Hegseth Says He Wasn’t in the Room When Adm. Bradley Ordered Second Strike on Alleged Drug Boat

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Hegseth Says He Wasn’t in the Room When Adm. Bradley Ordered Second Strike on Alleged Drug Boat

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters on Tuesday that he wasn’t in the room when the order was given to launch a second strike that killed survivors on an alleged drug boat on September 2, as the Trump administration has shifted the responsibility for the order to Adm. Frank M. Bradley, the commander of US Special Operations Command.

“I watched that first strike live,” Hegseth told reporters at a cabinet meeting. “As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we’ve got a lot of things to do, so I didn’t stick around for the hour, two hours, whatever, when all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs, so I moved on to my next meeting.”

The US war chief said that a “couple of hours later,” he learned that Bradley, who was the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at the time, made the “correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat.” He added that it was the “right call” and “we have his back.”

According to The Washington Post report, US military commanders saw two survivors clinging to the burning wreck and launched a second strike to kill them. Intercept reporter Nick Turse, who first broke the story that the bombing of the alleged drug boat involved multiple strikes to kill survivors, pointed out in a story published Tuesday that bombing survivors of a wrecked boat is against the Pentagon’s own Law of War Manual.

“Persons who have been rendered unconscious or otherwise incapacitated by wounds, sickness, or shipwreck, such that they are no longer capable of fighting, are hors de combat (out of action),” the guide reads. “Persons who have been incapacitated by wounds, sickness, or shipwreck are in a helpless state, and it would be dishonorable and inhumane to make them the object of attack.”

Lawmakers in Congress on both sides of the aisle have announced their intention to open a probe into the strike to see if a war crime was committed, though the entire bombing campaign is clearly illegal under both US and international law. Legal experts told Turse that the entire chain of command could end up being investigated for war crimes and that each strike puts them at risk.

“While the September 2 strike seems uniquely depraved, every single strike taken against these boats by DoD is a summary execution of criminal suspects, people who even if tried in court would never get the death penalty,” Sarah Harrison, who previously served as associate general counsel at the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel, International Affairs, told Turse. 

“Every single strike exposes those in the chain of command to the risk of criminal liability under murder statutes and international law prohibiting extrajudicial killings.”

Further distancing himself from the September 2 double-tap strike, Hegseth told reporters that he didn’t personally see any survivors.

“I did not personally see survivors because the thing was on fire. It was exploded, and fire, you got smoke, you can’t see anything, you got digital — this is called the fog of war. This is what you in the press don’t understand. You sit in your air-conditioned offices, you’re up on Capitol Hill, and you nitpick, and you plant fake stories in The Washington Post about ‘kill everybody’ phrases based on anonymous sources,” he said.

While calling the Post story fake, it appears the only thing Hegseth disputes about the story is the idea that he gave an order to “kill everybody” on the boat. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who has been very critical of the US bombing campaign against boats in Latin America, ripped into Hegseth over his initial denial of the report.

“Secretary Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this, and it did not happen. It was fake news. It didn’t happen. And then the next day, from the podium at the White House are saying it did happen. So, either he was lying to us … or he’s incompetent and didn’t know it had happened,” Paul said.

“Do we think there’s any chance that … the secretary of the defense did not know there had been a second strike? So as a country, we’re just going to let people lie to us, to our face?” he added.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com. 

Trump Sends Handwritten Letter To Syria’s Al-Qaeda Leader Turned President

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Trump Sends Handwritten Letter To Syria’s Al-Qaeda Leader Turned President

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Donald Trump sent a short handwritten letter to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qaeda leader who took power in Damascus with his group of jihadists, known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), nearly one year ago.

“Ahmed, you will be a great leader — and the United States will help!” Trump said in the note, which was delivered by Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, who has also served as an envoy to Syria. Attached to the letter was a photo of Trump and Sharaa’s Oval Office meeting that took place last month.

Barrack met with Sharaa in Damascus on Monday, and, according to the Syrian Presidency, they discussed “the latest developments in the region and issues of common interest.”

