‘Horrifically understaffed’ blue city police open to federal help as crime surges
The president of Portland’s police union said he’s open to federal support to help the agency combat a “burst” in crime.
President Donald Trump has signaled he wants to send National Guard units into Portland, Ore., in order to protect the city as well as ICE facilities, which he said have come under attack by Antifa.
“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
Camilla Wamsley, director of Portland’s ICE office, previously told Fox News that the agency’s facility has been confronted with violence for over 100 straight nights — saying that police in Portland have been directed not to help.
ICE DIRECTOR SAYS PORTLAND FACILITY FACES VIOLENCE WITH ‘LITTLE HELP FROM LOCAL POLICE’
The nightly protests, she said, include bottle rockets striking the facility, barricades blocking vehicles and lasers targeting officers’ eyes.
Sgt. Aaron Schmautz, president of the Portland Police Association, told Fox News Digital he wants to work with the feds to identify an approach to solve the city’s crime issue.
“Let’s present what resources we have to bring to bear to accomplish that task,” Schmautz told Fox News Digital. “And if it’s not sufficient, then we need help. And so, you know, again, I don’t want to be drawn into a hard yes or no. What I want is for us all to identify the problem and work together as a whole of government to solve the problem.”
Schmautz said that the Portland Police Bureau is “horrifically understaffed,” at a time when some local leaders, he said, aren’t supporting police.
“There is a lot, I mean, of just open, very, very anti-police rhetoric in our city council meetings,” he said.
ANTI-ICE PORTLAND RIOTERS WITH GUILLOTINE CLASH WITH POLICE IN WAR-LIKE SCENES
“We are still working our way out of a significant, you know, burst, or an expansion in our crime profile. I mean, we have, you know, our homicides went up, times five from 2020 to 2023, and we’re kind of slowly receding, although we’ve had nine last month,” he said.
The union president said he’s sympathetic to the fear that federal law enforcement is feeling after a series of attacks.
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“I am extraordinarily sympathetic to how concerned and afraid federal officers – I mean, there was a shooting in Dallas at an ICE facility. There are federal officers being hit by cars. And, you know, in a world where we have different perspectives about politics, it’s one thing to have policy discussions and everything else. But no one should be OK with violence directed at anyone,” Schmautz said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Portland City Council and mayor’s office for comment.
White House rebukes Kamala Harris over her remarks at Los Angeles event
The White House issued a blistering response to former Vice President Kamala Harris after she suggested the administration is filled with “crazy” “mother—ers.”
“Kamala Harris should listen to an audio recording of her cackle of a laugh before calling anyone crazy,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday statement.
Desai was responding to clips spreading like wildfire on social media of Harris speaking at an invite-only event in Los Angeles Monday where she took an apparent jab at the Trump administration while addressing
“There’s so much about this moment that is making people feel like they’ve lost their minds. When, in fact, these mother—ers are crazy,” Harris said Monday during an event in Los Angeles called “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation.”
KAMALA HARRIS PLAYS UP COZY RELATIONSHIP WITH HILLARY CLINTON AS WEDGE WITH BIDEN WIDENS
“I call this, ‘The Freedom Tour,'” she added, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Harris did not identify the Trump administration by name during her remarks. Her comments followed her discussing why she wrote her latest memoir, “107 Days,” which walks readers through the unprecedented 2024 election, when then-President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and passed the mantle to Harris as the Democrat Party attempted to thwart a second Trump administration.
“One of the other reasons I wrote it is history is going to write about this,” Harris told attendees. “And it was important to me that that be told with my voice being present. And I would say that that everyone, we are living history right now. And you all as storytellers are living this. You’re not passive observers. You know that. You’re living it.”
“And I’m gonna ask you that all the emotions that we are feeling, give those emotions, give that experience to those people that you are writing about and writing for. It gets back to my point about helping people just put a label on it, even if it doesn’t change the circumstance,” she continued.
KAMALA HARRIS’ BOOK, MEDIA TOUR SLAMMED BY LIBERAL CRITICS AS ‘EMBARRASSING’ AND ‘UNHELPFUL’
Harris is in the midst of a book tour to promote the memoir, making stops in New York City, Houston, San Francisco and other cities before also taking the tour to Canada and the U.K. later in October and November.
The event in Los Angeles was not included on her official book tour agenda. “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation” is an annual event in Los Angeles that brings together “creators of culture – television writers, artists, producers, executives, and digital storytellers” to cultivate a “meaningful connection between those shaping pop culture and those driving social change,” according to the event’s website.
