According to a new Fox Digital report, 1.4 million illegal immigrants with deportation orders are still in the U.S. under the immigration policies of President Joe Biden, even as recent reports of migrants murdering Americans have many communities on edge.
The number of deportees is less than half of the total number of estimated illegal immigrants in the country, which is 11.7 million.
"It took decades of neglect and bad public policy, coupled with four years of unprecedented illegal immigration, to get here," director of research for the Center of Immigration Studies Steven Camarota told Fox News Digital. "You can't reverse it in four years."
Former Border Patrol Council head Brandon Judd said the number doesn't come as a surprise.
"We've known this forever," he said. "I've been on record many times saying that once somebody gets here, they're never going to leave this country. And the reason is, is because the vast majority of them won't show up [for their court date]."
Judd said that most migrants who aren't in detention get notified of their deportation via letter and are not arrested.
"We have addresses, we have places of work – we have information about them," he said.
"How do you have the immigration system that has judges go through this whole procedure and then most of the people they say ‘No’ to are not made to go home?" Camarota continued.
The Biden administration isn't working too hard to pursue them when they don't show up to court either, he said.
The incoming Donald Trump administration has said mass deportations are coming, but has given few details about how they will be accomplished other than sending many more Border Patrol agents into the field from their current desk duty.
Last week, the border state of Texas offered to give 1,400 acres of land to the Trump administration to stage its efforts to deport many of the illegal immigrants who have flooded the border under Biden.
The land is in Starr County, in the Rio Grande sector near the border, making it suitable for detaining migrants before they are sent back to where they came from.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham offered the land in a letter to the Trump administration, saying the state was "fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history."
The land was purchased to continue a border wall, but that effort was stopped by the Biden administration when he took office in 2021.
Though they recently presented a very united front when it came to campaigning on behalf of Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House, that is not to say that former President Barack and former first lady Michelle Obama have always been on the same page.
In fact, as InStyle reports, there have been a number of bumps and hurdles along the way during the course of the Obamas' romance, including the then-future president's clunky advances at the start of their relationship.
Though millions of Americans are said to look up to the Obamas as an example of marital support and solidarity, their initial days of acquaintance did not necessarily foreshadow the impressive trajectory on which their union would embark.
Few would believe that the loved-up couple dancing together at two presidential inaugurations had a start that included rebuffed advances and a hearty dose of skepticism from the eventual first lady.
In Michelle Obama's own telling, her future husband made his interest clear just one month after their first meeting, but he did not make the sort of impression many would expect.
Looking back, Michelle Obama characterized Barack's overtures while working together at the Chicago office of the Sidley Austin law firm as “completely tacky.”
Eventually, however, Barack's persistence paid off, and the pair's first date included a visit to an art museum, a movie, and a stop for ice cream that was capped off by a goodnight kiss.
Despite her initial reluctance, Michelle Obama's first date with Barack was so successful that it set the stage for a marriage now poised for the history books.
“We clicked right away...by the end of the date, it was over...I was sold,” she would later explain.
A 1991 proposal during a romantic dinner out followed, and Barack and Michelle subsequently married in October of 1992.
It was just a few short years later that Barack Obama launched his political career in the Illinois legislature, a road that would ultimately lead him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
With the birth of daughter Malia in 1998 and Sasha in 2001, the Obama family unit was complete, bringing a happy conclusion to the initial days of uncertainty about the couple's future together.
With 32 years and two terms in the White House under their belts, Barack and Michelle Obama look to many to be the image of a perfect partnership, but as the former first lady explained not long ago, a commitment to hard work and patience underlies their marital longevity.