The Trump administration has embraced Sharaa despite his al-Qaeda past, which involved fighting against US troops in Iraq and founding the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, known as the al-Nusra Front, which eventually became HTS when Sharaa rebranded and claimed he was cutting ties with al-Qaeda. Sharaa was previously known by his al-Qaeda nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani.

The Trump administration has not just lifted sanctions on Syria to give the country a chance to rebuild, but it is also forming a military alliance with the new HTS government, which formally joined the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, though there is fluidity between HTS fighters and ISIS members in Syria. Sharaa himself was once an associate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder of ISIS.

President Trump has also urged Israel to pursue dialogue with Syria’s government amid Israeli military operations in southwest Syria. Following the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which Israel supported and celebrated, Israeli forces invaded southwestern Syria and have occupied the territory ever since.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com. 

 

Israeli Minister Accuses Tucker Carlson of Taking Qatar Money, Then Admits He Has No Evidence

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Israeli Minister Accuses Tucker Carlson of Taking Qatar Money, Then Admits He Has No Evidence

(José Niño, Headline USA) Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli accused Tucker Carlson of receiving payment from Qatar to promote anti-Israel content, then admitted he possesses no evidence to support the explosive allegation.

Political commentator Chris Menahan summarized the remarks. “Amichai Chikli, Israel Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism, laments to Israel Hayom conference that Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes are normalizing opposition to Israel,” Menahan wrote.

“He says that he thinks Tucker Carlson is being paid by Qatar—but then admits he has no evidence,” Menahan added on Twitter/X.

Chikli made the allegations at the Israel Hayom Summit held in New York City on Tuesday. During the event, an interviewer asked him directly about his efforts against figures like Carlson and Fuentes.

The minister described a dramatic shift in his assessment of right-wing antisemitism. When he first entered office, Chikli believed antisemitism from the right consisted of “some lunatic in a basement, someone with no influence” stating his focus should remain on the primary danger originated from the far left and from Islamists “who work together.” 

He said the situation has changed substantially. “Two years later. That’s a whole different story. We are seeing the white supremacy, Nazi antisemitism being actually moving to the center of maga, being normalized by people like you mentioned before,” Chikli stated, according to Israel Hayom.

“It didn’t start with the interview with Nick Fuentes. It started with bringing Darryl Cooper a Holocaust denier and many others,” he continued, referring to Carlson’s earlier interview with Darryl Cooper. On September 9, 2024, Jewish House Democrats and the Biden administration condemned Cooper as a Holocaust denier for claiming Winston Churchill was the “chief villain” of World War II.

Chikli outlined what he sees as troubling trends. “So we, what we are seeing as we can see few things. One is the conspiracy theories. Second is the religious assault on Judaism, claiming that we have something against Christianity, and obviously Nazi ideology. Which is being more and more popular,” he said.

Then he made his accusation against Carlson. “I believe that Tucker Carlson is being paid for pushing forward. It is extremely difficult to prove it,” Chikli stated.

He continued without providing evidence. “But what we can see without, intelligence, without, anything of this type. You can see this week on Thanksgiving, you had the delegations of right wing influencers. American influencers going to Qatar. They were asked.”

The interviewer pressed him directly. “So you think Tucker is being paid by Qatar?”

Chikli responded clearly. “I think that Tucker is being paid by Qatar, yes.”

Despite his sharp criticism of figures within MAGA’s orbit, Chikli emphasized that Israel “needs to stay out of the fight inside MAGA” because direct Israeli involvement “would be counterproductive,” according to Israel Hayom. He framed this as an internal American conservative battle requiring action from “the real conservative leaders.”

 

Prisoner Release Bills Pushed by Retiring Congressional Lawmakers

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Prisoner Release Bills Pushed by Retiring Congressional Lawmakers

(Dave Mason, The Center Square)  Aging or rehabilitated prisoners should be released sooner into society to save taxpayers’ money.

This, according to a a group of Democratic New York congressional lawmakers who want the state to approve a controversial pair of bills that would make it easier for prisoners to be released because of old age or racial bias by parole officials.

One proposal, dubbed the Fair and Timely Parole Act, calls for shifting the focus from the original crime to an individual’s rehabilitation and current risk to public safety in the parole process.