KAMALA HARRIS COMPLAINS ABOUT ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ LACK OF SUPPORT FROM BIDEN’S COMMS TEAM, INNER CIRCLE
Harris’ laugh and public remarks that were dubbed “word salads” by critics have long been mocked by Trump’s orbit, including President Donald Trump calling Harris “laughing Kamala” from the 2024 campaign trail, as well as the campaign running ads spotlighting Harris’ laugh and instances of her past rambling remarks at the time.
“She’s worse than Bernie Sanders,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News in July 2024, just days after Biden dropped out of the race. “Now, she’s trying to come back. She got rid of the laugh, I noticed. I haven’t seen the crazy laugh. She’s crazy. That laugh? That’s a laugh of a crazy person. But I noticed she’s not using that laugh anymore. Somebody convinced her, ‘Don’t, just don’t laugh. Don’t laugh under any circumstances.'”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for additional comment related to her “crazy” comment in Los Angeles and the White House’s response but did not receive replies.
Leaders say no serial killer after 16 found dead in city’s drainage system this year
Texas police have found at least 16 bodies in the bayous around Houston so far this year, according to authorities and local reports, sparking concerns of a serial killer which city leaders are working to dispel.
Houston’s mayor has said police have no evidence of a serial killer, but experts are calling for an extensive investigation into the deaths.
“Something is afoot,” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and criminal justice professor, at Penn State-Lehigh Valley. “A coincidence? Unlikely. A careful inspection of each case is warranted, including the 48 hours prior to the discovery of their disappearance.”
The spate of apparent drownings is reminiscent of another concerning number of deaths in the waters of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas.
SERIAL KILLER FEARS GRIP AUSTIN AFTER DOZENS OF BODIES PULLED FROM LAKE
Five of the bodies were discovered in a five-day span last month, according to Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz.
“There is no evidence, and I repeat no evidence, to suggest that any of these incidents are connected,” Diaz told reporters.
Capt. Salam Zia, commander of the Houston Police Department’s homicide division, said the youngest victim was 20. Authorities later revealed the bodies belonged to both males and females, and ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s.
“Rumors stir fear and anxiety in our communities,” the chief said. “It’s important to rely on verified information and investigations.”
However, authorities have discovered at least two more bodies since authorities made those remarks, according to Chron, Houston’s local news site.
NEW ENGLAND SERIAL KILLER FEARS GRIP COASTAL TOWN AFTER PADDLEBOARDER’S ‘TERRIFYING’ MURDER
Houston Mayor John Whitmire slammed misinformation and “wild speculation” online and from political candidates surrounding the cases at a news briefing on Sept. 23.
“We do not have any evidence that there is a serial killer loose in Houston, Texas,” he said. “Let me say that again, there is no evidence that there is a serial killer loose in the streets of Houston.”
TEEN’S BODY FOUND UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES AT DETROIT AREA CEMETERY PROMPTS INVESTIGATION
He called the number of deaths “alarming” and asked for patience as city police investigate.
“I grew up in Houston,” he told reporters. “Unfortunately, drowning in our bayous is not a new phenomenon.”
There are 2,500 miles of waterways around the city, he said, as well as a homeless population living outdoors.
MISSING NEW ORLEANS BOY, 12, DIED AFTER ALLIGATOR ATTACK, DROWNING: AUTHORITIES
Whitmire suggested that when homeless people die, their friends often throw them in the water.
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“Unfortunately the homeless, when they pass, often end up in the bayou,” he said.
He also pointed to alcohol use and mental health problems as potential factors in the deaths.
Two Senate Republicans break ranks as GOP spikes bid to block Trump’s drug strikes
In a 51-48 vote, most Senate Republicans successfully slapped down a motion to discharge a measure aimed at putting the kibosh on President Donald Trump’s practice of unilaterally ordering strikes against vessels he alleges were ferrying drugs.
Two Senate Republicans, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted with Democrats in support of the motion to discharge the joint resolution from the Committee on Foreign Relations, but the motion failed to pass.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only member of his party to join Republicans in voting against the discharge motion.
WAR ON CARTELS? WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT HAS AN IRONCLAD CASE TO STRIKE NARCO-TERRORIST GROUPS
“Fully support confronting the scourge of cartel drug trafficking to our nation,” Fetterman said in a post on X last month.
