When the Biden administration launched its strategy to tackle "root causes" of migration at the southern border during a time of rapidly rising and historic illegal immigration, the now-frozen United States Agency for International Development (USAID) played a significant role.

During the Biden administration, Vice President Kamala Harris was tasked with leading diplomacy in Latin America to tackle the root causes, identified as issues like gang violence, climate change and poverty. It consisted of both government initiatives and funding from private organizations.

USAID, which was frozen in recent days over concerns about misspending, played a key role in the distribution of funds. While certain operations have been halted to get a full picture of USAID funding to the region, it is possible to get a glimpse of the help it provided.

JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP FROM PLACING 2,200 USAID WORKERS ON LEAVE 

In 2021, the first year of the Biden administration, USAID announced Centroamérica Local, a 5-year, $300 million initiative that funded organizations in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to address the root causes of migration to the U.S.

"Under this new initiative, Centroamérica Local, USAID intends to invest up to $300 million, subject to the availability of funds, toward engaging, strengthening, and funding local organizations to implement programs to advance sustainable and equitable economic growth, improve governance, fight corruption, protect human rights, improve citizen security, and combat sexual and gender-based violence," USAID said in a statement at the time.

"These programs are being carried out under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Root Causes Strategy and deliver on the Agency’s goal to foster greater engagement with local organizations and communities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and advance stability in the region."

More was still to come.

TOP DEM STRATEGISTS WARN USAID FUNDING FIGHT IS A ‘TRAP’ FOR THE PARTY

In 2022, USAID announced programs in Central America to end gender-based violence, including a $6.5 million program in Guatemala and a $2.7 million program in Honduras. That built off a program announced in El Salvadaor.

In March last year, Harris met with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and announced a planned investment of $135 million in USAID funding, alongside $170 million to aid development, economic health and security assistance.

Included in the announcement was an expansion of the Central American Service Corps, which was created in 2022 at the Summit of Americas. The expanded program was funded by USAID and aimed to reach 2,800 people seen at most risk of migrating by engaging them with volunteer work, employment and training.

Also announced for Guatemala was a USAID-implemented "Feed the Future" program to strengthen the capacity of research and education entities to scale agricultural technologies and to support research and education related to "climate smart" agriculture.

USAID was also to implement a new "Guatemala Biodiversity Conservation" program to promote the conservation of biodiversity and strengthen protected areas and other areas of ecological importance.

In September, USAID announced an additional $10.75 million in funding for Guatemala.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN'S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

That came after USAID invested over $153 million in Guatemala in 2023 to allegedly support the government in efforts to strengthen democracy and improve opportunities. According to a release, funded activities included "integrated rural and agricultural development, sustainable economic growth, support for the construction of climate-resilient infrastructure, and digital development and e-governance."

Harris was dogged by the "border czar" title throughout her unsuccessful presidential bid as she largely dropped the root causes emphasis and instead focused on the Biden administration’s efforts to secure the border.

President Donald Trump’s administration has demonstrated a skepticism of the root causes strategy, both in its leaning in on border security and interior enforcement and also its moves to cut or freeze funding abroad.

In his first week in office, Trump also rescinded Biden's 2021 executive order creating a "comprehensive regional framework to address the causes of migration, to manage migration throughout North and Central America and to provide safe and orderly processing of asylum seekers at the United States border."

He also revoked an executive order to rebuild and enhance programs to resettle refugees and plan for "the impact of climate change on migration."

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump's newly sworn in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought emphasized to Republican senators the urgent need for border security funding on Tuesday, telling them an immediate $175 billion is necessary. 

At a weekly Senate GOP lunch, Trump's budget chief spoke to lawmakers, stressing that more money and resources are needed to secure the border and continue undoing Biden-era immigration policies, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital exclusively. 

NOEM, HEGSETH, BONDI PLEAD WITH CONGRESS FOR MORE BORDER FUNDING AMID LARGE-SCALE DEPORTATIONS

In his presentation, Vought detailed what the administration requires for "robust and sustained" border security and immigration enforcement, according to the official. 

Vought explained that given Trump's significant actions to address illegal immigration, money is running out, and for the administration to keep enforcing the new policies and conducting operations across the country, those resources must be renewed. 

LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER: THE LITTLE-KNOWN TRUMP NOMINEE WHO MAY NEED TO RELY ON DEMS

The funding being sought would go toward ramping up personnel across agencies, expanding detention capacity and reinstituting the "Remain in Mexico" program. 

It would also include border wall construction and building border infrastructure, deploying innovative surveillance technology to the border, deporting migrants, military support for deportation operations, enhancing the Coast Guard's role in border enforcement and giving state and local governments the financial and operational resources to deal with the effects of large-scale illegal immigration, per the official. 

TRUMP NOMINEE TULSI GABBARD CLEARS LAST HURDLE, HEADS FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE

This was relayed to the Republican senators by Vought during the GOP lunch. 

The $175 billion topline request has already been factored into Senate Committee on the Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham's reconciliation bill, which is slated to go through the key committee this week. 

Initially, House Republicans were expecting to take the lead on reconciliation, and they wanted to do so with a one-bill approach, addressing each Trump priority altogether. But the lower chamber's pace quickly frustrated senators, prompting Graham and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to press forward with their plan. 

Vought's address to Senate Republicans also came after Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi penned a letter to top appropriators in the House and Senate, similarly expressing the necessity of additional border funding. 

"Even if the price of some of these measures may seem high, they are nothing when compared to the costs our country is facing in the long term of continuing the status quo," they said of the pressing need. 

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump's newly sworn-in top Cabinet members are asking Congress to provide more resources to continue the administration's full court press to secure the border and facilitate large-scale deportations. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi penned a letter to top appropriators in the House and Senate, pleading with them to designate more funds to the cause of securing the U.S. southern border. 

"The American people strongly support sealing our borders and returning to a lawful immigration system," Noem, Hegseth and Bondi told the lawmakers in the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. 

LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER: THE LITTLE-KNOWN TRUMP NOMINEE WHO MAY NEED TO RELY ON DEMS

"Even if the price of some of these measures may seem high, they are nothing when compared to the costs our country is facing in the long term of continuing the status quo," they explained. 