Another bill, the Elder Parole Act, would allow prisoners 55 and older to be released before the end of their sentences to a halfway house or group home setting, among other changes.

Both bills have been languishing in legislative committees for years amid a lack of support.

In a Tuesday letter to New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and House Speaker Carl Heastie, the seven congressional lawmakers called on state leaders to bring the measures up for a vote, claiming that momentum behind the proposals is building.

“These bills will promote rehabilitation in prison, improve safety, and reunite families in our districts,” the Democrats wrote. “These bills will also address the longstanding and increasing racial bias in parole release decisions.”

Outgoing Democratic U.S. Reps Nydia Velázquez and Jerry Nadler, both of whom will be retiring at the end of their terms next year, signed the letter.

Others who signed the letter included lawmakers from solidly Democratic congressional districts: Reps. Dan Goldman, Adriano Espaillat, Grace Meng and George Latimer, who defeated “squad” member Jamaal Bowman in the 2024 Democratic primary.

They said the bills are estimated to save New York $522 million a year — ” money that would be better spent on evidence-based resources to improve safety, meet the diverse needs of crime survivors, and promote successful re-entry.”

The lawmakers said the parole reforms are supported by the New York chapter of the NAACP and other advocacy groups, faith leaders, public defenders, and district attorneys.

“Ultimately, we support these bills because we value safety above endless punishment – and we believe that no one should be forever judged by the worst thing they have ever done,” they wrote.

Republican lawmakers oppose the Democratic-led parole reform proposals, warning that they would lead to more inmates being granted parole, even if they still pose a risk to the community.

“One-party control of state government has resulted in policy after policy that prioritizes criminals over crime victims and law-abiding citizens,” state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-City of Rome, said in a recent statement criticizing the parole reform bills. “While I recognize that criminal justice reform is needed, this is not the approach the state should be taking to accomplish this objective.

“We need policies, bills and initiatives that protect victims, support law enforcement and enhance public safety in communities across the state,” Griffo said.

 

Los Angeles County Board Votes to Ban Masks for ICE Officers

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Los Angeles County Board Votes to Ban Masks for ICE Officers

(Dave Mason, The Center Square)  Los Angeles County moved closer Tuesday to join the state of California in banning masks for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

But even as the county prepares to make the masks illegal, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security isn’t conceding its constitutional authority to states or counties. That sets the stage for an expected battle in court.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Center Square Tuesday that an ordinance banning masks “would violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which makes it clear that Los Angeles does not control federal law enforcement.”

A few hours after McLaughlin’s comment, the five-member Board of Supervisors, which governs the county, voted 4-0 to approve an ordinance banning the masks. Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstained.

To go into effect, the ordinance must be approved a second time at the board’s Dec. 9 meeting.

Tuesday’s vote came after no discussion during the meeting. It was approved along with non-related agenda items, and no one from the public commented on it during a period devoted to all of those items.

Before the meeting, supporters had plenty to say at a rally outside the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, the Los Angeles headquarters for the county government. The rally drew various immigrants rights organizations as well as the two supervisors: Janice Hahn, who proposed the ban, and Lindsey Horvath, who co-authored the ordinance. Supporters gathered with signs saying “No Secret Police in LA,” “Identify Yourself” and “Badges On! Masks Off!”

Hahn compared masked ICE officers to secret police and accused the agents of hiding their faces and refusing to wear badges.

Her and Horvath’s ordinance amends Title 13 – Public Peace, Morals and Welfare of the Los Angeles County Code – to add Chapter 13.01, which requires all law enforcement officers to wear visible identification within the county’s unincorporated areas. It also prohibits law enforcement from wearing masks or disguises but allows exceptions such as medical masks, breathing apparatuses, motorcycle helmets when riding a motorcycle, and Special Weapons and Tactics and undercover operations.

Unlike the state ban, the Los Angeles County ordinance would apply to state law enforcement such as the California Highway Patrol, according to Hahn’s office.

Hahn said she expects the Trump administration to challenge the ordinance in court.

