Airplane hijacker is among criminal aliens nabbed in Houston ICE sweep
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 1,361 illegal immigrants in the Houston area in June, which included individuals previously convicted of hijacking an airplane, homicide, sexual assault and more, the agency revealed.
ICE said in a press release that the illegal immigrants arrested in the Houston area in June are either currently charged with or have been convicted of a criminal offense.
Of those arrested, 32 were previously convicted of child sex offenses, nine for homicide-related offenses, and 16 believed to be gang or drug cartel members. One person arrested by ICE was convicted of hijacking an airplane headed to Key West, Florida, from Cuba.
Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director, said some people tried to derail their mission.
ICE ARRESTS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ILLEGAL ALIENS IN LOS ANGELES WHILE PROTESTERS ADVOCATE FOR CRIMINALS: DHS
“Despite attempts by some to undermine our mission by spreading false and malicious rumors, the brave men and women of ICE continue to work tirelessly around the clock targeting dangerous criminal aliens to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system and bolster public safety in our communities,” Martinez said.
“The number of dangerous criminal aliens that they removed from local communities across Southeast Texas last month is just another example of their selfless and unyielding efforts to return our local communities to places where we can all raise our families without having to worry about child predators, gang members, or other violent criminal aliens preying on our loved ones,” he continued.
CHILD PREDATORS, GANG MEMBERS, HUMAN TRAFFICKERS DEPORTED IN MAJOR TEXAS CITY ICE ROUNDUP
Among those arrested by ICE are:
– 56-year-old Adermis Wilson-Gonzalez, convicted in 2003 of hijacking an airplane.
– 47-year-old Arnulfo Olivares Cervantes, convicted of trafficking cocaine, attempted murder, evading arrest, illegal entry and drug possession. According to ICE, he has entered the U.S. six times illegally.
– 29-year-old Luis Pablo Vasquez-Estolano, convicted of homicide, aggravated robbery, burglary of a vehicle and drug possession.
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– 40-year-old Jose Meza, convicted of sexual assault of a minor and theft.
– 51-year-old Javier Escobar Gonzalez, convicted of sexual indecency with a minor, criminal trespass with a deadly weapon, driving while intoxicated and unauthorized use of a firearm.
Trump, Rutte announce ‘really big’ NATO arms package amid new 50 day deadline to Putin
President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that the U.S. has agreed to sell arms to NATO just moments after he said Russian President Vladimir Putin has 50 days to secure a peace deal with Ukraine or face “100%” tariffs.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Trump called him on Thursday to confirm he wanted to enter into a deal with NATO allies to sell them arms for aid to Ukraine.
Trump said billions of dollars worth of U.S. arms would be purchased from allies like Germany, Finland and Denmark that will be “quickly distributed” to Ukraine.
TRUMP SAYS US WILL SEND PATRIOT MISSILES TO UKRAINE, ADDS THAT PUTIN ‘TALKS NICE AND THEN HE BOMBS EVERYBODY’
“This is really big,” Rutte told reporters from the Oval Office sitting alongside Trump.
Rutte, who said the decision was built on the “tremendous success” of last month’s NATO summit when nearly every nation in the alliance agreed to increase their defense spending to reach 5% of their nation’s GDP, called the move “logical.”
“This is again European nations standing up,” Rutte added. “I’ve been in contact with many countries, I can tell you at this moment Germany, massively, but also Finland and Denmark and Sweden and Norway, we have the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canada – they all want to be part of this.
“And this is only the first wave. There will be more,” Rutte confirmed. “So what we will do is work through the NATO systems to make sure that we know what Ukrainians need.”
TRUMP CONSIDERING MORE AID TO UKRAINE AS FRUSTRATION WITH RUSSIA GROWS
Rutte said he had already met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to ensure the U.S. maintains what it needs for its stockpiles but also works with NATO allies to fulfill orders for Ukraine’s defense.
Trump said he was “very unhappy” with Moscow and expressed his frustration over what he thought should have been a done deal at least “two months ago.”
Both leaders said they thought they had secured an agreement with Putin on four different occasions, but then “bombs would be thrown out that night, and you’d say – we’re not making any deals,” Trump told reporters.
“I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done, and I always hang up saying, ‘Well, that was a nice phone call,’ and then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and I’d say ‘strange,” Trump said recounting his conversations with Putin. “And after that happens three or four times, you say, the talk doesn’t mean anything.”