According to the Trump Cabinet officials, their departments need a variety of resources to continue securing the border at the current level. 

These include additional law enforcement officers; military personnel, including Active Duty and State and National Guard; aircraft and additional means of transportation to facilitate deportations; both materials and workers to finish construction of "a permanent barrier" at the border; additional immigration judges to quickly decide cases and clear the backlog; and more facilities to detain illegal immigrant waiting for deportation. 

TRUMP NOMINEE TULSI GABBARD CLEARS LAST HURDLE, HEADS FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE

The correspondence to congressional leaders comes as a March 14 spending bill deadline approaches, and the chambers are expected to lay out a new spending deal to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

Passing a spending bill next month with satisfactory border funding could prove difficult, however, because 60 votes will be needed in the Senate. That means the Republican conference cannot pass it single-handedly and will need the support of several Democrats to get it done. 

SCHUMER REVEALS DEM COUNTER-OFFENSIVE AGAINST TRUMP'S DOGE AUDIT

The letter from Noem, Hegseth and Bondi also coincides with congressional Republicans' efforts to put together a budget deal with provisions for border security and pass it in an expeditious manner. However, the House and Senate GOP have begun to butt heads on how to go about the key budget reconciliation process and whether to pursue one big bill with all of Trump's priorities or to use a two-bill approach, with another being passed later in the year to address Trump's tax agenda. 

By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51 out of 100, reconciliation allows the party in power to skirt its opposition to advance its agenda – provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. The House of Representatives already has a simple majority threshold.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Senate Committee on the Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said, "Without new funding, President Trump’s bold border security plan will hit a wall. The administration needs the funding now and without delay."

He pointed to the $175 billion being allocated for border security measures in his recently-unveiled first reconciliation bill that will go through his committee this week. 

"Importantly, these necessary investments will be paid for by making spending cuts to other areas of the federal government," Graham explained. 

 "$175 billion is a fraction of the cost of an out of control illegal immigration system that’s poisoning America and allowing violence to reign. It’s the best money we could ever spend – and it will be paid for," the senator concluded. 

TRUMP'S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE'S GIFT OF GAB

Fox News Digital reached Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Senate Committee on the Budget Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., but did not immediately receive responses. 

Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is joining GOP colleagues in the Senate by introducing legislation to protect unaccompanied migrant children from human traffickers.

"Over 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children effectively disappeared under the Biden administration, leaving them vulnerable to trafficking, abuse, and exploitation. Instead of ensuring their safety, these children are released with no follow-up, falling into the hands of cartels and criminals," Luttrell said in a release announcing the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2024.

Luttrell's legislation is a companion to a bill introduced in the Senate by senators Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and aims to prevent further trafficking of migrant children by implementing proper vetting for adults who sponsor a child in the United States, including vetting for parents, immediate relatives and unrelated adults.

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The bill will also require that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) take steps to vet all adults who will live in the home of a migrant child.

"It is terrifying to think that over 300,000 young, innocent children have been brought into this nation, potentially forced into unsafe conditions and at risk for human trafficking," Scott said in the release. "As a parent or grandparent, it’s unimaginable to think what might happen to these children and that former President Joe Biden allowed this to happen by completely dismantling our immigration system and opening our southern border, completely ignoring the consequences or the tolls on human life."

JUDGE APPROVES EMERGENCY ORDER TO CLOSE MIGRANT GANG-INFESTED AURORA, COLORADO, APARTMENT COMPLEX

The bill aims to put multiple steps in place to prevent trafficking of children, including a prohibition on children being released to a sponsor who is in the U.S. illegally, unless the sponsor is the child's legal guardian or a relative. The bill will also require authorities to complete a home visit prior to a child being released to the sponsor and calls for at least five additional unannounced home visits during the child's first year in the country.

The legislation will also require reporting to Congress on actions being taken to account for current missing children, according to the release.

"HHS must implement thorough vetting to ensure these children are placed with responsible adults — not predators," Luttrell said. "President Biden’s border policies failed everyone, and this legislation will support the Trump administration’s efforts to course correct the disaster we were left with."

The government's leading disaster relief agency reportedly spent millions on hotels for illegal immigrants just last week, according to Elon Musk, who is leading the Trump administration's efforts to cut government spending.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the tech billionaire, has been conducting a sweep of federal funding and identifying areas in which "waste" within the government can be slashed. Musk found his most recent target in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government's disaster relief branch that recently sparked concern over a reported lack of funds during Hurricane Helene.

"The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants," Musk claimed in a post on X on Monday morning.

KRISTI NOEM HEADS TO ASHEVILLE AMID HEAVY CRITICISM OF FEMA RESPONSE UNDER BIDEN

During former President Biden's term, FEMA faced backlash after it was reported that while they lacked the necessary funds needed to help Hurricane Helene victims, they were dishing out money that ended up being used to aid illegal immigrants. 

Speaker Mike Johnson clarified that emergency relief funding is separate from FEMA funds allocated to immigration, but said that the agency should not have any part in funding the border crisis.

FEMA partners with Customs and Border Control (CBP) and administers money to the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a government-funded program that provides assistance and housing for illegal immigrants released into the U.S. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP PREDICTS ELON MUSK WILL FIND ‘HUNDRED OF BILLIONS’ IN WASTE IN NEXT DOGE DIRECTIVES

In his message Monday, Musk charged that "sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order," which put FEMA under review to improve the agency’s "efficacy, priorities and competence."

"That money is meant for American disaster relief," Musk wrote.

A New York City Hall spokesperson confirmed to Fox that the city had received funds "through the past week" that were allocated by the Biden administration for the purpose of housing and supporting illegal immigrants.

Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security. According to NY City Hall, the funds were not part of a disaster relief grant.

The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital that those who made the payment will be "held accountable."

"As Secretary Noem said yesterday, we must get rid of FEMA the way it exists today. This is yet another egregious example," DHS said in a statement. "Individuals who circumvented leadership and unilaterally made this payment will be fired and held accountable."

The report comes just one day after Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, suggested getting rid of FEMA "the way it exists today."  

