INTERNACIONAL
California Dems accused of putting sanctuary law over migrant child welfare checks: ‘Real children’

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California Democrats are facing accusations that the state’s sanctuary policies are leaving vulnerable migrant children unchecked after California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office warned that local police welfare visits on unaccompanied minors using information from federal authorities could violate state law.
The warning from Bonta has become a flashpoint in a broader lawsuit brought by the City of El Cajon against California’s sanctuary state policies. City officials, like Mayor Bill Wells and City Councilman Steve Goble, argue that the state is putting law enforcement in an impossible position, such as forcing them to make a determination on whether to check on potentially vulnerable children flagged by federal immigration authorities and risk violating state law, or leave the vulnerable unaccompanied minors unchecked.
Goble told Fox News Digital he was informed during a February 2025 meeting with San Diego-area Homeland Security officials that federal authorities had a list of unaccompanied migrant children, including 52 with addresses in El Cajon. He said federal officials asked whether local police could help «ensure these kids are safe» through welfare checks, prompting Goble to seek guidance from Bonta’s office before dispatching officers.
I’M A MAYOR TRYING TO FOLLOW LAW BUT CALIFORNIA IS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR COPS
«It’s kind of hard to imagine why they’re choosing this hill to die on,» Wells told Fox News Digital. «What they basically want to say is, ‘Because our narrative is so important, and protecting illegal aliens is so important, that, yeah, if a few kids get sex trafficked along the way — you know, you’re just making this up. You’re just using this as a way.’ I mean, these are real people. These are real children. I think it’s an incredibly insensitive argument.«
California’s sanctuary state policies have come under legal scrutiny by one Southern California town that says it has unaccompanied minors needing to be checked on, but law enforcement’s hands are tied due to state-level policies preventing them from making the welfare checks. In this photo, migrant children can be seen trying to get across the border (left), next to an image of California Attorney General Rob Bonta (right). (Getty Images)
Goble had asked Bonta’s office in a March 2025 letter whether local police could conduct the checks using contact information provided by federal authorities, writing that the city wanted to ensure all children were safe «regardless of citizenship or resident status.»
In the letter, Goble cited the inspector general’s concerns that unaccompanied minors are at heightened risk of trafficking, exploitation and forced labor, and wrote that «time is of the essence» in determining whether the children were safe.
Meanwhile, Bonta’s office responded in a June 2025 letter, warning that local law enforcement pursuing wellness checks «alongside or based on information provided by federal immigration authorities» could implicate conduct prohibited by SB 54, known as the California Values Act.
Bonta’s letter said these violations could include if officers confirmed location information provided by ICE, or reported the results of the check back to federal immigration authorities.
But Goble told Fox News Digital that the city was not asking police to act as immigration agents, but primarily wanted to confirm whether the children are safe.
CALIFORNIA TOWN WITH LARGE MIGRANT POPULATION MIGHT REVOKE SANCTUARY STATUS
«All I care about is, is the kid safe?» Goble told Fox News Digital. «I don’t care the immigration status or citizen status of anybody else in the room.»

Unaccompanied children were found at the U.S. border in Texas. (Texas DPS)
The welfare-check dispute is one piece of a broader legal challenge El Cajon filed against Bonta on April 28, 2026, seeking relief from California’s sanctuary policies impacting how local law enforcement do their jobs, including SB 54, the TRUST Act and the TRUTH Act. In a May 20 motion for a preliminary injunction, the city asked the court to temporarily block Bonta from enforcing those laws against El Cajon while the case proceeds, arguing the policies are preempted by federal immigration law and put local police in the position of choosing between state restrictions and federal obligations.
The May 20 injunction motion specifically cites the Goble-Bonta exchange as an example of how the city says California’s sanctuary laws prevent El Cajon officers from engaging in «basic public safety work.» The filing argues that the state’s legal framework forces officers to spend time navigating «legal hairsplitting» instead of responding quickly to public-safety concerns, including checks on children in the community.
«Every time an El Cajon police officer steps out onto the street, they’re going to be breaking one of two laws,» Wells said to Fox News Digital. «They’re either going to be breaking federal law or they’re going to be breaking state law. And you cannot put police officers in that situation.»
BLUE STATE COUNTY FACES BACKLASH AFTER FAILED VOTE TO SCRAP ‘SUPER SANCTUARY’ POLICY: ‘FRINGE DEMOCRATS’
El Cajon’s lawsuit is not limited to the welfare checks. The April 28 complaint broadly asks a San Diego County court to declare California’s sanctuary restrictions invalid and to stop Bonta from enforcing them against El Cajon police.

