A strong majority of Americans believe that President-elect Donald Trump will control illegal immigration, as the president-elect eyes a historic mass deportation campaign and additional border security measures when he takes office this month.
A Gallup poll released Thursday found that 68% of Americans predict that Trump will control illegal immigration. Just 28% of those polled said he would not.
Trump made tackling illegal immigration the cornerstone of his presidential bid, as the country reeled from a historic migrant crisis at the southern border.
"We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country," he said after winning the election in November.
Trump has promised to launch the "largest domestic deportation operation in American history."
The former president has also promised to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to "remove all known or suspected Gang Members, drug dealers, or Cartel Members from the United States" and shift law enforcement to immigration enforcement. He has also promised to resume construction of a wall at the southern border. Construction started in his first administration but was largely stopped by the Biden administration.
Fox Digital has previously reported on plans to increase the use of ankle monitors among those unable to be detained and the possibility of expanding immigration detention near major metropolitan areas. Trump has appointed former acting ICE Director Tom Homan as border czar and nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the next Homeland Security secretary.
Other issues which those polled believe Trump will find success with include reducing unemployment (60%), keeping the U.S. safe from terrorism (60%), improving the economy (58%) and keeping the country out of war (55%).
Majorities also believe that Trump will cut taxes, reduce the crime rate and "increase respect for the United States abroad."
Those polled were less convinced, however, that Trump will improve healthcare (40%), improve the environment (35%) and heal political divisions in the country (33%).
A Fox News Poll in December found that a majority of voters were excited about the incoming administration. At least half said they were hopeful (54%) or relieved (50%), and just under half feel excited (48%).
The survey found the economy remains the most important issue (34%), with immigration and border security a distant second (21%). No other issue reached double digits, including abortion (7%), which was a top issue all year.
Viviana Vazquez grew up low-income but now makes over $150,000 from her tech job.
When she first started working, she wanted to contribute to her family but struggled with resentment.
After setting some boundaries, she's now able to save for herself while also giving to her family.
Editor's note: This list was first published in July 2024 and most recently updated on January 3, 2025.
I grew up in poverty in a $ 1,000-a-month rent-controlled apartment in Hell's Kitchen before the neighborhood became gentrified.
My parents immigrated from Mexico and met in New York. They married and had me, my sister, and my brother.
The five of us lived in one bedroom of our apartment while my dad subleased the other two bedrooms. We often dealt with rats, roaches, and occasional water outages, but it was the only place we could afford.
Viviana and her sister.
Viviana Vazquez
Today, it's a bittersweet memory. I'm 28 and live in a luxury one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan with my fiancé, Xavi, whom I met in college. Our place reminds me of the kind of apartment my mom used to clean.
In 2024, I earned over $150,000 as a senior content marketing manager at a FinTech startup — that's over five times the amount my family of five lived on when I was growing up. I also earned over $15,000 as a social media content creator.
Seeing my parents struggle took a toll on me
I remember my dad borrowing money from loved ones or banks to cover the rent. The day we got an eviction letter, my heart dropped twice — once when I read it myself and again when I translated it into Spanish for my parents.
My dad has worked a minimum-wage job at a parking garage for as long as I can remember. My mom babysat, tutored kids in Spanish, and cleaned apartments. She would come home with bags of secondhand clothes and toys her clients had donated to her. My sister and I would proudly wear those "new" clothes to school.
My favorite childhood memories were made at the local park because it was free, accessible, and almost always empty.
Viviana (far right) with her sister and cousins.
Viviana Vazquez
I didn't understand why my parents couldn't give me money for the books I wanted to buy at the Scholastic book fair or the Girl Scout cookies my classmates were selling.
At 17, I had to fill out the FAFSA and navigate the college process on my own while I watched my classmates enroll in SAT classes. I didn't know why my parents encouraged me to attend college when they couldn't afford it.
I started at CUNY City College before transferring to Baruch, where I graduated with my BBA in economics. I lived at home and worked part-time to pay my way.
We thought I was "rich" when I landed a $57,000 job
My first job out of college was as a teacher with a $57,000 salary. My whole family cried and celebrated for weeks; I was the first in my family to graduate from college, and now we were "rich" — or at least I thought we'd be.
I had already been helping my family with money for groceries and small bills, but now I wanted to contribute more financially.
After spending my first paycheck, I realized that between tuition for graduate school, paying off over $15,000 in student loans and credit card debt, and covering much of my family's expenses, I had no money to save or spend on myself.
I felt stuck. I wanted to give back to my parents, but over time, resentment built up in me. It felt like I had gone through all of that hard work just to fall into the same struggle that I had seen my dad go through.
I finally told my parents I was struggling and needed time to organize my finances. I would still help them, but not as much as before. They were supportive, understanding, and curious about how to pay off their debts, invest, and build wealth.
Now, I give back to my family, but within my means
I learned about personal finance through podcasts, social media, and Xavi. I quit my teaching job after realizing three things: I didn't enjoy the classroom setting, my earning potential was limited, and I was interested in technology and finance.
After networking and months of job searching, I landed my first tech job in 2021. Two promotions and two interstate moves later, I've increased my income by 300%.
Now, I consistently save and invest 30% (and sometimes more) of my income, allowing me to afford everything I wanted to do as a child, like travel and eat out. I send my mom money each month for her groceries, pay for my sister's phone, and pick up the check every time I'm out with my family.
I helped my parents consolidate their debt, refinance their interest rates, and invest in a Roth IRA. They were able to finally become debt-free in August — it was a huge weight lifted off all our shoulders. They've also been able to build up their savings now that they're debt-free.
We've accomplished so much on our money journeys, which I share openly with my community on Instagram.
Establishing boundaries was a big part of my financial journey
My parents and I haven't always been on the same page regarding money. They wanted me to cosign on a mortgage with my aunt because she didn't meet the income requirements, and another time, they wanted me to empty my emergency fund to lend money to a family member.
I didn't do so either time because it didn't align with my financial goals, and my parents weren't very happy with me. Ultimately, they respected my boundaries.
It took me years to get to where I am, but I'm thankful that I put myself first
Viviana Vazquez.
Viviana Vazquez
I'm proud that I prioritized myself. Although I thought I was selfish at the time, I was making a short-term sacrifice so that I could do more and give more to my family in the future.
I was able to pay for their flights to Mexico for our wedding this year, and my mom and I surprised my dad with a new iPhone 14 for Christmas, which he loved. My fiancé said he's never seen my dad so happy before. It was also a bittersweet moment seeing my mom, who grew up poor, be able to gift him something so expensive. It shows how far we've all come — not just me.
Recently, I took them to a paint-and-pour session and karaoke; it was their first time doing either of those things, and they had so much fun. I hope to have more of these "first experiences" with them in the future now that they're debt-free and building great financial habits, and I can afford to purchase those experiences.
If my younger self saw everything I've built for us, she'd be so happy. While it feels like I overcame the cycle of generational poverty, there's still so much more I want to do, like become the first millionaire in my family and retire my parents.
For now, I'm focused on sharing my wealth with the people who deserve to enjoy it most: my loving parents. Their sacrifices are why I've gotten this far, and it's only beginning.