The administration in November sued California over similar laws, Senate Bill 627 (the No Secret Police Act) and SB 805 (the No Vigilantes Act). The Department of Homeland Security has said it won’t comply with the laws, which Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Sept. 20. The state laws are scheduled to take effect in January.

“This is about defending the constitutional rights of the people we represent,” Hahn said in a news release. “We cannot stand down now and allow this type of policing to be acceptable in America. So, if this means a fight in the courts with the federal government, I think it is a fight worth having.”

But McLaughlin of Homeland Security was critical Tuesday of the new ordinance, noting that ICE officers’ safety is at risk.

“While ICE law enforcement officers face a 1,150% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats, these Sanctuary politicians of Los Angeles County, California, want to make it easier for violent political extremists to target our brave men and women of federal law enforcement for enforcing immigration laws and keeping the American people safe,” McLaughlin said in an email to The Center Square.

“Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxed and targeted by highly sophisticated gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, criminal rings, murderers, and rapists who attempt to go after the officers and their families,” McLaughlin said.

The lead author of the state ban was state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, a vocal critic of the Trump administration. Since the law was passed, Wiener announced he was running for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s seat.

Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat who is a former U.S. House speaker, later announced she would retire from Congress when her term ends on Jan. 3, 2027.

Trump Administration Halts Immigration Applications for Migrants From 19 Travel-Ban Nations

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Trump Administration Halts Immigration Applications for Migrants From 19 Travel-Ban Nations

(Headline USA)  The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.

The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted Tuesday on the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits.

The pause puts on hold a wide range of immigration-related decisions such as green card applications or naturalizations for immigrants from those 19 countries that the Trump administration has described as high-risk. It’s up to the agency’s director, Joseph Edlow, on when to lift the pause, the memo said.

The administration in June banned travel to the U.S. by citizens of 12 countries and restricted access for those from seven others, citing national security concerns.

The ban applied to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen while the restricted access applied to people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

At the time, no action was taken against immigrants from those countries who were already in the U.S. before the travel ban went into effect.

But now the news from USCIS means those people already in the U.S. — regardless of when they arrived — will come under extra scrutiny.

The agency said it would conduct a comprehensive review of all “approved benefit requests” for immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.

The agency cited the shooting of two National Guard troops by a suspect who is an Afghan national as a reason for the pause and heightened scrutiny for people from those countries. One National Guard soldier was killed and another wounded in the Thanksgiving week shooting near the White House.

“In light of identified concerns and the threat to the American people, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary,” the agency said.

The agency said in the Tuesday memo that within 90 days it would create a prioritized list of immigrants for review and if necessary, referral to immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agencies.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

Abbott Asks Treasury Department to Suspend Islam Group’s Tax-Exempt Status

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Abbott Asks Treasury Department to Suspend Islam Group’s Tax-Exempt Status

(Bethany Blankley , The Center Square)  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took more action Tuesday against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Abbott on Tuesday requested the Treasury Department investigate CAIR for its alleged terrorist ties and suspend its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit status.

Abbott and Texas lawmakers have led the charge to ban Sharia law in the U.S., The Center Square reported. Abbott was the first governor to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations. He also directed state and local law enforcement to investigate them and an Islamic Tribunal in north Texas.

Not soon after Abbott’s actions, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Muslim Brotherhood to be designated as an FTO. In response, Abbott said, “Pres. Trump is right to make this federal designation. It aligns with the Texas designation that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization.”

CAIR and the Muslim Legal Fund of America sued Abbott, arguing his directives are unconstitutional and blamed Israel for his actions, The Center Square reported. CAIR also maintains it is not a terrorist organization and doesn’t fund terrorism.

Abbott has said that CAIR’s X account is routed through a Turkish App store, saying, “This sure seems like an international operations link between CAIR and a country tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

He’s also praised the arrest and deportation of a Muslim leader in Dallas, claiming its another CAIR terrorism connection.

In September, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Dallas officers arrested Jordanian national Marwan Marouf, the fundraising director for the Muslim American Society’s Dallas chapter. Marouf was arrested on charges of illegally living in Dallas after overstaying his student visa from the 1990s. He was also accused of donating nearly $14,000 to the Holy Land Foundation, a terrorist organization. The leaders of the foundation were convicted of sending $12 million to support the terrorist organization Hamas.

