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☆ Live updates: Suspect in shooting at dance hall near Los Angeles is dead, sheriff says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Erick Mendoza | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +33 min

Share this -Link copiedAlhambra officials release statement on Monterey Park shooting Alhambra officials released a statement on the Monterey Park shooting early Sunday evening. Officials also acknowledged the shooting that occurred in the city after the Monterey Park shooting. Share this -Link copiedPolice release pictures to identify Monterey Park shooting suspect The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has released pictures seeking to identify the Monterey Park shooting suspect. Law enforcement has connected him to the Monterey Park shooting and a shooting minutes later in Alhambra. Patrons of the Alhambra dance hall wrestled a firearm away from a man about 20 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting.

☆ Live updates: Possible suspect in mass shooting at dance hall near Los Angeles is found dead, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Erick Mendoza | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +31 min

☆ A top Border Patrol official resigned after allegedly pressuring female employees for sex, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Tony Barker, who served as the acting chief of the law enforcement operations directorate for the Border Patrol, is now under investigation for his behavior by Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility, the three officials say. Since she came forward with her allegations to DHS, multiple other women who worked with Barker have made similar complaints, the sources said. Barker left his post quietly in October after 18 years with the Border Patrol. In a statement after this story was initially published, a CBP spokesperson said, "As of Oct. 14, 2022, Tony Barker is no longer an employee of the U.S. Border Patrol." NBC News made multiple attempts to reach Tony Barker but did not reach him for comment.

☆ Federal government investigating possible human trafficking of children who cleaned slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Laura Strickler | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

There is no indication DHS is investigating the company that hired the children, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, for human trafficking. The Labor Department’s Child Labor Regulations designate many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. The Labor Department says its investigation, which began in August, is ongoing as it scours company records from 50 locations. I don’t anticipate unless there are severe ramifications for this that it will actually change policies.”The Labor Department has issued no penalties or fines to date. Labor DepartmentQuestions about child labor at PSSI in Grand Island and Worthington are not new.

☆ Texas spent nearly $9 million busing migrants over the holidays, according to records obtained by Insider
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Texas spent just under $9 million busing migrants across the country over the holidays. In total, Texas has now spent roughly $29 million on the program since April 2022. According to public records obtained by Insider, Abbott's migrant bus program cost the Texas Division of Emergency Management $8.97 million over the November and December holidays. Many of those on these Texas buses are people seeking asylum — a legal right — fleeing poverty and political persecution in countries such as Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela. In November, Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, argued that the millions spent busing migrants would have been better spent elsewhere, according to WFAA.

☆ Senator calls for probe of mass surveillance tool used by U.S. law enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Law enforcement agencies have routinely accessed the vast trove of money transfer records without court oversight, Wyden said. The TRAC database was created as part of a 2014 money laundering settlement between the Arizona attorney general's office and Western Union (WU.N). The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, DHS and Arizona attorney general's office have all asked for data from money transfer companies and directed them to send data to TRAC, Wyden said. Western Union, MoneyGram International (MGI.O), Viamericas Corp, and Euronet Worldwide (EEFT.O) are among the companies that have shared customer data with TRAC in bulk, he added. Wyden announced in March that HSI issued custom summonses, a type of subpoena, for millions of money transfer records between Mexican residents and people living in four U.S. states.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene will serve on an important House committee that oversees national security. Here's what to expect.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is expected to serve on the House Homeland Security Committee. A spokesman for Greene confirmed to Insider that the House GOP Steering Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend that she serve on the committee. The entire House Republican conference votes to ratify committee recommendations, which they are expected to do. The Homeland Security Committee, set to be chaired by Republican Rep. Mark Greene of Tennessee, deals with national security issues including border security, counterterrorism, election security, and cybersecurity. As Insider reported last week, Mayorkas is a major target by House Republicans.

☆ 'They took everyone': Video shows Border Patrol arresting migrants in El Paso
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A group of El Paso residents and volunteers have formed an ad-hoc, “night watch” to monitor U.S. border agents as they arrest migrants sleeping on the city’s streets. In new video filmed by one of those volunteers and obtained by NBC News, migrants sleeping outside a bus station are seen being apprehended by Border Patrol officers on Jan. 4, the week before President Joe Biden arrived in the border city. In the video, several migrants are escorted off a bus by Border Patrol with their hands above their heads. A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection in El Paso said those arrested had evaded detection when they crossed the border. “We formed a night watch, since the incident with the mother being pulled out.

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The succession of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was believed to have been killed in a U.S. raid last year, remains unclear, a U.S. intelligence official said on Tuesday. "The question for Al Qaeda, that it has not answered for itself, is who follows (Zawahiri)," Christine Abizaid, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, said in an event organized by the Washington Institute when asked about Al Qaeda's "center of gravity" after Zawahiri's death. Al Qaeda has not named a successor. Saif al-Adel, a mysterious, low-key former Egyptian special forces officer who is a high-ranking member of Al Qaeda, is seen by experts as the top contender. The United States is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest.