In the days since New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared New York City’s subways had improved in safety, a woman was burned alive, a man was pushed in front of an oncoming train and gangs of illegal immigrants have robbed straphangers.
Just before Christmas, the Democrat took to X to claim that, since March, she has taken action to make subways "safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day."
"Since deploying the [New York National Guard] to support [the NYPD] and MTA, safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up," she wrote on Dec. 22.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), while mostly serving the five boroughs, Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley suburbs, is a state-operated, not city-operated, agency.
However, in that short time, an illegal immigrant allegedly set a woman on fire on an F train, a man miraculously survived being shoved in front of a 1 train and Venezuelan gang members have been robbing straphangers at will.
In Coney Island, Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta was charged with murder after allegedly lighting a Toms River, New Jersey, woman on fire while she slept on board an F train at the Stillwell Avenue Terminal. That incident occurred the morning of Dec. 22, hours before Hochul's post.
The victim, Debrina Kawam, once worked for Merck Pharmaceuticals in the early 2000s but had more recently lived in a New York City homeless shelter.
Zapeta’s arraignment has been set for Tuesday. He told the NYPD he overindulges in alcohol and "doesn’t know what happened," according to NBC News.
"My office is very confident about the evidence in this case and our ability to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds," Kings County Democratic District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said of the case.
Earlier this week, 23-year-old Kamel Hawkins of Brooklyn allegedly shoved an unsuspecting straphanger into the path of a South Ferry-bound 1 train at W 18th Street Station in Chelsea.
Hawkins initially got away but was soon caught near Columbus Circle and Central Park, according to reports. The injured victim’s survival was lauded as a miracle, as he fell into a "trench" between the tracks as the train ran over him and was ambulanced to a hospital with head injuries.
Hawkins had prior arrests for body-slamming a police officer in Queens. His father, Shamel Hawkins, told the New York Post, "We think somebody put something in his weed."
The elder Hawkins said his son had been "acting weird" recently and that he "needs help" but continues to refuse to seek it.
On New Year’s Day, WPIX reported two separate unprovoked subway stabbing incidents during daylight hours on the West Side. A 30-year-old man was reportedly stabbed in the head and hip awaiting a 1 train at 110 Street and Broadway. The station is in otherwise one of the safer areas of Manhattan, near Columbia University, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the diner made famous on the sitcom "Seinfeld."
Another man was stabbed while awaiting a 2 train at 14th Street and 7th Avenue that same day, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, authorities found 22 Tren de Aragua migrant gang members during a raid on a residence in Crotona Park, Bronx last month. Federal law enforcement had tracked the ankle monitor of Jarwin Valero-Calderon — a Venezuelan national originally arrested in Nassau County and under a deportation order — to the building.
Hochul said in an X video on her account, called "This Week in New York," that her "five-point plan to improve subway safety" has led to overall subway crime dropping 10% since March 2023.
Hochul also said she will deploy 250 more National Guard members to take part in Joint Task Force: Empire Shield.
In its December report on November’s crime stats, the NYPD listed subway crime as having decreased 15% that month from 240 reported incidents to 202 and a year-to-date decrease of 6% from 2,137 to 2,002.
The NYPD said the subways saw their safest year-to-date figure in more than a decade.
"We are all in this together, and while the downward trends in violence and disorder across New York City are highly encouraging as we enter the final month of 2024, we have a lot more work to do to deliver the public safety that New Yorkers deserve," NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said in a Dec. 3 statement.
However, New Yorkers overall felt less safe on the MTA as of late.
"Kathy Hochul needs to resign," commentator Chaya Raichik — or "LibsOfTikTok" — wrote on X after chronicling some of the recent subway incidents and claiming some of the recent underground robberies were committed by Tren de Aragua gang members.
"Of course she won’t resign. These people care only about their power and the perks," FOX Business host David Asman wrote in a reply. "Only New Yorkers can get rid of her."
"Daniel Penny for governor," another X user commented, referring to the man acquitted in the death of a crazed straphanger who had been menacing passengers earlier this year.
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber pledged during a March transit board meeting "we are not going back" to the mid-20th century when the subway was incredibly unsafe. "This is a nightmare for New Yorkers," he said after learning Carlton McPherson — whom neighbors described to the Post as "a little off" — had recently fatally shoved a man in front of a Woodlawn-bound 4 train on 125 Street in Harlem.
"Public safety is the actual safety and it's how people are feeling," he said in March. "We know we have over 4 million riders a day and a reliable system. We know we have approximately six felonies a day out of those 4 million riders. But if they don't feel safe, then we're not accomplishing our task."
"Stats don't matter if people don't believe they are in a safe environment," he said, according to WNBC.
Lieber said at the March meeting he would not be "surrendering our city to anyone."
Viviana Vazquez grew up low-income but now makes over $150,000 from her tech job.
When she first started working, she wanted to contribute to her family but struggled with resentment.
After setting some boundaries, she's now able to save for herself while also giving to her family.
I grew up in poverty in a $ 1,000-a-month rent-controlled apartment in Hell's Kitchen before the neighborhood became gentrified.
My parents immigrated from Mexico and met in New York. They married and had me, my sister, and my brother.
The five of us lived in one bedroom of our apartment while my dad subleased the other two bedrooms. We often dealt with rats, roaches, and occasional water outages, but it was the only place we could afford.
Viviana and her sister.
Viviana Vazquez
Today, it's a bittersweet memory. I'm 28 and live in a luxury one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan with my fiancé, Xavi, whom I met in college. Our place reminds me of the kind of apartment my mom used to clean.
This year, I'm on track to earn over $150,000 as a senior content marketing manager at a FinTech startup. That's over five times the amount my family of five lived on when I was growing up.
Seeing my parents struggle took a toll on me
I remember my dad borrowing money from loved ones or banks to cover the rent. The day we got an eviction letter, my heart dropped twice — once when I read it myself and again when I translated it into Spanish for my parents.
My dad has worked a minimum-wage job at a parking garage for as long as I can remember. My mom babysat, tutored kids in Spanish, and cleaned apartments. She would come home with bags of secondhand clothes and toys her clients had donated to her. My sister and I would proudly wear those "new" clothes to school.
My favorite childhood memories were made at the local park because it was free, accessible, and almost always empty.
Viviana (far right) with her sister and cousins.
Viviana Vazquez
I didn't understand why my parents couldn't give me money for the books I wanted to buy at the Scholastic book fair or the Girl Scout cookies my classmates were selling.
At 17, I had to fill out the FAFSA and navigate the college process on my own while I watched my classmates enroll in SAT classes. I didn't know why my parents encouraged me to attend college when they couldn't afford it.
I started at CUNY City College before transferring to Baruch, where I graduated with my BBA in economics. I lived at home and worked part-time to pay my way.
We thought I was "rich" when I landed a $57,000 job
My first job out of college was as a teacher with a $57,000 salary. My whole family cried and celebrated for weeks; I was the first in my family to graduate from college, and now we were "rich" — or at least I thought we'd be.
I had already been helping my family with money for groceries and small bills, but now I wanted to contribute more financially.
After spending my first paycheck, I realized that between tuition for graduate school, paying off over $15,000 in student loans and credit card debt, and covering much of my family's expenses, I had no money to save or spend on myself.
