The Department of Homeland Security has released court records it says definitively prove Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a member of the infamous MS-13 gang. This comes as Democrats clamor for the return of Abrego Garcia, who they say was "wrongly deported" to a maximum-security prison in his home country as part of the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal migrant crime. 

According to a Prince George's County, Maryland, Police Department interview sheet shared with Fox News by DHS, local police discovered Abrego Garcia during a murder investigation. Police found him loitering in a Home Depot parking lot with other known MS-13 gang members in possession of illicit drugs in 2019. 

Prince George's County Gang Unit MS-13 Intelligence Squad conducted an interview with Abrego Garcia and contacted a "past proven and reliable source" who identified him as an active member of MS-13 with the "Westerns" clique, with the rank of "Chequeo" and the moniker of "Chele."

Additionally, publicly available court records filed against Abrego Garcia cast further doubt on the Democrats' narrative about his innocence.

WE DON'T WANT KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA BACK, SAYS AG PAM BONDI 

Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to a controversial mega prison, the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador, in March along with several hundred other alleged gang members living in the U.S. Though he was deported for being an alleged MS-13 gang member, his attorneys maintain he was living in the U.S. legally and does not have any gang ties.

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision ordering the Trump administration to arrange Abrego Garcia’s return. The court required the "government to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador." 

The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from returning to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is "up to El Salvador. If they want to return him. That's not up to us." 

This has caused outrage among Democrats, many of whom have begun referring to him as a "Maryland man" who was wrongly deported. Some have even suggested he was kidnapped by the Trump administration.

LIBERAL SENATOR SAYS HE IS FLYING TO VISIT DEPORTED MIGRANT IN PRISON, OTHER DEMS PLANNING TRIPS

"Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongly deported to El Salvador as part of the Trump Administration’s government-funded kidnapping rampage," Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., posted on X. "He is rotting away in a foreign prison where his life is in danger. We need to go there now to make sure he’s okay."

On Wednesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., flew to El Salvador to visit Abrego Garcia in prison and work to secure his release. His trip has been criticized by many, including the mother of Rachel Morrin, a 39-year-old Maryland mother who was raped and murdered by a Salvadoran illegal immigrant in 2023. 

"To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge, or barely acknowledge, my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother and now a grandbaby without a grandmother so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen. Why does that person have more rights than I do, or my daughter, or my grandchildren? I don't understand this," she said. 

Through it all, the Trump administration continues to maintain it was right to deport Abrego Garcia to CECOT.

KRISTI NOEM CRITICIZES 'LIBERAL LEFT' FOR TURNING ACCUSED GANG MEMBER INTO 'MEDIA DARLING'

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security doubled down, saying Abrego Garcia has a "history of violence and was not the upstanding ‘Maryland Man’ the media has portrayed him as."

DHS shared court filings in which Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez, sought a domestic violence restraining order against him, claiming he "punched, scratched, and ripped off her shirt."

And a 2019 DHS interview document shared with Fox News shows Abrego Garcia admitted to being in the U.S. illegally and claimed to have "walked across the desert for many days entering illegally into the United States near McAllen, Texas on or about March 25, 2012." 

As a result, Abrego Garcia was marked as eligible for deportation in 2019. 

A federal immigration court in Baltimore further determined Abrego Garcia was not eligible for release because he "failed to meet his burden of demonstrating that his release from custody would not pose a danger to others, as the evidence shows that he is a verified member of MS-13."

BONDI DEFIANT, SAYS ABREGO GARCIA WILL STAY IN EL SALVADOR 'END OF THE STORY'

The court held that "the fact that a ‘past, proven, and reliable source of infonnation [sic]’ verified the Respondent's gang membership, rank, and gang name is sufficient to support that the Respondent is a gang member" and that Abrego had "failed to present evidence to rebut that assertion."

"Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not a ‘Maryland Man’—he is an MS-13 gang member involved in human trafficking who entered the United States illegally," DHS posted on X. "His deportation to El Salvador was always going to be the end result."

DHS bashed Van Hollen for advocating Abrego Garcia’s release, saying the senator "has done more to bring a MS-13 gang member, human trafficker and illegal alien back to Maryland than he has to help keep his American constituents safe or advocate for the victims of these vicious gangs like MS-13."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"While Sen. Van Hollen and the mainstream media peddle a sob story about a brutal MS-13 gang member, Secretary Noem stands with the victims of illegal alien crime," said DHS. "We hear far too much about the gang members and criminals' sob stories and not enough about their victims."

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted some more details about his arrest, saying, in addition to being apprehended with other MS-13 members, he was found with "rolls of cash and drugs" and "wearing what is effectively MS-13’s uniform."

Speaking with Fox News on Monday, McLaughlin said Abrego Garcia is "exactly where he belongs, home in El Salvador."

"The media would love for you to believe that this is some media darling, that he is just some Maryland father, but Osama bin Laden was also a father, and yet he wasn’t a good guy, and they are actually both terrorists," she added. "He should be in this El Salvador prison, prison for terrorists, and I hope he will remain there."

Former Democratic Congresswoman from Virginia Abigail Spanberger is being accused by her GOP opponent in the upcoming Virginia governor's race of failing to include her role as a trustee in financial disclosure reports while she was a member of Congress.

The campaign for Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is aiming to replace incumbent GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, is calling the incomplete disclosures "a calculated lie," not an "accident." But, according to Spanberger's campaign, the only asset contained in the trust is Spanberger's personal residence, which is not required to be disclosed.

In 2017, according to local real estate records, Spanberger and her husband updated their will and, as part of that process, transferred ownership of their home into a trust that listed the pair's kids as the beneficiaries. They bought it for roughly half-a-million dollars, and it is now worth close to one-million.

DOJ ASKS TO DISMISS VIRGINIA CASE AGAINST SALVADORAN ACCUSED MS-13 LEADER SET TO BE DEPORTED

After opening the trust, Spanberger did not include it in any of her annual financial disclosure reports that are mandated by Congress while serving in the House of Representatives .Nor did she include it in a "Virginia Economic Interest Statement" filed last month.

"Personal residences that do not earn income are not required to be disclosed, so Abigail did not disclose her family’s only home — as doing so would make their home address publicly available," the Spanberger campaign told Fox News Digital. "Abigail filed her disclosures in accordance with House Ethics rules, which do not require her to disclose her role as a trustee of a living trust holding only her family’s home."

However, the Earle-Sears campaign says that Spanberger's explanations of privacy and wanting to keep her family safe fall short.

"Abigail Spanberger got caught hiding a trust — and not just any trust, but one holding nearly a million dollars in assets," Earle-Sears campaign press secretary Peyton Vogel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "That’s not an accident — that’s a calculated lie. Disclosure forms don’t require anyone to put their families at risk — only honesty. If she’s willing to lie about something this serious, Virginians just can’t trust her."  

VIRGINIA SCHOOL PUTS UP CONTROVERSIAL ABCS DISPLAY ON WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, STARTING WITH ‘A IS FOR ABORTION’

Additionally, the Earle-Sears campaign has pointed to Congress' House Ethics Manual requirement that members of Congress "must disclose any nongovernmental positions, whether or not compensated, that they currently hold," including the position of "trustee."