The text of the proposal reads, in part, “Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against any organization designated on or after February 20, 2025, as a foreign terrorist organization or specially designated global terrorist, any states in which those entities operate, or any non-state organization engaged in the promotion, trafficking, and distribution of illegal drugs and other related activities, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force.”
Last month Trump announced several strikes against vessels, each of which he said resulted in the killing of “narcoterrorists.”
TRUMP ADMIN TELLS CONGRESS IT DETERMINED US ENGAGED IN FORMAL ‘ARMED CONFLICT’ WITH ‘TERRORIST’ DRUG CARTELS
War Secretary Pete Hegseth posted about a strike earlier this month as well.
“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” Hegseth declared in the post on X.
“These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!” he exclaimed.
US STRIKES ANOTHER ALLEGED DRUG-TRAFFICKING BOAT NEAR VENEZUELA, KILLING 4
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GOP Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who voted against the motion to discharge, said in part of a statement that he “cannot support a resolution that potentially handcuffs our ability to protect American service members in the Middle East.”
“Despite my opposition to this resolution, I am highly concerned about the legality of recent strikes in the Caribbean and the trajectory of military operations without congressional approval or debate and the support of the American people. While the Constitution grants Article II authorities to the executive branch to defend against imminent threats, Congress alone is entrusted with decisions of war and peace,” he said in another portion of the statement.
Unearthed records torpedo Cori Bush’s claim about ‘billions’ in funding for district
FIRST ON FOX: Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who just launched a comeback bid for her old seat, claimed she brought “billions of dollars” home to Missouri’s 1st Congressional District while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, but public records reviewed by Fox News Digital tell a different story.
During her failed re-election campaign last year, Bush’s fundraising claims for St. Louis skyrocketed from $41 million to $2 billion in less than a month.
“I’m proud to have delivered home over $2 BILLION and counting,” Bush claimed on April 19, 2024.
But less than a month prior, on March 28, 2024, Bush’s campaign submitted language for an ad, which ran for a month beginning on April 3, 2024, touting just $41 million in “community project funding since 2021.” Her campaign has not responded to Fox News Digital’s request to explain the 4,778% increase.
‘SQUAD’ DEM LAUNCHES COMEBACK HOUSE BID AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL VIEWS TORPEDOED CAMPAIGN: ‘WE NEED A FIGHTER’
Federal contract and grant records published by the Departments of Defense and Justice and reviewed by Fox News Digital show that a majority of that funding came from those agencies.
NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR FACES NET WORTH QUESTIONS AS VIRAL CLIP RESURFACES
While in Congress, Bush consistently voted against National Defense Authorization funding, which between Feb. 1, 2021, and May 1, 2024, included $48,812,351 in Department of Defense funding for research at Washington University, Saint Louis University and Vandeventer Place Research Foundation, which are all located in St. Louis.
Bush’s claim that she delivered more than $2 billion to her district seems to include the nearly $49 million in DOD research grants that she voted against.
Through National Defense Authorization funding between 2021 and 2024, Missouri’s 1st Congressional District also received at least $6,020,147 from the Department of Justice to increase police department headcounts, provide overtime pay or purchase new equipment.
The district also benefited from $1,286,634,821.76 in Defense Department contracts, primarily for missiles, military aircraft and drone purchases with The Boeing Company.
Bush was also one of six Democrats who voted against former President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed through Congress in 2021 as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Much of the government funding that flowed into Bush’s district during her tenure supported programs at odds with her progressive platform.
Bush has a long record of calling to “defund the police,” and in 2020, also called to “defund the Pentagon.”
The former “Squad member” announced last week that she is mounting a comeback congressional bid more than a year after losing her Democratic primary to a more moderate challenger.
While campaigning for re-election in May 2024, Bush said she was proud “to have delivered more than $2 billion” for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
On Friday, while launching her comeback bid, Bush more ambiguously touted that she “brought billions of dollars home directly to our community.”
“St. Louis deserves a leader who is built different,” Bush announced in a video shared on social media. “That’s why I’m running to represent Missouri’s 1st District in Congress. We need a fighter who will lower costs, protect our communities, and make life fairer. I’ll be that fighter.”
The “Squad” member was ousted in the Democratic primary in Aug. 2024 by St. Louis County prosecutor Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., who is a more moderate candidate and had the backing of pro-Israel groups that spent millions to unseat Bush.
