Closing the border is not only about security. Immigration sanity also returns the American Dream to its rightful owners … the citizens of the United States. Like any country on earth, we have the right–and obligation–to prioritize the well-being of our citizens. What policies build the strongest, most prosperous American families? In this regard, immigration enforcement achieves two macro objectives at once: it makes America safer while also attacking the systemic affordability crisis. The evidence is already compelling. The early economic returns on immigration enforcement are nothing short of stunning. Fewer Illegals, Higher Wages Real wages are the “mother’s milk” of Main Street prosperity. Most Americans do not own enough investments to really thrive from rising asset prices. Instead, their financial vitality flows from their paychecks, adjusted for the prices they must pay for the goods and services they need. Thankfully, under President Donald Trump, real wages have risen every single month of his presidency. A big share of those benefits accrue to blue collar workers, as this administration produces the best working-class wage growth for a new term since Nixon took office in 1969. In contrast, during the Biden years real wages declined every single month for 2 straight years, the worst such streak on record. These gains result largely from at least 2.5 million illegal aliens leaving America, through self-deportations as well as removals. In industries like trucking and construction, with large segments of foreign workers, pay jumps for U.S. citizens. Even the biased New York Times recently admitted that “construction wages have been rising” due to immigration enforcement. Border Control Equals Rent Control Masses of illegals crowd out citizens in the housing market. According to Apartment List, since Trump took office, national rent prices for Americans have actually declined by 1.4%. CNBC called the current trend “ one of the more renter-friendly periods in a decade.” In Los Angeles County, an area rife with illegal immigrants, average rental prices just fell to a 4 year low. Even the ardently pro-illegal alien Los Angeles Times concedes that this improved market for renters flows largely from immigration enforcement, describing this new era as “ finally, a renters’ market.” It must have pained the L.A. Times to admit that the price drops have been especially beneficial in “communities targeted by immigration officers.” Of course, it’s not just L.A. A similar trend in favor of renters blossoms nationwide. The American Apartment Association survey just revealed that 40% of owners and investors across the country say immigration policies are lowering rents. Turns out the lessons of Economics 101 are real. If American citizens do not have to compete against unjust, unlawful foreign workers, then they return home every day with more real pay–returning to homes that are getting more affordable, at last. These trends point to much better days ahead for Americans, and especially for working-class strivers who were crushed by Bidenomics. The Voter Mandate: Secure the Country, Grow Prosperity Law-and-order makes sense economically, plus it makes for good politics.   Voter dissatisfaction over affordability is real and profound. For instance, in my most recent poll of battleground North Carolina, Trump’s approval rating dips to -14% net, 39 to 53%. By far, the lead driver is affordability. Right now, only 30% of North Carolina voters approve of the administration’s handling of inflation, and a massive 76% cite grocery costs as a primary inflation worry. But there is good news for Republicans, too. By a big margin, the best issue for Trump is border control/immigration. Meanwhile the Democrats leap to denounce the federal cops and restate their aggressively open borders radicalism. No wonder the Democrat brand is in free-fall. In my survey, only 30% of North Carolina voters give a positive view of Democrats vs. 54% who disapprove. Conclusion: What’s Working, Works So … a big political opening unfolds. The GOP can kill two birds with one shot. Keep people safe–and ease their economic burden. Immigration enforcement represents a just and reasonable policy approach. In fact, it is a perquisite to recover our culture, national security, street safety, and societal cohesion. Concurrently, sensible immigration control brings terrific economic benefits–and provides a key solution toward fixing the affordability crisis. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Immigration Enforcement Makes America More Affordable appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Still Winning: India Agrees on Trade – And Ending Russian Oil Imports?