Spanberger joined Congress representing a district in the northern part of Virginia in 2018, and was reelected in two subsequent election cycles — 2020 and 2022. Spanberger did not seek reelection in 2024, but is now running to replace Youngkin after he is term-limited later this year.

Earle-Sears was elected lieutenant governor in 2021, cementing herself in the history books as the first woman of color elected to statewide office in Virginia.

Both candidates have been tapped by their respective parties to be their candidate in the upcoming November general election, according to local media reports. Cook-political report currently labels the race as a toss-up.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here's what's happening…

-Third top DOD staffer Collin Carroll on administrative leave

-New bipartisan tax proposal could give your family more money

-Grassley, Johnson press DOJ IG to respond on whether ‘untasked’ undercover agents were present on Jan. 6

A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month, a major update that comes as tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary have reached a fever pitch.

In a 48-page order, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said that the court had determined that the Trump administration had demonstrated a "willful disregard" for his March 15 emergency order, which temporarily halted all deportation flights to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, to allow the court to better consider the merits of the case. 

Boasberg had also ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be "immediately" returned to U.S. soil — which did not happen. Hundreds of migrants arrived in El Salvador later that evening, where the individuals were detained in a sprawling, maximum-security Salvadorian prison…Read more

DUFFY ON DRONES: Duffy contrasts Biden-era 'drone fiasco' with Trump admin's 'radical transparency' after FAA announces testing

ECONOMIC PRIORITIES: JD Vance gears up to talk economic priorities during trips to Italy, India

SEWAGE CRISIS: EPA chief takes on Mexican 'sewage crisis' flowing into US waters where Navy SEALs train

TRUMP VS COURTS: Bondi defiant, says Abrego Garcia will stay in El Salvador 'end of the story'

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: Elise Stefanik considering bid for NY gov

HEATING UP: Kentucky senate race heats up as signs point to Andy Barr joining the field

CARTEL CRACKDOWN: Inside House Republicans' new task force to battle criminal Mexican cartels

TERROR 'DETERRENCE': Bipartisan senators push tougher penalties for foreign-backed crimes on US soil

'KICK CORPORATE A--': Senate Republican DOGE leader Joni Ernst faces first Democratic challenger in 2026 race

RESISTING TRUMP: Bernie Sanders, AOC and other anti-Trump progressives haul in big bucks for 2026 midterms

TARGETING VANCE: Dem rising star eyes Vance as key long-term threat: 'Needs to be defeated'

MUSK-PROOF': Colorado Dems move to divert $4M in taxpayer dollars to fight Trump admin in court

'FORK IN THE ROAD': HUD reveals how many staffers packed their bags and took deferred resignation offer

MIAMI ICE: ICE partnership will build 'public trust,' vice mayor of town with large Venezuelan community says

MARKET MANIPULATION?: Longtime Trump foe Letitia James reviewing possible insider trading over president's tariff pause

'APPALLING AND DISTURBING': Illegal immigrant arrested for incest with teenager, released by Va. jail captured by ICE

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

The Trump administration has asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, sources within the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed to Fox News.

The Ivy League school's failure to address antisemitism on campus is grounds for losing their 501(c)(3) status, Fox News' sources said.

The IRS is expected to make a final decision soon on Harvard's tax exemption, according to CNN, which was first to report the story. 

 In a recent social media post, President Donald Trump claimed that Harvard had "lost its way" and didn't deserve federal funding.

STEFANIK SHREDS HARVARD OVER ‘COMPLETE MORAL FAILURE’ AFTER ALLOWING CLAUDINE GAY TO REMAIN PRESIDENT

"Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,'" Trump wrote. "Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress."

"Many others, like these Leftist dopes, are teaching at Harvard, and because of that, Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges," he continued. 

"Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds."

This is a breaking story. Check back with us for updates.

The mother of a Maryland woman who an illegal immigrant from El Salvador raped and murdered in 2023 appeared at the White House Wednesday, after a jury convicted her daughter’s murderer on Monday. 

Patty Morin’s appearance comes as her senator, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, visited El Salvador on Wednesday to check on a Maryland resident the Trump administration's Justice Department deported to El Salvador. The Trump administration claims that the Maryland resident and El Salvador native, Abrego Garcia, has ties to the MS-13 gang. 

"To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge, or barely acknowledge, my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother…so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen?" Morin told reporters Wednesday at the White House. "Why does that person have more right than I do, or my daughter or my grandchildren? I don't, I don't understand this."

Van Hollen’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

A jury in the Harford County Circuit court found Victor Martinez-Hernandez, originally from El Salvador guilty on all counts of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual offense and kidnapping.

Van Hollen’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. However, following Martinez-Hernandez’s conviction, Van Hollen issued a statement vowing to bolster border security while also "supporting our immigrant communities." 

"While the conviction of Rachel Morin’s killer will not return Rachel to her family where she rightfully belongs, this verdict brings a measure of justice that they so deserve," Van Hollen said in a statement. "I’m grateful to the law enforcement officers who brought her killer into custody and for our legal process for delivering this justice." 

Martinez-Hernandez attacked Rachel Morin, 37, in August 2023 on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Bel Air, a trail Patty Morin said the family had walked for 25 years as Maryland residents. 

DEMOCRATS PRIORITIZING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OVER CITIZENS IS ‘MIND-BOGGLING,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS

"When she went on that trail that day, she was not planning on dying. She wasn't planning on walking to her death," Patty Morin told reporters. "She was planning on going to the grocery store with her girls afterwards. Victor Martinez, he waited for her. He waited for her to come closer. He saw her. He saw that there was nobody around, he attacked her. He dragged her 150 feet, blood gushing from her head."

Patty Morin shared with the press the horrific details of her daughter’s murder, including how Martinez-Hernandez raped and strangled her daughter after crushing her skull like an "eggshell." 

Patty Morin said photos of the brutal attack show that not "one inch" of her daughter’s body remained free from injury. These photos have since been sealed because they are so graphic, she said. 

"You could see where the blood ran down around her as he was raping her, and then he threw her down, and raped her some more, and then he strangled her because he didn't want her to be able to live to tell the story," Patty Morin said. 

Patty Morin also shared that Martinez-Hernandez did not appear to express any remorse in the courtroom for his actions. 

"These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country," Patty Morin said. "These are the kind of criminals that we need to remove from our country. We are American citizens. Why should we allow people like this, violent criminals that have no conscience at all to murder our mothers, our sisters, our daughters?"

Meanwhile, Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador Wednesday in an attempt to meet with Garcia. The Trump administration’s Justice Department admitted that it deported Garcia in an "administrative error." 

BLUE STATE SENATOR FLIES TO EL SALVADOR TO VISIT DEPORTED MIGRANT IN PRISON, ONLY TO BE DENIED

Additionally, the Supreme Court upheld Thursday a lower court's order that "requires the government to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador."