I felt stuck. I wanted to give back to my parents, but over time, resentment built up in me. It felt like I had gone through all of that hard work just to fall into the same struggle that I had seen my dad go through.
I finally told my parents I was struggling and needed time to organize my finances. I would still help them, but not as much as before. They were supportive, understanding, and curious about how to pay off their debts, invest, and build wealth.
Now, I give back to my family, but within my means
I learned about personal finance through podcasts, social media, and Xavi. I quit my teaching job after realizing three things: I didn't enjoy the classroom setting, my earning potential was limited, and I was interested in technology and finance.
After networking and months of job searching, I landed my first tech job in 2021. Two promotions and two interstate moves later, I've increased my income by 300%.
Now, I consistently save and invest 30% (and sometimes more) of my income, allowing me to afford everything I wanted to do as a child, like travel and eat out. I send my mom money each month for her groceries, pay for my sister's phone, and pick up the check every time I'm out with my family.
I helped my parents consolidate their debt, refinance their interest rates, and invest in a Roth IRA. They were able to finally become debt-free in August — it was a huge weight lifted off all our shoulders. They've also been able to build up their savings now that they're debt-free.
We've accomplished so much on our money journeys, which I share openly with my community on Instagram.
Establishing boundaries was a big part of my financial journey
My parents and I haven't always been on the same page regarding money. They wanted me to cosign on a mortgage with my aunt because she didn't meet the income requirements, and another time, they wanted me to empty my emergency fund to lend money to a family member.
I didn't do so either time because it didn't align with my financial goals, and my parents weren't very happy with me. Ultimately, they respected my boundaries.
It took me years to get to where I am, but I'm thankful that I put myself first
Viviana Vazquez.
Viviana Vazquez
I'm proud that I prioritized myself. Although I thought I was selfish at the time, I was making a short-term sacrifice so that I could do more and give more to my family in the future.
I was able to pay for their flights to Mexico for our wedding next year, and my mom and I surprised my dad with a new iPhone this Christmas. Recently, I took them to a paint-and-pour session and karaoke; it was their first time doing either of those things, and they had so much fun.
I hope to have more of these "first experiences" with them in the future now that they're debt-free and building great financial habits, and I can afford to purchase those experiences.
If my younger self saw everything I've built for us, she'd be so happy. While it feels like I overcame the cycle of generational poverty, there's still so much more I want to do, like become the first millionaire in my family and retire my parents.
For now, I'm focused on sharing my wealth with the people who deserve to enjoy it most: my loving parents. Their sacrifices are why I've gotten this far, and it's only beginning.
Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Donald Trump recently appointed Sriram Krishnan to an AI advisory role.
Krishnan came to the US from India in 2007 and became a US citizen in 2016.
Indian tech workers initially praised his appointment, but have grown concerned by MAGA criticism.
Anuj Christian's green card was approved in 2019, a decade after he first came to the US as a graduate student from India. Since then, he's been waiting to receive it, one of thousands trapped in a lengthy backlog created by America's byzantine immigration system.
Earlier this month, Christian was hopeful for the first time in years. Just before Christmas, Donald Trump announced that Sriram Krishnan, a first-generation Indian American, would serve as a senior White House policy advisor for AI. Krishnan is set to work closely with Trump's new "crypto czar" David Sacks, an early investor in Facebook, SpaceX, Uber, and Palantir.
For Christian, Krishnan's appointment felt personal. "Sriram has personally been through the immigration system," said Christian, who runs an immigration reform group called FAIR. "Someone who has personally been through this issue is close to the president now. That has never happened before."
From Chennai to Silicon Valley
Krishnan arrived in the US in 2007 from Chennai, India, to begin a six-year stint at Microsoft. From there, he climbed the ranks of Silicon Valley, holding senior roles at Yahoo, Snap, Facebook, and Twitter. In 2020, he moved to venture capital, becoming a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz.
Along the way, Krishnan became a US citizen in 2016, a milestone that eludes many legal immigrants from India. The green card backlog, a byproduct of per-country caps on employment-based permanent US residency, has left thousands of skilled workers from India in limbo. Wait times can now exceed beyond a lifetime.
Krishnan's appointment comes with a unique resonance for those impacted by this system. He has spoken openly about the challenges of navigating US immigration and has advocated for raising the country-based green card caps. These calls for reform have been a recurring theme of The Aarthi and Sriram Show, a podcast he hosts with his tech entrepreneur wife Aarthi Ramamurthy.
MAGA backlash
Krishnan's visibility and advocacy have turned him into a lightning rod for MAGA followers, though. In the days since Trump's announcement, the technologist has faced hate speech and racism directed not just at him but also at Indians and legal immigration in general. Krishnan declined to comment.
The backlash began with a tweet from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who criticized his appointment as "deeply disturbing" and said it conflicted with Trump's "America First" agenda.
Loomer accused Krishnan of advocating to "remove all restrictions on green card caps" and enabling foreign workers to take jobs from American STEM graduates, citing Silicon Valley's reliance on international talent as a threat to domestic innovation. Former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who was Trump's initial pick for attorney general, accused "tech bros" of engineering "an immigration policy."
H-1B visa debate
Rahul Menon, an Indian-born engineer from Rhode Island and host of Area51, a podcast about immigration, believes hate speech directed at Krishnan reflects broader misconceptions about skilled immigrants in the US.
"They just assume we are here to steal everyone's jobs," Menon told Business Insider. "If people understood the process of getting through an H-1B and the number of hoops you need to jump through, it's insane. The hate that Sriram is getting is just the beginning. You just need a thick skin to do the job."
Some of the scorn has been directed at H-1Bs, a common visa type that Silicon Valley companies and tech outsourcing firms use to hire foreign workers in the US. This particular system is also overwhelmed by huge volumes of applications for a limited number of slots each year. Bloomberg News uncovered a scheme earlier this year, known as "multiple registration," that manipulates the H-1B program and prevents what it described as legitimate talent from accessing these skilled-worker visa-based opportunities.
Recent optimism
Menon noted that optimism around addressing the green card backlog has been steadily growing, fueled by statements from high-profile figures. During a June appearance on the All-In Podcast hosted by VCs including Sacks, Trump expressed support for granting green cards to all US college graduates. Trump also recently voiced support for H-1B visas.
Menon sees Krishnan's appointment as the latest in a series of developments boosting morale among advocates for US immigration reform.
"It started with Trump saying that, then with Vivek, and now with Sriram — it's the cherry on top," Menon said, referring to Vivek Ramaswamy, another Trump advisor whose parents immigrated from Kerala, India. Ramaswamy has repeatedly called for the H-1B lottery system to be replaced with a selection process based on merit.
"AI stands for artificial intelligence, not American Indian"
Others remain skeptical about Krishnan's ability to influence immigration policy in his new role.
Sacks addressed the speculation directly in a tweet: "Sriram has been a US citizen for a decade. He's not 'running America.' He's advising on AI policy. He will have no influence over US immigration policy." The post appeared aimed at calming criticism from MAGA loyalists and quelling hope among some Indian immigrants that Krishnan's appointment would lead to immediate changes.