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The president countered a major talking point of some isolationist Republicans who oppose the continuation of U.S. support to Ukraine.
“Ultimately, having a strong Europe is a very good thing,” Trump added.
Police arrest traveler with $3 million in drugs headed to foreign country: officials
Police arrested a man who allegedly tried to carry almost $3 million worth of drugs in his suitcase in Atlanta.
Vance Ray Randolph was arrested on June 28 at the Atlanta International Airport after allegedly trying to take the drugs to Sao Paulo, Brazil, according to a Saturday Facebook post by the Atlanta Police Department.
According to officials, Randolph tried to travel with THC-extracted products and marijuana.
MASSIVE HAUL OF METHAMPHETAMINE SEIZED IN ONE OF MINNESOTA’S ‘LARGEST METH BUSTS’ EVER
Law enforcement officers said they seized 12.35 lbs of THC wax, 34.39 lbs of hashish, 4.6 lbs. of marijuana, and 1.21 lbs. of pasty marijuana.
FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL HAILS RECORD DRUG BUST; DRUGS SEIZED COULD HAVE KILLED NEARLY 50 MILLION
The Atlanta Police Department said the seized drugs have an estimated street value of $2.97 million. Randolph was taken to the Clayton County Jail on narcotics charges.
Body camera video released by the Atlanta Police Department shows officers taking several packages out of the suitcase.
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The Atlanta Police Department said U.S. Customs and Border Protection assisted with the arrest.
Biden’s chief of staff reportedly approved autopen pardons in final days
Former President Joe Biden’s chief of staff issued final approval for multiple high-profile preemptive pardons during Biden’s final days in office, according to a new report.
Biden’s alleged use of the autopen has become a sticking point for months, as President Donald Trump has said thousands of pardons Biden signed were void and claimed that the former president did not know what documents he was signing through the automated device.
Biden issued a series of preemptive pardons on his final day to officials, including former chief medical advisor to the president Anthony Fauci and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, in an attempt to safeguard them from retribution from Trump.
In an article intended to be his defense for the autopen issue, it emerged that, although Biden reportedly made the decision in a meeting, Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients is the one who gave final approval for the use of the autopen, at least in the case of Fauci and Milley, the New York Times reported.
WHAT IS AN AUTOPEN? THE SIGNING DEVICE AT THE HEART OF TRUMP’S ATTACKS ON BIDEN PARDONS
On Biden’s final day as president, Jan. 19, Biden had a meeting with his aides until nearly 10 p.m. to talk about various preemptive pardons, the Times reports. Emails obtained by the Times show that an aide sent a summary draft of the decisions formalized during that meeting to Zient’s assistant at 10:03 p.m.
The assistant sent the email to Zients and others present in the meeting, requesting approval from Zients and White House deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed at 10:28 p.m., the Times reported. Zients replied all to the email three minutes later, the outlet said.
“I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons,” Zients said in the email, according to the Times.
Zients could not be immediately reached for comment by Fox News Digital.
Additionally, the Times report said Biden did not personally approve each name included in the broad, categorical pardons.
“Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, he signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence,” the Times reported.
When asked about the Times’ report, Trump told reporters at the White House Monday that Biden’s alleged use of the autopen amounted to possibly “one of the biggest scandals that we’ve had in 50 to 100 years.”
“I guarantee you he knew nothing about what he was signing, I guarantee you,” Trump said.
Additionally, the White House said the report shed light on Biden’s trustworthiness, and accused the Biden administration of engaging in a cover-up.
TRUMP CLAIMS BIDEN PARDONS ARE ‘VOID,’ ALLEGING THEY WERE SIGNED VIA AUTOPEN
“The same president who lied through his teeth to the American people for four years about everything from his health to the state of the economy should not be trusted again,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in an email to Fox News. “The Biden administration conducted the most egregious cover-up scheme in American politics… The truth will come out about who was, in fact, running the country sooner or later, just as the truth is emerging about the state of Joe Biden’s cognitive and physical health.”
Biden granted a total of 4,245 acts of clemency during his administration, 96% of which were granted during his final months in office between October 2024 and January, according to the Pew Research Center.
Trump first accused Biden of using an autopen to sign important clemency documents in March. He has continued to bring up the issue, and sent a memo ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch an investigation into Biden’s autopen use in June, and to probe if the usage stemmed from a decline in Biden’s mental acuity.