On Nov. 21, a federal immigration judge ordered that Marouf be deported to his home country of Jordan. The MLDF, which represents Marouf, denies the terrorism financing allegations, saying he is a “hardworking, family man and civic-minded community leader,” “moral icon,” and “character giant.”

In response, Abbott said CAIR-Texas’ executive director called Marouf “a ‘pillar of the community.’ This is another example of CAIR Texas’ support for Hamas & terror.”

Abbott’s FTO order also cites former CAIR board members, speakers and staff who were sentenced to prison for financing terrorism, conspiring to aid Al Qaeda and the Taliban, bank and visa fraud, financing terrorist causes overseas, violating U.S. sanctions and other charges in the Holy Land Foundation case. It was one of the largest terrorism financing cases in U.S. history.

On Tuesday, Abbott requested that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent investigate CAIR for its “longstanding ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and its ongoing support for terrorism.” He also cited a federal court, stating, “there is ‘ample evidence to establish’ that CAIR is associated ‘with Hamas,” in the Holy Land case.

Federal law prohibits FTOs from receiving tax-exempt status; domestic organizations created by known FTOs should not have tax-exempt status, Abbott argues.

He also expressed concerns to Bessent about a CAIR California chapter awarding $1,000 grants to anti-Israel campus activists to disrupt classes and intimidate and harass students after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack against Israel. According to a Network Contagion Research Institute and Intelligent Advocacy Network report, the CAIR chapter solicited $64,000 in donations to fund the grants.

“Federal investigators and court fillings identify CAIR as a direct subsidiary of the Muslim Brotherhood and as a ‘front group’ for Hamas in the United States,” Abbott said to Bessent, requesting that he “investigate CAIR for suspension of its tax-exempt status. Americans have generous hearts, and federal law wisely creates incentives to donate to nonprofit organizations that promote the public good. But charity must not become a backdoor to sponsor terrorism, endanger Americans, and subvert our democracy.”

CAIR argues that actions being taken against it are examples of anti-Muslim bigotry “not coming from the right wing generally, but from the old guard Israel First right, who are very well aware that they are losing the narrative among the younger generation of conservatives. Whipping up Islamophobia is their last, desperate attempt at stopping the bleeding.”

 

Hegseth, Pentagon Stand by Explanation of Second Boat Strike

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Hegseth, Pentagon Stand by Explanation of Second Boat Strike

(Morgan Sweeney, The Center Square)  After a story was published last week claiming that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat to kill those remaining, both Hegseth and the Pentagon reiterated their defense of the War Department’s actions as completely legal.

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. has performed 21 strikes on drug boats in the Western Hemisphere, killing “82 narco-terrorists.”

“Our operations in the SOUTHCOM region are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict,” Wilson said. “These actions have also been approved by the best military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command.”

Wilson repeatedly described the boats as narco-terrorist vessels at the Pentagon’s first press briefing under this administration, underscoring that the terrorist designation allows the Trump administration to respond more forcefully while remaining within the law.

Democrats and some Republicans have questioned the legality of the strike, with some calling it a war crime. After the first strike, there were allegedly only two people left, clinging to the remains of their boat in the water. U.S. and international law both prohibit excessive violence against people who no longer pose a threat.

The Washington Post article that broke the story said that Hegseth ordered the Sept. 2 strike. The administration has exhaustively called the story “fake news,” and the New York Times wrote that multiple inside sources said Hegseth never gave an order to kill the survivors.

Wilson and Hegseth both restated Tuesday what the administration said previously: that Hegseth authorized lethal strikes against drug boats, but Navy Adm. Frank Bradley ordered the strike. They also affirmed that Hegseth and the department fully support Bradley.

Bradley was working under “clear and long-standing authorities” when he ordered the second strike, according to Wilson. During the Cabinet meeting, Hegseth spoke about the War Department’s accomplishments, but concluded with a word about the incident.

