Illegals Now Flooding San Diego after Abbott’s Successful Crackdown

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Illegals Now Flooding San Diego after Abbott’s Successful Crackdown

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The sentiment among illegal aliens now targeting San Diego as their preferred point of entry into the U.S. seems to be “come one, come all.”

In the second week of May, Border Patrol agents apprehended a staggering 8,016 individuals, according to data reviewed by the New York Post from the regional CBP office.

Two weeks earlier, Border Patrol agents arrested 10,023 illegal immigrants.

In April, San Diego recorded the highest number of illegal alien apprehensions for the second consecutive month, with over 35,490 arrests, according to the New York Post.

This marks the first time San Diego has reached such a record since the 1990s.

Experts attribute this surge to human smugglers’ efforts to avoid Texas’s new stringent immigration laws.

“Mexican authorities have put a lot of pressure on key migration routes to Texas, and that may be forcing people to try other routes further west,” said Chris Ramon, a senior advisor on immigration for the Latino civil rights organization UnidosUS, in remarks to the Los Angeles Times.

He added, “Migration is a dynamic phenomenon, and people are going to adjust and find the circumstances where they have the best chance to reach the United States.”

In response to the Biden administration’s perceived inaction, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has introduced several laws aimed at curbing the unprecedented levels of illegal immigration.

Biden’s Grossly Misleading Claims on Georgia Election Law

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Biden’s Grossly Misleading Claims on Georgia Election Law

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Joe Biden falsely claimed on Sunday that Georgia prohibits election officials from providing water to voters waiting in line. 

“Today in Georgia, they won’t allow water to be available to you while you wait in line to vote in an election,” Biden stated during his commencement address at Morehouse College. “What in the hell is that all about?” he then asked.

However, Biden’s statements are demonstrably false: Georgia law does not prevent voters from receiving water while waiting in line at the polls.

The state law prohibits non-election officials, including special interest groups and campaign workers, from distributing gifts or money, including food or water, within 150 feet of a polling place. 

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, then-Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams accused Republicans, without evidence, of disenfranchising some Georgia voters due to signature verification laws. 

Notably, Biden’s claims come just months before the 2024 election, as Democrats push to scale back laws intended to prevent potential voter fraud or irregularities. 

Biden is set to face former President Donald Trump, who, despite ongoing legal challenges, has emerged as the leading candidate in several polls. 

Biden’s critics were quick to call out the president’s claims about the distribution of water. 

“There is no law in Georgia preventing water being available to voters waiting in line. This was debunked years ago, yet he’s still pushing this garbage,” wrote a Twitter user known as “Andrew @ Don’t Walk, Run!” 

The Research account of the Republican National Committee wrote on Twitter that Biden’s claim was a “debunked lie.” 

Podcast host Stephen L. Miller appeared to call on left-wing fact-checkers to act on Biden.

“Calling @GlennKesslerWP,” Miller wrote on Twitter, referring to the Washington Post’s fact-checker. “Calling @ddale8,” he added, referring to the CNN’s fact-checker. 

Trouble for Biden: RFK Jr. ‘In Discussions’ w/ CNN for Debate Slot

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Trouble for Biden: RFK Jr. ‘In Discussions’ w/ CNN for Debate Slot

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Sunday that he is in discussions with CNN about a potential appearance in the first debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. 

“We are in discussions with CNN,” Kennedy Jr. said during an interview on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with host Maria Bartiromo. 

“CNN published a list of four criteria for candidates getting in the debate with, and we have shown CNN that we meet all of those criteria and that President Trump and President Biden cannot meet those criteria,” he clamed. 

Kennedy Jr.’s claims imply that Biden and Trump are the presumptive nominees for the Democratic and Republican nominations for president, respectively—but have not been officially declared as candidates. 

“One of the … key criterion is that every candidate has to have, if on the ballots in enough states to get 270 electoral votes by June 20th, and we will be, we will qualify for that,” he continued. 

Elaborating on his remarks, he continued, “President Trump and President Biden cannot qualify for that because they don’t have any electoral votes at this time. They are presumptive nominees for their party, but they themselves are not on the ballot. I will be the only one on the ballot.” 

Kennedy Jr. also told Bartiromo that another requirement to appear in the debate is polling at least 15 percent, which he claims he meets. 

“We’ve given them five national polls that show me, including the CNN, the most recent CNN poll that has me at 15—Harvard-Harris poll, the Monmouth poll, the Quinnipiac poll, they all have me at 15% or more,” he continued. 

Prosecutors Charge 6 With Faking Robberies to Get U.S. Visas for ‘Victims’

Editor 5
-
0
Prosecutors Charge 6 With Faking Robberies to Get U.S. Visas for ‘Victims’

(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) – Federal prosecutors have charged six people with staging armed robberies to help purported victims get U.S. immigration visas reserved for crime victims.

