Anti-deportation protesters block major freeway, spray graffiti amid Trump crackdown
Hundreds of protesters flooded a busy Los Angeles freeway on Sunday morning, causing major traffic delays in response to President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown.
The protest began on Olvera Street at around 9 a.m. with a large group of participants. Nearly half an hour later, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced several street closures due to “a non-permitted demonstration blocking traffic” and suggested drivers find alternate routes.
The California Highway Patrol also confirmed the protests and encouraged people to avoid downtown Los Angeles while authorities attempted to gain control of the demonstration.
“Please avoid the 101 freeway in DTLA between I-110 and Mission Rd., as we work to remove a protest from the freeway. Accessing state highways or roads to protest is unlawful and extremely dangerous because it puts protesters, motorists and first responders at great risk of injury,” CHP wrote on X.
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Many of the protesters could be seen carrying signs, waving Mexican flags and speaking out against Trump’s immigration policies. Officers could also be seen in riot gear and engaged in a standoff with the protesters.
“No human is illegal on stolen land,” one sign read.
Another one read, “fight ignorance, not immigrants.”
Videos shared on social media show what appeared to be demonstrators spraying graffiti on the freeway walls and vandalizing at least one car that was stopped in the middle of the crowd.
“They shut down freeways and stop traffic in one of the most congested cities in the U.S. to try to convince us not to deport them,” popular conservative account Libs of TikTok wrote on X while sharing video of the incident. “This isn’t gonna end well. Get ICE on scene ASAP.”
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Conservative influencer Benny Johnson also shared video of the protests, agreeing that “this will not end well for them.”
“FAFO: Mass deportation protesters completely blocked 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. Not only are they illegally in our country, they are now illegally blocking roads. This will not end well for them,” Johnson wrote on X.
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Trump has received backlash from several Democrat leaders who have vowed to fight back against his deportation operation.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that deportation flights have begun, releasing photos of illegal immigrants boarding military aircraft.
“President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences,” she previously wrote on X.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 7,400 illegal immigrants nationwide in nine days amid its aggressive crackdown propelled by the new Trump administration. The agency also said it has placed nearly 6,000 ICE detainers.
ICE officers have been seen carrying out raids at homes, work sites and other establishments, while the Trump administration has vowed to send the most violent illegal immigrants to Guantánamo Bay.
Border czar Tom Homan has said the administration is targeting violent illegal aliens at the moment. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, also said federal immigration authorities are arresting the “worst of the worst” in raids.
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When reached for comment, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office referred Fox News Digital to California Highway Patrol.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could not be reached for comment.
Musk’s DOGE takes aim at ‘viper’s nest’ federal agency with global footprint
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is taking aim at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and, according to senior congressional sources, moved to seize control of the independent agency over the weekend.
The senior congressional sources told Fox News that more than 50 senior USAID staff members were placed on administrative leave and subjected to a gag order, meaning they were not allowed to communicate with anyone outside the agency without approval.
Signs were also removed from USAID’s headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., and the DOGE team took over the computer systems, the sources said. USAID is responsible for distributing civilian foreign aid and development assistance to countries around the globe. The agency managed approximately $40 billion in appropriations last year, according to the Congressional Research Service.
On Sunday, the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after refusing to turn over classified material in restricted areas to DOGE.
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After initially being refused access to USAID’s classified information, DOGE eventually gained that access on Saturday, allowing them to see things like intelligence reports, a current and a former U.S. official told the AP.
The DOGE team members lacked high enough security clearance to access the information, so the two USAID security officials – John Voorhees and deputy Brian McGill – believed they were legally obligated to deny access.
On Sunday, Musk took aim at USAID on his social media platform X, writing, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”
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He also wrote several other posts about the agency, saying things like, “USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and “USAID is evil.”
The latter was in response to a post suggesting USAID helped fund coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, which referred to an interaction posted on Forbes between Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and now former USAID Administrator Samantha Power in April 2023.
ABC News reported that those familiar with USAID were questioning whether the moves at USAID were being made in an effort to move the agency under the State Department, where there could be better accountability.
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Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., turned to social media on Sunday to sound off on the “dismantling” of USAID.