“As President Trump always has our back,” – the president has said he believes Hegseth’s claims that he did not order the strike – “we always have the back of our commanders who are making decisions in difficult situations that we do in this case and all these strikes,” Hegseth said. “They’re making judgment calls and ensuring that they defend the American people. They’ve done the right things. We’ll keep doing that, and we have their backs.”

Hegseth was asked Tuesday about his remarks in September indicating he had watched footage of the strike live. He said he had watched the first strike and then turned to other responsibilities.

“I watched that first strike lock. As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we’ve got a lot of things to do, so I didn’t stick around for the hour, two hours or whatever that all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs.”

After another question during Trump’s cabinet meeting, Hegseth later added: “I did not personally see survivors. The thing was on fire. This is what is called the fog of war.”

Hegseth wasn’t happy with the line of questioning.

“This is what you in the press don’t understand,” he said. “You sit in your air-conditioned offices, and you plant fake stories in The Washington Post, not based in any truth at all.”

The last time Hegseth came under this level of scrutiny was after the Signal chat delineating attack plans on Houthi rebel groups mistakenly included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

The possibility of greater military action against Venezuela looms, as Trump called for the country’s airspace to be closed over the weekend and has said the U.S. will pursue Venezuelan drug traffickers in land strikes, as well.

Minneapolis Police Chief Says Officers Will Intervene in ICE Raids on Somalis

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Minneapolis Police Chief Says Officers Will Intervene in ICE Raids on Somalis

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said local officers will intervene in certain scenarios during the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE agents searching for Somali illegal aliens. 

O’Hara said the intervention could occur if residents feel threatened or if any rights are violated, particularly in situations involving masked agents and perceived “kidnappings.”  

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, O’Hara specifically claimed, “The community should know that if you see something like that that is legitimate, that you don’t know if someone is law enforcement, you should call 911 and you should provide as much information as possible.” 

He then added, “So if there is anything that is uh you know a violation of someone’s human rights or civil rights, excessive force or anything like that, they absolutely have a duty to intervene as police officers.” 

O’Hara’s remarks come amid reporting that President Donald Trump has ordered ICE to target hundreds of illegal aliens in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. He warned that the Minneapolis Police Department “absolutely will have nothing to do with anything related to immigration enforcement.”

White House border czar Tom Homan slammed O’Hara for refusing to cooperate with ICE agents, saying cooperation is necessary to make detentions safer for both illegal aliens and law enforcement. 

“He oughta put his badge in the desk drawer and walk away because he stopped being a cop to become a politician,” Homan said during an interview on Fox News. 

Duffy Threatens $30M Cut to Minnesota After Illegally Issued Licenses Found

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Duffy Threatens $30M Cut to Minnesota After Illegally Issued Licenses Found

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened Monday to yank millions from Minnesota if Governor Tim Walz fails to revoke the non-domiciled commercial driver licenses exposed as unlawful in a federal audit. 

Duffy said that Minnesota could lose $30 million in federal highway funding after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that one-third of Minnesota’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally. 

“Our audit exposes yet another example of foreigners taking advantage of Minnesota services under Governor Walz’s watch,” Duffy said in a statement. “Minnesota failed to follow the law and illegally doled out trucking licenses to unsafe, unqualified non-citizens – endangering American families on the road.”

The audit, first reported by the Daily Wire, alleges that Minnesota issued these licenses to illegal aliens, individuals prohibited from holding such licenses and drivers without Minnesota first determining their lawful presence in the state. 

Duffy said that the “abuse stops now under the Trump Administration,” vowing to “withhold funding if Minnesota continues this reckless behavior that puts non-citizens gaming the system ahead of the safety of Americans.” 

FMCSA Director Derek D. Barrs warned in a letter to Walz and Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson that the state has 30 days to respond with corrective action or explain why the federal audit is incorrect. 

The corrective action includes temporarily pausing the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, identifying all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with federal regulations and revoking and reissuing all noncompliant licenses. 

“If FMCSA makes a final determination of substantial noncompliance, FMCSA may initiate the withholding of certain Federal-aid highway funds and may decertify the State’s CDL Program,” Barrs wrote. 

Read the letter below:

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