While Van Hollen met with El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Augusto Antonio Ulloa Garay during his trip, he was not permitted to visit Garcia at the prison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT). However, Van Hollen told reporters he would continue to try to meet with him in the future. 

"I am going to keep pressing," Van Hollen said. "I will keep pressing in my remaining time here, and I will keep pressing beyond that if necessary."

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan and Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

An audit of D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) found staffing levels in the district have increased at a rate of seven-and-a-half times more than student enrollment, while simultaneously student achievement levels in the district still remain behind pre-pandemic levels for most students. 

The Office of the District of Columbia Auditor found that over a five-year period, while student enrollment grew by 2.6%, the number of staff increased by 19.5%. This amounts to roughly 1,600 new positions funded by the district since Fiscal Year 2020, and an approximately 43% increase in per-pupil spending.

Meanwhile, both in D.C. and nationally, students are still trying to find their way back to pre-pandemic achievement levels.

EDUCATORS HOPE ‘ABYSMAL’ NATIONAL LITERACY RATES WILL BE ADDRESSED NOW THAT DEI, GENDER IDEOLOGY OUT THE DOOR

"DC Public Schools works every day to help all our scholars reach their full potential. This recent report highlights a staffing strategy that prioritizes teachers and led to increases in enrollment and academic performance that stands out from other urban school districts. DCPS will work with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer to identify ways to improve data systems to demonstrate the district's continued fiscal stewardship," DCPS press secretary Evan Lambert told Fox News Digital in response to the audit's findings. "Following the sunset of federal pandemic relief, DCPS has increased local funding to schools by decreasing the overall number of Central Services staff."

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, known colloquially as the nation's report card, showed some improvements since the assessment was last released in 2022, but student achievement levels in reading and math nationally remain below 2019 levels for most students. In D.C. specifically, students saw better improvement than most big urban districts, but students in the nation's capital have still not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels, per the nation's report card.

The United States is the third-biggest spender among the 40 other developed nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on per-pupil spending, according to the Education Data Initiative. The pandemic spurred a massive influx of cash into the public school system as well, but many districts were found to be putting all that extra funding toward staff salaries and bonuses, as opposed to things directly related to student achievement.

A FAILING NATION'S REPORT CARD PROVES NEED FOR SWEEPING CHANGE

In North Carolina, the Wake County Public School System spent 78% of its total pandemic relief funding on salaries and employee benefits. In Chicago's public schools system 77% of the district's pandemic money went to staff bonuses, salaries and benefits.

"Thanks to an infusion of $190 billion in federal relief funds, schools have been on a hiring spree over the last few years," stated an analysis by nonprofit education news group The 74. "For example, before the pandemic, Los Angeles Unified was reducing its teacher count pretty much in line with its declining enrollment. But with the infusion of federal (and state) funds, Los Angeles kept staffing levels constant despite further enrollment declines. Gwinnett County in Georgia shows a similar bifurcated trend. Its staffing and enrollment lines were moving in tandem until the federal funds drove a rapid increase in hiring."

The 74, which stands for the 74 million American school children enrolled in K-12 schools across America, examined staffing and enrollment levels in over 9,500 school districts across the country, comprising roughly 92% of all K-12 students nationwide. 

The nonprofit education newsgroup found that almost 3,000 districts saw staff levels increase despite enrollment declines. Others, according to the analysis, shrunk their staff counts, but not as quickly as they lost students, while another category included districts that gained students but increased their staffing levels even faster. According to The 74, public schools overall added approximately 121,000 employees last year overall, even though they served about 110,000 fewer students.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: TRUMP'S DECISION TO GUT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS NOT ONLY ILLEGAL, IT'S WRONG

President Donald Trump and Republicans have taken steps to put greater control over school funding in the hands of individual states, as opposed to the federal government. Last month, he signed an executive order meant to effectively dismantle the U.S. Department of Education through transferring its educational authority to the states. Last week, GOP senators also introduced a bill to close the department.

"Despite per-pupil spending having increased by more than 245% [since the 1970s,] there has been virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement," Trump's March 20 order stated. "President Donald J. Trump and his administration believe we can, and must, be better."

The mother of a Maryland woman who an illegal immigrant from El Salvador raped and murdered in 2023 appeared at the White House Wednesday, after a jury convicted her daughter’s murderer on Monday. 

Patty Morin’s appearance comes as Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland visited El Salvador on Wednesday to check on a Maryland resident the Trump administration's Justice Department deported to El Salvador. The Trump administration claims that the Maryland resident, Abrego Garcia, has ties to the MS-13 gang. 

"To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge, or barely acknowledge, my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother…so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen?" Morin told reporters Wednesday at the White House. "Why does that person have more right than I do, or my daughter or my grandchildren? I don't, I don't understand this."

Van Hollen’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, was denied a visit with a Salvadoran migrant and accused MS-13 member who was deported to El Salvador, after flying to the country on Wednesday morning.

Van Hollen intended to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, who was deported to the El Salvadoran mega prison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT) for being an alleged MS-13 gang member, though his attorneys maintain he does not have any gang ties.

Van Hollen spoke to reporters from El Salvador on Wednesday afternoon, when he vowed to continue pressing for access to Abrego Garcia.

He met with Vice President Félix Augusto Antonio Ulloa Garay because President Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez was out of the country, though Van Hollen said he was grateful to speak about the case of Abrego Garcia.

LIBERAL SENATOR SAYS HE IS FLYING TO VISIT DEPORTED MIGRANT IN PRISON, OTHER DEMS PLANNING TRIPS

"I asked the vice president if I could meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia, and he said, ‘well, you need to make earlier provisions to go visit CECOT,’" Van Hollen said.

He told Ulloa that he was not interested in taking a tour of CECOT and that he just wanted to meet with Abrego Garcia.

"He said he was not able to make that happen," Van Hollen said of Ulloa.

When Van Hollen asked if he could come back next week to see Abrego Garcia, Ulloa told him he could not promise that, either. Ulloa also told the U.S. senator that he could not even arrange for him, or Abrego Garcia’s family to speak with the inmate over the phone.

EL SALVADOR'S BUKELE SAYS US CANNOT 'FREE CRIMINALS AND THINK CRIME IS GOING TO GO DOWN MAGICALLY' 

The senator said the situation in El Salvador is "unjust," and he accused the Trump administration of lying about Abrego Garcia.

"I am going to keep pressing," Van Hollen said. "I will keep pressing in my remaining time here, and I will keep pressing beyond that if necessary."

The Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court's decision to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from CECOT where federal officials have sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members. 

The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from coming back to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is "up to El Salvador. If they want to return him. That's not up to us." 

TRUMP SPARS WITH 'LOW-RATED' CNN ANCHOR OVER DEPORTATION OF EL SALVADOR MIGRANT 

This has caused no small outrage from Democrats, with Van Hollen being the first to announce plans to travel to El Salvador to help secure Abrego Garcia’s release. 

"Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted by the Trump Admin and, by their own admission, wrongly deported to El Salvador," Van Hollen on Tuesday.

"He shouldn’t have to spend another second away from his family," he went on. "I'm flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return."