“Trump and Musk are recklessly and illegally dismantling USAID, an essential national security agency that saves lives, advances U.S. interests, and promotes peace,” Booker wrote. “Their malicious actions are putting the health of people, especially children, at grave risk, and will surely lead to future public health and migration crises in the U.S. – let alone suffering around the globe.”
Last week, at least 56 USAID officials were placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits, and several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere were laid off.
The actions came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID.
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The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they can’t make payroll.
Trump addresses tariffs, accuses Canada of being ‘very abusive’ towards the US
President Donald Trump defended his recent tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night – and hinted that the European Union may suffer a similar fate.
The tariffs, which were authorized in an executive order on Saturday, will go into effect Tuesday. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 25% additional tariff will be levied on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on imports from China.
In the executive order, Trump said that the tariffs stem from an “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, [that] constitutes a national emergency.”
The tariffs have invited international criticism from leaders and citizens alike in Canada and Mexico. During his exchange with reporters on Sunday evening, Trump accused Canada of being “abusive” toward the U.S. in terms of trade.
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“Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don’t allow our banks,” Trump claimed. “And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That’s pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don’t allow them to go in.”
“Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don’t allow our farm products in, essentially. They don’t allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street.”
Trump also claimed that the U.S. subsidizes Canada “by the tune of about $200 billion a year.”
“And for what? What do we get out of it? We don’t get anything out of it,” he added. “I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada and something is going to happen there.”
The Republican leader also said that he will “definitely” impose tariffs against the European Union, which he said the U.S. has a $300 billion trade deficit with.
“They don’t take our cars, they don’t take our farm products, they take almost nothing,” Trump said. “And we take everything from them. Millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products. So the UK is way out of line and we’ll see the UK, but the European Union is really out of line.”
In a statement on Saturday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country “categorically reject[s] the White House’s slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory.”
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“Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but anywhere,” the statement read. “Therefore, if the United States wants to combat criminal groups that traffic drugs and generate violence, we must work together in an integrated manner, but always under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, collaboration and, above all, respect for sovereignty, which is not negotiable.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to “buy Canada” in response to the tariffs.
“Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada,” Trudeau wrote on X. “Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada.”
During Sunday’s exchange with reporters, Trump also discussed the prospect of cutting off aid to South Africa after its president signed a controversial land seizure measure.
“Terrible things are happening in South Africa,” Trump said. “The leadership is doing some terrible things, horrible things. So that’s under investigation right now.”
His remarks came after he accused South Africa of “treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY” in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
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“It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention,” Trump’s statement read. “A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see. The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!”
ICE nabs 7 illegal immigrants by bringing back tactic the Biden admin stopped using
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted a worksite raid at a car wash in Philadelphia that led to the arrest of seven illegal immigrants, the agency announced.
ICE confirmed they conducted a worksite enforcement operation on Jan. 28 at Complete Autowash in Philadelphia based on allegations that employees were being subjected to labor exploitation.
The agency said that ICE agents encountered, interviewed and arrested seven illegal aliens for immigration violations, who were later detained pending removal.
When asked about the worksite raid, one senior ICE official’s reaction to the operation was “Wowsers,” according to Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin.
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Melugin noted that worksite operations like this were not happening under the Biden administration.
President Donald Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan has repeatedly said that if someone is in the U.S. illegally, “they’re on the table,” regardless of if they have criminal convictions.
Of those arrested, ICE confirmed that six were from Mexico and one was from the Dominican Republic.
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“The successful execution of this worksite enforcement operation underscores our determined commitment to national security and public safety,” Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia acting Field Office Director Brian McShane said in a statement.
“We were able to apprehend individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. These operations highlight the dedication and diligence of our officers and agents in protecting our communities from potential threats by enforcing immigration laws in accordance with U.S. laws and Department of Homeland Security policies.”
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ICE has arrested more than 7,400 people in nine days across several states amid its aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration since the new Trump administration came into office.
ICE officers have been seen carrying out raids of homes, work sites, and other establishments, while deportations have also ramped up, with the Trump administration vowing to send the most violent migrants to Guantánamo Bay.