By now, you’ve likely heard the story of Liam Conejo Ramos, the five-year-old Minnesota child who was sent with his illegal alien father to an immigration detention center after his dad was detained by ICE, only to be returned a week later after an outcry from hysterical liberals who won't give a second thought to a child killed on a highway by an illegal alien driver, but who will happily lose anything passing for common sense over a family having to answer for breaking a just law. Little Liam, standing in the Minnesota snow in his fuzzy blue hat and Spider-Man backpack, was immediately seized upon by leftists and the elitist media as the cherub-faced poster child for the Trump administration’s Gestapo-esque cruelty. After all, who but a Nazi could be so heartless as to arrest a kindergartener? Never mind that Liam Conejo Ramos was never “arrested.” Never mind that his father was an illegally present alien from Ecuador who had crossed the border unlawfully and who had no legal claim to be in the United States. Never mind that Adrian Conejo Arias had abandoned his son in a snowbank and fled from immigration officials when they showed up to his door to arrest him for immigration violations, or the fact that Liam’s own mother refused to take custody of her son despite repeated attempts by ICE to persuade her to do so. And never mind that Arias had requested that his son remain with him, even if it meant the pair would be detained together at a state-of-the-art detention facility in Texas - complete with playrooms and a rec center - while they awaited a chartered jet back to their home country. That single photo of a little chubby-cheeked boy in a fuzzy blue hat is all that mattered to opportunistic leftists - the same leftists who never batted any eye at the children being dumped over the border wall by human smugglers, the migrant toddlers left to die in the sweltering Texas desert, or the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied children who were “lost” by the Biden administration, many of them later found in abusive homes, or being exploited into forced labor. As the elitist media continues to wage their propaganda war, the truth gets forcibly suffocated beneath the photos of little boys in fuzzy blue hats, the deceptively edited videos of “children” being “disappeared,” and the carefully-worded headlines decrying ICE’s cruelty toward desperate migrant families. But beneath the dramatic sobbing and media hand-wringing, the truth remains the truth. And the American people deserve to know it. While the examples abound, here are a few of the most truly egregious examples of leftwing media lies, and what you need to know to keep from falling for them.   1. What the media told you: ICE ripped a crying child from her father’s arms as he was having a seizure A video from November that immediately sent leftist operatives into apoplexy appeared to show a man seizing while sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, as agents attempt to grab a screaming child from his arms. One local reporter woefully described how “some in the crowd [we]re crying seeing toddler caught in the middle of an ICE apprehension.” What really happened: Juliana Ojeda Montoya was an illegal alien from Ecuador who was wanted by ICE after being arrested in August of 2025 for stabbing a coworker repeatedly with a pair of scissors and assaulting them with a garbage can. After being apprehended by ICE during a traffic stop, Montoya and her husband dragged their toddler daughter to the front seat, locked arms, and refused to let go of the child or step out of the vehicle. Montoya’s husband then began having a “seizure” - an episode that magically disappeared after ICE managed to secure his child and pull him out of the car. He showed no further symptoms, refused medical treatment at the scene, and was released with the child while Montoya was detained. 2. What the media told you: ICE arrested a US citizen nurse for no reason. Another viral video began making the rounds on social media showing a woman in scrubs screaming that she is a U.S. citizen while being detained by ICE agents on the side of the road. What actually happened: According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents were searching for the woman’s boyfriend, who is an illegal alien, and pulled this woman over because she was driving a vehicle registered in his name. She refused to provide her identification for officers, leading them to follow standard procedure and remove her from the vehicle and place her in a patrol car while they verified her identity. After they confirmed who she was, they immediately released her. All of which could have been avoided had she simply complied with a simple, basic order and shown them her driver’s license.   3. What the media told you: “A teacher at a Chicago day care center was violently dragged out and then arrested by federal immigration officers.” A viral video began circulating in early January showing ICE agents detaining a woman outside a daycare center in Chicago. What really happened: ICE agents instigated a traffic stop to detain an illegal alien woman named Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, who crossed into the United States illegally in 2023. She was wanted for facilitating human smuggling after reportedly paying human traffickers to illegally smuggle her teenage sons into the U.S. When ICE agents attempted to apprehend her, she sped into a parking lot and fled on foot into the daycare center, where she was employed. Agents caught up to her in the vestibule and had to forcibly drag her out of the facility after she resisted arrest. 