Ash Arora, a partner at VC firm LocalGlobe, and a friend of Krishnan and his wife, Ramamurthy, cautioned against reading too much into Krishnan's role when it comes to immigration reform.
"Sriram has been hired for AI — and AI stands for artificial intelligence, not American Indian," she told Business Insider. "I'm not sure whether Sriram will have a say in immigration matters, but the optimism about legal immigration being fixed, in my opinion, is misguided."
Ultimately, Krishnan is an AI policy advisor, Area51's Menon said. "I'd like to hope things will change. But let's not count our chickens before they've hatched."
A controversial immigration program that has been in place for decades has recently become a hot-button issue as it looks likely to be axed or severely limited by the incoming Trump administration, and Democrats are calling on President Biden to take moves to preserve it.
Temporary Protected Status is a program established in the 1990s that allows the government to designate countries unsafe for nationals to return to, granting nationals already in the U.S. work permits and protection from deportation if they are here illegally or if their legal status expires.
The Biden administration designated or re-designated a number of countries for TPS, including Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan and others, allowing hundreds of thousands of nationals to remain in the U.S. as a result. There are currently 17 countries designated for TPS.
The first Trump administration sought to wind down TPS for a number of countries, but it was caught up in a yearslong court battle launched by left-wing civil rights groups on the matter.
TPS again became a major issue in 2024 as Republicans and conservatives drew attention to mass migration via humanitarian parole from Haiti. Migrants were coming in via the use of the CBP One app and a program that allowed up to 30,000 migrants from four countries a month into the U.S. They could then be eligible for TPS if they arrived before the country was re-designated.
There were widespread reports of Haitian migrants flooding towns in Ohio and elsewhere, which were picked up by former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. Trump promised to revoke TPS for Haiti earlier this year.
"It’s been overrun. You can’t do that to people. I’d revoke [TPS], and I’d bring [the migrants] back to their country," he told NewsNation when speaking about Springfield, Ohio.
Vance described TPS as a "government edict saying that you’re not allowed to deport people anymore." Conservatives have long complained that continued extensions of TPS mean it is not "temporary" as it claims to be.
Republicans have made moves to restrict the program in Congress. Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced a bill that restricts TPS designations by requiring Congress to approve them for 12-month terms and requiring additional moves by Congress to extend them. Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation, and restrictions on TPS and other immigration benefits are expected to accompany that.
With that looming, Democrats have been urging Biden to extend protections under TPS and other programs to blunt the impact of the incoming administration.
"We write now because the window to secure and finalize your administration’s policies is closing rapidly," Democrats led by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told Biden in a letter this month.
"We urge you to act decisively between now and the inauguration of the President-elect to complete the important work of the past four years and protect immigrant families."
So far, however, there's been no movement on TPS by the Biden administration nor any indication that redesignations or extensions are imminent.
Immigration and border security were two issues that dominated news coverage and political debate in 2024, likely helping to decide the presidential election, as both candidates sought to present themselves as the best to tackle a historic border crisis and the consequences of the crisis were felt across the country.
In January, the U.S. remained in the throes of a migrant crisis that had exploded in 2021 and continued to roil the country throughout 2022 and 2023. In December 2023, encounters at the southern border hit a new record with more than 250,000 encounters in a single month.
It was a month that saw top Cabinet officials head to Mexico to attempt to persuade Mexican officials to do more to stop the flood of migrants heading north. As the presidential race, as well as congressional races, got into full swing in the early months of 2024, it became clear that the issue was likely to dominate the news cycle. Then-candidate Donald Trump promised to launch a mass deportation operation if elected, while President Biden touted a sharp drop in encounters since the beginning of the year as he also signed an executive order limiting asylum entries in June.
A potential breakthrough emerged in February when Republicans and Democrats announced a border security bill in the Senate. The package gained the support of the Biden administration but quickly drew opposition from conservatives as well as some liberal Democrats.
The bill included increased funding for border agencies as well as an emergency authority to shut down entries at the southern border when encounters exceed a rolling seven-day average of 5,000 encounters. It would also expedite work permits for migrants and tighten asylum screening language.
Conservatives said the bill would codify high-border encounters, but the Biden administration and both the Biden and Harris campaigns would cite the bill as a bipartisan solution to the crisis that former President Donald Trump was rejecting for political purposes.
Tragically, 2024 saw a number of high-profile crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, bringing the issue to the radar of even more voters.
In February, the death of Laken Riley, a Georgia college student, would bring the issue of migrant crime back to the headlines. Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who had been released into the U.S. in 2022, was charged with her murder.
In July, two illegal immigrants were arrested on capital murder charges in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. The men are accused of luring her under a bridge, tying her up and killing her before throwing her body into a river.
While immigration activists would point to stats suggesting that immigrants commit fewer crimes than American citizens, those talking points appeared to do little to stem the outrage about the deaths of people at the hands of illegal immigrants who conservatives argued shouldn't have been let into the country in the first place.
When President Biden announced he would not seek re-election, Vice President Harris became the nominee. Immediately, attention was drawn to her record leading the administration’s tackling of "root causes" of migration, a task that led her to be dubbed "the border czar" by some in the media and Republicans.
She therefore became a target for questions over the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis, but she faced additional pressure over her past radical positions on immigration she held during her 2019 presidential campaign. Her support for gender transition surgery for detained migrants hit the headlines and was used as a weapon against her by Republicans.
She would also move away from past statements in which she called for the decriminalization of illegal border crossings and for the closing of immigration detention centers. She had also mulled ICE starting again "from scratch."
A Harris campaign adviser told Fox during the campaign that her positions have been "shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration."
The Biden administration’s use of humanitarian parole to bring in thousands of migrants via the CBP One app, both at the southern border and by approving their travel into the U.S. from four countries, blew up during election season amid reports about how Haitian migrants were affecting towns throughout the U.S.
Trump repeated claims about Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs in Ohio during the presidential debate, marking one of the more viral moments of the debate with Harris.
While that claim was unsubstantiated, the impact of mass migration on towns in Ohio and elsewhere continued to be an issue until Election Day.
With the Trump-Harris Election Day line-up set, polls consistently showed Trump with a yawning gap over Harris on suitability to handle the border crisis and illegal immigration, while voters also cited it as a top issue for them – often only second behind the economy.
Harris repeatedly hammered Trump on his failure to support the bipartisan border security bill, but the gap never really closed between the two as Trump continued to assign the border crisis to her leadership as "border czar."
Trump would ultimately win the November election, and as he accepted victory, he reiterated his promise to voters.
"We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country," he said.
EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ended two programs that provide social services to illegal immigrants who are released into the U.S. interior, telling lawmakers that one brings "immense cost with little improvement" and that another is out of line with ICE’s mission.
The agency responded to Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and 15 members of Congress who wrote to ICE in May asking for more information about the "Alternatives to Detention" program, which monitors illegal immigrants not in ICE detention. The agency defended the program and said it was "an efficient and effective" program for monitoring a segment of illegal immigrants on ICE’s non-detained docket.
ICE only has around 40,000 beds available at one time while it has a non-detained docket of nearly 7.7 million people, a number that has soared during the Biden administration. Of those, just over 181,000 are enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention monitoring program, where migrants are monitored either by an app check-in or a GPS monitor.