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According to a compilation of daily totals of arrests, as of Jan. 31, ICE has so far arrested 7,412 people who the agency says are in the country illegally. The agency says that nearly 6,000 ICE detainers have been placed on individuals.
Taylor Swift presents Beyoncé Grammy for best country album: ‘Was not expecting this’
Fifteen years after Taylor Swift earned her first Grammy award, the “Reputation” singer handed Beyoncé a trophy for country album for her “Cowboy Carter” catalog.
“I really was not expecting this,” Beyoncé said as she took the stage.
Husband, Jay-Z, and daughter, Blue Ivy, joined the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer at the 67th Grammy Awards just one day after Beyoncé announced she was going on tour in support of the album.
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Bey, as she’s known to her fans, beat out Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson to win the best country album award.
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“I want to thank God – oh my God – that I’m able to still do what I still love after so many years,” she said after receiving the award from Taylor.
“I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists and I just want to encourage people to do what their passionate about. Stay persistent.”
She added, “I’d like to thank my beautiful family, all of the artists that were collaborators, thank you, this wouldn’t have been this album without you. God again, and I’m still in shock … and thank you again for this honor.”
Earlier in the evening, Beyoncé earned a Grammy for best country duo/group performance with Miley Cyrus for their song “II Most Wanted.” Miley won her first country Grammy award, earning the accolade in the genre before her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus.
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Throughout the evening, Grammys host Trevor Noah reminded viewers the Recording Academy was focused on raising funds for relief efforts and honoring first responders following the LA fires.
Since launching the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort To Support Music Professionals, the Recording Academy and MusiCares have raised and pledged over $4 million in emergency aid for music professionals impacted by the crisis, according to the Recording Academy.
Chappell Roan called out the record industry and pleaded for livable wages in addition to healthcare for musicians while accepting the Grammy for best new artist.
Before Shakira took home the best Latin pop album for “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” the Colombian singer hugged her two boys, Milan and Sasha.
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Golf fans fired up over PGA star’s outfit choice during tournament: ‘Insult to the game’
It’s no secret that Jason Day has pushed the boundaries lately with his on-course attire, but many fans think he crossed the line on Sunday.
Day teed off for the final round at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and his outfit – a full gray sweatsuit – drew a ton of reaction.
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The Australian has a partnership with Malbon Golf, who has tried to de-country-club the golf look.
It got to the point where Augusta National officials asked him to make an outfit change during last year’s Masters.
At Pebble Beach, Day was donning an outfit that some might just sleep in, prompting a stir.
“I don’t care how much I get downvoted but he is finding new ways to look like a slob,” wrote one user on X.
“An insult to the game,” said another.
Added one more, “Dressing like John Fetterman should not be an option for professional golfers on the tour. Frankly, it should not be an option for any golfers playing at Pebble Beach.”
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That wasn’t the only nod to the Pennsylvania senator.
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Day entered the day seven strokes back of leader Sepp Straka – the crowded leader board also features Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Tom Kim, Lucas Glover and Cam Davis.
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The former World No. 1 has one win within the last seven years, taking home the 2023 Byron Nelson – he won eight events from February 2015 through May of the next year, including the PGA Championship and Players Championship.
Dems crafting special election law change to keep GOP seat vacant for months
New York Democratic lawmakers are working to keep Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s House seat vacant until the summer in an unprecedented move hashed out during late-night discussions last week, a Republican Empire State assemblyman told Fox Digital.
“We still haven’t seen the final proposal from the Democrats in Albany, but there’s no doubt that Tammany Hall corruption is alive and well in the state capital,” Republican New York Assemblyman Matt Slater, who represents the state’s 94th district in areas of Putnam and Westchester counties, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive Zoom interview on Sunday morning.
“It is just blatantly corrupt for the New York State Democrats to keep changing the rules of engagement simply out of self-interest. Meanwhile, New Yorkers are struggling in so many different ways. U-Haul just gave us our worst migration rating ever because there’s so many New Yorkers who are fleeing this state. So they can get things done, but they only do it when it benefits them,” Slater continued.