Prosecutors said Parth Nayi, a 26-year-old from Woodridge, Illinois, and Kewon Young, a 31-year-old from Mansfield, Ohio, allegedly organized the scheme from July 2022 through January.

Prosecutors said they participated in staged armed robberies at restaurants, coffee shops, liquor stores, and gas stations in Chicago and the suburbs of Lombard, Elmwood Park, St. Charles, Hickory Hills, River Grove, Lake Villa, and South Holland, and restaurants in Rayne, La., and Belvidere, Tenn.

The indictment alleges four people paid Nayi thousands of dollars to be purported victims. The four charged were Bhikhabhai Patel, Nilesh Patel, Ravinaben Patel, and Rajnikumar Patel. The arrangement was so that they could submit applications for U nonimmigrant status. Such “U-visas” are set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in an investigation or prosecution, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that the purported victims paid Nayi thousands of dollars to participate in the scam.

During the staged robberies, prosecutors said people acting as robbers brandished what appeared to be firearms, approached the purported victims, and demanded money and property.

“At the direction of Nayi and Young, the individuals acting as robbers, on certain occasions, struck purported victims to make the staged robbery appear real,” the indictment stated. “The individuals acting as robbers took items from the purported victims and fled the scene.”

Prosecutors said Nayi and Young recruited others to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those people. They also arranged times and places with the purported victims. Nayi and Young paid the pretend robbers with cash from the purported victims, according to the indictment.

Afterward, some of the purported victims submitted forms to local law enforcement to obtain certification that they were victims of a qualifying crime and had been or would be helpful in the investigation, according to the indictment. After getting certification, some of the purported victims then submitted fraudulent U-visa applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Nayi, 26, of Woodridge, Ill., Young, 31, of Mansfield, Ohio, Bhikhabhai Patel, 51, of Elizabethtown, Ky., Nilesh Patel, 32, of Jackson, Tenn., Ravinaben Patel, 23, of Racine, Wis., and Rajnikumar Patel, 32, of Jacksonville, Fla., were charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

Ravinaben Patel also was charged with a count of making a false statement in a visa application.

The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. The false statement charge is punishable by up to ten years.

Prosecutors from the Northern District of Illinois charged a Chicago immigration attorney in 2023 with helping clients file immigration forms filled with sham marriages, fake jobs and false accusations of domestic abuse.

Lawmakers to Grill Biden’s Energy Sec. over Energy Costs, Regulations

Editor 5
-
0
Lawmakers to Grill Biden’s Energy Sec. over Energy Costs, Regulations

(Casey Harper, The Center Square)  Lawmakers will grill Joe Biden’s Energy Secretary at a newly announced oversight hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is expected to face lawmakers for questions amid elevated gas prices, a depleted strategic petroleum reserve, and ongoing criticism of Biden’s energy policies.

According to AAA, the average national price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $3.60 per gallon, down slightly in recent weeks but up from the same time last year. The average price for a gallon of gas when Biden took office was about $2.40 nationally.

“Under Secretary Granholm’s leadership, the Department of Energy has implemented radical policies and unchecked regulations in an effort to wage a war against American-made energy production and cement far-left Green New Deal priorities,” U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the committee holding the hearing, said in a statement.

International conflicts during Biden’s term have exacerbated the problem. Russia is a major energy exporter, but its invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions have complicated global energy markets.

At the same time, a potential expansion of the Israel–Hamas war into a broader Middle East conflict could significantly impact gas prices.

While gas prices are elevated, they are below the all-time record average of over $5 per gallon of unleaded gasoline seen earlier in Biden’s term. To respond to those prices, Biden released a large portion of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserves, meant for emergencies like a war or national disaster.

Now, the reserves are at the lowest point in decades.

“It’s clear the Department of Energy has been operating behind closed doors for far too long and it has left Americans in the dark about the Department’s misuse of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, pause on liquified natural gas exports, and increased spending levels,” Comer said. “The Oversight Committee is prepared to shine a light on the Biden Administration’s disastrous policies and will continue to work to hold Secretary Granholm accountable.”

Energy prices overall have risen markedly since Biden took office and have helped fuel the spike in inflation during his term.

Last week, the Biden administration proposed blocking new coal mines on federally owned lands in Powder River Basin, a major coal-producing region in the U.S.

Biden immediately took fire for that proposal, the latest effort to curtail domestic energy production as the White House cites climate change concerns.

“The Biden administration continues to attack domestic energy production and make America weaker and more reliant on foreign energy sources,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, wrote on X in response to the announcement.

“Electricity prices have risen by 30% since Biden took office,” Crenshaw said.

“So why is he reversing a Trump land use decision? Because this administration is more focused on appeasing radical environmentalists than creating pragmatic policy,” he added. “We desperately need a change in administration and a return to the Trump policies that ensured American had access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy.”