After Hurricane Helene made its deadly sweep across the south in the fall, Republican lawmakers warned that "FEMA’s continued entanglement in DHS’ efforts to respond to the border crisis could impact its readiness and emergency response mission."

President Donald Trump has also called for FEMA to be reformed, suggesting during his first week in office that states be in control of their own disaster funding.

"FEMA has turned out to be a disaster," Trump said while delivering remarks on the Hurricane Helene damage in January. "I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away, and we pay directly — we pay a percentage to the state."

Fox News Digital reached out to FEMA for comment.

Fox News' Grace Taggart, Adam Shaw and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump has started his second stint in the White House by earning positive reviews from Americans, with especially high marks given for the president keeping campaign promises.

A large majority of Americans, 70%, believe Trump is doing "what he promised" during the campaign, while just 30% believe the president’s agenda has been "different from promised," according to the results of a CBS/YouGov poll released on Sunday.

The poll found that Trump’s overall approval on the job so far is 53%, with 47% of respondents indicating they disapprove. Voters also used positive words to describe the president, with 69% describing him as tough, 63% energetic, 60% focused, and 58% effective.

Many Americans also approve of the job Trump has done so far on key issues, with 59% saying they approve of his program to deport illegal immigrants, while 41% said they do not approve. A larger majority, 64%, indicated they approve of the president’s plan to send U.S. troops to the U.S-Mexico border, while 36% disapprove.

ELON MUSK OUTLINES 'SUPER OBVIOUS' CHANGES DOGE AND TREASURY HAVE AGREED TO MAKE

A majority also responded that they approve of Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with 54% of Americans saying they approve, compared with 46% who disapprove. However, Americans are less sure about the president’s proposal for the U.S. to take over Gaza following the war, with just 13% responding that it is a "good idea," while 47% say it is a "bad idea" and 40% marked that they were not sure.

A slimmer majority approved of Elon Musk and DOGE, with 23% of Americans indicating that they believe the new agency should have "a lot" of influence over government spending and 28% answering that it should have "some," for a total of 51%. Meanwhile, 18% replied that DOGE should have "not much" influence over government spending and 31% said it should have "none," for a total of 49%.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

But Trump did score some lower marks when it came to his economic agenda, most notably on his efforts to tackle inflation, with 66% indicating the president has not committed enough attention to lowering prices, while 31% believe Trump has focused on the issue the "right amount" and 3% indicated the president has focused "too much" on the issue.

Americans were split when it comes to tariffs, with 56% offering approval of such levies to China, while only 44%, 40%, and 38% felt similarly about tariffs on Mexico, Europe and Canada, respectively.

The CBS/YouGov poll was conducted between Feb. 5-7, surveying 2,175 U.S. adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

President Donald Trump’s promised border crackdown appears to be influencing groups of migrants looking to enter the United States illegally.

Internal Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) memos obtained by Fox News indicate that two groups of migrants recently ended their journeys to the U.S. and turned around to return to their home countries.

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Honduran officers encountered a group of 23 migrants previously headed for the United States. The individuals hailed from Honduras, Venezuela, Panama and El Salvador.

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According to the CBP memo, upon interviewing the migrants, officials learned that they had entered Mexico through the country’s border with Guatemala. However, they decided to turn around after "learning about the multi-agency force security on the Southwest Border in social media and through family members in the United States."

In its memo, CBP also noted that the migrants surrendered to Mexican authorities before being sent back to Guatemala where they boarded buses headed to Honduras.

CBP detailed a Feb. 3 incident in another internal memo obtained by Fox News in which the Honduran authorities encountered a group of 26 migrants. These migrants were also headed for the U.S., but turned around when they learned about the increased security and opted instead to return to their countries of origin.

TIDAL WAVE OF BORDER SECURITY BILLS HIT HOUSE AS REPUBLICANS MOVE FAST ON DC TAKEOVER

The migrants in this group were apparently from Venezuela and Cuba. They were initially turned away by Nicaraguan immigration officials and sent back to Honduras, but after a discussion between the two nations, they were allowed to cross into Nicaragua as they made their way back home.

President Donald Trump focused much of his 2024 campaign on illegal immigration, vowing to take a completely different approach from former President Joe Biden. While campaigning for his second term, Trump often appeared with families who lost loved ones to illegal immigrant crime or fentanyl.

Following November’s election, there were reports of illegal immigrants leaving the U.S. or choosing to "self-deport" prior to Trump’s return to D.C. out of fears of his potential policies.

The first piece of legislation that President Trump signed in his second term was the Laken Riley Act, named for a nursing student who was killed during a jog on the University of Georgia’s campus by an illegal immigrant. Jose Ibarra, who previously had been arrested but never detained by ICE, received a life prison sentence for killing 22-year-old Laken Riley.

President Trump is also taking a novel approach to detaining illegal immigrants. Under President Trump’s order on "Expanding Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to Full Capacity," illegal immigrants will be housed with the 15 last detainees remaining in the infamous facility.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who joined an immigration raid last month in New York City, confirmed that a second flight of illegal immigrants left for Gitmo ahead of her visit.

Noem previously said that only "the worst of the worst" of illegal immigrants would be sent to the facility in Cuba, which could eventually be home to up to 30,000 migrants.

The Trump administration is using federal prisons to house illegal immigrants as part of an expansive deportation operation, Fox News Digital confirmed on Friday.

In a statement, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said it is helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "by housing detainees and will continue to support our law enforcement partners to fulfill the administration's policy objectives."

The bureau said that for privacy, safety and security reasons, it does not comment on the legal status of any individual, "nor do we specify the legal status of individuals assigned to any particular facility, including numbers and locations."

TRUMP'S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER' 

The Associated Press reported that facilities in Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta are being used for detention.

The move comes as ICE has been over capacity as it has quickly ramped up the number of illegal immigrants being arrested in raids in sanctuary cities and elsewhere across the country.

ICE currently has just under 42,000 beds available to it, and it has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The administration has been pushing hard to get more beds and detention space, but sources tell Fox that it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver, given the time it takes to identify buildings, hire people, conduct background checks and comply with related requirements. That help is expected soon.

Fox News Digital reported on Thursday that ICE has requested an apportionment of around $575 million from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as an advance of its funding for the year in order to be able to work more quickly and get another step closer to a reported target of 100,000 beds and one million removals per year. 