Slater, who serves as the ranking Republican on the state’s Election Law Committee, was reacting to state Democrats working to introduce legislation that could keep Stefanik’s House seat vacant until June, when the state holds its scheduled primary elections. Stefanik is in the midst of her confirmation process to serve in the Trump administration and is expected to resign her House seat if the Senate confirms her as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
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Under current law, New York’s governor has 10 days to declare a special election for a vacant seat and an additional 80 to 90 days to hold the election. Stefanik’s seat is key for the Republican Party and Trump’s second administration, as Republicans hold a slim majority at 218 members to the Democrats’ 215 members.
The state Democrats’ anticipated legislation has not yet been introduced, but Democrats were summoned to an emergency conference on Friday evening to reportedly discuss such a bill, Slater explained. He expects to have a copy of the Democrats’ bill on Monday morning.
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Slater said the Democrats’ objective of changing election laws to move the special election back to the summer is part of their bigger agenda to combat the second Trump administration.
“Speaker Johnson has the hardest job in government right now, trying to keep the Republican conference, caucus together. This obviously would make that margin of Republican control that much more thin and that much more challenging for the speaker and, again, jeopardizing President Trump’s agenda to get through Congress. That’s their entire mission and goal, the Albany Democrats, is to make sure that they’re combating President Trump each step of the way. And this is their latest way of doing it,” Slater said.
He pointed to a bevy of instances in which New York Democrats have leveraged their state power to combat Trump and the Republican Party in recent years, including gerrymandering and “stacking” New York’s top court with Democrats.
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“If you look at the track record of the Democrats, who control every aspect of state government here in New York, they have changed the rules so many times just because it benefits them. Whether it’s redistricting, whether it’s stacking the Court of Appeals, whether it’s allowing the governor to remove her then-indicted lieutenant governor from the ballot. The list goes on and on,” he said.
“And in this case, it will deprive 800,000 New Yorkers of proper representation in Washington. And oh by the way, there were two special elections last year. And the Democrats didn’t say anything about changing the rules because fact of the matter is, these are Republican districts that will be impacted, and they are trying to disrupt the Trump administration and, frankly, Leader Johnson from being able to deliver on their agenda.”
President Donald Trump nominated Stefanik to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under his second administration. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to advance the New York Republican’s confirmation on Thursday, with her full Senate floor vote expected later this week.
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Stefanik is expected to resign from the U.S. House to take the ambassadorship if and when the Senate officially confirms her nomination.
A spokesperson for Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told Gothamist that she “believes it’s critical to increase voter turnout and reduce the cost of election administration, and she would support legislation that achieves that goal.”
Slater poured cold water on the office’s claim that the proposal is rooted in promoting voter turnout and easing costs, pointing to two special elections held last year – former Democrat Rep. Brian Higgins’ seat as well as the February 2024 special election to replace former Republican Rep. George Santos’ in a district where Democrats were expected to have an edge over the GOP. Democrats, who have held trifecta control in the state since 2018, did not push to change special election laws last year, Slater noted.
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“I can’t believe how hypocritical the governor and her office can be in this, because let me remind the governor that she had two special elections for Congress last year,” he said.
“To sit here and say that this is going to save taxpayer money and increase voter turnout, but you didn’t think about that last year when your own party had special elections that you were favored to win? Fact of the matter is, this has everything to do with the fact that this is a Republican seat. This is about control of Republicans in Congress, and this is about disrupting President Trump’s agenda in Washington.”
Local outlets have reported the bill could push the special election beyond June to November, when the state holds its general elections, though Slater cast doubt that Democrats would push the envelope that far.
“If you want to talk about increasing voter turnout and saving taxpayer money, they really don’t have an excuse to wait past that June date. And so, you know, yes, it’s always a possibility that November is the date that they put in the legislation. But I’m hard-pressed to believe that they would go that far,” he said.
Slater argued that the push from Democrats to approve the special election change is a wake-up call for New Yorkers.
“[It’s] so transparently political that New Yorkers need to wake up, and they need to understand that this isn’t the leadership that we’re asking for. President Trump has a great agenda moving forward, and this is all about disrupting that agenda to put America first,” he said.
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Stefanik is a longtime Trump ally who chaired the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, making her the fourth-most powerful Republican in the House. She was first elected to the House in blue New York in 2014 at age 30, making her the youngest woman elected to the House at the time.
