Border apprehensions hit record low in dramatic turnaround from Biden era
United States Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks posted to X on Friday that southwest border apprehensions hit a monthly record low in July, with only 4,399 apprehensions. For the third month in a row, there have been zero releases.
This is the new all-time record low, beating the prior record low of 6,070 in June.
In July, it averages out to 141 apprehensions per day at the southern border. At the height of the Biden-era crisis, there were 10,000-plus apprehensions on some days in December 2023.
The high number of crossings resulted in an intense strain on resources in small border communities for years, as agents struggled to keep up with the demand while also dealing with responsibilities at the legal ports of entry.
In addition, many migrants were bused at the request of some Republican leaders to Democratic-run areas like New York City.
During the Biden administration, the record high was December 2023, with 249,785 apprehensions, the majority of which were released into the U.S. The nosedive in numbers is seen as a major victory by Republicans and the Trump administration.
"The border is secure again — as it should be. Strong policies equal quiet borders," Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, posted to X.
At the start of President Donald Trump's second term, troops were deployed to the border, and the CBP One app that was commonly used for people crossing illegally to claim asylum was shuttered.
The app was replaced with CBP Home, which is used for people to self-deport. The Department of Homeland Security has been touting for months an offer to give people $1,000 and free travel outside the U.S. if they have not committed other crimes. Deportation efforts are now underway throughout the U.S., as the administration is honing in on areas with sanctuary policies, with push back from Democratic officials at different levels of Congress.
Still, border and immigration enforcement is expected to get a resources boost with the recent passage of the Trump-backed spending bill, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Billions were allocated for border security efforts, including to pay back states for costs incurred during the Biden administration, and ICE is now beginning recruitment for thousands more agents they've been given the budget to hire.
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Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘We are at war': Democrats reach breaking point over Republican threats in political map arms race
Democrats have spent years issuing warnings over Republican threats to redraw the political maps that could determine the balance of power for years to come. Now, they're prepared for 'war.' After protracted legal battles to unwind Donald Trump's executive actions and unsuccessful attempts to derail the president's agenda in Congress, Democrats appear to have reached a breaking point and are ready to do some map-making of their own, reluctantly preparing to fight fire with fire. They have repeatedly stressed that the GOP's gerrymandering imperils American democracy. But Democratic officials across the country are now embracing the idea, reasoning that years-long legal challenges and public pressure over illegal voter suppression are no longer enough to keep up with the GOP's power trip. 'All's fair in love and war,' New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Monday as she signaled efforts to draw up new maps in her state 'as soon as possible.' 'This is a war. We are at war,' she added. 'And that's why the gloves are off, and I say, 'Bring it on.'' Trump is looking to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House at the midpoint and largely stalled his agenda from advancing through Congress. This time around he wants Republican-led states to redraw their congressional districts to ensure the GOP remains in power in 2026. Last month, the president commanded Texas Republicans to do a 'simple redrawing' of the state's congressional maps, the heavily-contested boundaries that establish districts for each member of the House of Representatives. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had summoned state lawmakers to the state capitol in Austin for an emergency session to do just that. Days after Trump's demands, Texas Republicans put together a map that gives them five more seats in the House. On August 1, the Texas House redistricting committee held the only public hearing on the proposal. Republicans voted it out of committee the next morning on a party-line vote, setting up a quick vote in the full state House of Representatives, which Republicans control. 'I'm not beating around the bush,' Texas state Rep. Todd Hunter told the committee. 'We have five new districts, and these five new districts are based on political performance.' Contra Abbott and the Justice Department, he admitted the map was being redrawn 'for partisan purposes.' Committee chair Cody Vasut also admitted the move was purely about 'improving political performance.' But by the time Texas Republicans were prepared to vote on the new maps on August 4, Texas Democrats had already left the state. Nearly 60 Democratic members of the state House have fled elsewhere, breaking quorum to derail a vote and promising to stay away from Texas for the duration of Abbott's 30-day session. Texas Republicans subsequently ordered arrest warrants and directed state marshals to haul Democrats back to the capitol — a largely symbolic maneuver confined by state lines. It's also expensive; missing members are racking up $500 in daily penalties for every day they miss work. But for Democrats, it's a high-profile act of obstruction that puts Republicans on notice. 