FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL–The Department of Homeland Security in the past year has arrested multiple illegal aliens it says have known ties to terrorist organizations including ISIS and Al-Qaeda. According to the agency, the illegal aliens include members of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Islamic Republic Guard Corps of Iran, and MS-13, which Trump designated a foreign terrorist organization when he returned to office.   “Just a year ago, under [President] Joe Biden, our border was wide-open and criminals, gang members, and terrorists were released into our communities,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, stated.   Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have “unleashed” Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “to target the worst of the worst, including national security threats,” McLaughlin said, adding that the Trump administration is “delivering on the American people’s mandate to make America safe again, and we’re just getting started.”  One of the detainees is Chasib Hafedh Saadoon Al Fawadi, identified as a member of the Iraqi Shia militant group Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.   The first Trump administration designated Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq a foreign terrorist organization in 2020. Then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refered to the group as “violent proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”   Al Fawadi, an illegal alien from Iraq, has a criminal history that includes charges for rape and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. He has been convicted on federal charges of making false statements on an immigration application about his membership in Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.  He was given a deportation order in 2022, but ICE arrested him in the U.S. in November 2025.   Chasib Hafedh Saadoon Al Fawadi. (DHS) Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, originally from Sudan, was convicted on federal charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. ICE arrested him in June.   Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan. (DHS) Fares Abdo Al Eyani, a criminal alien from Yemen, was previously convicted “for conspiracy to unlawfully export defense articles in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations,” DHS reports.   Jordanian Ashraf Farhan Husny Sulaiman, has a record that includes conviction for conspiracy to defraud the U.S.   Majid Ghorbani served in the Iranian military and was “charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government and convicted for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and petty theft.”   Illegal aliens Fares Abdo Al Eyani, Ashraf Farhan Husny Sulaiman, and Majid Ghorbani. (DHS) Additionally, DHS reported arrests of MS-13 gang members Gaulner Uliel Pineda Castillo, a Guatemalan who was previously arrested for a kidnapping plot, and Leonel Alexander Velasquez-Hernandez, an illegal alien from El Salvador with a criminal history that “includes arrests for murder, assault, dangerous weapons with intent to injure, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy assault, and stalking.”   Illegal aliens Leonel Alexander Velasquez-Hernandez and Gaulner Uliel Pineda Castillo. (DHS) The Department of Homeland Security faces criticism and backlash following a Border Patrol-involved shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday that left 37-year-old Alex Pretti dead.   Two and a half weeks before that, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis.   Both shootings took place amid anti-immigration enforcement operation protests in Minneapolis and are currently under investigation.   The post EXCLUSIVE: ICE Arrests Foreign Terrorists Living in US appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Noncitizens demonstrating against the United States and Israel at U.S. campuses scored a legal victory over the Trump administration last week, as a Massachusetts federal judge halted the deportation of international students and faculty. The case of American Association of University Professors v. Rubio, naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the lead plaintiff, concerns a State Department policy that allowed for the deportation of international students and academic faculty involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations that often involved anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment.  U.S. District Judge William G. Young held Thursday that a change in immigration status, or arrest, could not be based on viewpoints. He determined that the administration implemented its orders against the students in “‘a viewpoint-discriminatory way to chill protected speech’ that ‘violated the First Amendment.'” The lawsuit also named several other top administration officials, as well as President Donald Trump. The Middle East Studies Association was among the plaintiffs. This marks Young’s second ruling in the case that undermines two Trump executive orders. In January 2025 Trump directed federal agencies to enhance immigration vetting procedures to prevent the entry of individuals who may pose a national security threat. That same month, he issued a separate order directing authorities to combat antisemitism on college campuses, amid an outpouring of demonstrations against Israel that intimidated Jewish students.  The plaintiffs in the case sued over the orders, asserting that enforcement amounted to viewpoint discrimination and violated the First Amendment.  The Trump administration argued that noncitizens do not have the same First Amendment rights as American citizens. But in a separate September ruling in the case, Young held that international students and faculty have the same First Amendment rights as citizens.  Young is an appointee of President Ronald Reagan.  Last year, Young ruled against the Trump administration on National Institutes of Health funding for research related to racial minorities and Americans identifying as LGBTQ. Young called the funding cuts “appalling” discrimination. One of Young’s most high-profile cases was that of Richard Reid, the convicted “shoe bomber” who boarded a passenger plane with a bomb in his shoe. After the 2003 conviction, Young sentenced Reid to life in prison. The post Pro-Palestianian Agitators Score Win Against Trump in Court appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Multiple Trump administration agencies are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “I would just remind all of you in the media, because I’ve seen the lack of reporting on this fact,” Leavitt said at a White House press briefing on Monday. “There are investigations into what took place on Saturday.” “Homeland Security and the FBI have teamed up for an investigation, and there’s also an internal [Customs and Border Patrol] investigation and internal review of what is happening on the ground in Minnesota,” she said. “The president believes that these investigations are credible,” Leavitt continued. “They are continuing, they are active, and he wants to let them play out.” President Donald Trump had previously told The Wall Street Journal his administration is “reviewing everything” about the shooting. “Nobody, including President Trump, wants to see people get shot or hurt,” Leavitt said. U.S. Border Patrol agents shot and killed Pretti while he was filming federal officers during a Minneapolis immigration enforcement operation. The agents were seeking to arrest illegal immigrant Jose Huerta-Chuma, whose criminal history includes domestic assault for intentional conflict bodily harm, driving without a valid license, and disorderly conduct. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller referred to the nurse as “an assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents.” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Pretti attacked law enforcement while “brandishing” a gun. However, Pretti’s family claims that he was “clearly not holding a gun” when he was “attacked” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The shooting has sparked bipartisan calls for congressional oversight. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., said, “A congressional hearing is a place where federal, state, and local community leaders can be heard.” “There must be a thorough and impartial investigation into yesterday’s Minneapolis shooting,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., wrote. The post What Karoline Leavitt Says the Press Is Missing About ICE Shooting appeared first on The Daily Signal.