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS 

Fox also reported that ICE is working with the BOP to identify space to house illegal immigrants, as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where there may be unused space in soft-sided facilities. Fox News Digital was also told that, as of this week, officials are being instructed that any release of an illegal immigrant in ICE custody must be personally signed off on by acting ICE director Caleb Vitello. 

Meanwhile, the administration is using Guantánamo Bay to house up to 30,000 detainees, with the second flight of migrants leaving for the facility on Thursday.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

 "We are looking well outside the box," a senior ICE official told Fox News Digital.

"The Biden administration cut down so many of our beds, and they canceled so many contracts. And the problem with that is you can't just immediately turn those back on. It's not a switch, it's a dial," they said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently apprehended an illegal immigrant in Texas, who was wanted for murder in Guatemala.

Dennis Alexander Valenzuela, 37, was arrested on Jan. 31 at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, according to a statement from ICE.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILD IN THE US AFTER BEING REMOVED FROM THE COUNTRY FIVE TIMES 

"Our officers pursue criminal aliens who attempt to hide in the shadows of our communities daily," said acting ICE Dallas field office director Joshua Johnson. "The apprehension and pending removal of this individual underscores our dedication to upholding the laws of our country and safeguarding our communities."

Valenzuela, who is from Guatemala, entered the United States at or near Hidalgo, Texas on June 16, 2021, without an immigration inspection, admission, or parole by an immigration officer, according to ICE.

US MILITARY FLYING SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT FOR RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER WITH MEXICO 

U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Valenzuela on the same day and served him a Notice to Appear, pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, officials noted.

Valenzuela will be housed at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, pending removal proceedings, according to the statement.

After drone video footage surfaced of an apparent cartel-on-cartel gunfight just south of the U.S. border with Mexico, Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas is calling attention to the danger still present at the border.

The footage, which Roy obtained from sources on the border, was taken by a cartel drone and shows two sets of vehicles exchanging gunfire near the U.S. border. Video taken by the drone shows the operator eventually drop some type of missile, seeming to eliminate shooters on one side.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Roy said that the knowledge that cartels own drones with weapon capabilities "open[s] up a whole other frontier that we've got to manage and deal with border security."

"Seeing that and adding it into what we know about the extent to which the cartels are heavily armed and have significant resources… it is indicative of the kind of danger that we're talking about," said Roy.

MEXICAN CARTELS TARGETING BORDER PATROL AGENTS WITH KAMIKAZE DRONES, EXPLOSIVES AMID TRUMP CRACKDOWN: REPORT

This comes just days after U.S. Border Patrol agents exchanged gunfire with suspected cartel members near the U.S.-Mexican border in Fronton, Texas.

"We're seeing more of that," said Roy.

He noted that as President Donald Trump and his administration take major steps to crack down on illegal immigration and migrant crime within the U.S., he "would expect the cartels to flex more muscle in Mexico," requiring the U.S. to work more closely with Mexican authorities to quash any increase in violence.

"They recognize now that they've got a United States of America that is serious," he said. "My guess is they're not stupid enough to have the kind of overt aggression across our border… I’d speculate that they're going to try to manipulate a great deal of the police and military forces in Mexico."

HEGSETH, HOMAN TOUR BORDER AS MILITARY HELPS WITH DEPORTATION FLIGHTS, OPS AGAINST CARTELS

In response, Roy said he expects Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will move to "work in good faith with Mexico to strengthen their ability to have the rule of law and root out cartels."

The congressman, who has introduced legislation to designate cartels "foreign terrorist organizations," said that Trump’s executive order to do the same is an important step to rooting out the cartel problem both in the U.S. and Mexico.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"This administration has already had more presence at the border than the entirety of the four years of the Biden administration… The cartels now know that you have a president in the country that means business, and they’re probably trying to figure out what their positioning needs to be."

ICE ARRESTS UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUE IN MIGRANT ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declined to comment on the drone footage. 

A CBP spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "threats and assaults against CBP personnel are taken very seriously." 

"We remain vigilant and stand ready to ensure the safety of our personnel, aliens, and local communities, and the security of our borders," said the spokesperson. 

The Democratic candidate who will run to replace outgoing Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik in upstate New York can be heard in a resurfaced interview condemning U.S. Border Patrol for apprehending illegal immigrants and disparaging off-duty corrections officers and local American laborers he hired to work on his dairy farm. 

Blake Gendebien, the owner and president of Twin Mill Farms in Lisbon, New York, since 2002, was tapped Tuesday to run in an eventual special election in New York’s 21st Congressional District. 

The U.S. House seat will be vacated by Stefanik, President Donald Trump’s nominee to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but the powerful House Republican still awaits a Senate confirmation vote. With the special election timeline hanging in the balance, the 15 Democratic chairmen of NY-21 announced their unanimous support for Gendebien, championing him as "an authentic voice that will fight for sensible solutions." 

The Democrats categorized Gendebien, who also serves as vice chairman of the Agri-Mark Dairy Cooperative covering New York and New England, as a husband, father, small business owner and former school board member who "will fight to lower costs and secure our borders." Celebrating him as "an outsider to the political arena," they said Gendebien "embodies the voice and grit that distinguishes this district." 

NY DEMS WORKING TO KEEP STEFANIK'S HOUSE SEAT VACANT FOR MONTHS IN LATEST SCHEME AGAINST TRUMP: ASSEMBLYMAN

Republican state leadership, however, quickly condemned Gendebien as a "far-left Democrat," arguing that the candidate "not only supported Joe Biden’s open border policies, but also bailed out illegals from ICE."  

New York GOP Chair Ed Cox referenced the dairy farmer’s past comments made in a more than hour-long interview with a local newspaper reporter on March 13, 2013. 

According to the recorded audio reviewed by Fox News Digital, Gendebien voiced frustrations about the labor market in upstate New York. Among his comments, he claimed local correction officers "don’t have much self-worth," and described North County workers as not having "practical independence and ability to think," in contrast to his foreign farm laborers.