EL SALVADOR'S BUKELE SAYS US CANNOT 'FREE CRIMINALS AND THINK CRIME IS GOING TO GO DOWN MAGICALLY' 

Van Hollen is not the only Democrat discussing visiting Abrego Garcia and other imprisoned migrants. Far left Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, and Robert Garcia, D-California, issued a joint letter on Tuesday in which they said they are "prepared to travel as soon as possible." 

In their letter, which was sent to House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, on Tuesday, Frost and Garcia requested authorization to send a congressional delegation to visit CECOT to "conduct a welfare check" on Garcia and other deported migrants at the prison.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen drew wide rebuke for his sudden trip to El Salvador, during which he hopes to bring back deported Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Garcia is currently imprisoned in the South American country – and President Nayib Bukele indicated it would be "preposterous" to try to send him back to the U.S.

Van Hollen made waves Wednesday morning when he posted a selfie-video before flying to San Salvador, and calling the goal of his "mission" to let both countries’ governments know he won’t stop fighting until Garcia returns to Maryland.

Rep. Andy Harris, the lone Republican in the Old Line State’s delegation, slammed Van Hollen and contrasted the situation with Rachel Morin – who was murdered by an illegal immigrant found guilty Monday in Bel Air.

BONDI DEFIANT, SAYS ABREGO GARCIA WILL STAY IN EL SALVADOR: ‘END OF THE STORY’

"The most striking… double standard, is that Rachel Morin, who was a constituent of mine, was brutally murdered by an illegal alien from El Salvador," Harris said.

"And Chris Van Hollen is not spending much time on that issue, but he's taking time to go to El Salvador to bring back a citizen of El Salvador to the United States who had entered the country illegally and which an immigration court… found evidence that he was an MS-13 gang member."

Van Hollen did release a print statement after Morin’s killer was convicted, saying he was grateful to law enforcement and calling for "meaningful action" to reform "our broken immigration system."

"We can do this while also supporting our immigrant communities and respecting the rights of individuals who are here legally – I am committed to doing both, and I will continue pressing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward on this issue," Van Hollen said.

DOJ INDICATES TRUMP ADMIN NOT OBLIGATED TO RETURN MAN DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR, PUSHING BACK ON JUDICIARY

White House communications director Steven Cheung mocked Van Hollen "and his bedwetting friends" for showing "more concern and sympathy for an illegal MS-13 gang member than victims of horrific migrant crimes."

Van Hollen previously had a mixed voting record on the illegal immigration issue.

He voted against the Laken Riley Act in January and publicly objected to the first Trump administration deporting two Salvadoran men in 2017 who were scholastic soccer stars.

"Shame on President Trump for tearing apart hardworking immigrant families. We should be focused on MS-13, not scholarship winners," he said.

Harris said efforts to "repatriate" Garcia to Maryland are also factually misguided.

"This gentleman has already been repatriated – back to El Salvador; the country of his citizenship. That is where he belongs."

"Rachel Morin, in fact, was a Maryland woman; This gentleman is not a Maryland man," he said, in reference to how Garcia has been described in the press. "We should probably worry about our own citizens before we worry about citizens of other countries."

Harris also lamented expending taxpayer funds for the trip, "to bring a citizen of a foreign country who entered America illegally back into the United States."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., took criticisms a step further, suggesting Van Hollen may be "flirting with treason" and saying Garcia is already "home, in El Salvador."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also cited Morin’s murder in their rebuke of Van Hollen, claiming he has done more to bring "a MS-13 gang member, human trafficker and illegal alien back to Maryland" than he has to advocate for victims of gang violence.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Van Hollen’s stance did receive one prominent Maryland defender, with Gov. Wes Moore telling Fox News Digital, "We can be pro-public safety and pro-Constitution at the same time."

"We support Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s efforts to check on his health and safety and bring peace of mind to Kilmar’s family in Maryland – his wife, their 5-year-old child, and his two stepchildren, all who are U.S. citizens."

"Despite a unanimous Supreme Court decision, Trump is refusing to return Kilmar and is now even threatening to deport U.S. citizens to El Salvador."

Fox News Digital reached out to Van Hollen for comment but did not hear back.

While autism experts claim that the rise in cases stems from greater awareness and improved diagnostic testing, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shut down that idea Wednesday and, instead, attributed the rise in cases to environmental factors.

Those who discount that environmental exposure is a factor in rising autism cases are engaging in "epidemic denial," Kennedy told reporters Wednesday. 

Kennedy appeared at HHS's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss the latest findings on autism included in a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey released Tuesday. 

"This is coming from an environmental toxin, and somebody made a profit by putting that environmental toxin into our air, our water, our medicines, our food," Kennedy said. "And it's to their benefit to say ‘Oh, to normalize it, to say all this is all normal, it's always been here.’ That's not good for our country."

RFK JR. CALLS FOR REMOVAL OF FLUORIDE FROM DRINKING WATER, SPARKING DEBATE

Even so, the CDC's own new survey Kennedy addressed found that autism prevalence is on the rise and said the increase "might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices."

Specifically, the survey found that one in 31 8-year-old children were diagnosed with autism in 2022 – up from one in 36 in 2000.

Additionally, the survey determined that autism rates were far more common for boys than girls. While one in 20 boys is diagnosed with autism, those numbers go down to one in 70 for girls. 

While Kennedy acknowledged Wednesday there may be some genetic vulnerabilities that could contribute to increased odds of an autism diagnosis, he said the autism rates spiked starting in 1989 and that some new environmental toxin must have been introduced around that time. 

"Why are we not seeing it in older people? Why is this only happening in young people?" Kennedy said. "Have you ever seen anybody our age – I'm 71 years old – with full blown autism? Head-banging, non-verbal, non-toilet-trained." 

As a result, Kennedy said HHS' studies would examine toxins including mold, pesticides, air, water, different medications, as well as the age and obesity rates of parents, among other things. 

"We’re going to look at all the potential culprits," Kennedy said. 

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the apparent discrepancy between Kennedy's remarks and the CDC survey. 

UTAH BANS FLUORIDE FROM PUBLIC DRINKING WATER, ALIGNING WITH MAHA MOVEMENT

Kennedy signaled Thursday in a Cabinet meeting at the White House that the administration would kick off a massive research initiative to understand the cause of autism by September. 

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy and legal advocacy on behalf of those with autism, pushed back against Kennedy’s statements in the Cabinet meeting and claimed Kennedy refused to acknowledge studies that point to genes as the underlying cause of autism. 

"There is no evidence that autism is actually becoming more common (rather, we as a society are getting better at identifying it, and diagnostic standards have appropriately been widened)," the network said in a Thursday statement. "Even if it were, however, autistic and other disabled people belong in our society. To claim otherwise, and to speak as though our existence is some kind of calamity that must be eliminated, is a form of eugenics." 

FIRST ON FOX: Roughly 2,300 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employees have opted to take deferred resignation offers since January, Fox News Digital learned. 