With Democrats pushing a number of progressive policies now that they are in control of Virginia, a Virginia state Democrat is working to ban immigration agents from operating near polling places. Democrat Virginia Del. Alfonso H. Lopez introduced the bill, which has been described as a “safeguard.” The bill, HB 1442, would amend the Code of Virginia to prohibit law enforcement from “any act for the purpose or in furtherance of enforcement of federal immigration laws” within 40 feet of a polling place. The move has left Republicans wondering why a Democrat would move to prevent immigration law enforcement at polling places if Democrats believe illegal immigrants are not voting in Virginia elections. “My Republican colleagues and I were shocked at the brazenness of this bill,” Virginia Del. Anne Ferrell Tata told The Daily Signal.   “First, states can’t restrict the actions of the federal government. But more importantly, what’s the purpose behind this bill? Democrats tell us illegal aliens aren’t voting. It’s quite a coincidence,” Tata continued. HB 1442Download This is not the only election integrity bill Virginia Democrats have pushed since taking the majority this month.   Democrat Virginia Del. Marcia S. Price introduced HB 968 to ban hand-counting paper ballots, and Democrat state Sen. Barbara Favola introduced SB 58 to extend the deadline for accepting absentee ballots.   “I think they owe the people an explanation of the logic behind these bills,” said Dave Brat, a former Virginia congressman and Virginia state delegate. He spoke with The Daily Signal about his frustration with this bill and the many more that would impact voter and election integrity.   “I don’t think anybody ran on these things. I have never heard anything about that,” Brat continued. “Virginians have to look at the whole package. There’s five or six [introduced bills] and all have to do with making voting less transparent and more problematic,” Brat said.  “All these bills are a march to the left, and all you have to do is take a look at the left states and their performance,” Brat continued. “Minneapolis right now is rioting all across the streets because local law enforcement won’t cooperate with the federal. Everywhere where the local does cooperate with the federal, there’s peace and quiet and harmony,” Brat added. Lopez did not provide a comment to The Daily Signal. The post If Illegal Aliens Don’t Vote in Virginia Elections, Then Why Are Democrats Trying to Ban ICE From Polling Places? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Former New York Rep. Chris Collins, who pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2019, will now face off against former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the GOP primary to replace Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. Donalds’ gubernatorial run has left the safe GOP seat of Florida’s 19th Congressional District open, and two former members of Congress-turned-Florida transplants are looking to return to Washington. Collins, who moved to Florida before being pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020, announced his candidacy in a video statement on Friday. Cawthorn, meanwhile, served one term in Congress. He lost the GOP primary for North Carolina’s 11th District in 2023 after a series of controversies and scandals. After losing, the House Ethics Committee found that Cawthorn violated conflict-of-interest rules regarding a cryptocurrency promotion “We need to take our country back,” Collins said. “We need to make America great again.” A Crowded Primary Aside from Cawthorn and Collins, seven other candidates are looking to fill the vacancy left by Donalds. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, former South Florida congressional candidate Johnny Fratto, and “populist Republican candidate” Dylan Modarelli have also announced their candidacies. Former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, president of a local news station Jim Schwartzel, former Illinois congressional candidate Catalina Lauf, and veteran Mike Pedersen have also announced their candidacies. President Donald Trump and Donalds have not issued endorsements as of yet. Cawthorn declined to comment, and Collins did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request. “Enter Broke, Leave a Millionaire” Collins’ bid comes as a bipartisan group in Congress has introduced efforts to ban members of Congress from stock trading. Congress continues to fall under scrutiny after its members, like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reportedly hold stock portfolios that have outperformed major Wall Street hedge funds by creating national policy that influences private markets and use insider information as an investment strategy. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., one of the most vocal opponents of trading by members of Congress, has described it as an “enter broke, leave a millionaire” scheme. In December, she introduced a discharge petition that would force a vote on a trading ban for members of Congress. Weeks later, Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., introduced the Stop Insider Trading Act to ban members of Congress from using insider information or altering policy to benefit their private investments. “Members of Congress should not be enriching themselves with insider knowledge,” Luna wrote in a press release. “Both Republican Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have acknowledged that insider trading in Congress is a serious problem and must be stopped.” Luna added that on the issue of insider trading, “The people are more united than Washington is.” Steil and Luna did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment. The post The Race to Replace Byron Donalds Could Be the Craziest Election This Year appeared first on The Daily Signal.