“People aren't perfect. Marriage is hard. It's a struggle for everyone,” she said, adding, "You've got to know that there are going to be long periods of time when you can't stand each other...but that doesn't mean you quit,” and political disagreements aside, that is advice every married couple – regardless of age – would do well to heed.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will face an estimated $20 billion shortfall in the state's budget by 2026, the Washington Examiner reported. Meanwhile, Newsom has pledged to fight provisions of President-elect Donald Trump's new administration which will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
A report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office warned that measures must be taken in the coming years. "We anticipate the Legislature likely will need to address deficits in the future, for example by reducing spending or increasing taxes," the report said.
"In our view, this year’s budget does not have capacity for new commitments, ongoing ones." Gabriel Petek, an analyst for the agency, projected that the state would spend an additional 2.3% year over year and exceeding the state's income by 2%.
Meanwhile, Newsom has already promised to use funds from California coffers to oppose Trump's agenda. This could bring the state to its financial tipping point.
In years past, a robust stock market injected much-needed cash that gave California a surplus. Unfortunately, the tide has turned, and things are not looking great for Newsom in the coming years.
The state has already had to cut funding to "temporary commitments" and other projects because of a projected $68 billion deficit in the 2024 budget. Even after the changes, California will still be $2 billion in the red.
The Legislative Analysts Office says key indicators point to the fact that it's only going to get worse. "We’re seeing declining consumer spending," Petek said.
"We’re seeing an unemployment rate that’s ticking up and very anemic, job growth, and the job growth we are getting is entirely attributable to government and healthcare, and so that is not a foundation on which our office can project comfortably that we’re going to have robust revenue growth going forward," he added. Meanwhile, expansion of government programs has only made it worse.
MediCal, the state's Medicaid program, covers healthcare even for noncitizens, and the program has become a burdensome drain. "Our advice to the legislature is that they should conduct oversight of programs and take a take stock of what their main priorities are, and try to, you know, work on addressing that misalignment," Petek recommended.
During Trump's first term in office between 2016 and 2020, California sued the administration 120 times. Now Newsom is poised to do the same, but this time with funds California simply doesn't have.
James Gallagher, GOP leader of the California state assembly, excoriated Newsom for his fiscal irresponsibility. "California has a $2 billion deficit that’s projected to explode in the next few years, and Newsom’s solution is to spend another $100 million on lawyers to fight President Trump," Gallagher said.
"You can’t lead the ‘resistance’ when you can barely pay the bills. It’s too bad Newsom is more focused on chasing headlines for his 2028 presidential run than actually running the state," Gallagher added.
Still, Newsom has signaled that he's serious about his opposition of Trump. Just 36 hours after he was elected president again, Newsom called the Legislature together for a special session to fund lawsuits for abortion rights and other leftist pet causes, the LA Times reported.
Newsom is a typical liberal politician who has no problem spending taxpayers into oblivion. Californians will revolt as the state simply can't afford it this time, and Trump will be smiling as they turn on Newsom because of it.
Former Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general, Fox News reported. Gaetz was forced to do so after it appeared that the Senate would not confirm him amid sexual misconduct allegations.
Trump put Gaetz's name forward less than a week ago. Democrats immediately pounced because of allegations against Gaetz that have yet to lead to a conviction, but the barrage of criticism was too much to ignore.
On Thursday, Gaetz announced he was stepping out of the running so as not to become a "distraction" during the changeover. "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," Gaetz claimed.
"There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1," Gaetz added.
The House Ethics Committee conducted an investigation but has yet to share the findings. The probe was launched in 2021 after the Department of Justice began looking into allegations that Gaetz was involved in sex trafficking.
The Justice Department never pressed any charges and ultimately dropped the matter in February 2023. Gaetz's attorneys said it concluded its investigation and "determined not to bring any charges against him."
This did not stop Senate Republicans from calling for Gaetz to withdraw his name from the running and for Congress to release its full report. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who will be the chairman of next term's Senate Judiciary Committee, said the findings must be made known, the Washington Examiner reported.
"I think that if they want a speedy consideration of this nomination, we’ve got to have as much transparency as we can have. Because you’ve heard my colleagues, especially on the Republican side, say that they have some questions," the Iowa Republican said.