"To continue serving the American people at the highest standard, we are taking inventory of all programs and personnel while maintaining a strong workforce that is dedicated to supporting our most vulnerable and promoting pathways to self-sufficiency," Secretary Scott Turner told Fox News Digital Wednesday. 

"The Deferred Resignation Program carries out President Trump’s commitment to efficiency in the federal government by providing a pathway for employees to wish to seek new opportunities while also affording the agency an opportunity to streamline our operations."

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offered deferred resignations to federal employees earlier in 2025, which closed in February. The deferred resignation initiative offered staffers eight months of pay and benefits if they parted ways with their federal government jobs. 

HUD announced the launch of a second resignation offer March 31 to employees "who wish they had taken" OPM's offer. 

Roughly 2,300 HUD employees have taken the deferred resignation offers, with slight fluctuations possible as they iron out final agreements with staffers, Fox Digital learned. Ahead of the Trump administration, HUD employed nearly 10,000 individuals.

HUD OFFICES BECAME AS VACANT AS A ‘SPIRIT HALLOWEEN’ STORE UNDER BIDEN: ADMIN SOURCES

"On week 1, President Trump went straight to work on reforming the federal workforce. One option offered to federal employees was a 'fork in the road' to separate from the federal workforce," HUD posted to its official X account March 31.  

HUD CHIEF PUTS ILLEGAL ALIENS LIVING IN GOVERNMENT-FUNDED HOUSING ON NOTICE: AMERICANS ARE 'OUR ONLY PRIORITY'

"The option to take the fork in the road closed on February 12, 2025. Since then, we have heard from staff who wish they had taken it. Today, we’re launching a second Deferred Resignation Program or 'fork in the road' in coordination with OPM that opens today and closes on Friday, April 11, 2025.

Under the Biden administration, HUD reportedly had become desolate as staffers worked from home and rarely visited its massive Washington headquarters. Fox News Digital reported in February that HUD's headquarters became as empty as an off-season "Spirit Halloween" store under the Biden administration, which had left offices relatively untouched since the first Trump administration.

LIBERAL NORTH CAROLINA CITY'S DEI PLAN FOR HURRICANE RELIEF SHUT DOWN BY HUD SECRETARY

"For four years, the American people witnessed their government buildings transform overnight into massive, taxpayer-funded ‘Spirit Halloween’ stores," a senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital at the time. 

President Donald Trump signed a memo on his first day back in the Oval Office ordering agency heads to terminate remote work arrangements that had been ongoing since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.  

Turner told Fox Digital in February that upon his confirmation, "the four year vacation" for staffers was "over." 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"This is a huge disservice to the American people and a massive waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars," Turner told Fox Digital in February. "Let me be clear – the four-year vacation is over." 

"I’ve been on many teams in my career, and I know from experience that in-person teamwork ensures accountability and fosters an environment of collaboration, creativity and communication," he said. "At HUD, we’re getting back to work for the American people."

Democratic leaders are very worried about a Salvadoran migrant and accused MS-13 member who was living in Maryland and was deported to a maximum-security prison in his home country. Several have announced their intention to visit the migrant in prison if he is not released soon. 

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said on Tuesday evening that he would be flying to El Salvador in the morning to visit the deported migrant.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to the El Salvadoran megaprison "Terrorism Confinement Center" (CECOT) last month for being an alleged MS-13 gang member, but his attorneys maintain he does not have any gang ties.

The Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court's decision to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from CECOT where federal officials have sent hundreds of suspected criminals and gang members. 

EL SALVADOR'S BUKELE SAYS US CANNOT 'FREE CRIMINALS AND THINK CRIME IS GOING TO GO DOWN MAGICALLY' 

The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from coming back to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is "up to El Salvador. If they want to return him. That's not up to us." 

This has caused no small outrage from Democrats, with Van Hollen being the first to announce he is traveling to El Salvador to help secure Abrego Garcia’s release. 

"Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted by the Trump Admin and, by their own admission, wrongly deported to El Salvador," said Van Hollen.

"He shouldn’t have to spend another second away from his family," he went on. "I'm flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return."

TRUMP SPARS WITH 'LOW-RATED' CNN ANCHOR OVER DEPORTATION OF EL SALVADOR MIGRANT 

Van Hollen is not the only Democrat discussing visiting Abrego Garcia and other imprisoned migrants. Far left Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, and Robert Garcia, D-California, issued a joint letter on Tuesday in which they said they are "prepared to travel as soon as possible." 

In their letter, which was sent to House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, on Tuesday, Frost and Garcia requested authorization to send a congressional delegation to visit CECOT to "conduct a welfare check" on Garcia and other deported migrants at the prison. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The two representatives said they were also concerned about the wellbeing of Andry José Hernández Romero, a 31-year-old gay makeup artist who was sent to CECOT on suspicion of being a gang member. 

"We are prepared to travel as soon as possible," the two said, adding that they would "gladly include any Republican Members of the Committee who wish to participate." 

MEDIA REFERS TO DEPORTED ALLEGED GANG MEMBER AS 'MARYLAND FATHER' 

Frost, who is the youngest and one of the most progressive members of Congress, slammed the Trump administration on X, saying that Abrego Garcia was "wrongly deported" to El Salvador as part of the "Trump Administration’s government-funded kidnapping rampage." 

"He is rotting away in a foreign prison where his life is in danger," said Frost. "We need to go there now to make sure he’s okay." 

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is considering a 2026 bid for governor in her home state, multiple sources close to her confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Stefanik was withdrawn from consideration as President Donald Trump’s United Nations Ambassador to shore up numbers of the House Republicans' narrow majority. She is now the chairwoman of House Republican Leadership.

Sources tell Fox News Digital that she is being encouraged to run by allies of Trump and longtime friends. Stefanik outperformed the president in her congressional district in 2016, 2020 and 2024, which one source says could be an indicator that she could do well with New York's swing voters. The Republican won with 62% of the vote in her strongly conservative district in November.

On Wednesday, Stefanik made the case for a GOP win in New York this year when she commented on a new poll by Marist, which is the latest to indicate that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's approval ratings are underwater with New York State voters. 

"This latest bombshell polling proves what every New Yorker already knows: that we must FIRE Kathy Hochul in 2026 to SAVE NEW YORK. Hochul is the Worst Governor in America and it’s not even close," Stefanik argued in a statement.

HARVARD IS 'ACTING MORE ENTITLED THAN EVER,' SAYS GOP CONGRESSWOMAN

Stefanik is a top Trump ally in the House, and the president posted on social media Wednesday morning that "Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!!" 

The six-term lawmaker has $10 million cash-on-hand through her fundraising entities, and is considered popular among Republican voters in the state. Stefanik was the keynote speaker at a New York GOP event on Tuesday night.

At the time of her nomination's withdrawal, Hochul said it was a matter of holding the line in Congress.

"I have been proud to be a team player. The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I'm committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents," Stefanik said on Fox News' "Hannity" last month.

REP. ELISE STEFANIK EXPLAINS HER 'TEAM PLAYER' DECISION TO STAY IN CONGRESS

Trump said he would work on finding a replacement pick, which has not been announced yet.