4. What the media told you: ICE teargassed an infant whose parents were stuck driving through a protest. Minnesota couple Shawn and Destiny Jackson told local news outlets that they and their six children were driving home from their son’s basketball game when their vehicle got stuck on a street clogged up with anti-ICE protesters. The couple said ICE officers began throwing flash bangs, which they say exploded beneath their car and set off the airbags, and claimed agents threw tear gas near the vehicle, which came in through the air vents and began choking their six-month-old son. The couple told reporters their son "nearly died," and was taken to a nearby hospital in respiratory distress. What really happened: Contrary to the couple’s sob story, live-streamed video from the protest shows both Shawn and Destiny Jackson in the street with the mob, talking and laughing with protesters roughly 45 minutes before operators received the 911 call reporting an infant who had inhaled tear gas. The video does not show any children with the couple, leading many to question whether they had left their children - including their infant son - in the vehicle while they attended the protest, and leaving ICE officers with no way of knowing that there were any children nearby when they began implementing crowd dispersal measures as the mob became increasingly violent. Even still, the Jacksons managed to garner national sympathy and raise nearly $200,000 through a self-established GoFundMe campaign toward the cost of a new vehicle. 5. What the media told you: ICE assaulted a teenage Target employee for being brown. True to form, the elitist media seized upon another cell phone video back in January claiming to show ICE agents hauling a teenage Target employee, who was a U.S. citizen, out of the store where he worked, a scene the left immediately used to accuse ICE of profiling brown people and assuming their immigration status. What really happened: The full video from the incident shows the teenage employee hurling profanity at an ICE agent who is attempting to walk into the store. The video then appears to show the employee shoving or swinging at the agent inside the vestibule, prompting the officer to immediately detain the young man. The employee violently resisted arrest, leading multiple other agents to intervene. 6. What the media told you: ICE murdered an LA man for being black. News reports were also quick to pick up on the story of Keith Porter, a black Los Angeles man who was shot by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year's Eve. What really happened: By his own family’s admission, Porter was outside on New Year's Eve firing his AR-style rifle into the air in celebration of the New Year, which is in and of itself a felony and a reckless choice that can easily leave someone dead. An off-duty ICE agent who happened to live in the same apartment complex heard the shots, immediately assumed that it could be an active shooter situation, grabbed his sidearm, and went outside to investigate. The agent told investigators that he confronted Porter, identified himself as law enforcement, and asked him to drop the rifle. He claims Porter refused to drop the weapon and fired at him several times, prompting the officer to fire back in self-defense. The incident, which is still under investigation, was unrelated to ICE or any immigration operations, and never would have occurred had Porter not been firing live rounds into the air in the first place. 7. ICE ripped a newborn baby away from a Tennessee mom. Hand-wringing headlines began popping up on Facebook in December accusing ICE of ripping a baby away from its mother - identified merely as a “Midstate mom” - before cruelly detaining her merely for being a migrant. What really happened: Esther Lopez Sanchez, an illegal alien, was arrested on August 15, 2024 alongside her partner, Roberto Nunez Gomez - also an illegal alien and a convicted felon - on drug and firearm charges. Sanchez, who was pregnant when she was arrested, went into labor at the Rutherford County Jail and was immediately transported to a U.S. hospital, where she gave birth. As is standard procedure both for criminal aliens and U.S. citizens who are imprisoned, Sanchez’s baby was placed in foster care while Sanchez was detained. She was eventually transported to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana where she was processed for immigration violations and its awaiting deportation. The Tennessee Department of Child Services said they are unable to place the child - who is considered a U.S. citizen - with a family member because all identified relatives are also illegal aliens who could be subject to deportation. 8 . ICE kidnapped a 15-year-old employee from a grocery store. A viral video was circulated thousands of times and racked up millions of views after claiming to show ICE arresting a teenage employee at a grocery store in Charlotte, North Carolina, which leftists used to accuse ICE of “disappearing” children on the streets. What really happened: While the Charlotte Observer first reported that the employee was only 15 years old, they later updated their reporting to reflect that they’d gotten that information from the grocery store owner, who had guessed the employee’s age as being “15 or 16.” However, employment records showed the man was actually in his 20s. He was apprehended without incident in the store, but tried to break free from officers in the parking lot, which is why he ended up being zip-tied.