That sentiment was echoed by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is poised to be the Senate majority leader. “There’s nothing about that that would smell right to say, ‘Hey, there’s a report, but none of us want to see it,’” Lankford said.
As fellow Republicans called for more to be revealed, the New York Post reported Friday that Gaetz would resign from the next Congress. He announced this on America's Voice Network's The Charlie Kirk Show.
“I do not intend to join the 119th Congress. There are a number of fantastic Floridians who stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service," Gaetz said.
Gaetz also indicated that he would remain active from a "different perch" but did not elaborate on what that might be. This came after Gaetz won his reelection bid earlier this month and walked away from the remainder of his current term.
To date, Gaetz has not been found guilty of any crime and still maintains his innocence. However, his actions are peculiar for a person with nothing to hide as fellow lawmakers apply pressure.
Trump has shaken up Washington, D.C.'s status quo with Gaetz as his pick, but it appears the Florida Republican had more baggage than any administration could explain away. What happens next for Gaetz is anyone's guess.
John Prescott, who served as British deputy prime minister under Tony Blair, has died at age 86, CNN reported. Prescott's family confirmed his death in a post on social media on Thursday, noting that he battled Alzheimer's disease.
Prescott was known as a straight shooter in Blair's Labour Party administration from 1997 to 2007. Although brash at times, he was known as the official who could bring opposing sides together.
His death was peaceful as he passed "surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery," Reuters reported. Prescott leaves behind his wife Pauline, whom he was wed for 63 years, and their two sons.
"There was no one quite like him in British politics. I don't think, to be honest, I'd ever met anyone quite like John, and I still don't think I've ever met anyone quite like him, and I'm very sad that he's passed," Blair said on BBC Radio.
Prescott, the son of a railway signalman and a maid, was born in Wales on May 31, 1938. He became a working man at 17, joining the crew of a luxury cruise liner as a steward.
Later, Prescott attended Ruskin College at Oxford University as a young adult. He began his political career after entering parliament in 1970 and helped the Labour Party emerge victorious while serving under Blair.
Voters appreciated Prescott's unpolished style and didn't mind that he was rough around the edges. Unfortunately, that also came with a personal failing: an affair with his younger secretary, which hurt his public image after it was revealed in April 2006.
Still, Blair spoke highly of his deputy prime minister and credited Prescott with keeping the "whole show together" during his administration. He also has the respect of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is the nation's current leader.
"As one of the key architects of a Labour government, John achieved that rare thing: he changed people's lives, and he set the path for us all to follow. He did it all in his own way, with humor, with pride, passion, and total conviction," Starmer said to parliament.
Besides Blair, other prominent figures have also shared tributes to the late Prescott, including King Charles. "I remember with great fondness his unique and indomitable character, as well as his infectious sense of humor," the royal said of Prescott.
Former Vice President Al Gore also had kind words for Prescott. Gore worked closely with him on the Kyoto Protocol, a sweeping climate change agenda that sought to reduce so-called greenhouse gases.
"I’ve never worked with anyone in politics — on my side of the pond or his — quite like John Prescott. He possessed an inherent ability to connect with people about the issues that mattered to them — a talent that others spend years studying and cultivating, but that was second nature to him," Gore said in a statement.
"He fought like hell to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol and was an unwavering champion of climate action for decades to come. I’m forever grateful to John for that commitment to solving the climate crisis and will miss him as a dear friend," Gore concluded.
The Blair administration, including Prescott, dominated the British political scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a man made for his time, and his passing comes with great sadness to his nation and all who knew him.
Actor and environmental alarmist Harrison Ford was seen deplaning from a private jet Monday with his wife Calista Flockhart, Breitbart reported. Ford has called climate change the "greatest moral crisis of our time" and railed against those who deny the threat.