☆ U.S. State Dept says an individual on official visa and no longer on official business should leave or apply for new status
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Monday that it was incumbent on an individual who entered the United States on a so-called "A" visa reserved for diplomats and heads of state to depart the country within 30 days or apply for a change of immigration status if they are no longer engaged in official business. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before his term ended on Jan. 1, before his supporters stormed the country's capital on Sunday, and is believed to have entered on such a visa. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing that he could not comment on an individual's visa status, but spoke in general about visa rules. "If an individual has no basis on which to be in the United States, an individual is subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security," Price said. Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Video shows border agents, police arresting migrants sleeping outside church shelter in El Paso ahead of Biden's visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

In the week before President Joe Biden’s trip to El Paso, Texas, Customs and Border Protection officers, as well as El Paso city police, began arresting migrants sleeping in the streets outside a Catholic church shelter and bus station, according to new footage obtained by NBC News. Immigration advocates say the proximity of the arrests to a church shelter may violate the Department of Homeland Security’s policies. Footage obtained by NBC News shows Customs and Border Protection officers as well as El Paso city police in the streets outside a Catholic church shelter and bus station. A Border Patrol official told NBC News those arrested had not been previously apprehended by Border Patrol when they crossed over from Juarez, Mexico. Biden is expected to tout the plan, which also opens up more pathways for legal migration, in his visit to El Paso on Sunday.

☆ Canada and the U.S. both face labor shortages. One country is increasing immigration.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

In as little as a decade, there will be one retiree for every two workers in Canada. How outdated U.S. immigration policies push top talent to other countries,” Lofgren said, “The last major overhaul of our legal immigration system occurred in 1990. University Health Network began a program this year to bring in more internationally educated nurses and help them get the additional training they need in Canada. New immigrants to Canada and new Canadians take part in the 5th Annual Newcomer Day at Nathan Philips Square in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 16, 2019. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it "is committed to fairly and efficiently administering the lawful immigration system, increasing access to eligible immigration benefits, restoring faith and trust with immigrant communities and breaking down barriers in the immigration system, and the agency will continue to uphold America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve."

☆ Biden admin will use Title 42 to block more Nicaraguans, Cubans, Haitians at border, but also open more legal pathways
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The announcement comes as the Biden administration faces record numbers of illegal border crossings, particularly by migrants from those three countries. Previously Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans have been able to skirt the Covid-19 border restrictions known as Title 42 that have prevented more than 1.4 million border crossings by forcing migrants back into Mexico before they can claim asylum. Citizens of Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua were not subject to Title 42 in part because their home countries, and therefore Mexico, refuse to take them back. Those accepted through the application process must show they have a U.S.-based sponsor to support them, much like Venezuelans and Ukrainians have done through programs the Biden administration established for those countries. NBC News was first to report that the Biden administration was considering opening up an application program for migrants to apply to come to the U.S. from their home countries.

☆ Biden Administration Proposes Higher Fees for Employment Visas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Michelle Hackman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A proposal would raise fees for H-1B visas, a favorite among tech and financial companies along with universities and other nonprofit research centers. WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is proposing to raise the fees companies must pay for employment-based visas to fund the agency that oversees legal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. Under the proposal, the primary fee for an H-1B visa would jump to $1,595 from $470. The visa, which allows immigrants with college degrees to live and work in the U.S. for as long as six years before becoming permanent residents, is a favorite among technology and financial companies along with universities and other nonprofit research centers.

☆ U.S. Capitol Police ready for future attacks as Jan. 6 anniversary looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Capitol Police are prepared for any possible future attacks on Congress, its chief said on Monday ahead of the second anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack and the dissolution of the congressional panel investigating it. "The current threat climate, particularly against elected officials, will require continued and heightened vigilance," USCP Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement. "With the polarized state of our nation, an attack like the one our Department endured on January 6, 2021 could be attempted again. A bipartisan U.S. House of Representatives panel investigating the attack said last month that Trump should face criminal charges for his role in sparking the deadly siege. Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ National park closes after 300 migrants arrive during holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A remote national park in the Gulf of Mexico closed on Monday after about 300 migrants landed there over the holiday weekend, officials said. Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 miles west of Key West, temporarily closed Monday morning "while law enforcement & medical personnel evaluate, provide care for & coordinate transport to Key West" for the migrants, the park said in a tweet. By Sunday afternoon, more than 160 migrants had arrived in 10 landings since midnight, Slosar tweeted. "Like elsewhere in the Florida Keys, the park has recently seen an increase in people arriving by boat from Cuba and landing on the islands of Dry Tortugas National Park," the park's statement continued. "Park first responders provide food, water and basic medical attention until the Department of Homeland Security arrives and takes the lead."

☆ As Capitol police became overpowered on Jan. 6, the Pentagon sent security to the homes of military leaders, per the former Capitol police chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund is releasing his book "Courage Under Fire" on Jan. 3. The book will detail what went wrong on Jan. 6 and how it could happen again. "The security and information-sharing policies and mandates put in place after September 11 failed miserably on January 6," Sund said in the book, according to the Post. Help from the military did not come for another three hours, The Post reported, after the building was already clear. The book's revelations come as the Jan. 6 committee released new documents from its final report.