ABC’s The View was fully in the corner for disgraced former CNN host Don Lemon on Monday’s show, following his weekend arrest by federal authorities on a grand jury indictment, stemming from his role in storming a Minneapolis church. In addition to downplaying the charges, they seemed to suggest that the indictment wasn’t real and made up by the Trump administration. At no point did they address any of the charges. Instead, they hinted that the all liberals would end up in prison. As she was leading into the story, moderator Whoopi Goldberg seemed to be hearing about the case for the first time, as she was reading from the teleprompter; needing basic things clarified (Click “expand”): GOLDBERG: So, I just want to understand because I - He was at that protest like a week ago, right, in the church? SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes. GOLDBERG: And then a week later they sent -- HOSTIN: They got a grand jury to indict – GOLDBERG: To indict - HOSTIN: - two counts – Fake Republican Ana Navarro tried to dismiss the legitimacy of the charges and seemed to suggest that the indictment wasn’t real, but something fabricated by the Executive Branch “themselves”: This is after they had gone to three different courts trying to get judges to sign off, and the judges in all three previous cases said to the DOJ, 'get the hell out of my courtroom, you clowns. There is no case here.' So, they basically did it themselves.   The View dismisses the grand jury indictment of Don Lemon and essentially claims the Trump administration forged a court order to arrest him, and claims they only targeted black journalists: ANA NAVARRO: This is after they had gone to three different courts trying to get judges… pic.twitter.com/XAFHLqVkKJ — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 2, 2026   Of course, she tried to squeeze Lemon’s indictment together with the release of the Epstein files, claiming the indictment was a choreographed distraction. “They released the news at the exact same time that they released the Epstein documents,” she said. Navarro also tried to cry ‘racism’ by claiming the Trump administration went out of their way to only charged black journalists: So, make no mistake about it. This was about gaslighting, this was about going against Don Lemon and other journalists. By the way, all of whom happen to be black. Happy Black History Month. And I think it's to send a chilling message to anybody who is covering facts. (…) this administration is afraid of people seeing the truth and being informed. Navarro provided no evidence that any white journalists had joined the rioters at the church, let alone any that escaped prosecution. Counting Lemon among her “dearest friends,” co-host Sunny Hostin proclaimed that the case was meritless and predicted a fast dismissal: And I agree with that. Do you know what happens next is that he will have his day I court and I suspect that this case will be thrown out. This case doesn't have any merit. And I think the National Association of Black Journalists said it best. They said, ‘the First Amendment is not optional and journalism is not a crime.’ And that is absolutely, absolutely true.   Despite the grand jury indictment, Sunny Hostin (who's friends with Lemon) proclaims "this case will be thrown out." While not going over any of the facts of the case, Hosting declares: "[H]e was getting the story and nothing should have gotten in the way of that. He had a… pic.twitter.com/B3uvC56BQR — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 2, 2026   “Don is a journalist, he’s an on the ground journalist. He has been pepper sprayed, he has been tear-gassed, and he was getting the story and nothing should have gotten in the way of that!” Hostin exclaimed. “He had a microphone with him, he had a cameraman with him and he was practicing journalism!” Adding: “This is about scaring other journalists, so that other journalists will not cover this administration!” Goldberg chimed in again as they were going to a commercial break with an insane suggesting that the Trump administration was going to put all liberals in prison, and that Lemon was a signal to that intent. “If it's happening like this for someone who is out and clearly doing his job, what do you think will happen to us?” she asserted while gesturing to the audience. “Now it's like, okay, we all got to stick together with all of this because it's affecting all of us from A to Z.”   