The "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" actor has been as outspoken about environmental issues as any Hollywood blowhard. Now, he and his wife were seen disembarking from a carbon-belching private plane in another spectacular demonstration of leftist hypocrisy.
Ford famously warned in 2020 that "this sh-- is going to kill us" during a rant on climate change. He also encouraged Greta Thunberg and other young people whom he said have become the "moral army" against it.
Oh look here another Hollywood Elite Hypocrite
Harrison Ford, “acclaimed Climate Activists” getting of a private jet in LAHe owns several planes , some he has crashed, but has a beautiful personal Jet in his inventory
These elites talk a lot, but don’t ‘walk the talk’#MAGA… pic.twitter.com/rvv3qJvsWj
— America Great Again (@USAandMars) November 20, 2024
Ford is the vice chairman of Conservation International and has lent his voice to narrate several short films for them, including "The Most Critical Action" released in 2020. "Our world is facing huge challenges -- storms, floods, droughts, and fires are destroying our homes," Ford began, his voice gravelly with age and righteous outrage.
"We have people in leadership positions who refuse to accept objective science. They’re robbing us of the ability to collaborate, to compromise, to move forward," Ford warned.
Apparently, that all went out the window when it came to Ford's choice of transportation this week. However, this is more than a single oversight in an otherwise environmentally virtuous life.
The online aviation publication Simple Flying featured Ford and his collection of aircraft, which he enjoys piloting himself. "He owns an impressive range of aircraft in his collection, with vintage aircraft, a helicopter, private jets and general aviation aircraft, he can certainly take his pick when he wants to fly," the publication notes.
Ford has eight aircraft, including a World War II plane, a helicopter, and his Cessna Citation Sovereign 680 twin-engine private airplane. It's unclear if the plane spotted Tuesday is one in his collection.
Still, the fact that Ford would ever fly private over commercial is bad news for the climate concerned. According to a report by the Transport & Environment organization, "private jets are 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes (per passenger), and 50 times more polluting than trains."
While Ford is in hysterics with his Chicken Little warnings in these voiceovers, he's living his life as if none of it matters. He's not alone in this hypocrisy, but that doesn't make it any better.
The reality is that either Ford doesn't believe the nonsense he's spewing, or he's another elitist who wants rules for others but not himself. Either way, he has humiliated himself and his family with this flagrant disregard for the very cause he claims to be so passionate about.
Co-hosts of ABC's The View are outraged that MSNBC‘s Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence, the Washington Examiner reported. Sunny Hostin likened it to them going to "kiss the ring" of Trump.
During Monday's broadcast, Scarborough and Brzezinski spoke about meeting with the president-elect for the first time in seven years. "For nearly 80 million Americans, election denialism, public trials, Jan. 6, were not as important as the issues that moved them to send Donald Trump back to the White House with their vote," Brzezinski said.
"Joe and I realize it’s time to do something different, and that starts with not only talking about Donald Trump but also talking with him," she added. This was too much for the harpies on The View to handle.
Hostin and Ana Navarro, paragons of leftist tolerance, railed against the MSNBC journalists for reaching out to Trump. "The bottom line is that America needs a free press that is willing to speak truth to power right now more than ever,” Hostin claimed.
"I think we have to be very clear on it when we think about the president-elect and cover the president-elect, and I don’t think you need to sit down for 90 minutes at Mar-a-Lago and kiss his ring to be able to speak the truth and be able to cover a story," she added. Hostin said Scarborough and Brzezinski are "not journalists in the true sense" but instead "opinion journalists" in a passive-aggressive shot.
"I don’t think he can be trusted in the way that other presidents could be trusted. This is an aberration," Hostin said about Trump. For her part, Navarro boasted that she wouldn't have taken this "opportunistic" meeting. "I will never sit down with him, and I don’t think I’m gonna have to make that decision because I don’t think I’ll ever get invited," Navarro said.