"Far Left Democrat Blake Gendebien even castigated hardworking North Country workers as ‘awful‘ people who ‘drank too much,'" Cox said in a statement. "This radical Far Left Democrat is a longtime major donor and groupie of leftist, gun-grabbing, Taxin’ Tedra Cobb, a supporter of Kathy Hochul, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and a public supporter of Biden’s inflation policies, which devastated NY21 families. Democrats didn’t do their homework when they selected Blake Gendebien and his catastrophic statements. Republicans will easily hold this seat in the upcoming special election, because the North Country is unquestionably Trump Country."

In the 2013 interview, Gendebien is heard explaining why he much preferred "Hispanic labor," generalizing local residents as having drinking problems and being involved in child custody disputes. 

"If it weren't for the Hispanic labor, I wouldn't be doing this," Gendebien said while describing the process for milking cows. "So there's three Hispanic employees. They would need to be replaced by probably six local people. And it's hard to find one person that does not have domestic abuse problems, alcohol problems, wage garnishments." 

"So when you hire these local guys, all of a sudden you're bombarded with social program stuff like what do you call it? I don't even – I'm not in that world, so I don't know," he went on. "So the court will call you. Is Brian showing up to work? What is Brian making? He has a child with this girl. He has a child with this girl. He has a court date. He needs to appear on this day. So you've got all of these plans and these guys have to leave for court all the time because they're in custody battles and, what's it called, child support battles. And they want you to lie and tell that you don't make this money. And it's just awful. And they show up late. They show up. They drink too much. There is just no labor force out there." 

Regarding other farm help, Gendebien said he hired a corrections officer. 

STEFANIK LOOKS BACK TO FIERY EXCHANGES WITH COLLEGE LEADERS IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING: 'WATERSHED MOMENT

"You probably know that they don't have much self-worth in their jobs as corrections officers, so they'll work extra time and get maybe three, four weeks’ vacation. And in that vacation they will do things, plumbing or electrician work or something, just so that they feel some self-worth," Gendebien told the reporter. "So we gave him all hunting rights. You can hunt all 800 acres and he does the work for basically materials. But he also gets some self-worth. He gets the hunting rights, and we get a guy that we trust to do a lot of work and a good deal. He did my house, he did the barn. He did a lot of things." 

At one point, Gendebien complained that a Border Patrol agent took one of his workers, an illegal immigrant, into custody. 

"So Border Patrol is up and down this road," Gendebien relayed to the reporter, according to the audio archived by the Library of Congress. "As far as I know, these guys are illegal. I have all their paperwork, and I'm not obligated to check. Not obligated to E-Verify. So I get the same paperwork from them as I get from anyone else. And we move along. But Border Patrol will profile by skin color, crossing the road and they'll stop. And then they will interrogate and scream at the person." 

After Border Patrol confronted one farmworker and took him into custody, Gendebien said he called up the high school’s soccer coach, a 30-year Border Patrol agent, who told him that new Border Patrol agents sent to upstate New York from places like Arizona want to make more apprehensions, causing some friction within leadership at their command. 

Gendebien said the man told him, "I don't pick up farmworkers, but we get young men and women from Arizona that are gung-ho, and all they want to do is pick people up. And he said when they bring someone in, we have to support them. We can't say no because then they'll want our jobs. They want our senior jobs. So they'll quickly say, 'You are, you know, you're not supporting me with this illegal person.'" 

One Christmas Eve, Gendebien said, he bailed out an illegal immigrant for $10,000 so that he had help on the farm over the holiday. 

While talking about how his family came to live in North County, Gendebien said his father-in-law was a first-generation Cuban immigrant who was a superintendent of an apartment building in New York City, while his own parents worked in the Peace Corps in South America and got kicked out of Bolivia with other Americans "when it turned communist." His parents bought a farm in upstate in New York, where Gendebien said they felt like outsiders at the time. 

Because his family speaks Spanish, Gendebien said they have an advantage compared to other farmers who do not while training foreign workers. 

"But here I speak Spanish, Carmen speaks Spanish, mom speaks Spanish, dad speaks Spanish," Gendebien said. "So we can explain things to do. And they're very capable. Incredibly capable of incredibly practical knowledge and capable. A thing that the local kids around here don't have. They don't have a practical independence and ability to think and knowledge like these guys do. Which is too bad these other farms aren't getting that out of them, mainly because of the language barrier." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Gendebien's campaign, but they did not immediately respond.

President Donald Trump's administration has reached a deal to grant the Texas National Guard new authority to make immigration arrests this weekend.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott referenced the deal on social media, saying it would "boost manpower for border security." Under the agreement, Texas National Guard troops would be able to arrest illegal immigrants so long as there is a U.S. immigration officer or Border Patrol agent present. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Abbott said the deal was "effective immediately" as of Sunday night.

The deal is only the latest front in Trump's nationwide blitz against illegal immigration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other border security groups have leaned into their deportation efforts since Trump gained office.

TRUMP FOE LETITIA JAMES SLAMMED FOR POST-NYC ICE RAID COMMENTS: ‘GET ON THE SAME PAGE’

Trump's 2024 campaign promised to curb illegal immigration that flourished under the Biden administration. The 47th President promised to deport migrants, including those who had long rap sheets or ties to gangs or terrorist organizations.

On the first day of his second term, Trump issued ten executive orders aimed at overhauling U.S. immigration law and policy. Less than a week back in the Oval Office, Trump touted that he is keeping his promises.

"Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency at our southern border. I sent active duty troops on the border to help repel the invasion. Tom Homan is leading the charge. You know that. We like Tom Homan. Doing a great job," Trump said at a recent rally.

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"We immediately halted all illegal entry and began sending every border trespasser and violator back to the places from which they came. I signed an order that will designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. It's a big deal, it's a big deal. Biden didn't want to do that," he added. "Biden didn't know he was alive. He didn't want to do it."

Federal officials deported some 7,300 illegal immigrants in the opening week of Trump's administration alone.

Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report

A Wisconsin man has been charged with identity theft and impersonating a peace officer after prosecutors say he was caught posing as a U.S. Border Patrol agent twice in one week.

According to the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors charged 34-year-old Hank Glembin of New Berlin with two counts of identity theft and two counts of impersonating a peace officer after he claimed to be a U.S. Border Patrol agent on two occasions in January.