Whoopi seems to suggests what happened with Lemon will happen to everyone on the left: "Listen, what I said to you before, you see what's happening, you know what's happening. If it's happening like this for someone who is out and clearly doing his job, what do you think will… pic.twitter.com/39028c42wV — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 2, 2026   The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View February 2, 2026 11:17:58 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So, I just want to understand because I - He was at that protest like a week ago, right, in the church? SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes. GOLDBERG: And then a week later they sent -- HOSTIN: They got a grand jury to indict – GOLDBERG: To indict - HOSTIN: - two counts - ANA NAVARRO: This is after they had gone to three different courts trying to get judges to sign off, and the judges in all three previous cases said to the DOJ, 'get the hell out of my courtroom, you clowns. There is no case here.' GOLDBERG: Okay. NAVARRO: So, they basically did it themselves. They did it -- they released the news at the exact same time that they released the Epstein documents. SARA HAINES: Epstein files! NAVARRO: So, make no mistake about it. This was about gaslighting, this was about going against Don Lemon and other journalists. By the way, all of whom happen to be black. Happy Black History Month. And I think it's to send a chilling message – HOSTIN: Correct. NAVARRO: - to anybody who is covering facts. For some reason -- well, I know the reason -- this administration is afraid of people seeing the truth and being informed. And I think they picked on the wrong guy, because Don Lemon is not going to play dead. Dom Lemon was the wherewithal, has the structure, has the team, has the courage, and has the money to fight this administration, and he's going to take it as far as it goes and he’s not going to – [Inaudible] [Applause] HOSTIN: And I agree with that. Do you know what happens next is that he will have his day I court and I suspect that this case will be thrown out. This case doesn't have any merit. And I think the National Association of Black Journalists said it best. They said, ‘the First Amendment is not optional and journalism is not a crime.’ And that is absolutely, absolutely true. [Applause] What's striking to me is that, you know, Don is -- I want to be transparent. You know, Don is of my dearest friends. And so, I felt terrible when I saw this happening and, you know – And I wish everybody had a husband like Don's, Tim, because he looked like Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard! I mean, he doesn’t he doesn’t play about his husband! But, I really think -- I've been with Don in Ferguson, I've been with Don on the ground in South Carolina. Don is a journalist, he’s an on the ground journalist. He has been pepper sprayed, he has been tear-gassed, and he was getting the story and nothing should have gotten in the way of that! He had a microphone with him, he had a cameraman with him and he was practicing journalism! And I think you're right, Ana, this is about - not necessarily about Don because he can fight this. He has the resources. This is about scaring other journalists, so that other journalists will not cover this administration! (…) 11:21:04 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: Well, you know. Listen, this is what I said to you before. You see what's happening, you know what's happening. If it's happening like this for someone who is out and clearly doing his job, what do you think will happen to us? [Gestures to the audience] HOSTIN: Right. GOLDBERG: So, it's important to recognize what we are voting for now. It's not a conversation, it's not a thing. Now it's like, okay, we all got to stick together with all of this because it's affecting all of us from A to Z. We will be right back.