El Cajon police officer Stephen Hannibal works his new dog Ace at the El Cajon Police Department on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 in El Cajon, CA. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Bonta’s office’s June 2025 response said it «share[s]» El Cajon’s concern for children who may be at risk of harm, but suggested county social service agencies may have a role when there is no evidence of criminal activity requiring law enforcement.
Wells and Goble pushed back on that argument; however, arguing Bonta’s suggestion ignored San Diego County’s December 2024 vote restricting county resources from being used to assist federal immigration enforcement.
«That means we’re not going to let our social service workers go do welfare checks on unaccompanied minors for the Department of Homeland Security,» Goble told Fox News Digital. «It’s another rock and a hard place.»
EX-BIDEN OFFICIAL’S CAMPAIGN FACES HEAT AS MISSING CHILDREN SCANDAL RESURFACES: ‘VOTERS DESERVE BETTER’
Wells added that it was difficult to accept Bonta’s suggestion that county agencies could serve as a neutral fallback for welfare checks tied to information from federal authorities. «This is the same county we would be deferring to, to check on these kids,» Wells added. «They’re not neutral. They’ve been very, very clear.»
Immigrant-rights advocates nationally have warned that ICE «welfare checks» on unaccompanied migrant children can function as immigration enforcement under the banner of child safety. The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights has called the Trump administration’s ICE «wellness checks» harmful enforcement «in disguise,» while other advocates have warned that DHS visits can discourage sponsors from coming forward or expose families to deportation fears.
But Wells and Goble rejected that framing, arguing local police could check on children without reporting immigration violations discovered during the visit.
«That doesn’t make us federal immigration officers,» Wells said. «It just means that our officers could do their job like they’ve always done in the past before this unconstitutional law of SB 54 was passed.»

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«All a welfare check on anybody in our city, regardless of immigration status, is: Are they okay?» Goble added. «If they are, thank you very much. Have a good day. See you later.»
Wells noted the lawsuit is not about deputizing local police as immigration agents, but about ensuring officers can do basic public-safety work without running afoul of state law.
Fox News Digital reached out to Bonta’s office, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but did not hear back in time for publication.
police and law enforcement, immigration, immigrant rights, california, sanctuary cities
INTERNACIONAL
Sanctuary county refused 615 ICE transfer requests, turned over just 11 illegal immigrants, records show

Angel mom Cheryl Minter demands accountability from Fairfax DA
The House GOP grilled Fairfax DA Steve Descano over his controversial soft-on-crime record, particularly his office’s leniency toward illegal immigrant criminals. During powerful testimony, Angel Mom Cheryl Minter detailed how her daughter’s murder by an alleged illegal alien with over 30 prior arrests highlighted the tragic consequences.
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FIRST ON FOX: Records obtained by a conservative legal group show Fairfax County, Virginia, declined to transfer 615 illegal immigrants to ICE over the past 16 months, while turning over just 11.
Fairfax County, whose board includes one Republican supervisor for what is the most populous jurisdiction in the Old Dominion, formally designated itself a sanctuary jurisdiction in 2021 after passing the Public Trust and Confidentiality Policy or «Trust Policy.»
America First Legal filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the county seeking records from the office of Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid, who testified at a contentious House hearing earlier this spring on Fairfax’s reluctance to cooperate with federal law enforcement.
The data, obtained directly from a Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office document, showed that for the entirety of 2025, Kincaid’s office refused to transfer 448 illegal immigrants to the Department of Homeland Security for processing and instead only turned over a total of nine to ICE. During the first four months of 2026, Fairfax declined to transfer another 167 illegal immigrants, while turning over only two.
WATCH: ANGEL MOM TURNS TABLES ON SANCTUARY POLITICIANS WITH BASIC QUESTION ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES
Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid (Eva Russo/Getty Images)
Since then, county policy has barred law enforcement from honoring ICE civil detainers or otherwise assisting with federal immigration enforcement.
America First Legal (AFL), which first obtained the data, placed much of the blame on Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephen Descano, who sat beside Kincaid at the recent hearing and faced sharp questioning from Republicans over his prosecutorial discretion in cases involving illegal immigrants arrested in the county.
SOROS-BACKED DA’S LAX ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POLICIES LED TO ‘PREVENTABLE’ BUS STOP STABBING MURDER: COMPLAINT
AFL said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital that Fairfax’s overall framework encourages recidivism by illegal immigrant offenders and has directly led to several gruesome cases, including the murder of Fredericksburg, Virginia, woman Stephanie Minter, whose alleged killer is an illegal immigrant from West Africa with a lengthy criminal record in Fairfax County.
AFL noted that Descano is under investigation by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division over claims U.S. citizens are effectively discriminated against because of the prosecutor’s stated preferential policies, which appeared on his campaign pages and elsewhere and were highlighted by Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock, R-Calif., and others during the hearing.
The group pointed to fatal stabbings; the alleged assault of a woman on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, a popular rail trail spanning from Washington, D.C., to Purcellville that has long been considered safe; and other crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants who, it said, received light sentences or had charges dropped.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS BLUE STATE’S LAW PROHIBITING ICE AGENTS FROM WEARING MASKS ON THE JOB
Descano has long defended his prosecutorial discretion as evidence-based and handled on a case-by-case basis.
A Descano spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement Thursday that the DOJ’s probe is politically motivated and has «distort[ed] the office’s policy.» The spokesperson also said the notice appeared to arrive intentionally just before Descano testified before McClintock.
«Our office’s policies are fair, legal and reflect the values of Fairfax County, and we will not be distracted from our mission of keeping this community safe and holding individuals accountable when they commit crimes,» the spokesperson said.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Kincaid’s office for comment.