All these concerns will likely come up during the Congressional hearing.

Biden has also taken fire for pausing issuing permits for new natural gas export sites at the beginning of this year. A coalition of two dozen states sent a letter to the Biden administration blasting his decision and calling it unlawful. A group of about 150 Republicans expressed similar concerns.

The committee’s announcement of the hearing suggested that topic would be front and center as well.

“The Committee has ongoing investigations into the Biden Administration’s pause on new liquified natural gas export permits, Secretary Granholm’s summer 2023 electric vehicle road trip, jet-setting activities of the Special Envoy for Climate Office, creation of the American Climate Corps, historic depletion of the SPR, and burdensome and expensive EPA rulemakings,” the Republican-led committee said in its announcement.

New Bill Would Block Biden from Restricting Military Equipment Transfers to Police

Editor 5
-
0
New Bill Would Block Biden from Restricting Military Equipment Transfers to Police

(Corey Walker, The Center Square) – Virginia Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Good is filing the Protecting Our Police Act on Thursday in honor of National Police Week, which is May 12-18.

The bill would help empower police by blocking the Biden administration from administering any restrictions on the Section 1033 program, which gives police departments access to military surplus equipment. The legislation would also codify Executive Order 13809, which eliminates existing restrictions on the Section 1033 program.

Good argues the bill will reduce the burden on American taxpayers by allowing a simplified transfer of military-grade weapons from the armed forces to police departments, bolstering law enforcements’ ability to thwart crime.

A 2017 study by researchers from the University of Warwick, in England, and the Norwegian School of Economics, argues that furnishing police with military-grade weaponry could help reduce crime. The study argues that areas in which the police received an influx of military aid saw a decreased crime rate.

“A 10% increase in the total value of military aid [given to a community] leads to a decrease of 5.9 crimes per 100,000 population,” the study states.

A transfer of $5,800 worth of military equipment to police can save roughly $112,000 in crime reduction, the study argues.

The transfer of military equipment to police has long been controversial. According to official statistics, since 1997, more than 8,000 police departments around the country have received excess military equipment from the Pentagon’s Defense Logistics Agency, valued at more than $6 billion.

The 1033 Program, as it is called, has occasionally found itself the subject of criticism. In particular, there were worries when police used armored cars and other military equipment to put down protests after the 2014 shooting death of the violent criminal Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri

Crockett Plays Race Card, Calls MTG ‘Racist’ After Heated Exchange

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Crockett Plays Race Card, Calls MTG ‘Racist’ After Heated Exchange

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA)  Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, infamously known for her controversial behavior in the House of Representatives, is now playing the race card after insulting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, R-Ga., physical appearance. 

“She is racist. I mean, I don’t have any questions about that,” Crockett told reporters on Friday, repeating the same allegations during an interview with CNN on Friday. 

Her claims followed a heated exchange with Greene during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday. 

Greene accused Crockett’s “fake lashes” of blocking her sight, prompting Crockett to retaliate with her own insult.

“If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct,” she said.

In the CNN interview, Crockett complained about alleged attacks from “MAGA America,” sarcastically stating, “I’ve received so many amazing compliments from MAGA America throughout my time in Congress.” 

She added, “A lot of times when I would go viral, instead of them trying to address the things that I laid out in a very factual way, what they would try to do is say, ‘Oh, look at her hair,’ or ‘Look at her nails,’ or ‘Look at her lashes,’ and they would all then associate anything I do as a form of beautification with being quote-unquote ‘ghetto.’” 

Strikingly, in the same CNN interview, Crockett defended her use of derogatory terms when addressing Greene. 

“Why did you react the way that you did to the comment that Marjorie Taylor Greene made about you,” CNN host Abby Philip asked Crocket. 

In response, Crockett claimed that she did not immediately respond to Greene’s remarks but posed a rhetorical question about House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s ruling that Greene’s remarks needed to be removed from the record, but did not force her to apologize. 

“I want to clarify that I actually did not react instantaneously to. I was actually trying to allow the process to work,” she claimed. 

Cuellar Follows Biden’s Playbook: Uses Campaign Donations for Legal Defense

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Cuellar Follows Biden’s Playbook: Uses Campaign Donations for Legal Defense

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, has used nearly half of his campaign funds for the 2024 election cycle to cover legal bills resulting from a DOJ criminal indictment for alleged bribery and money laundering. 

Following a strategy similar to President Joe Biden’s, Cuellar has spent over $750,000 from his campaign donations—almost half of the $1.6 million in his campaign account. 

Biden previously milked $1.5 million from the Democratic National Committee to pay for his legal fees related to the Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into classified documents found at his residence. 

Cuellar’s significant campaign expenditures were first reported by the Daily Caller and Open Secrets, which examined his campaign’s filings with the Federal Election Commission. 