Wickr Me, an Amazon-owned encrypted chat platform, stopped accepting new users after Dec. 31 and will shut down completely on Dec. 31 of this year, according to an announcement from the company. In June, an NBC News investigation revealed that Wickr Me had become a go-to product for many people trading child sexual abuse material. The investigation identified 72 court cases from the past five years in which the defendant allegedly used Wickr (as it’s commonly known) to trade child sexual abuse material. In its statement in November, the company explained that it was shutting down Wickr Me to devote more resources and focus toward its business-to-business products, AWS Wickr and Wickr Enterprise. In 2016, one of the first successful prosecutions against someone trading child pornography on the app was reported by the Deseret Morning News.

☆ Donald Trump asked Jared Kushner if he could trademark the phrase 'Rigged Election,' January 6 interview transcript shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump requested that Jared Kushner try to trademark "Rigged Election!" The email was titled "POTUS requests," per the transcript, which Kushner said "most likely" conveyed a direct request from Trump. Two phrases were included in bold, including exclamation marks, which were "Rigged Election!" Kushner told the panel that he couldn't recall Trump's intended purpose of using the phrase "Rigged Election," adding that his role was "operational" and involved forwarding requests to the right people, the transcript shows. After losing to Biden in November 2020, Trump tweeted it was a "RIGGED ELECTION."

☆ Joe Biden's biggest successes and failures in his second year in office
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

His second year in office was marked by historic legislative achievements despite Democrats' razor-thin majority in Congress. Here are some of the highs and lows from Biden's second year:Success: UkrainePresident Joe Biden talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside the White House. Conservative New York Times columnist Bret Stephens in September called the "staggering gains" by Ukrainian forces "a victory for Joe Biden, too." Universal pre-K was included in a sweeping spending plan passed by House Democrats until their Senate colleagues cut that out too. Failure: InflationPresident Joe Biden arrives for an event focused on inflation and the supply chain at the Port of Los Angeles in June.

☆ Trump's top DHS official told the Jan. 6 committee he doesn't remember Trump repeatedly calling the 2020 election 'rigged.' Trump used the word 'rigged' in 3 tweets 24 hours after losing the election.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump official Ken Cuccinelli claims to not remember Donald Trump calling the 2020 election "rigged." "I am not prepared to validate that word," Cuccinelli told investigators, according to testimony released Friday. And "Rigged Election Hoax!" "Is it fair to say," an investigator asked, "that seeds of distrust were sown with respect to the 2020 election — after the November 2020 election?" In May 2020, for example, he asserted that the presidential contest would be "the greatest Rigged Election in history."

Last year, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, labeled 2021 the “worst year” for LGBTQ rights in modern U.S. history, citing a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country. “The LGBTQ+ community is really under siege right now,” said Ricardo Martinez, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas. One bill that was successfully implemented, and gained national headlines for months, was Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The word “grooming” has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers. Those losses came after some conservative groups ramped up misleading or inflammatory campaign ads targeting transgender rights.

☆ Supreme Court extends Trump-era pandemic immigration rule to allow quicker deportations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to keep in place for now a controversial Trump-era rule that allows Customs and Border Patrol officials to deport migrants at the U.S. southern border as a public health measure in response to the pandemic. The Supreme Court also agreed to hear oral arguments in February and rule on whether the states can intervene, with a decision due by the end of June. More than 2 million people have been deported at the southern border under the policy since 2020. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked the Biden administration earlier this month from ending the controversial policy. But Republican-led states intervened in the case and successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to block that lower court ruling.

Three buses coming from Texas dropped off about 140 recent migrants — including babies and young children — near Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, D.C. in historically frigid temperatures on Saturday evening. But immigration activists said Saturday’s incident was particularly cruel because of the freezing temperatures in Washington, D.C., and because of the fact that it occurred on Christmas Eve. Madhvi Bahl, an organizer with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, confirmed the arrival of the migrants on Saturday to NBC News. The buses dropped the migrants near Harris’ residence at the Naval Observatory. There have been several instances of migrants being dropped off outside, or near, Harris’ residence.

☆ Intel community escapes major criticism by Jan. 6 committee for missing 'foreseeable' Capitol violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The appendix also states what is widely known: A lot of information was publicly available that suggested Jan. 6 would be violent, and law enforcement wasn’t prepared for the violence it faced. “Federal and local law enforcement authorities were in possession of multiple streams of intelligence predicting violence directed at the Capitol prior to January 6th,” the appendix said. Instead, as NBC News first reported, staffers on various teams, including the "blue" team looking at law enforcement failures, were informed that chapters they prepared would be curtailed. The final report centers on former President Donald Trump and what the committee believes is his criminal culpability for the Jan. 6 attack. The report revealed that the FBI was collecting alarming reports from around the country but didn’t start looking at them closely until Jan. 5.

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