“In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that Biden’s aides abused the power of presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” Trump wrote in the memo.
BIDEN’S ‘AUTOPEN SIGNATURE’ APPEARS ON MOST OFFICIAL DOCS, RAISING CONCERNS OVER WHO CONTROLLED THE WH: REPORT
“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.”
A White House official previously told Fox News Digital that Trump uses his hand signature for every legally operational or binding document. Even so, Trump has admitted that he uses an autopen for letters.
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An autopen is a machine that physically holds a pen and features programming to imitate a person’s signature. Unlike a stamp or a digitized print of a signature, the autopen has the capability to hold various types of pens like a ballpoint to a permanent marker, according to descriptions of autopen machines available for purchase.
Times Square billboard offers New Yorkers escape route from socialism
A new digital billboard in Times Square is encouraging New Yorkers to “flee” mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and move to Ohio.
The ad, paid for by the “Vivek Super PAC — Victors, not Victims,” (VPAC) supports Vivek Ramaswamy’s Republican run for governor in the Buckeye state.
“Worried About Zohran? Ohio Is Waiting For You,” one of two images shared with FOX Business says.
The second image includes side-by-side photographs of the political candidates, and reads, “Ready to flee NYC? Radical socialist Zohran Mamdani” and “Move to Ohio! Protecting freedom Vivek Ramaswamy.”
SURPRISED NYC CEOS TO GRILL MAMDANI, SOCIALIST MAYORAL CANDIDATE
The ad placement cost “roughly $50,000,” VPAC chief strategist Andy Surabian told FOX Business.
Surabian said that New Yorkers concerned about being governed by Mamdani’s “radical socialist policies” should move to a state “that is about to elect a conservative trailblazer committed to liberty and prosperity for all.”
REAL ESTATE INQUIRIES BY WEALTHY NEW YORKERS INTO FLORIDA PROPERTIES JUMP 50% AFTER MAMDANI PRIMARY WIN
Ramaswamy, like Mamdani, is of Indian descent, but Surabian said the two “represent such wildly different paths for the future of our nation.”
Mamdani has faced heated criticism for his support of socialist policies, perhaps most famously his 2021 remarks to a Young Democratic Socialists of America conference, where he urged attendees not to compromise on goals like “seizing the means of production.”
“Right now, if we’re talking about the cancellation of student debt, if we’re talking about Medicare for all, you know, these are issues which have the groundswell of popular support across this country,” Mamdani said in a video to conference-goers. “But then there are also other issues that we firmly believe in, whether it’s BDS or whether it is the end goal of seizing the means of production, where we do not have the same level of support at this very moment.”
Mamdani also supports launching city-owned grocery stores, which he said could offer lower prices to New Yorkers.
VPAC’s billboard will be on display in the major tourist destination all week, Surabian said.
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“While Mamadani will further crush New York City with his job-killing socialist tyranny, Vivek is ready to unleash freedom, supercharge the American dream and make Ohio a state of excellence,” Surabian said in a statement.
Bill Maher and John Leguizamo clash over Trump’s immigration policies
Bill Maher and liberal actor John Leguizamo clashed over their perceptions of President Donald Trump and the country’s immigration system on Maher’s latest “Club Random” podcast episode.
Leguizamo blasted top Trump official Stephen Miller as a racist and architect of Trump’s mass deportation policy, but Maher retorted that the last administration bore blame.
“Part of this is a backlash to how badly Biden handled the immigration situation. It can’t just be like ‘Come one, come all,’” Maher said.
“There’s plenty of room here,” Leguizamo told a skeptical Maher. “There’s plenty of room in America, come on. There’s no lack of room in America.”
JOHN FETTERMAN AND BILL MAHER AGREE CHAOS IN LA AND DEM REACTION TO RIOTS WILL BE ‘GOOD FOR TRUMP’
“It’s never about room. It’s about resources … Countries have to have a border,” Maher said. “I mean, they’ve done surveys and something like 200 million people around the world when asked, ‘Would you come to America if you could?’ ‘Yes, I would.’ Why wouldn’t they? Lots of countries, excuse me, are s–tholes, and they would love to be here.”
Trump was fiercely criticized by the left during his first term when he used that disparaging term for countries like Haiti and El Salvador.
“The places aren’t s–tholes,” Leguizamo replied to Maher.