"As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning," the president posted to Truth Social at the time. 

"I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,."

SANCTUARY GOVERNORS WALZ, PRITZKER, HOCHUL CALLED TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS

Stefanik is far from the only well-known Republican in New York State considering a 2026 run for governor.

Rep. Mike Lawler, who is in his second term representing the state's 17th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of New York City's northern suburbs, is mulling a bid.

WHAT MIKE LAWLER TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT POTENTIALLY RUNNING FOR EMPIRE STATE GOVERNOR

"I'll make a decision at some point — middle of the year. Obviously, you know if we're going to do it, you got to get out there, and you got to campaign hard," Lawler said last week in an interview with Fox News Digital.

He added, "I haven't made a decision yet. I think, obviously, there's a number of factors in play, but you know, we're working through that right now."

Among the other Republicans weighing a gubernatorial run are Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, who, like Stefanik, is a major Trump supporter and ally. Longtime Bethany town supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. is also considering a run.

Democrats are salivating over a potential GOP gubernatorial primary in the Empire State.

CAN REPUBLICANS BRING AN END TO THEIR 23-YEAR LOSING STREAK IN THIS BLUE STATE?

"New York’s Republican primary is set to be a nasty and vicious race to see who can be the Trumpiest — and most out of touch with New Yorkers," Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe argued in a statement. "All three potential candidates in this race are running to bring Donald Trump’s extreme agenda of raising costs and taking away fundamental freedoms to Albany — and could not be more out of step with New York."

It's been 23 years since a Republican won a gubernatorial election in heavily blue New York State. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. George Pataki's second re-election victory in 2002.

But with Hochul's approval ratings and favorable ratings remaining in negative territory, Republicans are optimistic their losing streak will come to an end next year. The governor also faces potential long-shot Democratic primary challenges from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres.

Hochul, who at the time was the state’s lieutenant governor, was sworn in as New York’s first female governor in August 2021 after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals.

But she narrowly won a full four-year term in the 2022 gubernatorial election, defeating then-Rep. Lee Zeldin, who now steers the Environmental Protection Agency in the Trump administration.

Zeldin — who lost to Hochul by less than six and a half points — had the best performance by a GOP gubernatorial candidate in New York since Pataki's 2002 victory.

Trump lost the state to then-Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 points in last November's presidential election, but that was a 10-point improvement from his loss margin to former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

"What is really telling is that you have three, at least, very qualified Republican candidates looking at it," a veteran Republican strategist who works on New York State races told Fox News. "I think it shows her [Hochul's] vulnerability."

Stefanik's departure could still have an impact on House Republicans' razor-thin three-seat majority, but GOP leaders hope to be done with their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process by the end of this year.

If elected governor, Stefanik would not have to leave the House until the end of December 2026.

Her vote was critical to advancing Trump's budget framework legislation earlier this month. The bill appeared at risk of failing during a tense procedural vote last week, but Stefanik — who was among the last to cast her vote — carried it over the top, 216 to 215.

Fox News' Madeline Coggins contributed to this report.

A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks.

Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth. 

"We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time," a defense official told Fox News Digital. 

Carroll did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

PENTAGON DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF IS SECOND HEGSETH ADVISOR REMOVED AMID DOD LEAK PROBE

Last month Defense Department (DOD) announced it would launch a probe into "recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information" and might employ the use of polygraphs to determine the source of the leaks. 

"The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy," DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. "This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense."

GENERAL WHO HELPED TRUMP DECIMATE ISIS TERRORISTS IN FIRST TERM CONFIRMED AS JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN

He wrote that "information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure" would be referred for criminal prosecution. 

Caroll, a Marine Corps reservist, most recently worked at defense contractor Anduril, which develops autonomous weapons systems. Both Selnick and Caldwell worked at Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group once led by Hegseth. 

The Pentagon has not provided specifics about what the three officials are accused of leaking. An official told Politico that the leak concerned Panama Canal plans and Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon and a second aircraft carrier being deployed to the Red Sea. 

The DOD followed the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice in announcing it would use polygraphs to root out alleged leakers. But the DOD memo came after President Donald Trump pushed back on a New York Times report that Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk would be briefed on "war plans" with China during a visit to the Pentagon. Trump said he would not show such plans "to anybody."

In a video message about the Federal Aviation Administration doing "drone-detection testing" in New Jersey, Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy indicated that the Trump administration is committed to "radical transparency," juxtaposing that approach with what he referred to as the Biden administration's "drone fiasco."

The FAA noted in a post on its website last week that the testing is slated to occur "in Cape May, New Jersey, between April 14-25."

"The FAA will operate several large drones and more than 100 commercial off-the-shelf drones during the two-week period. Testing will take place over the water and near the Cape May Ferry Terminal during the daytime on weekdays only. The public should not fly recreational drones near this area during the test period," the post stated.

KEY TRUMP AGENCY FACING ‘UNPRECEDENTED BACKLOG' INHERITED FROM BIDEN ADMIN

In a video message shared on social media this week, Duffy explained that the testing is being performed "to ensure we can properly detect drones in our airspace and make sure they don't interfere with aircraft navigation systems."

Many Americans were concerned by a spate of sightings in the skies last year.

A joint Department of Homeland Security, FBI, FAA, and Department of Defense statement in December addressed the issue, declaring that "we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones. We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast."

CUTTING-EDGE DRONE TECH MAPS LAND AND WATER WITH LASER ACCURACY

Shortly after President Donald Trump took office in January, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered what she described as a statement from Trump, explaining that the drones over the Garden State were cleared by the FAA to fly "for research and various other reasons," and that many drones had been flown by hobbyists. 

"This was not the enemy," she concluded, describing the remarks as "a statement from the president … "

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SHARES UPDATE ON DRONES SEEN FLYING OVER NEW JERSEY

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The FAA's post last week noted, "The agency has been testing drone detection technologies at airports over the last few years and is expanding testing to off-airport locations. These tests will help determine the effectiveness of these technologies and whether they might interfere with FAA or aircraft navigation systems." 

FIRST ON FOX: The vice mayor of a Florida town that is home to one of the country’s largest population of Venezuelan migrants is supporting a deal that will allow the city’s law enforcement to cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

"I support this agreement because I believe it is essential to strengthening our Police Department’s ability to carry out their duties effectively and responsibly," Doral, Florida, Vice Mayor Maureen Porras told Fox News Digital. "By moving forward with this, we are ensuring that the City of Doral remains in full compliance with both state and federal mandates—an important step in maintaining public trust and upholding the rule of law."

The comments come as Doral, a key Florida hub for Venezuelan immigrants, is set to vote on a potential agreement with ICE on Wednesday that would allow the city’s law enforcement to carry out some immigration-enforcement operations.

FLORIDA’S LARGEST VENEZUELAN STRONGHOLD POISED TO JOIN FORCES WITH ICE: REPORT

Members of the City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to ink a 287(g) program deal with ICE, which would allow Doral police officers to assist ICE with detentions, questioning and processing individuals suspected of breaking federal immigration laws.