In the complaint, obtained by FOX 6 Milwaukee, on Jan. 25, a Muskego police officer was responding to a deer that had been struck by a truck when Glembin pulled up and asked the officer if she needed assistance.

The officer then asked Glembin if he was with the Muskego Department of Public Works and declined Glembin's offer of help, according to the complaint. Glembin then told the officer, "I'm off duty right now. I'm with Border Patrol."

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Glembin was reportedly wearing a black hat with "CBP" stitched in yellow, a green duty vest over a black jacket, and khaki pants, according to the officers' notes in the complaint. 

Prosecutors said the officer also noted that Glembin had "DHS, CBP-BPA, and Agent H.D. Glembin" visible on his clothing. In addition to the fake logos on his clothes, the officer noted that Glembin had a handcuff case and a gun, which "appeared legitimate," attached to his belt. Glembin also had a white light mounted on one shoulder and a red light mounted on his other shoulder, the complaint read. 

VIRGINIA WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER IMPERSONATING A NURSE AND WORKING AT MULTIPLE CALIFORNIA HOSPITALS: POLICE

According to the complaint, the officer said Glembin then pulled out an ID card that read "Department of Homeland Security" along with his image. Despite the officer telling Glembin that public works would take care of the dead deer, he dragged it into the ditch "unprompted."

Through further investigation, prosecutors said police confirmed Glembin's uniform was "not consistent" with those worn by U.S. Border Patrol agents.

It was also uncovered that Glembin approached a New Berlin police officer during a traffic stop days later on Jan. 29. 

HOUSTON MAN ARRESTED FOR IMPERSONATING POLICE OFFICER AFTER ATTEMPTING TO PULL OVER REAL DEPUTIES

The complaint detailed that Glembin approached the officer, wearing the same uniform as reported by the other officer during the first encounter on Jan. 25, and told the officer he had just "gotten off duty" and offered help.

The officer noted that he noticed "Border Patrol Unit" on the back of Glembin's vest when he walked away.

New Berlin police then spoke to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection special agent who confirmed that Glembin was not a federal agent and that the agency was aware of his impersonation, according to the complaint. 

Glembin was taken into custody later that evening and investigators determined Glembin was not who he claimed to be and that all his gear was fraudulent, FOX 6 reported.

Prosecutors said Glembin admitted while in custody that he was not a Border Patrol agent but said he wanted to pursue becoming one.

Glembin also allegedly admitted to approaching both officers in Muskego and New Berlin while wearing fake uniforms and gear and showing off his fake credentials. 

Glembin is due for a hearing on Feb. 13 and was issued a $2,000 signature bond by the court, according to court records. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office but did not immediately receive a response.

Multiple social media accounts attached to the Trump administration slammed actress Selena Gomez for posting a video of herself crying over deportations of illegal immigrants.

Both the official White House X account and press secretary Karoline Leavitt called out the "Only Murders in The Building" star after she wept on Instagram in response to the ICE raids that the Trump administration ordered

"Kayla Hamilton, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin were murdered by illegal aliens. Their courageous mothers had something to say to @SelenaGomez and those who oppose securing our borders," the White House account posted on Friday, along with a clip of the aggrieved mothers blasting the pop star.

MSNBC ANCHOR CORRECTS HER CORRESPONDENT ON-AIR: THEY'RE 'UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS'

Gomez uploaded a now-deleted video of her crying to her Instagram page on Monday, where she lamented the nationwide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in the United States. 

"All my people are getting attacked, the children. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something, but I can’t," she said to her 422 million Instagram followers. 

"I don’t know what to do. I’ll try everything, I promise."

Gomez’s video was slammed by conservatives on social media, as well as by prominent Trump administration officials like border czar Tom Homan, who responded to the celebrity from Fox News Channel’s "Hannity" on Monday.

"We got a half a million children who were sex trafficked into this country, separated from their families, put in the hands of criminal cartels to be smuggled into the country. This administration can't find over 300,000. Where's the tears for them?"

TRUMP’S ICE NABS CHILD SEX OFFENDERS AMONG 530+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN SINGLE DAY

In the clip shared by the White House account, the mothers of the victims – Tammy Nobles, Alexis Nungarary, and Patty Morin – asked why Gomez wasn’t crying for the victims of illegal immigrants.

"What about our children who were brutally murdered and raped and beat to death and left on the floor by these illegal immigrants?" Nobles, the mother of Hamilton, asked Gomez. 

Nungaray was featured saying, "Seeing that video it’s hard to believe that it’s actually genuine and real because she’s an actress."

Later in the clip, she added, "My daughter was a child. There’s many other children whose lives were taken due to people who cross here illegally."

"I just feel like it’s a ruse to deceive people and garner sympathy for lawlessness," Morin said, later adding, "No one has stood up except for us mothers to cry out about our children."

As noted by Mediaite, Leavitt shared the clip to her official government account on Friday night, tagging Gomez’s account to make sure she saw it. 

Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (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 also vowing to send the most violent migrants to Guantánamo Bay.

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.

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ICE has posted nine daily arrest totals to X and has also posted details from various raids across sanctuary cities like New York City, Chicago and Boston where they have scooped up illegals accused of sex crimes against minors, rapes, guns and drug offenses, while violent gang members belonging to Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have also been taken off the streets. 

Border czar Tom Homan has said the administration is currently only targeting violent illegal aliens while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, says federal immigration authorities are arresting the "worst of the worst" in raids. She says the streets are now safer as a result.

Many of the ICE raids have been carried out alongside other federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Noem joined an immigration enforcement raid in New York City Tuesday morning in which officers picked up Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, an alleged ringleader of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. Zambrano-Pacheco is the same man caught on camera in a viral video showing heavily armed men kicking down an apartment door at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, last summer.

Luis Adolfo Guerra Perez, 19, a Guatemalan citizen and MS-13 gang member, was arrested by ICE in Massachusetts last week. He was facing state gun charges and had previously been ordered to be deported before he was released by a Boston court.

ICE has published details of more than 60 cases while the White House X account has posted details of at least 20 others.

NOEM SAYS 'WORST OF THE WORST' ARRESTED IN NYC RAID TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

However, for the vast majority of the 7,412, details on their criminal histories are not yet available.