Democratic Majority for Israel President Brian Romick criticized Bush’s inconsistency with her St. Louis fundraising numbers in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Cori Bush lied to her constituents last year when she claimed she brought back billions to the district and it’s brazen that instead of owning up to it, she just said it again in her launch video. Cori Bush lost because she was an ineffective Member of Congress and lies like this only remind the voters of that,” Romick said.
“I ran for Congress to change things for regular people,” Bush said in the campaign launch video. “I’m running again because St. Louis deserves leadership that doesn’t wait for permission, doesn’t answer to wealthy donors and doesn’t hide when things get tough.”
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Bush was first elected to Congress in Nov. 2020, quickly joining the ranks of the progressive “Squad,” including Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who were elected in 2018.
The Missouri progressive was re-elected in 2022, but she became the second member of the “Squad” to lose her Democratic primary last year after Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., also lost to a more moderate pro-Israel Democrat.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bush’s campaign multiple times for comment.
Scientists warn of ‘chronic toxicity’ lurking in popular drinking choice
Microplastics are a known threat to overall health — and eating and drinking from plastic containers, like water bottles, could be a great offender, researchers suggest.
A new study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials analyzed 141 existing scientific papers on microplastics and nanoplastics from single-use plastic water bottles to gauge how much plastic people may be ingesting.
Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, discovered that the average person consumes 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles per year, according to a university press release.
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE LEFT IN A HOT CAR? THINK TWICE BEFORE SIPPING FROM IT
Individuals who drink bottled water regularly ingest up to 90,000 more particles each year than those who drink mainly tap water, the study found.
The researchers noted that nanoplastics are especially concerning, as they’re invisible to the naked eye and smaller than 1 micron. They can also enter human cells, cross biological barriers and have the potential to reach organs and tissues, they cautioned.
Nanoplastics and microplastics have both been linked to serious and long-term health complications, including respiratory and reproductive issues, brain and nerve toxicity, and cancer risks.
BOTTLED WATER FOUND TO CONTAIN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ‘TINY PLASTIC PARTICLES’ IN NEW STUDY
These particles entering the bloodstream and vital organs can also cause chronic inflammation, oxidative stress on cells and hormonal disruption, according to the release.
These tiny plastic pieces emerge as bottles are made, stored, transported and broken down, and shed particles when they’re manipulated and exposed to sunlight or temperature changes, experts cautioned.
“The long-term effects remain poorly understood due to a lack of widespread testing and standardized methods of measurement and detection,” the release stated.
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Lead study author Sarah Sajedi, an environmental management expert and Ph.D. candidate at Concordia University, said in the press release that the health risks of plastic water bottles are “seriously understudied.”
“Education is the most important action we can take,” she said. “Drinking water from plastic bottles is fine in an emergency, but it is not something that should be used in daily life. People need to understand that the issue is not acute toxicity — it is chronic toxicity.”
The analysis did have some limitations, the researchers noted. The numerous studies used various testing methods, which means results are not always comparable. Some were also lacking in data on the size and composition of these particles.
The researchers called for further standardized testing and stronger policies to control the contamination of plastics in bottled water.
The analysis was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Concordia University.
Industry reps speak out
In January 2025, the International Bottled Water Association issued a statement related to the risk associated with microplastics and nanoplastics, pointing out that bottled water is among thousands of food and beverage products that are packaged in plastic containers.
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“The bottled water industry is committed to providing consumers with the safest and highest quality healthy hydration products,” says the statement on IBWA’s website. “Micro- and nanoplastics are found everywhere in the environment — in the air, soil and water.”
“Because there are no certified testing methods and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics, the industry supports conducting additional research on this important issue.”
In 2024, the FDA issued a statement on the topic, stating that “current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that levels of microplastics or nanoplastics detected in foods pose a risk to human health.”
The agency noted that it will continue to monitor research on microplastics and nanoplastics in foods and that it is “taking steps to advance the science and ensure our food remains safe.”
In a 2022 report from the World Health Organization, the agency stated that “no adverse health effects could be drawn from dietary exposure to micro- and nanoplastic particles less than 10 microns due to minimal scientific research.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Concordia University researchers and to multiple bottled water companies for comment.
Judge rules ICE violated consent decree with warrantless arrests, extends restrictions
A federal judge Tuesday ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents violated a federal consent decree when arresting nearly two dozen illegal immigrants at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term earlier this year.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings in Chicago federal court extended the consent decree that limits immigration agents’ authority to make warrantless arrests until February 2026.