But in recent years, the agency has also created separate programs to offer various services and assistance to those not in detention. In the letter, the agency says some of those programs are ending. One is the Wraparound Stabilization Service (WSS), which ICE says began in February 2020 and involves working with NGOs to offer "services that provide psychosocial and behavioral health support for vulnerable participants and their families who would benefit from additional stabilization services."
ICE says the program stopped referrals in July and that the program was ineffective in what it sought to do, having only a 2% higher compliance rate from those who took part in services compared to those who did not.
"ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations [ERO] notes the challenge with the WSS was its immense cost with little improvement," it says. "As a result, ERO determined WSS was not cost effective enough to continue paying for these services when they did not benefit ICE or help the agency further its mission."
ICE had previously cited difficulties with the program, including a cumbersome identification and referral process, a substantial increase in participants and a lack of resources.
The agency also says it had decided in June not to continue a vendor contract for the Young Adult Case Management (YACMP) program. That program offered 18- and 19-year-old migrants legal services, screenings, referrals to social service programs and human trafficking screenings. It started in 2023 and was present in 16 cities.
"In addition to fiscal limitations, a review of the program revealed that YACMP does not align with ERO’s mission or priorities. In short, ERO took steps to realign or stop using programs to address the budget challenges facing the agency," the agency’s letter says.
The letter also provided information about the operation of the ATD tracking by app or GPS, known as the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP). ICE said 98.6% of those with court tracking appeared at their court hearings overall, while 90.4% appeared for final hearings. As of September, 13.2% of participants were being tracked by a GPS ankle or wrist device, and the average length on the program was 511.9 days.
Lawmakers also asked about those who were charged or convicted of crimes while enrolled in ATD. The agency said that in fiscal 2024, there were 3,913 charges and 688 convictions for those in the program, including 10 sex offense convictions, 364 traffic offense convictions, two homicide convictions, four kidnapping convictions and 65 assault convictions.
The incoming Trump administration is eyeing a substantial increase in deportations, with President-elect Trump having promised a "historic" mass deportation operation. Fox Digital also reported this month that it wants to reduce numbers not in detention while also increasing the use of ankle monitors on those who cannot be detained.
Conservatives responded to the information provided to lawmakers by calling on the new administration to scrap even more programs providing services for illegal immigrants.
"ICE is a law enforcement agency, not a charity. The billions of dollars DHS has wasted to bring millions of illegal aliens into the country and provide them excessive amenities should be redirected to getting every illegal alien safely back to their home country," Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital.
Ries called the services a "boondoggle" and said "there are several other similar initiatives that must meet the same fate under President Trump."
"Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars in conflict with an agency mission, we should see a massive increase in resources for detaining and deporting illegal aliens. If you don’t support the agency’s mission, you shouldn’t get a dime," she said.
After announcing his citizen law enforcement group, the "Guardian Angels," would be returning to patrol the New York subway, Curtis Sliwa is pushing back against New York Mayor Eric Adams and slamming the city’s migrant sanctuary policies, saying: "We’re in a crime crisis."
Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be resuming safety patrols on New York subway trains after a woman was burned to death on the New York City subway during Christmas week. The New York Post reported Sliwa saying the group would resume its patrols of the subway, walking up and down the inside of the trains "day and night."
The Guardian Angels founder called the brutal subway murder the "deadly consequences of NYC remaining a sanctuary city."
"We have 56,000 migrants identified as criminals by ICE roaming our streets, and vulnerable homeless folks left sleeping on our subways because shelters are filled and dangerous," he said on X. "But Adams and City Hall pretend the city is safe and under control! While everyday New Yorkers see disturbing crime right before our eyes every single day!"
Recognizable by their distinctive red berets and jackets, Sliwa founded the Guardian Angels in 1979, and the group became a regular presence on the subway during many of the city’s most crime and homicide-ridden years.
Currently, murders on the New York City subway are up by 60%, according to the New York Post. The outlet reported in September that eight people had been killed on subway trains in New York City, up from five during the same period in 2023.
After last week’s brutal killing, Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be making a return to the New York subway and beefing up its presence on trains throughout the city. He said group members would be conducting wellness checks on homeless individuals and alerting police and subway authorities when there are problems.
"We’re going to have to increase our numbers, increase the training and increase our presence as we did back in 1979," said Sliwa. "We went from 13 to 1,000 back then within a period of a year. Because the need was there. The need is here now once again. We’re going to step up. We’re going to make sure we have a visual presence just like we had in the ’70s, 80’s and ’90s."
Despite this, Adams’ office slammed the Guardian Angels’ announcement.
Kayla Mamelak Altus, a representative for Adams, told Fox News Digital that the mayor has "surged 1,000 police officers per day into the subways, has brought down overall crime, and transit crime, delivering real action — not theatrics."
"Mayor Adams is committed to improving the lives of New Yorkers, which is why he frequently rides the subway to speak directly with everyday riders about how we can make it safer," said Altus.
"But he knows there’s still more work to be done," Altus added. "Unlike others who only seek attention with meaningless stunts, Mayor Adams remains focused on real solutions."
In response, Sliwa urged Adams to station more police officers in the subway and challenged the mayor to join him in doing regular daily patrols on the subway to see how bad the problems have gotten since the surge in migrants in the city.
"Head into the subway and patrol yourself," Sliwa said, speaking directly to Adams. "I'll match him. I go four hours a day, even with my busy schedule. The mayor has a busy schedule. He can run one patrol with his police. I'll run a patrol with the Guardian Angels. That’s two more patrols we will have that we didn't have before."
"We're in a crime crisis, and the mayor should be happy to accept anybody's help at this time," he told Fox News Digital. "So, if we're willing to patrol on the subways where it's desperately needed in the cars as they're moving, why would the mayor or anyone say it's theatrics?"
"The mayor and the governor have not met their primary responsibility, which is to provide public safety to the people in the subway," he went on. "So, if you're unwilling to do the job or maybe you can't and won't admit it, they should be welcoming all the help they can get from an organization that is renowned for 46 years of service to New Yorkers, asking nothing in return."
He said that most of the attacks are being carried out by "emotionally disturbed people" who live in the subways.
"These attacks can occur anytime, anywhere, any place, to anybody, in any part of this city, and especially the subway," he explained. "Shame on us for letting that happen. We need to rescue these people and get them mental health care. Shame on the fact that the mayor spent billions of our tax dollars housing migrants, but not our own citizens who live in the subways. The subway trains have become moving hotels.
"If the mayor was doing a good job… nobody would be asking for the Guardian Angels to patrol the subways," he added. "The people want police, and if they don't have police, they're more than happy to accept the service of the volunteer Guardian Angels."
Smugglers abandoned two migrant children at the southern border in Texas this week, fleeing back to Mexico as Texas authorities came to the little girls’ rescue, amid continued concerns about the numbers of unaccompanied minors coming across the border.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said that its troopers had recovered the two little girls, who are five and nine years old, after the smuggler had abandoned them and fled back to Mexico.
The girls, from El Salvador, carried only a note with an address and phone number, and were then referred to U.S. Border Patrol.