“Well, they are,” Maher said. “That’s why they want to come.”
Leguizamo, an outspoken liberal activist, claimed that issues in Latin American countries were often because of actions taken by the United States.
MAHER CALLS OUT SNL FOR ‘ZOMBIE LIE’ THAT REPUBLICANS ARE RACIST, WARNS THEY ARE ‘NOT HELPING’
Leguizamo also recounted meeting Trump before he entered politics and claimed Trump had once called him “so articulate,” which he took as a racist slight against Latinos to suggest they generally weren’t. He added he found Trump “so meek,” which surprised him.
“I wouldn’t call it meek,” Maher said. “What I would call it is knowing how to make everybody – it’s ironic because he’s known as the greatest egomaniac, and he is quite an egomaniac – and you’re interested in what they’re saying. He’s good at that.”
Maher met with Trump at the White House earlier this year and recounted that the president was “gracious and measured,” although Maher said he wouldn’t pull his punches in criticizing Trump going forward.
Leguizamo countered that Trump was “obsequious,” and Maher conceded that Trump’s alleged remarks about the actor being articulate were “just obnoxious.”
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Maher added that Trump, who turned 79 last month, was also not a racist but rather a “product of his time,” to which Leguizamo shot back, “Some of us overcome our times.”
“That is true and fair to say,” Maher said.
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Leguizamo hosts an MSNBC program, “Leguizamo Does America,” where he travels to different Latino communities across the country in an effort to spotlight their culture.
Former Marine who allegedly shot at officers at ICE facility still at large
A military veteran wanted in connection with an attack on an ICE detention facility in Texas remained on the run Monday, as the FBI’s manhunt stretched into its 10th day.
Benjamin Hanil Song, 32, of Dallas, was named as a suspect on Thursday, almost a week after he allegedly joined a group of 10 to 12 others in an organized attack on officers at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4. Ten assailants were apprehended at the time, though Song managed to evade capture, authorities said.
“We believe he is somewhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth area but have expanded our publicity efforts to neighboring states just in case,” the FBI Dallas Field Office told Fox News Digital on Monday.
The FBI noted that it is still offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Song’s arrest and conviction. The bureau previously said Song should be considered armed and dangerous.
FBI SEARCHING FOR SUSPECT WHO ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED FEDERAL OFFICER DURING ANTI-ICE RIOTS IN LOS ANGELES
Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, is accused of firing two AR-15-style rifles at two correctional officers and one Alvarado police officer, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital last week.
SUSPECT IN ANTI-ICE TEXAS SHOOTING GRANTED GREEN CARD UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
The Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck by a suspect in the woods, according to the complaint. Another assailant fired dozens of rounds at unarmed correctional officers who had stepped outside the facility.
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Song faces three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Massive bug infestation puts library filled with historic and rare books in jeopardy
Thousands of historic books are in jeopardy over a massive bug infestation that could annihilate centuries-long of historical records.
The Pannonhalma Archabbey in Hungary is a Benedictine monastery that is working to save books from drugstore beetles, according to The Associated Press (AP).
About 100,000 handbound books are being removed by restoration workers to start a disinfection process that would kill any bugs that have nested in the pages.
TRAVEL HOT SPOT SEEKS EMERGENCY DECLARATION OVER MASSIVE BUG INFESTATION
The beetles were found in a section of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses 400,000 volumes – which makes up a quarter of the books in the library.
Zsófia Edit Hajdu, the chief restorer on the project, told AP they’ve never seen such an infestation before.
“This is an advanced insect infestation, which has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection is classified as infected and must be treated all at the same time,” said Hajdu.
Drugstore beetles are also called cigarette beetles.
They commonly infest tobacco products, according to Oklahoma State University extension (OSU).
Adult beetles are yellowish to reddish brown with oval-shaped shapes stretching about 1/10 inch long — and can infest leather.
“They have been known to damage the leaves and bindings of books when feeding on the paste,” says OSU’s website.
The Pannonhalma Archabbey was founded four years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary in 996, according to AP.
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It is home to the oldest and most important collection of books in the country, including a complete Bible from the 13th century.
Ilona Ásványi, director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey library, told AP that whenever she enters the building she is “humbled.”
“When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any other way, I feel that no matter how many copies are published and how replaceable the book is, a piece of culture has been lost,” said Ásványi.