'This is not a decision we make lightly, but it is one we make with absolute moral clarity,' Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu said from Illinois after leaving the state with several Texas Democrats. Wu, the state's Democratic caucus chair, said the GOP has put forward a 'racist, gerrymandered map' that 'seeks to use racial lines to divide hard-working communities that have spent decades building up their power and strengthening their voices.' Governor Abbott has done so 'in submission of Donald Trump, so Donald Trump can steal these communities' power and voice,' Wu continued. 'We will not be complicit in the destruction of our own communities.' The developing war over congressional maps follows a series of Supreme Court decisions that have gradually chipped away at the Voting Rights Act and constitutional guardrails to protect against racial gerrymandering, or carving up electoral maps to prevent racial minorities from electing their preferred candidates. Federal courts have generally blocked the creation of congressional districts that 'crack' or 'pack' communities of color to dilute their voting strength. After Texas redistricted in 2021, voting rights advocates challenged the new maps in court, arguing that state lawmakers drew up racially gerrymandered districts that discriminated against minority voters. Currently, Texas has nine districts where no one racial or ethnic group has a majority; in eight of them, Black, Hispanic and Asian voters combined create a so-called "coalition district' majority. Trump's Department of Justice claims that three of those districts are unconstitutional 'coalition districts' — which constitutional law scholars and voting rights advocates say is a deliberately bad-faith reading of the law. Trump's demands to redraw maps in the middle of the decade, largely to hold on to power to avoid any political blowback in 2026, could trigger what Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin has called 'a race to the bottom' nationwide. Former attorney general Eric Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has spent the last several years fighting off partisan gerrymanders, including Democratic-led maps. But in the wake of Trump's threats, Holder is now telling Democratic officials to embrace what leverage they have and be 'unabashed in our desire to acquire power.' 'This midcycle redistricting ploy in Texas, and potentially in other states, is something that has to be met in the moment,' Holder told The New York Times. 'Our commitment to fairness didn't blind us to this new reality, and I think that we've got to take these extraordinary steps, with the hope that we can then save democracy and ultimately heal it. If you give Donald Trump unchecked power for two years beyond 2026, given what they've done in six months, I just wonder what kind of shape will the nation be in come Jan. 20, 2029.' The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has also called on Democratic state legislatures to 'pursue redistricting mid-cycle,' but Democrats don't hold 'enough legislative majorities to win an all-out, state-by-state battle.' Republican state legislatures oversee 55 Democratic congressional seats. Democratic state legislative majorities, meanwhile, oversee only 35 GOP districts. 'All options must be on the table — including Democratic state legislatures using their power to fight back and pursue redistricting mid-cycle in order to protect our democracy,' committee president Heather Williams said in a statement. Republicans are preemptively trying to stop Democratic states from joining the fight. Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley of California wants to 'stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country,' brushing up against demands from his party leaders for the by-any-means-necessary battle to preserve, and expand, the House majority next year. California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose state holds a whopping 52 House seats, has also planned retaliatory map-making to target vulnerable Republican seats in the state. Other Democratic-led states are expected to follow, potentially blowing past the guidance from independent redistricting commissions that are designed to prevent lawmakers from crafting partisan, racist and otherwise discriminatory maps. Hochul has considered disbanding New York's commission altogether. 'I'm tired of fighting this fight with my hands tied behind my back,' she said this week. 'When we say we cannot use that power to the fullest, we're abdicating the responsibility we all have. Republicans take over the legislature? They can have it. Until then, we're in charge, and we're sick and tired of being pushed around.' Republicans only have Trump to blame, she said. 'The playing field has changed dramatically, and shame on us if we ignore that fact and cling tight to the vestiges of the past,' she said. 'That era is over. Donald Trump eliminated that forever.'
