By BILL BARROW and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press
Prominent Republicans and gun rights advocates helped elicit a White House turnabout this week after bristling over the administration's characterization of Alex Pretti as responsible for his own death because he lawfully possessed a weapon. Pretti was the second person killed this month by a federal officer in Minneapolis. His death produced no clear shifts in U.S. gun politics or policies, even as President Donald Trump shuffles the lieutenants in charge of his militarized immigration crackdown. But important voices in Trump's coalition have been criticizing inconsistencies in some Republicans' Second Amendment stances since the killing. On Tuesday, Trump weighed in again on the fatal shooting, saying protesters "can't have guns."
By CHRISTINE FERNANDO and JOHN O'CONNOR- Associated Press
Federal agents have detained several people near an immigration facility outside Chicago. This facility has been a frequent target for protesters since President Donald Trump's administration's surge on immigration enforcement this fall. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the Broadview processing center on Friday as demonstrators gathered for a weekly show of opposition to the crackdown. Some protesters have tried to block vehicles from entering or leaving the area. Federal agents have used tear gas and other projectiles against the crowds. Local law enforcement increased its presence this week, closing streets and setting up barriers.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the detention of hundreds of South Koreans in a raid at a Georgia Hyundai plant won't deter U.S. investment. She believes tough actions clarify the Trump administration's policies. There were 475 workers detained on Sept. 4, including over 300 South Koreans. The roundup caused confusion and shock within the strong U.S. ally. Noem says the detainees would be deported and the raid shows companies the importance of companies following U.S. laws. She says there are no plans to slow or halt immigration raids in Chicago or other cities. Noem was attending a meeting in London of ministers from the "Five Eyes" partnership, focusing on border security and migration issues.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal protections that have granted more than 1 million people from Haiti and Venezuela the right to live and work in the United States. The ruling Friday by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco for the plaintiffs means 600,000 Venezuelans whose temporary protections expired in April or whose protections were about to expire Sept. 10 have status to stay and work in the United States. It also keeps protections for about 500,000 Haitians. Chen said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's actions in terminating and vacating three extensions granted by the previous administration exceeded her statutory authority and were arbitrary and capricious.
A closely watched report says the number of people in the United States illegally surged to an all-time high of 14 million in 2023. That represents a major increase but still falls well short of estimates from President Donald Trump and some allies. The Pew Research Center said Thursday that the 14-million mark rose from 11.8 million a year earlier and surpassed the previous high of 12.2 million in 2007. The increase was driven by some 6 million who were in the country with some form of legal protection under President Joe Biden.
A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration's efforts to keep Harvard University from hosting international students. The order from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs preserves the ability of Harvard to host foreign students while the case is decided. It marks another victory for the Ivy League school as it challenges multiple government sanctions amid a battle with the White House. Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security in May after the agency withdrew the school's certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork for their visas.
By KRYSTA FAURIA and MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press
Updated
Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California has been forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles and handcuffed by officers as he tried to speak up about immigration raids that have led to protests in California and elsewhere. Video shows a Secret Service agent on Noem's security detail grabbing Padilla by his jacket Thursday and shoving him from the room as he tried to interrupt Noem's news conference in Los Angeles. The stunning scene of a U.S. senator being aggressively removed from a Cabinet secretary's news conference prompted immediate outrage from his Democratic colleagues in the chamber.
Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has only days left in office. Mayorkas spoke to The Associated Press about what the agency had achieved. He defended his agency's work to tamp down border-crossing numbers. He also made the case for keeping together the department that was forged in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Mayorkas said he has spoken repeatedly to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who's President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the agency, including about the attack in New Orleans and the California wildfires. Homeland Security is responsible for border and airport security, disaster response, protections for high-level dignitaries and more.