These expenses arose after Cuellar faced federal criminal charges, accused of accepting $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani-controlled oil company and a Mexican bank. 

Prosecutors claim Cuellar agreed to promote policies benefiting Azerbaijan’s government. Cuellar’s wife, Imelda Cuellar, is also charged in the indictment. 

Cuellar has denied the DOJ’s allegations, stating, “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas.” 

He continued, “The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people.” 

The DOJ alleged earlier this month that Cuellar and his wife received the payments through laundered means, including “sham consulting contracts.” 

According to prosecutors, Cuellar’s wife allegedly ran this consulting company, but “performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts.” 

The revelation of Cuellar using his campaign contributions highlights a contentious issue among Democrats, who have criticized former President Donald Trump for using donations to cover legal expenses from indictments by Democratic prosecutors. 

Many Trump supporters view the prosecutions he faces as part of a broader effort to damage his re-election campaign and continue to donate in response. 

Bowser Joins Hochul in Controversy Over Taxpayer-Funded Travel

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Bowser Joins Hochul in Controversy Over Taxpayer-Funded Travel

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Democrats seem unable to resist using taxpayers’ hard-earned money for their so-called official business trips. 

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser is the latest offender, preparing for a trip to Las Vegas under the guise of a mayoral event related to shopping centers. 

The trip, scheduled from Sunday through Tuesday, is part of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) event in Las Vegas.  

The mayor’s office claims it aims to attract retail to D.C., as reported by Fox News. 

Bowser’s taxpayer-funded excursion comes just days after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, was slammed for making taxpayers foot the bill for her European trip on a supposed climate-related expedition. 

In her defense, Bowser claimed, “We know that Washingtonians in every part of DC want access to fantastic amenities.” 

She added, “Through programs like the Food Access Fund and the Neighborhood Prosperity Fund, we have made good progress in filling amenity gaps, but there is still more to do to ensure greater accessibility and equity – and filling those gaps and supporting the continued transformation of Downtown will be a focus of this trip.” 

The ICSC event is set to take place at Wynn Las Vegas, a luxurious hotel boasting resort-like pools and a “Five-Star” award-winning reputation. 

Bowser’s trip comes on the heels of Hochul’s contentious taxpayer-funded journey to Europe, where she is scheduled for a 15-minute speech at the Vatican for a climate-related conference hosted by the Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Science. 

Hochul will then proceed to Ireland for the 2024 Global Economic Summit, scheduled from May 20 to May 21. 

Hochul’s office attempted to justify the expenditure, stating, “Governor Hochul is traveling on official business representing the State of New York in her official capacity as Governor, and therefore State funds will be used for official business.” 

The statement added, “Any costs outside normal reimbursable business expenses will be paid for by the Governor’s own personal funds.” 

Eastman Arrested in Arizona 2020 Case, Despite No Role in Alleged Crimes

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Eastman Arrested in Arizona 2020 Case, Despite No Role in Alleged Crimes

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Attorney John Eastman, who represented former President Donald Trump in 2020 election-related lawsuits, was arrested in Arizona over allegations by Democratic prosecutors that he was involved in efforts to challenge the state’s election results.

Eastman refuted the prosecution’s claims, asserting that he was never involved in any Arizona-related litigation and had no communications with individuals in Arizona about the alleged alternate elector plan. 

“I, of course, pled not guilty,” Eastman told reporters outside the courthouse on Friday. “I had zero communications with the electors in Arizona, zero involvement in any of the election litigation in Arizona or legislative hearings.”

Expressing confidence in his acquittal, he added, “I’m confident that with the laws faithfully applied I will be fully exonerated at the end of this process.” 

Eastman is the first Republican to be arrested following the grand jury indictments announced by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a far-left Democrat who assumed office in 2023. 

The charges also name Trump as an “unindicted co-conspirator.” Notably, this prosecution comes just months before the former president will face President Joe Biden in the 2024 general election. 

Other individuals facing charges include former Trump campaign attorneys Boris Epshteyn, Christina Bobb, Jenna Ellis and former White House official Michael Roman. 

The attorney general’s office initially announced charges against former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward and others, including Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, Jacob Hoffman, Anthony Kern, James Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pellegrino, Gregory Safsten and Michael Ward. 

Mayes announced the charges last month and quickly defended her decision to prosecute Republicans just months before a presidential election. 

“We conducted a thorough and professional investigation over the past 13 months into the fake electors scheme in our state,” she claimed. 

Addressing the timing of the charges, just months before the 2024 presidential election, she added, “I understand for some of you today didn’t come fast enough. And I know I’ll be criticized by others for conducting this investigation at all.”

She continued, “But as I’ve stated before, and we’ll say here again, today, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined.” 

1...1,2891,2901,291...3,861Page 1,290 of 3,861