The arrests total come as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the "worst of the worst" criminal migrants will be temporarily housed at Guantánamo Bay detention camp and that "all options will be on the table" for military action against the cartels.

Hegseth made the announcement in an interview with "Fox and Friends" on Friday and it came on the heels of an announcement made by President Donald Trump on Wednesday that he will be instructing the Pentagon to prepare Guantánamo Bay to detain 30,000 "criminal illegal aliens."

"Today I'm also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay," Trump said. "Most people don't even know about it."

It was later learned that Trump signed a presidential memorandum, not an executive order, on the matter.

News of the arrests has been generally well-received by locals living in these areas. 

Ramses Frías, a local Queens activist who’s voiced concerns over a crime crisis gripping his neighborhood, which is partially represented by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said the raids have also been warmly received by the community.

"Many residents, from immigrants to citizens, welcome ICE coming in and taking the criminals out of these communities," Frías, a city council candidate, told Fox News Digital. "They welcome law and order and want safe streets."

However, not everyone agreed with the raids and Mayor Brandon Johnson recently "reaffirmed" his commitment to keep Chicago a sanctuary city, as did Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro is urging Colombian nationals in the U.S. illegally to return home, promising to provide loans to those who return, days after being embroiled in a diplomatic controversy with the U.S.

"I ask undocumented Colombians in the US to immediately leave their jobs in that country and return to Colombia as soon as possible," Petro said on X.

"Wealth is produced only by working people.

COLOMBIA PRESIDENT WELCOMES FIRST FLIGHTS OF DEPORTED MIGRANTS AFTER LOSING PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP 

"The Department of Social Prosperity … will seek to provide productive loans to returnees who enroll in its programs," he said. "Let's build social wealth in Colombia."

Petro had initially refused Sunday to take U.S. deportation flights carrying Colombian nationals, saying the U.S. cannot "treat Colombian migrants as criminals." 

The Trump administration, in response, announced the immediate suspension of visa issuance and travel sanctions on government officials. President Donald Trump warned he would slap 25% tariffs on all goods from Colombia.

"Measures will continue until Colombia meets its obligations to accept the return of its own citizens," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. "America will not back down when it comes to defending its national security interests."

A VICTORY FOR TRUMP'S 'FAFO': HOW THE WHITE HOUSE STRONG-ARMED ONE-TIME CLOSE ALLY COLOMBIA OVER IMMIGRATION

At first, Petro retaliated with his own 25% tariffs on U.S. goods. Petro insisted he would not accept the return of migrants who were not treated with "dignity and respect" and who had arrived shackled or on military planes. 

But the White House later said Colombia's president had caved "to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," 

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On Tuesday, two Colombian air force planes carrying deportees arrived in Bogotá. 

On Friday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that visa processing in Bogotá had resumed.

"Our commitment to work together with Colombia to advance our mutual interests remains steadfast," she said.

Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

A manhunt is underway for a 32-year-old woman suspected of buying the handguns used in the killing of a Vermont Border Patrol agent last week, according to a report. 

Law enforcement agencies in several states are searching for Michelle J. Zajko, who is considered "armed and dangerous," Albany’s Times Union reported, citing police records. 

U.S. Border Patrol Agent David "Chris" Maland was gunned down near the Canada-Vermont border Jan. 20, and, four days later, Teresa Youngblut, 21, was taken into custody.

"The United States Attorney’s Office District of Vermont has charged Youngblut with assault on a federal law enforcement officer," the FBI’s office in Albany said at the time. "Our hearts remain with our partners at U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector as they mourn this tremendous loss." 

GUN USED IN VERMONT BORDER AGENT SHOOTOUT LINKED TO DOUBLE MURDER SUSPECT, PROSECUTORS SAY

Maland was shot and killed during a traffic stop of Youngblut between Newport and Orleans, Vermont. Her passenger, Felix Bauckholt, was also armed but was fatally shot by federal agents after Youngblut opened fire. 

Zajko allegedly bought .40-caliber and .380-caliber handguns in February 2024 in Mount Tabor, Vermont, that were used in Maland’s shooting, the Times Union reported, citing court documents. 

GERMAN NATIONAL SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN KILLING OF US BORDER PATROL AGENT IN VERMONT

Zajko is also considered a "person of interest" in a double murder in Pennsylvania and another murder in California, prosecutors revealed, without naming her. 

Maland, a Minnesota native and U.S. Air Force veteran, worked as a Border Patrol agent at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station. He spent nine years in the military and 15 working for the federal government. 

He was also a K-9 handler and previously served as a Border Patrol agent in Texas near the southern border, Maland's family told The Associated Press. 

"On January 20, 2025, at approximately 3:00 pm, an on-duty, uniformed United States Border Patrol (USBP) Agent initiated a stop of a blue 2015 Toyota Prius Hatchback with [a] North Carolina license plate ... to conduct an immigration inspection as it was driving southbound on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont," an FBI criminal complaint obtained by Fox News states.

"The registered owner of the vehicle, Felix Baukholt, a citizen of Germany, appeared to have an expired visa in a Department of Homeland Security database. Youngblut was driving the Prius, and Baukholt was the lone passenger in the Prius.  

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"Between approximately 3:00 pm and 3:15 pm, agents reported gunshots at the scene," the affidavit added. "Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Cameron Thompson was notified of the incident and responded to the scene of the stop, arriving at approximately 3:35 pm. 

"He spoke with two of the Border Patrol Agents involved in the incident. They described that both Baukholt and Youngblut possessed firearms and that Youngblut drew and fired a handgun toward at least one of the uniformed Border Patrol Agents without warning when outside the driver's side of the Prius." 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI's Albany office. 

Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI is on the ground working alongside agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other law enforcement bodies conducting a nationwide crackdown on criminal aliens ordered by President Donald Trump, photos obtained by Fox News Digital reveal.

"I've talked to every single one of our special agents in charge of all 55 of our divisions," acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "I know that every single one of them has reached out to their DHS counterparts to offer assistance and support. So we here at the FBI are really leaning forward to assist DHS the best that we can, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder."