Doral would become one of the latest local law enforcement agencies to join President Donald Trump’s push to ramp up deportation efforts, with 287(g) agreements with ICE seeing more widespread use across the country since the new president took office in January.

That effort was given a boost by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has encouraged local cooperation with federal immigration authorities through a law that requires the local agencies in charge of jails to be enrolled in 287(g) programs.

However, Doral’s involvement in the program could be seen as a seemingly surprising turn, with the city being home to one of the largest proportions of Venezuelan immigrants in the United States, leading to concerns about the program from many in the local population.

BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS

Doral Councilwoman Digna Cabral acknowledged those concerns, telling Fox News Digital that she hopes Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez will provide further explanation on the details of the program during Wednesday’s proceedings, noting that immigration enforcement is "a sensitive topic" for many in the community.

"I believe it is important to approach this matter with care, clarity, and full transparency," Cabral told Fox News Digital. "At this stage, I have not taken a final position, and I will await the full presentation and discussion at the Council meeting before making any further statements."

Porras acknowledged those concerns as well, but argued that the agreement "is not designed to discriminate against anyone" and that she will not "support its use for that purpose."

"As an experienced immigration attorney with many years of helping families in South Florida, I understand the serious consequences of discriminatory practices and remain fully committed to ensuring that our laws are applied fairly and justly," Porras told Fox News Digital. "I will make sure that our law-abiding residents are not negatively affected. My focus is on promoting public safety, protecting civil rights, and ensuring that everyone in our community feels safe and respected."

A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month, a major update that comes as tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary have reached a fever pitch.

In a 48-page order, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said that the court had determined that the Trump administration had demonstrated a "willful disregard" for his March 15 emergency order, which temporarily halted all deportation flights to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, to allow the court to better consider the merits of the case. 

Boasberg had also ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be "immediately" returned to U.S. soil — which did not happen. Hundreds of migrants arrived in El Salvador later that evening, where the individuals were detained in a sprawling, maximum-security Salvadorian prison.

"The Court ultimately determines that the Government's actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt," Boasberg said Wednesday.

JUDGE BOASBERG CANCELS PLANNED HEARING TO REVIEW TRUMP DEPORTATIONS

Boasberg instructed the government to file additional declarations by April 23 demonstrating why the court should "purge" any contempt proceedings against it. Should they fail to do so, he said, the court will refer the matter for potential prosecution. 

That would involve identifying the individuals responsible for what the judge described as "contumacious conduct," and "determining whose ‘specific act or omission’ caused the noncompliance," Boasberg said in his order.

The Justice Department could then request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government and, should they decline to prosecute the matter, could "appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt."

"The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions," Boasberg continued, noting that "none of their responses" have been satisfactory to the court.

The Trump administration wasted little time responding to the new court order.

"We plan to seek immediate appellate relief," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a social media post Wednesday.

"The president is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country," he added.

WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP'S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?

The order is the latest development in the ongoing feud between Trump officials and Boasberg, who drew the administration’s ire last month after temporarily blocking the deportation of certain migrants to El Salvador.

Last month, Boasberg granted a temporary restraining order for 14 days to allow the court to review Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to immediately deport certain individuals. 

Boasberg also issued a bench ruling ordering that all migrant flights be "immediately" returned to U.S. soil. The administration did not comply, and hours later, the planes arrived in El Salvador.

At least 261 migrants were deported that day, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who were subject to removal "solely on the basis" of the law temporarily blocked by the court.

In the weeks since, Boasberg has scolded Justice Department officials for withholding information about deportation flights and demanded an explanation for why they appeared to ignore his emergency injunction halting the removals.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE

Boasberg had scolded the Trump administration, including Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign, for failing to comply with repeated requests for information from the court about the individuals deported on the flights and who in the administration knew about the restraining order handed down and when. 

He also demanded to know who in the administration ultimately made the decision not to comply with his order to return the planes, telling Ensign in court earlier this month that the information could be relevant in potential future contempt proceedings.

"If you really believed everything you did that day was legal and would survive a court challenge, you would not have operated the way that you did," Boasberg told Ensign at a hearing earlier this month.

The judge also contested their suggestion that the administration may not have violated his emergency restraining order, noting in response that the government appeared to have "acted in bad faith throughout the day."

The Trump administration, for its part, had argued in an emergency appeal that Boasberg's actions amounted to a "massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive’s authority to remove dangerous aliens," whom they alleged "pose threats to the American people."

A critical Kentucky seat in the U.S. Senate will soon have a new face after former GOP leader Mitch McConnell announced his retirement in February, and Republican hopefuls appear to be gearing up for what will be a challenging primary.

Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s first Black attorney general and 2024 gubernatorial candidate, still remains the only declared Republican candidate so far after he announced his intention to run for the vacant seat just days after McConnell’s retirement address.

With first quarter fundraising numbers being released on Tuesday, another possible candidate has been seemingly busy building a war chest behind the scenes.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN ARM TOUTS 'UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM' WITH RECORD FUNDRAISING HAUL

Republican Rep. Andy Barr, R-Kentucky, who has hinted at a possible run though has not officially stepped into the race, posted a sizable $2.26 million raised since January, with approximately $5.35 million in cash on hand through various Political Action Committees.

Amanda Milward, a spokesperson for the Barr campaign, spoke with Fox News Digital after the numbers were posted on Tuesday. 

"Andy Barr is humbled by the outpouring of support from Kentuckians and donors across the country for his strong America First leadership," Milward explained. "As Andy considers running for the U.S. Senate, it is clear that Kentucky Republicans want leaders who will not only stand with President Trump, but who also have the drive and resources to win. We cannot afford to lose another statewide race."

Cameron posted $507,656 in campaign contributions and $455,395 cash on hand after expenditures. 

VP VANCE BLASTS MCCONNELL'S VOTE AGAINST TRUMP PENTAGON NOMINEE: 'POLITICAL PETTINESS'

"From every corner of Kentucky to supporters across the country, folks are rallying behind our campaign because they’re ready for a true America First fighter—someone who will stand up for our values and advance President Trump’s agenda in the U.S. Senate," Cameron told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "We’re pressing forward, the path to victory is clear, and we’re not looking back."

Former Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was elected to the coveted seat in 1985, making him the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. 

However, McConnell’s endorsement may not carry the weight it did some years ago, given the tumultuous relationship between the Kentucky senator and President Donald Trump. Sources close to the race told Fox News Digital that a McConnell endorsement would actually do more harm than good and that the endorsement from President Trump is the key to the ticket. 

While President Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate, he has made comments about both Cameron and Barr in the past. 

Last week at the White House, the president made a nod to Barr’s attendance during a press conference, telling the likely candidate "good luck with everything, I hear good things."

GOP SENATOR REVEALS WHY TRUMP'S 'COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT' WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR HIS MIDTERM RACE

Notably, a Trump endorsement for Cameron would not be the first, as the 45th and 47th president endorsed Cameron for governor in October 2023. Following Cameron’s loss to Democrat Andy Beshear, Trump blamed ties with McConnell as the reason for the defeat.