Fox News Digital reached out to the governor’s office on Sunday but did not immediately receive a reply.
DNC lambasted for ‘beyond parody’ leadership vote that included singing, gender rules
Conservatives on social media are having a field day mocking the Democratic National Committee for featuring a handful of “beyond parody” moments during its leadership vote over the weekend, which critics say underscores that Democrats have “learned absolutely nothing” from their 2024 election losses.
The DNC voted to elect Minnestota Democrat Party leader Ken Martin as its chair on Saturday, after eight candidates vied to succeed Jaime Harrison. Following the Democratic Party’s losses in November, when Republicans reclaimed the White House and Senate and retained control of the House, the DNC’s chair vote serves as a fresh slate for the party as they ramp up strategies and fundraising for the next election cycle.
Conservatives and critics took to social media over the weekend to highlight what they viewed as the most out of touch speeches and comments from party leaders, including the election of left-wing activist David Hogg as one of its three co-chairs. Hogg is an outspoken gun control advocate and the co-founder of March for Our Lives, a gun control group that was formed after the Parkland school shooting in 2018.
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“DNC Vice Chair David Hogg has some legitimately INSANE views that are wildly out of step with the American people. Good to see that the Democrat Party has learned absolutely nothing,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted to X.
Hogg, a Parkland school shooting survivor, said from the DNC vote in Maryland that the party will put Republicans “on the defense” in the coming days and reclaim lost political ground.
“After Parkland, our country was in a similar moment – where we had a Republican trifecta in Washington,” the 24-year-old said during the DNC election. “We went on the offense, put the Republicans on the defense, and we won. That’s what we need to do right now.”
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“We’re going to show people that the reason people should vote for us isn’t just because we’re not Republicans – it’s because we’re damn Democrats. We give a s—,” he pledged. “And we deliver. Now it’s time to rebuild the party and to rethink the way we’ve been doing things.”
Amid the hours-long vote and gathering of Democrats on Saturday in Maryland, former DNC chief Harrison announced that the elections must be gender-balanced, including when a non-binary candidate is in the running, sparking condemnation from conservatives.
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“We have an amazing group of new officers. So far, as you know, our three at large vice chair positions are used to ensure gender balance among seven offices: treasury secretary, national finance chair and vice chair for civic engagement and voter participation and the three at large vice chairs. Our rules specify that when we have a non-binary candidate or officer, the non-binary individual is counted as neither male nor female, and the remaining six offices must be gender balanced with the results of the previous four elections. Our elected officers are currently two male and two female. In order to be gender balanced… we must elect one male, one female, and one person of any gender.”
Before the election kicked off on Saturday, the eight candidates had traveled to Georgetown University for a forum co-hosted by MSNBC on Thursday, where they declared “racism and misogyny” compounded former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss.
“So, I’m going to have a show of hands. How many of you believe that racism and misogyny played a role in Vice President Harris’ defeat?” MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart asked the eight candidates.
“That’s good. You all passed,” Capehart said after all candidates raised their hands in agreement.
Republican lawmakers and pundits pounced on clips of the exchange, including Sen. Tommy Tubervile, R-Ala., who quipped that the GOP will expand its majority in the midterms.
Singing also broke out both during the forum and the vote. Dr. Quintessa Hathaway was in the running for chair and belted out a song with the lyrics, “You fight on, when the government is doing you wrong, you fight on” during the Thursday forum. She also sang another song ahead of the vote on Saturday vowing, “We shall overcome.”
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Harrison was also spotted on camera singing on Saturday, delivering a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.”
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DNC members also “acknowledged” during the vote that the U.S. was “built on indigenous lands.”
Ken Martin, who previously slammed Trump as a “traitor” who should be prosecuted for treason, celebrated his win on Saturday, vowing to combat Trump and the Republican Party.
“We have one team, one team, the Democratic Party,” Martin said following his victory. “The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.”
“We need to go on offense,” Martin said. “We’re going to go out there and take this fight to Donald Trump and the Republicans.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC on Sunday for comment on the negative backlash over the gathering, but did not immediately receive a reply.