The incident taps into ongoing concerns about unaccompanied migrant children coming across the border, with numbers increasing significantly during the recent migrant crisis.
There have been a number of incidents of abandoned children being rescued, often with phone numbers or addresses of relatives or others written on paper or stitched into clothing. When children arrive unaccompanied, they are transferred eventually to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and released to sponsors in the U.S.
The issue made headlines earlier this year when the DHS Office of Inspector General sent a report to Congress finding that, over the past five years, more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children [UCs] had not shown up for immigration court hearings, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not account for the location of all of those who did not appear.
"During our ongoing audit to assess ICE’s ability to monitor the location and status of UCs who were released or transferred from the custody of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we learned ICE transferred more than 448,000 UCs to HHS from fiscal years 2019 to 2023," the internal watchdog reported.
"However, ICE was not able to account for the location of all UCs who were released by HHS and did not appear as scheduled in immigration court. ICE reported more than 32,000 UCs failed to appear for their immigration court hearings from FYs 2019 to 2023," it said.
The watchdog also found that approximately 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children have not yet been marked for removal proceedings, because ICE has routinely failed to schedule immigration court dates and serve notices.
ICEs FY 2024 report found that, despite the surge of more than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children into the U.S. during the Biden administration, just 411 were removed in FY 2024, an increase from the 212 in FY 2023. For comparison, more than 4,000 were removed in FY 2022.
The Biden administration on Friday said it would stop selling off materials slated to be used to build a border wall ahead of the incoming Trump administration, which has promised to bring back tougher efforts to combat illegal immigration.
The Biden administration confirmed to a court that it will agree to a court order preventing it from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days, allowing President-elect Trump to use those materials, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.
The Biden administration has been auctioning off border wall parts since at least 2023, with parts listed for sale on auction marketplaces, after it abruptly shut down most border wall construction in 2021.
President-elect Donald Trump then urged the Biden Administration to stop. Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump's representatives.
"We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office," Paxton said.
"This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda," he added.
In a news release, Paxton's office said that if the Biden administration disposes of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to an injunction in violation of a court order, "it would constitute unethical and sanctionable conduct and officials could be held in contempt of court."
Texas has said it intends to do all it can to help the incoming administration build the wall at the southern border when Trump enters office.
The Biden administration abruptly ended border wall construction in January 2021 after 450 miles had been built in the first Trump administration. While border hawks say a wall is a critical tool to stopping illegal immigration, some Democrats have said a wall project is xenophobic and ineffective.
The auctioning off of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department's logistics agency told media outlets that the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was now for sale.
Those auctions have continued, with officials in Arizona telling Fox News Digital that auctions have been occurring weekly for some time. The practice drew attention last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona, even though the materials could be used in the next Trump administration.
Trump previously called Biden's efforts to sell unused border wall materials at a discounted rate "almost a criminal act."
Trump said the auctions would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to re-purchase the large steel bollards and concrete. He called on President Biden to "please stop selling the wall" and suggested his team would obtain a restraining order to halt the sales.
"What they're doing is really an act, it's almost a criminal act," he said. "They know we're going to use it and if we don't have it, we're going to have to rebuild it, and it'll cost double what it cost years ago, and that's hundreds of millions of dollars because you're talking about a lot of, a lot of wall."
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw, Brooke Singman and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
The New York Police Department Special Victims Unit is searching for a man suspected of groping a 5-year-old girl near a government-funded migrant shelter in Midtown Manhattan.
New York local news source 1010 WINS reported the girl and her mother, who have not been identified by authorities, are residents of a migrant shelter funded by the City of New York at the old Roosevelt Hotel.
A representative from the New York Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information office confirmed the investigation to Fox News Digital. The representative told Fox News Digital the incident occurred about a block away from the Roosevelt Hotel at 5th Avenue and 46th Street at about 7 p.m. Dec. 24.
The representative declined to give any information about the identity of the suspect and did not say whether he was also a resident of the Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter. However, according to 1010 WINS, the suspect knows the girl and her mother.
The radio station reported that after the alleged groping, the girl was taken to Bellevue, a hospital in Manhattan.
Referred to by some as a "modern Ellis Island," the Roosevelt Hotel was converted into a migrant shelter and processing hub by the City of New York in May 2023 amid a surge in migrants flocking to the city. The hotel has become the epicenter of much of the migrant gang activity in New York City, resulting in violence and crime reportedly spiking in the area.
The New York Police Department has not said whether the suspect they are searching for is a member of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua or any other gang. Tren de Aragua has had a heavy presence in the hotel’s vicinity.
On Dec. 5, a 17-year-old, Yeremi Colino, allegedly a member of the Tren de Aragua-affiliated gang "Diablos de la 42" (Devils of 42nd Street), was stabbed to death during what is believed to have been a confrontation with a rival gang.
Another migrant, 18-year-old Alan Magalles Bello, was also stabbed alongside Colino but survived.
Arizona’s top law enforcement officer said in a recent interview she is unafraid to stand up to President-elect Trump on immigration enforcement.
Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes told the U.K.'s Guardian any plans to construct deportation centers, which she previously called "concentration camps," in the Grand Canyon State would be a nonstarter.
Mayes defended Dreamers, beneficiaries of the Obama-era DACA program, saying any federal attempts to send them to their home countries would be "a bright red line for me."
"I will not stand for an attempt to deport them or undermine them," Mayes said. "I will do everything I can legally to fight [family separation or construction of deportation camps].
The Dreamer moniker originates from the DREAM Act — Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. It was first proposed by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and the late Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in 2001 and has been reintroduced in several succeeding sessions of Congress by Durbin but has never become law.
Most recently, it was proposed in 2023 by Durbin and his Republican counterpart in Senate Judiciary Committee leadership, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Former President Obama borrowed pieces of the legislation when he instituted DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Trump previously tried to get rid of DACA but was stopped by the Supreme Court in DHS v. University of California.
"I think the Supreme Court will ultimately see the merits of protecting them," Mayes said of Dreamers.
"We want to give the courts the opportunity to make the right decision here, and we’ll be making very strong arguments on that proposition."
In previous comments reported by the Arizona Mirror, Mayes said the issue with mass deportation proposals from people like Trump and "border czar"-designate Tom Homan is that they can lead to abuses of the system.
Mayes has said she wants to see violent criminal offenders and drug cartel members removed from the U.S.
In the Guardian interview, Mayes credited near-complete border-state cooperation on the matter of immigration.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Mayes are "united," she said, adding Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the one border state lawman who is not.
"[W]e are going to fight for due process and for individual rights," she said of herself, Torrez and Bonta.
Mayes also acknowledged the fentanyl crisis and a porous border, saying Arizonans rightly want it rectified.
She reportedly said more federal resources should be spent on additional Border Patrol and prosecutions of cartel-connected people, as opposed to Trump’s idea of using the National Guard to help deport illegal immigrants.
"[W]hen Arizonans voted for Donald Trump, they did not vote to shred the Arizona and U.S. Constitution [and] I strongly believe that," she told the Guardian.
Fox News Digital reached out to Team Trump and some members of Arizona’s Republican congressional delegation for comment on Mayes’ Guardian interview but did not receive a response by press time.