Cummings also ordered ICE to start making monthly disclosures of how many warrantless arrests agents make each month.
The ACLU of Illinois and other Chicago immigration advocates sued the Department of Homeland Security and ICE in March, alleging that the January arrests of at least 22 people violated a 2022 consent decree that bans ICE from arresting people without warrants or probable cause.
TRUMP SAYS CHICAGO MAYOR, ILLINOIS GOVERNOR ‘SHOULD BE IN JAIL FOR FAILING TO PROTECT’ ICE OFFICERS
“Today’s decision makes clear that DHS and ICE — like everyone else — must follow the Constitution and the law,” Michelle García, deputy legal director at the ACLU of Illinois and co-counsel in the case, said in a statement. “The federal government’s reckless practice of stopping, harassing and detaining people — and then finding a justification for the action must end.”
Trump deployed Texas National Guard troops in Illinois this week for an initial 60-day period to help with his administration’s crime crackdown and deportation rollout.
CHICAGO MAYOR CREATES ‘ICE-FREE ZONES’ TO BLOCK FEDERAL AGENTS FROM CITY PROPERTY
Chicago has sought to thwart ICE’s deportation efforts, with Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker filing a lawsuit Monday that attempted to block the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Illinois.
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Johnson and Pritzker have clashed with Trump over immigration enforcement and the president’s decision to send National Guard troops to the state to protect federal personnel and property amid escalating anti-ICE protests in Broadview, Illinois.
Abandoned shopping malls get a second life as developers tackle nationwide shortage
Traditional shopping malls, once bustling centers of commerce, are now being converted into mixed-use communities that incorporate residential housing, adding much-needed housing supply to the market.
The move is far from solving the housing affordability crisis – a challenge that requires multiple systemic changes – but some industry experts say it still helps address the housing shortage, particularly in states where the problem is more severe, such as New Jersey and Florida, according to a recent report from Realtor.com.
Hannah Jones, Realtor.com’s senior economic research analyst, told FOX Business that “turning underused or vacant mall space into housing can be a win-win for both property owners and homeseekers.”
NEARLY 1 IN 5 AMERICAN HOMES SLASH PRICES AS BUYERS GAIN UPPER HAND IN SHIFTING MARKET
Jones said that these properties leverage existing infrastructure to bring well-located homes to market faster, avoiding many of the delays tied to new land development.
Still, there are significant hurdles in converting commercial properties to residential use, particularly when it comes to local zoning laws and construction costs.
Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather said that local governments control zoning laws determine whether land is used for commercial or residential purposes. Converting commercial areas to mixed-use developments requires changes to these zoning laws, but such efforts often face resistance from residents, according to Fairweather. For instance, she noted that some people fear that more housing, especially affordable housing, could increase traffic or attract undesirable tenants.
FROM AMERICA’S ‘WORST MARKET’ TO WEALTH HAVEN: FLORIDA REAL ESTATE SPLIT SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE
The issue is exacerbated because many mall structures also weren’t designed for residential use, making conversions expensive, according to Jones. In addition, high labor and material costs often make full demolitions and rebuilds more practical. These added expenses can ultimately lead to higher home prices, reducing the potential affordability benefits, Jones said.
“Mall-to-housing conversions represent a creative way to utilize existing infrastructure to add supply in tight housing markets, but cost and design challenges mean they’re not a silver bullet for affordability,” Jones said.
Still, Jones noted that while this trend is growing, it’s only concentrated in certain areas.
REAL ESTATE VETERAN WARNS ‘HOPELESSNESS’ IN HOUSING MARKET THREATENS THE AMERICAN DREAM
As more projects move forward, the physical and social landscape of American shopping centers is beginning to change.
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty CEO Charlie Oppler said that the shopping centers many grew up visiting in the 1980s through the 2000s are being replaced with potential housing sites, restaurant and movie-theater destinations, or mixed-use developments featuring upscale retail alongside residential spaces.
Riverside Square in Hackensack, New Jersey, which sold a piece of its land for an apartment complex and now features more than 15 restaurants along with some of the most high-end stores in the country, exemplifies this trend, according to Oppler.
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“The housing component at many locations is to utilize the parking lots or excess land to create more housing stock, whether it be rental or for-sale homes,” Oppler said.
Over the next 20 to 30 years, Oppler projected that many older malls may be demolished as vacancy rates climb and replaced by transit hubs and housing, depending on location.