9 minutes ago
'I operate as my own independent agency': How Laura Loomer's pressure campaigns are reshaping the Trump administration
In mid-July, far-right activist Laura Loomer fired off a lengthy post on X targeting a senior Customs and Border Protection official, accusing him of having "Anti-Trump, pro-Open Borders, and Pro-DEI Bias," and demanding his removal from the federal government. "Why is this guy a Senior national security advisor at CBP, and why is he the Director of the National Vetting Center at @CBP?" Loomer wrote of the official, Monte Hawkins, who served under four presidents, both Democrat and Republican, and was previously appointed by the Trump administration in 2018. Less than 48 hours later, after also sending an appeal directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Loomer says an official personally contacted her, thanked her for amplifying the information, and later informed her that Hawkins had been removed. "I posted my report 2 days ago. Now he's FIRED," Loomer wrote on X. When asked about Hawkins' status, a DHS official told ABC News that Hawkins was placed on administrative leave. The episode is a clear example not only of how Loomer's pressure campaigns operate, but how she has increasingly carved out an unofficial but influential role as a political enforcer targeting administration officials she sees as disloyal to President Donald Trump. 'I don't keep count anymore' In Trump's second term, Loomer's efforts to single out officials for removal are being treated with growing urgency by the federal agencies she targets -- handing an outside ally of Trump a significant level of power. Loomer, who got her start as an undercover operative for the right-wing sting group Project Veritas, has been on a self-proclaimed mission to rid the administration of officials she says are disloyal to the president -- particularly those who served under the Biden administration or have previously disparaged Trump -- including some who served in Trump's first term. By ABC News' count, Loomer's pressure campaigns have so far contributed to the ouster of at least 15 individuals from Trump's second administration, through either direct firings or the withdrawal of senior political nominations, across six different federal agencies. "I don't keep count anymore," Loomer told ABC News when asked how many officials she had helped force out. "There's too many to keep track of." Just last week, the Trump administration pushed out FDA vaccine chief Dr. Vinay Prasad, removed NSA General Counsel April Falcon Doss, and rescinded Jen Easterly's appointment as chair of West Point's social sciences department -- each move coming shortly after public attacks and pressure from Loomer. "So many scalps this week! Stacking them up!" Loomer wrote on X this week following a string of ousters thanks at least in part to her efforts. Easterly, who previously worked for President George Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency under President Biden, posed Thursday on LinkedIn, "As a lifelong independent, I've served our nation in peacetime and combat under Republican and Democratic administrations" and that "Unfortunately, the opportunity to serve again at my alma mater was rescinded -- a casualty of casually manufactured outrage that drowned out the quiet labor of truth and the steady pulse of integrity." Loomer's campaigns have helped lead to the departures of officials from agencies including the National Security Agency, the National Security Council, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Defense. Most of the officials had held or were nominated for senior roles in the administration, including NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, and Trump's original pick for surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat. Loomer told ABC News she finds her targets through a mix of research and tips she receives from her tip line or from followers on social media. Some tips even come from other Trump administration officials, she said. "I do a lot of the research myself ... I get tips every day," she said. Once she identifies a new target, Loomer says she often privately flags her findings to the relevant cabinet official or agency, urging them to take action. But if she feels her research is being ignored, Loomer says she will take the fight public and use her large social media following to ramp up the pressure for the administration to take action. "Sometimes I go private, and then sometimes I post," Loomer said. "But if too much time passes between the time that I go private and the time that action is taken, I have to go public." "People think they can just sit on their laurels and wait and twiddle their thumbs, and that's not how it works," she said. A major part of Loomer's leverage seems to show itself when she goes public with her attacks. Loomer's posts targeting officials often go viral on X and throughout MAGA circles, quickly grabbing millions of impressions and tens of thousands of likes and reposts, putting more pressure on the administration to act. 'I have communication with the president' But that wasn't always the case. For years, Loomer was banned from posting on Twitter for violating hate-speech policies with anti-Muslim posts targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar. She was reinstated when tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk purchased Twitter and renamed it X -- but even then, Loomer complained to Musk that her account was being throttled and shadowbanned, two ways in which the platform is said to limit access to content. Those claims stopped at the end of January, and Loomer's X account impressions surged -- as did her efforts to target administration officials. Through her work, Loomer says she's in direct contact with senior officials across the federal government and the White House -- as well as Trump himself. "I have communication with the president. I'm a big supporter, and I'll remain a supporter," Loomer said. When asked how many cabinet officials she's in touch with regularly, Loomer said, "I mean, I know a lot of people." "I've been in this line of work for a very long time," she said, describing her outreach as requesting comment as part of her journalism. But unlike most journalists, Loomer is usually calling for those officials to be fired, and often celebrates the results. In some federal agencies, her social posts have helped fuel anxiety, with some staffers sharing them in internal group chats whenever a new official is targeted, sources told ABC News. Amid the barrage of attacks, few of those targeted by Loomer have publicly responded to her claims. One person close to someone Loomer targeted told ABC News that many of her targets are afraid to speak out due to fear of retaliation and the potential impact on their future career prospects. "For a number of folks if you don't have the platform she does you're bringing a butter knife to