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Comedian weighs in after Trump’s citizenship threat to Rosie O’Donnell
Ellen DeGeneres is showing support for Rosie O’Donnell.
One day after President Donald Trump threatened to revoke O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship following her move to Ireland earlier this year, DeGeneres – who also reportedly fled the country after Trump was elected president – gave her fellow comedian a public shout out.
“Good for you,” DeGeneres, 67, who reposted Trump’s threat and O’Donnell’s lengthy response on Instagram.
TRUMP THREATENS TO STRIP ROSIE O’DONNELL’S U.S. CITIZENSHIP AS HE SAYS SHE’S A ‘THREAT TO HUMANITY’
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On Saturday, Trump referred to O’Donnell as a “threat to humanity.”
“Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” Trump wrote in a post to his social media platform Truth Social.
“She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he added.
O’Donnell quickly responded to Trump’s jab in several posts that she shared on her social media pages. The “A League of Their Own” star posted a collage of photos centered around a screenshot of Trump’s post on Instagram and blasted the politician in the caption.
ROSIE O’DONNELL FLEES US AFTER TRUMP WIN, WON’T RETURN UNTIL IT’S ’SAFE FOR ALL CITIZENS TO HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS
“The president of the USA has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is – a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself,” she wrote. “This is why i moved to Ireland – he is a dangerous old soulless man with dementia who lacks empathy compassion and basic humanity.”
“I stand in direct opposition [to] all he represents- so do millions of others – u gonna deport all who stand against ur evil tendencies – ur a bad joke who cant form a coherent sentence,” O’Donnell added along with the hashtag “never trump.”
The former talk show host later shared a screenshot of her Instagram post on TikTok, where she slammed Trump in the caption, writing that he was a “disgrace to all our beautiful country stands for” and a “danger to our nation.”
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O’Donnell went on to bash Trump as a “mentally ill untreated criminal,” claiming that he “lied to America for a decade” during his time hosting the hit reality TV series “The Apprentice.”
“Had u grown up in NY – as I did – u would know what a total fool he is. Add me to the list of people who oppose him at every turn -it’s now or never America,” she wrote.
Representatives for the White House and DeGeneres did not respond to Fox News Digital’s immediate request for comment.
A representative for O’Donnell told Fox News Digital, “Rosie is thankful for her support.”
Despite Trump’s post, O’Donnell’s citizenship is unlikely to be in jeopardy. The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to any person born in the United States and the actress was born in Commack, New York. In addition, many legal experts agree that the government cannot unilaterally revoke the citizenship of a natural-born citizen. One exception is if the government was able to prove that citizenship was obtained through fraud in the case of naturalization.
In addition, citizenship can be revoked if an individual commits certain actions, including treason, serving in a foreign military engaged in hostilities against the U.S., or renouncing citizenship.
O’Donnell confirmed her move to Ireland in March, saying she left the U.S. days before Trump’s inauguration, and explained the new location would be a good fit for her 12-year-old son, Clay.
DeGeneres, much like O’Donnell, left the country recently to establish a new life with wife Portia de Rossi across the pond.
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In April, O’Donnell admitted that while she hasn’t been in touch with DeGeneres lately, she was “shocked” to hear why the former talk show host fled the United States.
“I’ve never really known Ellen to say anything political in her life, so I was surprised to read that she left because of President Trump. Like, that shocked me, actually,” O’Donnell told Us Weekly. “I’ve been a political person my whole life, not better or worse, it’s just a different way to be in the world.”
“I was very clear about the reason why I was leaving, and I don’t think it came as a surprise to anyone. We’re not really in each other’s worlds, and it’s been kind of awkward but you know what? I wish her the best. I wish that she has peace and love in her life and that she is OK.”
While they’ve never had a strong relationship, O’Donnell insisted she harbors no ill will for the comedian.
ROSIE O’DONNELL CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT MAGA DESPITE FLEEING TO IRELAND
“I don’t want to fight against another gay woman. It’s not like we’re tenaciously opposed to each other,” O’Donnell told the outlet. “We’re just very different people. We have had some stuff in the past that we never resolved. And not in any way as, as partners or lovers or anything like that, just as friends and comedians, but I wish her the best. I seriously do.”
She added, “I think that there’s enough room in the world for all of the gay comedians, and we all need to stick together because gay people are the next group to be threatened. And the way they attack trans people is absolutely terrifying.”