did it safely and securely. But once the counting was done, the threats started, coming by the dozens.
Mayorkas tours border to prepare for asylum limits to end
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says authorities are prepared for an expected increase in migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border amid plans to lift a public health order that has been used to turn away migrants nearly 2 million times without a chance to seek asylum.
Families separated at Mexico border ask for residency, aid
A mother who was separated from her children on the U.S.-Mexico border during former President Donald Trumpโs administration says that she and other parents who experienced similar separations asked the Homeland Security Secretary for permanent legal residency in the United States and compensation.
Pipeline CEO defends paying ransom amid cyberattack
A pipeline company CEO is making no apologies for his decisions to abruptly halt fuel distribution for much of the East Coast and pay millions to a criminal gang in Russia as he faced down one of the most disruptive ransomware attacks in U.S. history.
Correction: Domestic Extremism story
In a story May 14, 2021, about a national terrorism alert from Friday warning that violent extremists may take advantage of the easing of pandemic restrictions to conduct attacks, The Associated Press erroneously reported that a national terrorism bulletin issued in January would expire Aug. 13.
โLabels matterโ -- Michigan lawmakers push for stronger federal terrorism laws
LANSING, Mich. โ Michigan is once again taking the lead on domestic terrorism across the country. The Homeland Security subcommittee on terrorism -- led by former CIA analyst and Department of Defense official Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin -- argued the U.S. should shift its focus from foreign terrorism to domestic. โWhile external threats remain, the single greatest threat to our country right now is the threat of domestic terrorism and the tensions and polarization between us,โ Slotkin said. AdSlotkin cited a new Homeland Security threat assessment that detailed that 2020 was a perfect storm for radical domestic groups. โOur government must send its own message back by labeling extremist violence as domestic terrorism.
Child border crossings surging, straining US facilities
FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum walk at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas. The number of children crossing by themselves, mostly from Central America, appears to be surging in particular in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. AdThe total of 561 unaccompanied minors from Monday offers a snapshot of how quickly conditions have changed along the border. โTheyโre all coming across the border, theyโre coming fast, and theyโre wearing Biden T-shirts,โ said the Oklahoma Republican. The Biden administration last week ended a Trump policy that made relatives reluctant to contact HHS to retrieve children for fear of being deported themselves.
US govt seizes over 10M phony N95 masks in COVID-19 probe
They have no utility whatsoever,โ Homeland Security Secretary Ali Mayorkas said of the fake masks. Homeland Security officials would not say which states the phony masks were sent to, but said criminal charges would be forthcoming. The company delivered some 2 billion N95 masks in 2020 as the pandemic intensified, but in the earlier months, when masks were in short supply, fraudsters took advantage. But phony masks have already made it to front-line workers in other cases. Over the past year there has been more than 1,250 raids by law enforcement resulting in the seizure of millions of fake masks.
Michigan Congressional Republicans question deployment of National Guard troops
LANSING โ Hundreds of Michigan National Guard members are being sent to Washington, D.C. after the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning that the deadly Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol Building could motivate more domestic terrorists. In a letter House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Michiganโs Congressional Republicans asked for โan immediate intelligence briefingโ about why 1,000 troops from the stateโs National Guard are being redeployed to protect Washington. Rep. Lisa McClain said she hasnโt been given a briefing by the speaker or congressional leaders about any imminent threats. Three GOP officials from Michigan -- including McClain -- still voted to object to election results after the insurrection that killed six people. National Guard troops are expected to stay in D.C. through March.