The FBI's presence bolsters Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and other partner agencies with the bureau's vast resources, including tactical teams and its intelligence network. 

VP VANCE DOUBLES DOWN ON WHITE HOUSE GOAL TO GET CRIMINAL MIGRANTS OFF THE STREETS

Those resources worked alongside DHS agents in New York City earlier this week, helping identify and capture dozens of "the worst of the worst" suspects, including a 25-year-old suspected Tren de Aragua gang member.

He is believed to have been involved in a violent incident in Colorado before police found him Monday in a Bronx apartment across the street from a school.

MIGRANT TDA GANG MEMBER BREAKS OFFICER'S ARM AS 10 INDICTED IN MASSIVE GUNS, DRUG RUNNING OPERATION: POLICE

And they extend across the country.

In El Paso, Texas, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE and agents from its Enforcement Removal Operations wing were seen on the ground as part of a mission that led to the capture of a suspect accused of running a stash house for human smugglers.

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"Our best chance to protect Americans, whether it's from the threats posed by groups like ISIS or in our efforts to dismantle groups like Tren de Aragua, the best way to do that is to put our heads together, our tools together, our efforts together with DHS, but also with all of our United States intelligence community and law enforcement partners around the country," Driscoll said.

In a series of targeted raids in Chicago, the FBI provided not just intelligence and tactical SWAT team members, but also legal experts to help round up illegal immigrants with suspected criminal ties.

In New York, they provided "advanced tactical support" and helped set up a crisis management coordination center covering the whole city.

"We are and will remain postured to support DHS the best that we can over here at the FBI," Driscoll said.

Operations across the country over the past seven days have netted roughly 5,500 suspected criminal aliens, according to figures released by ICE.

Democrats sounded off about the White House sending U.S. troops to the southern border, but Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll insisted that he did not believe it would affect readiness. 

"Is there a cost in terms of readiness?" Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat in the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked Driscoll during his confirmation hearing on Thursday. 

"The Army has a long, 249 history of balancing multiple objectives," Driscoll said. "If this is important to the commander-in-chief, the Army will execute it." 

"I think border security is national security," he went on. "We’ve had soldiers at the border for a number of years, and the Army stands ready for any mission."

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also voiced concerns about sending the military to the U.S. border.

"We're seeing now active duty military, Army, be sent to the border, being sent on missions right now to support DHS," she said. "But according to our Constitution, the US military active duty cannot perform law enforcement roles." 

ARMY SEC NOMINEE QUESTIONS WHETHER MILITARY PILOTS SHOULD TRAIN NEAR DC AIRPORT

Slotkin, a former CIA agent, said she was concerned that without proper training an incident could occur that would turn public opinion against the nation’s armed forces. 

"I'm deeply concerned that active duty troops are going to be forced into law enforcement roles, and we're already hearing stories that really, really touch right on the line," she said.  

"They're not properly trained. There's going to be an incident," she said. "Someone's going to get hurt, there's going to be some sort of blow up, and suddenly we're going to have a community that’s deeply, deeply angry at uniformed military who were just told to go and drive those DHS vehicles through that building, perform support for somebody." 

Slotkin asked Driscoll if he would follow an order from President Donald Trump or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if it "contravened with the Constitution." 

"I reject the premise that the president or the secretary would ask for an order like that, but I will always follow the law," Driscoll said. 

HEGSETH SHARES DETAILS ON BLACK HAWK CHOPPER TRAINING FLIGHT

Slotkin shot back: "Your predecessor, Army Secretary [Mark] Esper, had this exact thing that he wrote about in his book, 82nd Airborne Army was asked to come in and clean up a peaceful protest in Washington, DC. So I reject your rejection that this is theoretical."

"We’re counting on you to protect the integrity of a non-political military that is not trained in law enforcement roles." 

Immediately upon taking office, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and 1,500 active duty troops — 1,000 Army personnel and 500 Marines — deployed to the southern border. 

There already were 2,500 U.S. service members stationed at the southern border. The troops were ordered there in May 2023 during the Biden administration under Title 10 authorities approved by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and are planned to be there until the end of fiscal year 2025, according to a U.S. Northern Command spokesperson. 

"Whatever is needed at the border will be provided," Hegseth said Monday, hinting at the possibility of additional deployments in the coming weeks.

Trump also signed an executive order designating drug cartels in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations, granting the military greater authority to interdict them. 

Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration is doing exactly what it said it would with regard to the nationwide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting migrants who have committed crimes.

Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday the White House has an "ambitious" goal of getting criminal migrants off the street at a rate of nearly 2,000 per day.

"If you think [about it], we've got 20 plus million illegal aliens in this country. We have got to get these people out of our country and regain control of our own border," he said in a sit-down interview from the nation’s capital on "Hannity." 

The number of migrants arriving at the southern border since Trump took office last week has dropped dramatically by more than 60%.

Data obtained by Fox News Digital shows there were roughly 7,200 migrant encounters in Trump’s first seven days in office, compared to more than 20,000 in former President Biden’s final seven days. 

"I guarantee we're going to cut it even further," Vance said of the more than 60% decrease. "Policy matters. Elections have consequences and President Trump ran explicitly on regaining control of the border and redelivering American prosperity. That's exactly what we're doing."

Migrants are being repatriated to their home countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala and Ecuador.

"The take-home message here is, ‘Not today. Not today, not tomorrow, not next week. Do not come to the United States and enter illegally,’" said U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Hamid Nikseresht after more than 80 illegal migrants were loaded onto a C-17 military plane and deported from El Paso, Texas, back to Ecuador.

Vance took aim at the hysteria from the left over the mass deportation efforts, pointing to Trump’s win in November and his "mandate" from the American people.

"Now he's doing it," the former Ohio senator said about Trump’s immigration crackdown. "That's how democratic politics in this country works and thank God for that."

The vice president made a shocking admission about the arrests of criminal migrants, telling Hannity the United States government, in some cases, knew their names and addresses. 

"We just needed to send somebody to go to their house and get them the hell out of the country," Vance said. 

"We've known at least that they had violent criminal backgrounds. And we haven't done anything until about eight days ago when Donald Trump became the President of the United States again. It really should shock the conscience of the American people."