"Daniel Cameron lost because he couldn’t alleviate the stench of Mitch McConnell," Trump posted to Truth Social. "I told him early that’s a big burden to overcome. McConnell and Romney are Kryptonite for Republican Candidates. I moved him up 25 Points, but the McConnell relationship was ‘too much to bear."

To shake things up even more, a third possible candidate is eyeing a possible run for the hotly contested seat.

Wealthy businessman Nate Morris, CEO of Morris Industries and former CEO of Rubicon Investments, has also been in the mix of possible names in the primary. 

Morris has already targeted ties to McConnell as a possible weakness for a potential victor, posting on X that "the last thing Kentucky needs is another puppet for Mitch McConnell."

Who the sitting president plans to support remains unclear, though it seems his endorsement in the race may be one of the more substantial in the upcoming midterm election. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Nate Morris for comment but did not receive a response.

EXCLUSIVE: Successfully ridding the U.S. of the effects of Mexico's criminal cartels operating along the southwestern border would be a 20-year ordeal, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said – but argued Congress could begin having an impact in a matter of weeks to months.

"Look, there's places we can boost right now to help the administration – the administration is refocusing a lot of efforts, especially in the [Department of Defense (DOD)], on the cartel situation, but there's no extra money for that. That is something we could produce in reconciliation," Crenshaw told Fox News Digital.

"I already know what programs need to be boosted, I just need to know the numbers. And that will come from [the Office of Management and Budget] that'll come from the Department of Homeland Security, it'll come from the DOD, it'll come from [Department of Justice]. And so over the next couple of weeks, even while we're in recess, we're working on getting those numbers."

TWO VENEZUELAN ILLEGAL ALIENS CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING, TORTURING, ATTEMPTING TO KILL WASHINGTON STATE WOMAN

Fox News Digital spoke with Crenshaw days after he was tapped to lead a new task force on combating Mexico's drug cartels. It's operating under the House permanent select committee on intelligence, which Crenshaw sits on.

He said it differs from his initiative last year, a similar task force, albeit with few resources to execute his goals, according to the congressman.

"Last year's cartel task force didn't have any staff. We were a series of members conducting hearings, investigations," Crenshaw said. "I think we're past that stage at the moment. Now, what I lead is really the House's effort to actually create some legislation to combat the cartels."

He added that the intelligence panel was "the right place for it" given "a lot of the work we do is classified." 

"So the goal here is to actually get some outcomes as opposed to continuing more hearings, continuing more investigation. I've got a pretty good outline of what needs to happen. We've got President Trump in the White House now, who wants to make it happen," Crenshaw said.

"Another huge difference between now and last year is we have a Mexican administration under President Sheinbaum, who also wants to make it happen and take the fight to the cartels."

That fight would largely be a two-phase approach, Crenshaw explained. The first would be funding, while the second would entail "additional authorities and laws that need to be changed" to combat what the Texas congressman likened to "a terrorist insurgency" within the U.S.' close neighbor and trading partner.

"That means boosting up certain funding lines in existing authorities, especially places like the Department of Defense. You know, NORTHCOM owns this area of operation when it comes to Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. They're going to need extra resources because we're going to need to do a lot more training on Mexican special forces," he said.

Crenshaw called for sending military-grade gear to forces at the border, including Blackhawk helicopters, and bolstering reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering efforts.

PAM BONDI CALLS OUT ‘DETACHED FROM REALITY’ DEMS FOR DEMANDING ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER BE RETURNED TO US

"Things they really don't have and that currently cause them to be outgunned by these pretty massive militias that have unlimited funding and are ruthless in the way that they terrorize the Mexican population," Crenshaw explained. "So there's a lot to do there."

He's hoping the funding can largely be allocated through the budget reconciliation process, a means for Republicans to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul while totally sidelining Democrats.

They can do so because reconciliation brings the Senate's passage threshold down from 60 votes to 51, provided the legislation deals with taxation, spending or the national debt.

Republicans are looking to increase funding for President Donald Trump's border initiatives, but it's not immediately clear what shape that will take.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The contours of that plan will become clear in the next several weeks, with lawmakers returning from a two-week recess at the end of this month.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said his full faith was in Crenshaw to execute the task force's goals.

"Now it is the responsibility of Congress to ensure this good work can continue by providing the President with the tools he needs to dismantle the drug cartels for good," Johnson said in a statement. "No one has worked harder on this important issue than Congressman Crenshaw, and I am grateful he is willing to continue leading at this pivotal time."

In the wake of the arrest of two foreign nationals seeking to murder a U.S. journalist on behalf of the Iranian government, a bipartisan group of senators put forward a bill Tuesday to stiffen penalties on people who commit crimes in the U.S. on behalf of foreign countries.

Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced the Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE) Act.

The bill increases penalties on murder-for-hire schemers, those convicted of attempted murder or assassination of federal officials, as well as suspects allegedly involved in attempting to kill former officials because of their actions while in office.

Stalking and attempted kidnapping in the name of foreign governments would also lead to more serious charges for any offender. Many sentence enhancements fell at 10 additional years in prison.

IRANIAN BORN JOURNALIST TARGETED IN KIDNAP PLOT TELLS FOX THE TEHRAN REGIME ‘CANNOT BREAK ME’

"If you commit crimes in America on behalf of foreign adversaries, you must face serious consequences," Slotkin said in a statement.

"The bipartisan DETERRENCE Act helps strengthen penalties for these crimes and sends a clear message about how seriously we take our national security and how we will hold accountable those who commit crimes against our nation." 

In March, two foreigners appeared in New York federal court and pleaded not guilty to an alleged murder-for-hire plot against Masih Alinejad – an Iranian-born U.S. journalist.

Rafat Amirov of Iran and Polad Omarov of the Czech Republic and Slovenia were members of the Russian mob and were hired by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to kill the New York City resident, according to prosecutors.

"Finally, I will face the men hired by the Islamic Republic to kill me, right here in New York," Alinejad said at the time.

IRANIAN-AMERICAN JOURNALIST TESTIFIES AGAINST MEN ACCUSED OF MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT

"I’m deeply grateful to my new country, the United States of America, for trying to keep me safe from the government of my birth country, Iran."

Ernst said the U.S. cannot allow foreign adversaries like Iran to "fund crimes against Americans on our own soil."

She called the DETERRENCE Act an example of Reagan-esque "peace through strength" that puts foreign criminals "on notice" and is a direct warning to anyone trying to act on Tehran’s motto of "Death to America."

Meanwhile, Hassan said in a statement that Congress should pass the legislation as a clear message to foreign adversaries that they will face serious consequences if their criminal behavior crosses the U.S. border.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Foreign adversaries are working with gangs and criminals in the United States to try to kill people on our soil, which is a national security risk," she warned. 

Another reported foreign murder-for-hire plot was revealed last fall when an ex-Indian intelligence officer allegedly plotted to kill a U.S. citizen in New York who was a leader of a pro-Sikh independence movement.

Vikash Yadav’s October indictment reportedly laid out a connection to the Indian government, according to NPR.