Former prison official reveals why Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer faces extreme isolation
OREM, Utah – A former federal corrections official says the Utah jail holding Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, would be reckless not to treat him differently from other inmates — describing a strict, high-security regime meant to keep him and others safe.
“Somebody like that, like the alleged Charlie Kirk assassin, is in a very different circumstance than he has been in prior times in his life,” Judi Garrett told Fox News.
“So while he may or may not have displayed any tendency towards certain behaviors, he may be interested in engaging those behaviors now. … Any custodian of someone like that would be remiss in not treating him very differently from most everyone else in their population.”
Garrett, a former assistant director of the Bureau of Prisons, explained that inmate isolation isn’t necessarily punishment.
WHAT WILL BE TYLER ROBINSON’S DEFENSE STRATEGY? EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON ACCUSED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN
“The concept of isolating an inmate, removing them from the general population, is either for their own protection or for the protection of others,” she said.
Garrett added that separations can stem from safety concerns, self-harm risk or threats from others inside the facility.
“There are certainly times during which someone is separated for punishment,” she added, “Although, the day-to-day circumstances don’t vary a whole lot between someone who is isolated for discipline or for ‘protection.’”
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SUSPECT REMAINS IN SPECIAL HOUSING UNIT DESPITE COMPLETED MENTAL EVALUATION
For Robinson and others under tight supervision, nearly everything is brought to them.
“When someone is removed from the general population, everything flips,” Garrett said. “So the services are then brought to them … their meals are brought to their cell. The doctor comes to their cell. The idea is you want to remove someone from their cell as least often as possible, because it takes a lot of staff resources to do that.”
Despite the term “solitary confinement,” Garrett said such inmates “are not isolated from people,” since staff enter frequently to deliver meals, medical care and other services.
Robinson, who has only been seen once via video by the public in his first initial court appearance, was wearing what officials called “suicide garb,” though authorities haven’t confirmed his current watch status.
Garrett said the precaution fits standard practice.
“If you’re on a suicide watch … you want someone to lay eyes on them every 15 minutes,” Garrett explained.
UTAH PROSECUTORS PREPARE POTENTIAL DEATH PENALTY CASE AGAINST CHARLIE KIRK SUSPECT TYLER JAMES ROBINSON
She noted that housing such inmates alone, while “a more uncomfortable existence,” can be “necessary and very wise” to prevent harm to themselves or others.
Even under restrictions, Garrett said inmates maintain contact with attorneys and, to a lesser extent, family.
“In terms of communication with the outside, he is certainly allowed to communicate with his lawyer,” she explained, adding that family calls are likely limited because “the phone would need to be brought to him.”
Garrett added that monitoring remains tight.
“Inmate communications outside of communications with counsel are certainly monitored always,” she said.
When asked what Robinson’s routine might look like before trial, Garrett described what a typical day could look like.
“I would imagine he is confined to his cell for essentially 23 or so hours a day. He would be allowed out for recreation, which may or may not be outside. I would not imagine that he is allowed to mix and mingle with other inmates for safety and security reasons.”
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SUSPECT UNDER ‘SPECIAL WATCH’ IN CUSTODY, BEING KEPT IN SEPARATE HOUSING UNIT
Meals, showers, and legal visits all occur under escort or within the cell itself, Garrett added.
Garrett said solitary-confinement reforms have generated fierce debate over the past decade.
“Just the terminology … is a misnomer. These people are not isolated from other people, nor are they in a solitary environment,” she said.
Reformers push for more human contact; correctional officers argue the tool is critical to safety. She pointed to New York’s HALT statute, which limits solitary confinement, as an example fueling tension with staff.
Garrett emphasized that humane treatment is not driven by sympathy, but by the need to ensure the safety of the inmates.
“Most importantly, 96, 7, 8, 9 percent of them return to the community at some point,” she said. “If you mistreat people in prison, they are going to mistreat someone else … So it’s to everyone’s benefit to operate institutions that are humane.”
Even in the highest-security or death-row units, she said, “those folks … don’t have much to lose,” so extreme caution protects both staff and inmates.
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Robinson is accused of fatally shooting Kirk during one of his campus events at Utah Valley University on September 10. Authorities have described the incident as a targeted assassination.
Later that same day, Robinson was arrested in St. George after allegedly making statements to his parents, romantic partner, and friends that either admitted to or implied his involvement, according to court documents.
He now faces seven charges, including aggravated homicide, which carries the possibility of the death penalty, along with felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. He has not yet entered a plea.