Schumer: Trump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)WASHINGTON (AP) โ Opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump on the charge of incitement of insurrection for the Capitol riot will begin the week of Feb. 8. READ: House votes to impeach President Trump for violent Capitol insurrectionSenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule Friday evening after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who had pushed to delay the trial to give Trump a chance to organize his legal team and prepare a defense. Trump will be the first former president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office. โWe all want to put this awful chapter in our nationโs history behind us,โ Schumer said about the deadly Capitol siege. And that is what this trial will provide.โ
Homeland Security on alert for COVID vaccine scams: Here are red flags to watch for
Itโs been a busy time for Homeland Security as they work to stop foreign agents, as well as local scammers, from targeting victims with a COVID-19 vaccine scam. Even before the first trucks started rolling out with the COVID-19 vaccine last week, special agents from Detroitโs Homeland Security office were already at work. Vance Callender is the Special Agent in Charge with Detroit Homeland Security said. The second red flag to watch out for when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine scams is that you should not be paying money upfront. If you know of any suspicious activity you should reach out to Homeland Security by emailing covid19fraud@dhs.gov or calling the tipline at 313-226-0500.
Judge: Trump administration must take new DACA applications
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the government had to post a public notice within three days โ including on its website and the websites of all other relevant government agencies โ that new DACA applications were being accepted. Garaufis also ordered the government to put together a status report on the DACA program by Jan. 4. โEvery time the outgoing administration tried to use young immigrants as political scapegoats, they defiled the values of our nation. The Trump administration had announced the end of the program in 2017, leading to the legal challenges that wound up in front of the Supreme Court. For the second time, a court has ordered the administration to resume processing DACA applications.
Watch Local 4 News at 11 -- Sept. 12, 2019
DETROIT - Here's what is coming up on Local 4 News at 11:Narcotics investigationThere is a massive operation ongoing involving Madison Heights police, the FBI, Homeland Security and Oakland County officials near 11 Mile Road and Dequindre Street. Marathon leakA leak at the Marathon Refinery in Detroit created an oil vapor cloud over the area and those who live in the area said this is not the first time something like that has happened. Democratic debateTen Democratic presidential hopefuls shared the same stage for the first time since the two nights of debates in Detroit. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
Acting Homeland Security chief: Timing of ICE raids 'unfortunate'
(CNN) - President Donald Trump's acting Homeland Security secretary expressed regret Sunday about the timing of immigration raids in Mississippi this week given the emotional state of the nation in the wake of two mass shootings. McAleenan explained in the interview the immigration enforcement actions -- which occurred in the days after a gunman in El Paso, Texas, targeted Latinos and immigrants, and another shooter opened fire in Dayton, Ohio -- were long-planned. "In terms of the ICE operations, these are enforcement operations that are part of their daily cycle," he said. The raids, he said, are "believed to be the largest single-state immigration enforcement operation in our nation's history." McAleenan wouldn't say on Sunday whether Trump himself was aware of the raids before they began, instead saying, "the President doesn't run law enforcement operations."
Ocasio-Cortez confronts McAleenan over border agent Facebook group
The group, which was originally uncovered by ProPublica, featured jokes about migrant deaths and derogatory posts and images of Latina members of Congress. "Those posts are unacceptable," McAleenan said. Ocasio-Cortez -- who was personally attacked in a sexually graphic post in the group -- asked McAleenan about what he knew about the group prior to the media reports and whether any agents involved were still on the force. Posts in the group featured comments about the death of a teen Guatemalan migrant in Weslaco, Texas, such as "oh well" and "if he dies he dies." This is an agency that rescues 4,000 people a year, that's absolutely committed to the well-being of everyone that they interact with," McAleenan responded.
Planned ICE raids stoke deportation fears in Metro Detroit
DETROIT - The news that Department of Homeland Security Agents plan to round up undocumented immigrants this weekend is spreading fear through some Metro Detroit communities. Cindy Garcia remembers the good times with her husband, Jorge Garcia, and the countless memories as a family of four living in Metro Detroit. With the news spreading of ICE raids across the country this weekend, it's deja vu for her. ICE Detroit isn't confirming or denying a raid this weekend, but the Garcia family wants their message out there. The nationwide rally is called Lights for Liberty and a candlelight vigil will take place Friday at 6 p.m. outside of the ICE Detroit Field Office.