Tom Homan, President-elect Trump's "border czar," floated the idea of putting the children of illegal immigrants in halfway homes as part of the incoming administration's mass deportation plan.
"As far as U.S. children — children, that’s going to be a difficult situation, because we’re not going to detain your U.S. citizen children, which means, you know, they’re going to be put in a halfway house," Homan told NewsNation on Thursday, The Hill reported
"We're going to ask the American people to take notice: see something, say something and contact us," Holman told Kellyanne Conway on "Hannity." "If one phone call out of a thousand saves a child from sex trafficking or forced labor, then that's one life saved."
Homan acknowledged it would be a "daunting task," but "we're going to give it everything we've got."
During his interview with NewsNation, Homan said giving birth to children born in the U.S. won't spare illegal immigrants from being deported.
"Having a U.S. citizen child does not make you immune to our laws, and that’s not the message we want to send to the whole world, that you can have a child and you’re immune to the laws of this country," Homan said.
In addition to mass deportations, Trump has threatened to go after birthright citizenship, which automatically grants American citizenship to those born in the country.
A Texas man is being charged with attempting to smuggle over 100 illegal immigrants into the U.S. in a locked tractor trailer.
Juan Manuel Aguirre, 49, is facing a three-count indictment of conspiracy to transport an undocumented alien within the United States and the transportation of an undocumented alien within the United States for financial gain, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas on Monday.
Aguirre, a resident of the South Texas city of Laredo, was observed by law enforcement loading a large group of migrants into a white trailer in a warehouse parking lot on Dec. 2. After it departed, authorities conducted a traffic stop on the white truck hauling the trailer and allegedly found 101 undocumented immigrants, including 12 unaccompanied children, crammed in.
The Justice Department statement said two of the migrants reported having difficulty breathing and feared for their lives due to the conditions in the trailer.
Aguirre is facing 10 years in prison for each of the three counts and fines of up to $250,000.
The number of individuals sentenced for alien smuggling offenses in the U.S. has steadily risen under the Biden administration, reaching 4,731 in fiscal year 2023, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
The top five districts for human smuggling are all along the southern border. With Texas accounting for over 60% of the U.S. border with Mexico, the top two districts for human smuggling were both in Texas.
There were 64,124 alien smuggling offense cases reported in 2023. About 10% of alien smuggling cases involve unaccompanied minors.
In October, local news source KGNS reported a concerning rise in human smuggling incidents in Laredo, resulting in high-risk vehicle pursuits and other dangerous situations.
Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched a new billboard ad campaign in Mexico and Central America to warn potential illegal migrants of the dangers of attempting to cross into the U.S. illegally.
"We’re here to expose the truth to immigrants who are thinking about coming here, the truth about the traffickers who assault so many of the women and children along the way," the governor said. "The message is: Do not risk a dangerous trip just to be arrested and deported."
Oregon’s top law enforcement officer rolled out what she called bilingual "Sanctuary Promise Community Toolkit" to help residents refresh their knowledge of the Beaver State’s relevant laws.
"Every person has the right to live, work, play, and learn safely in Oregon, period," Oregon Democratic Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a statement announcing the toolkit.
In 1987, Oregon lawmakers passed then-Rep. Rocky Barilla’s HB 2314 in response to several raids by INS – the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, which transformed into USCIS, DHS and ICE in 2003.
The law is largely considered the first "sanctuary state" policy in the country.
Rosenblum explicitly acknowledged Oregon’s place in that regard, noting the law prohibits state and local law enforcement resources from being used to apprehend suspects charged solely with being present in the U.S. without papers.
A press release from the attorney general’s office noted Barilla’s bill passed "nearly unanimously" in 1987 but that by 2024, sanctuary laws have become an "intensely partisan issue."
"I asked my Civil Rights Unit here at the Oregon DOJ to do whatever we could to provide the people, businesses, and local governments of our state with easy-to-read materials to help them know their rights and educate others, and I’m so pleased with what they’ve put together," Rosenblum said in her statement.
In the toolkit, documents relating to the 1987 law’s passage are available for easy public consumption, along with a "conversation" with figures involved in getting the law passed.
The toolkit includes several FAQs, including "how do I prepare myself and my family for encounters with ICE or other federal immigration authorities?" – "Is there a place I can call to report ICE or other federal immigration authorities active right now in my community?" and "After an encounter with ICE or other federal immigration authorities, what information should I write down?"
Oregon also hosts a statewide "hotline" to report sanctuary law violations.
There are also links to press coverage, as well as a separate "law enforcement bias response" toolkit.
Rosenblum said she also recommends Oregonians discuss the issue with family in the next few weeks to "know your rights… and make a plan for what to do if immigration officials come to your home or place of business."
"Knowing your rights in advance is essential," she said.
President-elect Trump tapped former ICE Director Thomas Homan as his "border czar" – succeeding Vice President Kamala Harris.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is calling for the swift trial, conviction, and execution of the man charged in connection with the gruesome murder of a woman burned alive on a New York City subway.
The outspoken Republican took to social media on Tuesday to address the incident, in which Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of setting a woman on fire while on a train in Brooklyn.
"Death penalty, don’t waste money on a lengthy trial. Convict him and finish him. What he did is so incredibly evil," Greene declared in a post on X. "I can’t watch the video anymore. And how it seems like no one tried to save her is beyond me. Maybe they did but it doesn’t seem like it."
Zapeta faces charges of first- and second-degree murder, and first-degree arson, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with no parole.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., declared in a post on X, "A woman was intentionally lit on fire on the subway today. Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies do not work."
New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted during remarks on Sunday that Zapeta allegedly "used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds." Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg alleged in court on Tuesday that the suspect fanned the fire with a shirt.
Zapeta's next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, according to online records.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said in a statement that Zapeta had been removed from the U.S. in 2018 and then re-entered the country illegally at some point "on an unknown date and location."
Fox News' Bill Melugin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reportedly considering a plan to help illegal immigrants and their families threatened by president-elect Trump's mass deportation plan.
A draft of the plan obtained by POLITICO, titled "Immigrant Support Network Concept," proposes the creation of an Immigrant Support Network comprised of regional hubs to "connect at-risk individuals, their families, and communities with community systems — such as legal services, schools, labor unions, local governments, etc."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump's representatives. Newsom's office told Fox News Digital that the draft was prepared by the California Department of Social Services and has not yet been reviewed in Sacramento.
"This document is an internal and deliberative draft document meant for internal discussions as part of a number of possible considerations given the incoming federal administration’s public remarks," Scott Murray, the Deputy Director, Public Affairs and Outreach Programs for the Department of Social Services, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "It is not a final proposal."
The draft is part of an effort by California leaders to prepare for a second Trump administration. After Trump was elected, Newsom called a special legislative session and talked of a $25 million "Trump-proof" legal defense fund.
In addition, state lawmakers were lobbying for additional funds.
Senate Budget Chair Scott Wiener proposed legislation seeking $60 million, including funds to create an immigrant detention representation and coordination program, Politico reported.
Under the draft, the state Social Services Department would give state funds to eligible nonprofits and take on administrative duties for the hubs.
The draft does not indicate how much funding the plan requires. However, it said the funds would go toward "community outreach, partnership, legal services staffing positions, and approved administrative costs associated with hub operations," the Politico report said.