A South Carolina woman who believed she was meeting someone to buy a puppy walked into a deadly trap, according to authorities. The woman reportedly was lured into an ambush, fatally shot, and set on fire.The Florence County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that police responded to a call of a "vehicle consumed by fire with a deceased victim inside" in Effingham on Jan. 22.'Investigators are exploring the theory that Kinlaw was targeted in retaliation for a separate murder involving a family member in Darlington.'Around 5:45 p.m., deputies arrived at the scene to find the car still on fire and a body inside the vehicle, WMBF-TV reported. Florence County Coroner Keith Von Lutcken identified the deceased woman as 40-year-old Dana Marie Kinlaw."Investigators allege that Iryanna Jarissa Fleming and Daquinn Taheen Thomas intentionally shot Kinlaw, resulting in her death, and subsequently set her body on fire inside the vehicle," police stated.Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye said Fleming lured Kinlaw to a remote area. "Supposedly they went there together," Joye said, according to WMBF. "Miss Fleming, she was 19 years of age, a friend of Miss Kinlaw, and they rode there together supposedly to buy a puppy."Joye noted that Kinlaw was shot and then set on fire while inside the vehicle. RELATED: Final words revealed from Marine who survived war — but was gunned down at home in Facebook Marketplace trap Authorities suspect Kinlaw was murdered as an act of retaliation over a prior homicide in Darlington County."Investigators are exploring the theory that Kinlaw was targeted in retaliation for a separate murder involving a family member in Darlington," Joye said. "We believe there was a murder committed in Darlington County, which we made the arrest in Lake City that connects them to that arrest with Darlington County officials," Joye added.Joye said investigators suspect that Kinlaw's son was involved in "some way, shape, or form, and we feel this is a retaliation to that murder."Police arrested Thomas, 31, and Fleming on Jan. 22. They both were charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.Nikko Christopher Carraway, 31, was arrested Jan. 28 in connection with Kinlaw's killing, according to WPDE-TV.Carraway was charged with murder, first-degree arson, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.All three suspects are being held without bond at the Florence County Detention Center.The Florence County Sheriff's Office stated the investigation is ongoing, and the suspects could face additional charges.Citing court records, the New York Post reported that Thomas and Carraway have a "laundry list of criminal cases in Florence County dating back as far as 2014."Thomas was hit with multiple attempted murder charges and violent armed robbery cases, according to the Post, which noted that Thomas was sentenced to nine months in prison last March for possessing a firearm as a convicted criminal. The Florence County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The treasurer of a Democrat organization in Arizona has resigned from the post and was fired from his real estate job after he was caught on video shouting obscenities.The video was captured at a protest at the Zipps Sports Grill in Ahwatu­kee Foot­hills after the chain was targeted by immigration officials. All of the Zipps locations were shut down after search warrants were executed at 14 locations on the same day.'I regret the man­ner I expressed myself. ... I have form­ally resigned from the board.'Anti-ICE protesters have since demonstrated at the restaurants to oppose deportations.The video from Jan. 26 shows an older man chasing a group of younger women while screaming obscenities at them. The RedState reporter who captured the video said the anti-ICE group believed the women were taking selfies in support of ICE operations."You little f**king c***s!" the man screams twice at them, according to the video."Nasty girls who love ICE and take photos with them!" says a woman on the video.The older man and others harass and chase after the women to angrily denounce them. Online sleuths identified the man as Mark Holodnak, the treasurer of the 12th Legis­lat­ive Dis­trict Demo­crats organ­iz­a­tion.He has since resigned from the post and issued an apology to the women."I regret the man­ner I expressed myself, and these words do not reflect my val­ues or inten­tions," Holodnak stated. "I would like to offer a sin­cere apo­logy to the two indi­vidu­als in the video. I do not want my actions to reflect on the good work LD 12 does. So I have form­ally resigned from the board of LD 12 effect­ive imme­di­ately."He declined to answer questions about the incident, according to the Arizona Republic.Online sleuths also began bombarding Holodnak's employer about the video, and the employer released a statement saying he was fired.RELATED: Top Oklahoma Dem forced to resign after trying to pay Ethics Commission with forged check "HomeSmart is aware of an incident in which one of our independent contractor agents acted unacceptably," the statement said Tuesday. "This is not reflective of HomeSmart's culture and values. The agent has been terminated and is no longer affiliated with HomeSmart."Holodnak's biography remains on the committee's website and says he became politically active after 2016. He listed climate change, gun violence, and supporting marginalized communities as his top concerns.Homeland Security Investigations confirmed the arrest of more than 35 illegal aliens from the operations at the Zipps. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Two more individuals have been arrested in connection with the church-storming incident that occurred at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in January.A mob of roughly 30 to 40 left-leaning agitators, joined by former CNN anchor Don Lemon, interrupted a Sunday service at the Christian church on January 18. The activists, who assembled to protest against federal immigration enforcement activities, attempted to drown out the worshipping Christians and targeted the church because they claimed one of its pastors was involved with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.‘If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you.’The groups behind the demonstration included Racial Justice Network, Black Lives Matter Minnesota, and BLM Twin Cities.Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the first arrests on January 22. Homeland Security Investigation and FBI agents arrested Racial Justice Network founder Nekima Levy Armstrong. Bondi claimed Armstrong played “a key role in organizing the coordinated attack.” Chauntyll Louisa Allen, who leads BLM Twin Cities, was also apprehended the same day. On Friday, Bondi revealed that federal authorities had arrested Lemon, independent journalist Georgia Fort, and two others who allegedly participated in the attack, including Trahern Jeen Crews and Jamael Lydell Lundy.RELATED: Don Lemon remains defiant after being released over church takeover arrest: 'I will not stop ever!' Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesBondi announced two more arrests on Monday.“If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you,” Bondi wrote in a post on X. “We have made two more arrests in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota: Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson.”The indictment accused Austin of standing “with other agitators in and around the main aisles in the church to intimidate the church members and obstruct and interfere with their freedom of movement,” the Daily Signal reported. He was also accused of approaching the pastor “in a menacing manner” and berating him with questions.Sarah Gad, Austin’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.RELATED: Unsealed indictment against Don Lemon cites his own comments on livestream from 'takeover' at church Don Lemon. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty ImagesRichardson is a 21-year-old Temple University student who claimed he assisted Lemon during his visit to Minnesota by “helping with logistics and connecting him with local contacts to report on ICE-led Minnesota Operation Surge.”“As a consequence of this support, I am now being targeted by the Trump administration,” he wrote in a post on social media. He asked for supporters to donate to his legal defense on GoFundMe, requesting $16,000. He has already raised nearly $13,000 as of Monday afternoon. According to his donation page, Richardson turned himself in to authorities at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia on Monday. Bondi did not reveal the charges against Austin and Richardson; however, the other individuals who were previously arrested are accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. Penalties for violating these acts can include fines and prison time.Nine individuals have been charged in connection with the church invasion.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Audiences rave and critics sneer as the documentary "Melania" exceeds industry expectations in its opening weekend.The opening gross domestic ticket sales reached $7 million, placing the film third overall at the domestic box office behind two major studio releases.'To say that "Melania" is a hagiography would be an insult to hagiographies.'The film, which chronicles first lady Melania Trump in the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, debuted in 1,778 theaters nationwide, an unusually wide release for a documentary.Prerelease projections published by entertainment outlets such as People magazine estimated the film would earn between $3 million and $5 million.RELATED: New 'Melania' documentary blends unprecedented access with subtle, profound message Brooks Kraft/Getty Images While the film did not screen in advance for critics, reviews published after release were largely unfavorable.Critics from the Guardian, Variety, and the Hollywood Reporter described the documentary as politically one-sided and overly sympathetic.Xan Brooks of the Guardian compared the film to a “medieval tribute to placate the greedy king on his throne.” Owen Gleiberman of Variety described it as a “cheese ball infomercial of staggering inertia.” Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter wrote, “To say that ‘Melania’ is a hagiography would be an insult to hagiographies.”Audiences reacted differently.Opening-night viewers awarded the film an “A” at CinemaScore, a metric based on verified exit polling conducted at theaters nationwide.RELATED: Melania's bold AI message to America's youth: 'Use AI as a tool, but do not let it replace your personal intelligence' Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images The film was distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, which reportedly paid $40 million for distribution rights and spent an additional $35 million on marketing.The total investment made the project the most expensive documentary release to date.Despite the high cost, box-office analysts interviewed by AP noted that political documentaries are often evaluated based on visibility and audience engagement rather than traditional profitability.The film premiered at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., with attendance from members of Congress, Cabinet officials, and business executives.Following its theatrical run, “Melania” is scheduled to stream on Prime Video. International theatrical distribution is expected to be limited.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The trend vindicates President Trump’s decision to reassert influence in Latin America.

Guy Benson Shares a Poll Showing Unhinged Dems Digging Their Own Grave on the Immigration Issue