"There are people who change their stripes or maybe their spots depending on who’s in power – I don’t know if that’s what happening with them. Everybody has to live with their decisions, everybody have to look in the mirror. I’m good," Navarro crowed.
Co-host Alyssa Farah tried to interject reason into the discussion. "I don’t think this is opportunistic, but I think they recognize that 75 million people voted for this guy," Farah pointed out.
For all of the hysterics of The View, the fact is that a majority of Americans who voted in the election chose Trump. Now that the election is over, some in the media are realizing they must go along to get along with Trump and their viewers.
Perhaps this is why the meeting was something the MSNBC hosts asked for. "I received a call from Joe Scarborough requesting a meeting for him and Mika, and I agreed that it would be a good thing if such meeting took place," Trump told Fox News.
"We met at Mar-a-Lago on Friday morning at 8:00," the president-elect added. For all of the vitriol spilled about Trump before the election, the 78-year-old noted the meeting was "extremely cordial" in nature.
"Many things were discussed, and I very much appreciated the fact that they wanted to have open communication. In many ways, it’s too bad that it wasn’t done long ago," Trump said.
The co-hosts of The View are angry leftwing extremists who aren't grounded in reality. Americans chose Trump, and now some in the media are attempting to be on the side of the majority while the ladies continue to rage about it.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) disagreed on Sunday with criticism of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that claimed she was undercutting his leadership.
An anonymous member of the Congressional Black Caucus told Axios that Pelosi wasn't being respectful of Jeffries, who is also Black.
Another anonymous senior Democrat said, "She needs to take a seat."
Neither source was specific about what Pelosi was doing to undercut Jeffries.
Jeffries disagreed with the critics, at least publicly.
He said on "Meet the Press": “I think Speaker Emerita Pelosi has been incredibly respectful of the entire leadership team."
“It’s an honor to stand on the shoulders of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an incredibly consequential public servant in the history of America, and to continue to work closely with Speaker Pelosi and, of course, Jim Clyburn and Steny Hoyer,” Jeffries said.
Pelosi is widely believed to have pushed President Joe Biden out of the 2024 presidential race by saying she thought he needed to step aside.
She then criticized him for not doing it sooner and complained about the lack of a competitive primary.
Jeffries tried to stay out of the controversy.
“I think that President Biden will go down in history as one of the most consequential presidents of all time. And I was thankful for all of the work that we were able to do together,” Jeffries said.
“It was a selfless decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris. I think she ran with it and did the best job that she could under incredibly challenging circumstances in a little over 100 days. She came close, but we fell short," he said. “And we’ll have to figure out, do an after-action analysis."
It's a valiant effort to spin what actually happened: Harris never had what it takes to get elected president.
She was clearly made vice-president because she was a black woman, not because she was most qualified. Democrats' wokeness cost them the presidency, and Jeffries and Pelosi would both do well to face that fact before the next election.
President Joe Biden's tenure in office has been marked by an unusually high number of losses at the U.S. Supreme Court, with another defeat added to the tally just last week.
As KTVB reports, Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador announced on Friday that the high court rejected a Biden administration emergency appeal of a lower court's decision in a key immigration policy.
At issue was an emergency petition filed by the Biden administration asking the Supreme Court to rule on the controversial immigration policy commonly referred to as “Parole-in-Place.”
The program was touted by the administration as a key component of its “Keeping Families Together” initiative, which sought to help noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens secure parole as a precursor of eventually achieving citizenship themselves.
In the wake of a lawsuit filed by Idaho, Texas, and more than a dozen other states, a federal court in the Lone Star State declared the administration's use of the policy to be unconstitutional.
In the aftermath of that ruling, the Biden administration sought relief from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which declined to block the lower court's determination.
From there, the Biden administration sought emergency review from the highest court in the land, a move that was subsequently rebuffed.
In the wake of the high court's decision, Labrador issued a press release heralding the outcome and pledging to continue the fight against unchecked immigration.
