Initially, and for some time, the Biden administration didn’t know what to do with the flood of people coming across the border. There was not clear leadership on the issue, and some hoped it would die down on its own. Then the administration wanted Congress to pass something to help them solve the issue without using executive force on its own. Trump convinced Republican Congressmen to not vote for that bill even though it moved policy closer to what they agreed with. Then, Biden used executive authority and successfully stopped the flow. Politically, this was too late for him to get credit.
“On some days, as many as 20 drones might fly across the Egyptian border into Israel from different points. It does not matter that much if Israel shoots some of them down or uses electronic warfare spectrum weapons to get others to crash or land in an open field to be seized. As long as a certain percentage of the cargo gets through, the smugglers can make millions.
THE SMUGGLERS also learned that they could send a vast amount of weapons across the border. Some of these weapons might be for Arab Israelis or Bedouin. Still, others might be eventually destined for Hamas or even for being transferred to terrorist groups in the Palestinian Authority-controlled portions of the West Bank.”
“A federal judge in Chicago ordered roughly 600 people to be released from immigration detention…The individuals, the judge found, had been arrested in violation of a 2022 consent decree designed to ensure immigration agents have probable cause before making warrantless arrests.”
The U.S. is declaring large parts of the southern border military areas. The U.S. military cannot be used to enforce immigration, but it can stop people from entering its own bases.
“Federal law enforcement last year investigated Homan, who allegedly accepted $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as business executives seeking government contracts, according to an MSNBC report on Saturday. The outlet reported that Homan indicated he could help the undercover agents secure government contracts. The Justice Department waited to see if Homan planned to fulfil this claim, but the case stalled and was closed this summer.”
Does he still have the money?
… Homan is a close ally of the president, and served for a stint as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during his first term. The border czar has been among the most visible defenders of the president’s second term immigration agenda, and has been a key player in executing the administration’s deportation policy.
“Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar who promised to bring “hell” to Boston, was recorded accepting $50,000 in cash during a September 2024 meeting with undercover FBI agents posing as business executives seeking government contracts, according to multiple media outlets.
The cash was held in a bag from the food chain Cava, the New York Times reported, citing sources who were familiar with the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Homan investigation arose from a long-running counterintelligence probe that was not targeting Homan.
According to MSNBC, which first reported the story, Homan told the undercover agents he could help them get government contracts.”