California currently faces a $68 billion budget deficit, according to the state's Legislative Analyst's Office. However, in November, the LAO said the state budget was roughly balanced.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the state Finance Department said November revenues came in $1 billion below the month's forecast.
"But it's not a lump of coal (it's a timing issue w/cash receipts)," H.D. Palmer, the principal spokesman on fiscal and financial issues for the Newsom Administration, posted on X. "Year to date, still nearly $4.3 billion above projections - and $7.5 billion up since April."
"The administration continues to collaborate with the Legislature to finalize a thoughtful special session funding proposal, which is on track to be signed into law before January 20, 2025," department spokesperson Theresa Mier told the publication.
New York’s last Republican governor said this week that sanctuary jurisdictions are reminiscent of the Confederate states that balked at federal law and waged war against the Union.
Former Gov. George Pataki was speaking with businessman and 2013 New York City GOP mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis on 77WABC radio when he was asked about the state of the Big Apple in that regard.
"Right now, I'm concerned and people are concerned and rightfully so. But it comes down to leadership. We've had worse times in the past. I remember back in the '60s and then in the early '80s. And things got infinitely better," Pataki said.
"And it comes down to having the right people with the right policies running the city, running the state and running the country. I think we're going to have the right policies in Washington. Now we just need to have the right leadership doing the right thing in Albany and in New York City."
Catismatidis said Trump has "put his foot down" against sanctuary policies, and quipped that he now has a "very large-sized shoe" given his overwhelming electoral victory.
Pataki agreed, adding that if the U.S. is to be based on the rule of law, it should apply equally everywhere.
"Cities or states that can pretend that the federal rules don't apply to them are just violating the Constitution and violating our freedom… We had a Civil War over this," he said. "And, it became plain that under the Constitution, every city, every state has to follow the law of this country."
Prior to the war-triggering attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, President James Buchanan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, was critical of Republican abolitionists and lamented his home state's opposition to the Fugitive Slave Law.
Following Illinois Republican Abraham Lincoln's 1860 victory, southern states began to secede, which Buchanan opposed, while believing a military response was the wrong option. The election of Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery into federal territories, alarmed Deep South states, with South Carolina leading the way in declaring secession from the Union on Dec. 20, 1860.
Pataki went on to say the nation’s largest city is bucking the feds in that regard, along with Los Angeles and other cities.
"Trump must make them follow the law or cut off all federal funding. And I think that would be a very positive step to bring America together and to bring us forward," he said.
The two discussed how New York City Council enacted a sanctuary city policy, and whether the state or federal government may step in against it.
"I think [Mayor Eric] Adams may go along with [Trump intervention]," Pataki predicted, as other observers have viewed the mayor as being critical of sanctuary city policy but hamstrung by the 45-6 Democratic-majority city council.
The former governor said he is optimistic about the New Year and that Trump must "dramatically reform" Washington instead of "tinker[ing] around the edges."
He noted Trump does have limits, in that he cannot statutorily rein in New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg or other far-left officials.
Current Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has clashed with the MAGA wing of the Republican Party at times, once vociferously opposed another predecessor’s successful bid to make illegal immigrants eligible to receive driver’s licenses.
In 2007, Hochul balked at Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s policy while she was serving as clerk of Erie County – which includes Buffalo.
However, when she became governor upon the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, she reversed course.
In November, Hochul indicated she would be the "first one" to call Immigration & Customs Enforcement to help the feds capture migrants or illegal immigrants accused of another crime and "get them out of here."
However, she maintained during her remarks in Queens that she supports helping otherwise law-abiding migrants find work in New York.
Trump’s pick for "border czar," Tom Homan, notably hails from the Watertown area and has condemned his home state’s current policies.
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative legal group is putting "sanctuary" jurisdictions across the U.S. on notice ahead of an expected mass deportation by the incoming Trump administration.
America First Legal says it has notified nearly 250 officials in jurisdictions which limit or forbid local law enforcement cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that there could be legal consequences for interfering with the feds or for concealing illegal immigrants.
President-elect Trump has promised to launch a "historic" deportation campaign when in office, and his transition team has already been making concrete steps toward that goal. America First Legal’s president is Stephen Miller, who will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy in the Trump White House.
But a number of Democratic officials in states including in Arizona, Colorado, California and Massachusetts have said they will not cooperate with the operation. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has hinted there could be legal consequences for those who get in the way of the operation.
Proponents of sanctuary policies argue that local jurisdictions cannot be compelled to assist the government, and that barring ICE cooperation encourages otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants to work with police and report crimes, making the area safer. Opponents say that policies result in the release of otherwise-deportable criminals back onto the streets.
AFL’s notice letter to the 249 officials says that the federal government has ultimate authority over immigration, and points to clauses in federal law that prohibit state and local governments from restricting communications with DHS about immigration status, and that make concealing, harboring or shielding an illegal immigrant a federal crime.
The group argues that sanctuary policies can therefore lead to criminal liability, and that victims of illegal immigrant crime may be able to sue for damages.
"We have identified your jurisdiction as a sanctuary jurisdiction that is violating federal law. Such lawlessness subjects you and your subordinates to significant risk of criminal and civil liability. Accordingly, we are sending this letter to put you on notice of this risk and insist that you comply with our nation’s laws," the letter says.
The group is also launching a new website that gives users a map of "sanctuary strongholds," identifying jurisdictions with sanctuary policies and giving contact information for elected officials.
The group also announced that it has also filed a petition with the DOJ’s Office of Violence Against Women to seek data on citizenship status and nationality information against those charged with a slew of crimes against women and children, including domestic violence, murder and child maltreatment. In addition, it is filing requests to officials, including mayors and governors, across the U.S. for information on organizations it believes are undermining federal immigration enforcement.
In a statement, America First Legal's Senior Vice President Reed D. Rubenstein pointed to the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant in New York City in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire and burned to death as "another reminder that open borders and sanctuary jurisdictions are sheer insanity."
"The left-wing politicians who create and run them, and those who support them, put our citizens at risk, undermine our Constitution, and dangerously erode the rule of law. America First Legal will continue working tirelessly to protect our immigration laws and support the brave men and women who enforce them. Today’s actions are but a first step in our fight against sanctuary lawlessness," Rubenstein said.
The new announcements shine a spotlight on what could be a fierce fight between the Trump administration, and its allies, and Democrats and left-wing activists over the deportation push and the extent to which it can be resisted at state and local level.
Some have doubled down on their opposition, with the Boston City Council recently voting to limit ICE cooperation and to ban police from keeping migrants in custody for possible deportation unless there is a criminal warrant.
The resolution adopted by the council states that "proposals for mass deportations represent a direct attack on Boston’s immigrant families, and threaten to tear communities apart."
Some Democratic officials, however, have indicated their willingness to work with the incoming administration. Homan met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week to discuss areas of potential cooperation, including the deportation of violent illegal immigrant criminals. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also said he wanted to see "violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime" deported, and said he would welcome a meeting with Homan.
Fox News reported this month on new data provided to Congress that showed there are 1.4 million noncitizens who have deportation orders but are not currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.