The AG began, “The Supreme Court stopped the Biden Administration's latest attempt to skirt Congress and misapply our immigration laws for political ends.”
Labrador continued, “We cannot and will not abandon the moral position that the rule of law is integral to the survival of our Republic.”
The press release noted that the Parole-in-Place program was initially designed to permit illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. on a case-by-case basis for “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
However, Labrador added, the program had been “contorted by the Administration which claimed 'unfettered discretion: to interpret and implement it, resulting in over 1.3 million individuals to remain in the country as a result.
The Supreme Court's decision could be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of a seismic shift when it comes to immigration, particularly amid news that former Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Tom Homan has been named “border czar” for the incoming Trump administration, as Newsweek noted.
Pledging last week to, among other things, root out criminal gangs coming into the country illegally, Homan added, “As far as Tren de Aragua and MS-13...my gang's bigger than your gang, and we're going to take you out, too,” suggesting that “shock and awe” will be the order of the day as he helps “take this country back.”
NFL player Leander Antwione Williams was arrested for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, The Hill reported. The Department of Justice slapped the former Detroit Lions linebacker with felony and misdemeanor charges.
The FBI arrested Williams on Thursday in Savannah, Georgia. The Department of Justice said he is headed to a Southern District of Georgia Court for his initial appearance.
The 31-year-old former football player, who was a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft, has become the latest to be tracked down by the feds years after the incident to face charges. The FBI released photos of him marked as "AFO-419" for Assault on a Federal Officer, which ultimately led to his arrest.
🚨BREAKING: Former #Lions LB Antwione Williams was arrested today for his involvement with the January 6th, US capitol incident.
He faces felony counts for assault, resisting, impeding officers, & obstruction of law enforcement.
The FBI identified him using a unique red key fob pic.twitter.com/BaMwp4D5ZY
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 15, 2024
There are several charges Williams is facing because of his role as one of the first people "to breach the restricted permitter of Capitol grounds," the Justice Department said. He has been charged with felony offenses for assaulting or impeding law enforcement and resisting.
Misdemeanor charges for Williams include acts of physical violence on the Capitol grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and entering and remaining in a restricted building. He allegedly "confronted and overpowered" law enforcement officials who were guarding the building.
Then, when an officer attempted to disperse the crowd, Williams allegedly tried to grab a bike rack from the officer. Williams also "allegedly lunged at an officer, swatting at the officer’s hand as the officer deployed spray to prevent the rioters from advancing."
Williams is also accused of striking an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department "on the head with a forceful arm motion." According to NBC News, Williams was caught after authorities received a tip in December 2022 about his social media posts.
Then, in 2023, the FBI interviewed at Williams' home and observed a red key fob like the one seen on the suspect in video footage from the Capitol attack. They also tracked down Williams's payment for parking near a Metro station just 10 minutes from the Capitol.
The FBI has charged more than 1,2561 individuals for various crimes allegedly committed on Jan. 6. Nearly half of those were for crimes such as assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
While violence against law enforcement is a serious and punishable offense, many people caught up in the unrest were nonviolent offenders who were charged too severely. The FBI has been on a crusade to find and punish every individual who was there in any capacity that day.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to release these prisoners, and Politico reported that some defendants are already counting on it. Just hours after Trump was declared the winner on Election Day, Jan. 6 defendant Christopher Carnell requested to delay his trial until after Trump is inaugurated.
"Mr. Carnell, who was an 18-year-old nonviolent entrant into the Capitol on January 6, is expecting to be relieved of the criminal prosecution that he is currently facing when the new administration takes office. Mr. Carnell is now awaiting further information from the office of the president-elect regarding the timing and expected scope of clemency actions relevant to his case," his attorney, Marina Medvin, wrote.
People who do terrible things must pay their debt to society. However, it's unfortunate that politics has lead to the feds to investigate with more zeal than any other investigation in recent memory.