a real knife fight," the person said. Asked about Loomer's influence, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to ABC News, "It is not only appropriate, but critical for the Administration to continue to recruit the most qualified and experienced staffers who are totally aligned with President Trump's agenda to Make America Great Again." "The results that this Administration has already delivered for the American people -- from peace deals to trade deals -- prove that President Trump has assembled the best and brightest talent to put Americans and America First," Desai said. Trump, asked over the weekend about Loomer's influence, said that while she is known as being "radical right," he views her as a "patriot." "I think she's a patriot, and she gets excited because of the fact that she's a patriot," Trump told reporters. "And she doesn't like things going on that she thinks are bad for the country. I like her." In March, Loomer launched her own consulting firm, Loomered Strategies, where she says she advises clients on opposition research and vetting. She told The New York Times that she has five clients and that overall her activities earn a gross income of about $300,000. As Loomer's profile has risen, some critics online have accused her of being paid to target specific officials and appointees, which Loomer has pushed back on. "Wow you're telling me I could have been paid $100,000 for simply pointing out the obvious that a Trump hater who loves the radical left shouldn't be in the Trump admin?" Loomer wrote last week on X, responding to a critic accusing her of being paid to target Prasad. 'My own independent agency' With her growing list of "scalps," many in the MAGA base have called for Loomer to be given an official role inside the Trump administration, and have questioned why that hasn't happened yet. It's something she claims the president has offered her multiple times, but has been blocked each time. The relationship between Loomer and White House staff is viewed by some as an ongoing balancing act, as senior officials work to utilize her impact and influence -- and close relationship with the president -- while still trying to keep her at a distance, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Some inside the administration have used Loomer's work as a tool to target other officials they are seeking to have removed, sources said. "I had four jobs given to me in this Trump administration that basically have been taken away from me because some of President Trump's staff suffer from the incurable disease of professional jealousy," Loomer said. If she continues to be denied a formal position, Loomer told ABC News that she plans to keep operating as her "own independent agency." "If I'm going to be denied access by jealous staffers, and I'm also going to be denied access to the press room as a credentialed member of the press, even though I'm more deserving than most of the people who have access, then I have to operate as my own independent agency," she said. "So it's basically like my own agency that operates outside of the confines of the White House and the federal government," Loomer said. Loomer says she doesn't know which staffers around Trump are stopping her from joining the administration in an official capacity, but she does not blame the president. "I have no idea" who those staffers are, she said. "That's a question for the media to go find out. I just think it's really bizarre that I could be hired four times and [get blocked]. I don't hold it against President Trump for the way that some of his staff behaves towards me. But it is an elephant in the room." When asked, the White House did not answer questions about whether Loomer had been offered positions in the administration that were later denied, or why. Loomer's efforts to remove officials haven't all been successful, with a few officials having survived her attacks. One in particular has remained in place despite months of criticism dating back almost to the start of Trump's second term: Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Loomer has targeted for her handling of the Epstein files and other issues. "I mean, I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan, but everybody knows that," Loomer said when asked whether her view of Bondi had changed. Asked if she still believed Bondi would be fired, as she's called for since February, Loomer replied, "Probably not."
Fox News
9 minutes ago
- Fox News
Bondi DOJ names and shames 35 sanctuary cities that ‘put American citizens at risk'
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Justice identified nearly three dozen cities and states across the country on Tuesday that it said were sanctuaries for illegal immigrants and warned that it planned to take legal action against more of those jurisdictions. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement the cities and states, which mostly lean blue, have immigration policies that "impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design." "The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country," Bondi said. Four of the 13 states, California, New York, Colorado and Illinois, on the DOJ's list have already faced lawsuits over their immigration policies. Others on the list include Delaware, Nevada, Minnesota and Washington, D.C. The lawsuit in Illinois is the farthest along in the court process and has not played out in DOJ's favor at this stage. A federal judge tossed out the DOJ's claims, saying Illinois' state and local policies were protected by the Constitution and that the DOJ's lawsuit encroached on Illinois' sovereignty. The DOJ could still appeal the decision or amend its complaint. But the DOJ, which has shifted heavily during the Trump administration to focusing on immigration enforcement, has also seen some success. Its threats to Louisville, Kentucky, resulted in the mayor there modifying the city's policy to be more cooperative with the federal government. A DOJ spokesman said the purpose of the list was to encourage other states and cities to do the same. "This is a chance for these jurisdictions to come to the table and work with us to keep Americans safe," a DOJ spokesperson said. Other cities on the DOJ's radar include Boston, New Orleans, Seattle and Philadelphia. Four counties were also on the list. A common reason that cities and states become targeted for being illegal immigrant sanctuaries involves detainer policies. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uses detainers to make federal requests to jails to hold immigrants in custody who could be living in the country illegally so that ICE can arrest them. Sanctuary jurisdictions have policies in place to ignore those notices. In the case of Louisville, for instance, the mayor has agreed to honor the 48-hour period ICE has been requesting to hold suspects so that they are not released before federal authorities can potentially arrest them.