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, left, and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid, right, testify before Congress. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)
AFL counsel Will Scolinos rejected the county’s defense, telling Fox News Digital that tragic cases such as Minter’s murder are the product of the Trust Policy and the shielding of «hundreds of illegal aliens … from federal law enforcement.»
«This deliberate obstruction by county officials protects illegal alien lawbreakers and endangers every family in Northern Virginia,» Scolinos said. «For too many families, it is already too late. But to protect other Virginians from future crimes at the hands of illegal aliens with prior arrests, Fairfax County must reverse this reckless, anti-American governance immediately.»
In the most recent month recorded, April 2026, 32 illegal immigrants were listed as being in the sheriff’s office’s custody, with none released to ICE. All 32 were subject to an «informed detainer,» and three were listed as convicted.
AFL also noted that Santa Clara County, California — home to the San Francisco 49ers’ new stadium — informed the group that it received 529 ICE detainer requests in 2025 and honored none.
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«If each detainer represents a unique illegal alien, an average of 1.34 arrested illegal aliens were released into Santa Clara every day,» AFL said in April.
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The numbers reflect a pattern that is expected to continue drawing scrutiny from the Trump administration and groups such as AFL, which has also sought data from sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
sanctuary cities, virginia, migrant crime, illegal immigrants, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Trump calificó de “ridícula” la relación de Estados Unidos con la OTAN y volvió exigir que Europa aumente el gasto militar

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, calificó este viernes de “ridícula” la relación de su país con la OTAN, afirmó que el vínculo es “unilateral” y volvió a reclamar que los aliados europeos asuman una mayor responsabilidad en materia de defensa, a pocos días de la cumbre de la alianza que se celebrará el 7 y 8 de julio en Ankara, Turquía.
Trump publicó su mensaje en la red social Truth Social, donde cuestionó el compromiso de los países europeos con la alianza. “¡Ellos no estuvieron ahí para nosotros!”, escribió el mandatario. Además, sostuvo que la relación entre Washington y la OTAN “no es recíproca” y consideró “ridícula” la continuidad de un esquema que definió como “unilateral” para Estados Unidos.
El mandatario volvió a apuntar contra los aliados europeos por su respuesta a la guerra en Irán. En distintas ocasiones cuestionó que varios países restringieran el uso de bases militares por parte de las fuerzas estadounidenses y reiteró que Europa debe asumir el liderazgo de su propia defensa, mientras Washington reduce parte de sus compromisos militares en el continente.
Trump acompañó su publicación con un gráfico sobre el gasto militar de los miembros de la OTAN, en el que mostró que Estados Unidos destina una inversión ampliamente superior a la de varios países de la alianza.
Las declaraciones llegaron menos de una semana antes de la cumbre de la OTAN en Ankara, donde los líderes de los 32 Estados miembros debatirán el futuro de la seguridad europea, el reparto de responsabilidades dentro de la alianza y el fortalecimiento de las capacidades militares.
En ese contexto, el embajador de Estados Unidos ante la OTAN, Matthew Whitaker, reforzó el mensaje de la Casa Blanca y reclamó que todos los aliados aceleren el cumplimiento del compromiso de elevar el gasto en defensa al 5% del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) para 2035.
“Algunos aliados están haciendo más que otros, y tenemos países como Polonia, los países nórdicos, los bálticos y Alemania a la cabeza”, afirmó Whitaker ante periodistas.
Sin embargo, advirtió que “tenemos algunos que se están quedando atrás, que o bien no están gastando lo suficiente en este momento o no tienen una vía creíble para llegar al compromiso de defensa de La Haya”.
El diplomático recordó que los líderes de la OTAN acordaron el año pasado aumentar el gasto relacionado con la defensa hasta el 5% del PIB para 2035, una meta impulsada por Trump.
Whitaker sostuvo que el presidente estadounidense “espera plenamente que todos los aliados den un paso al frente de inmediato y se pongan en el camino hacia el cinco por ciento, y que lo hagan con urgencia”.
El embajador también aseguró que las diferencias recientes entre Washington y algunos socios europeos respondieron al deterioro de las relaciones personales entre dirigentes y afirmó que “esos tiempos ya pasaron”.
Además, señaló a España por haber “decepcionado” a Trump debido a su postura respecto de la guerra en Irán y por su “falta de voluntad para demostrar un camino creíble hacia el cinco por ciento” del PIB en gasto de defensa.
Pese a esas críticas, Whitaker indicó que no espera un enfrentamiento entre Trump y el presidente del Gobierno español, Pedro Sánchez, durante la cumbre.
El funcionario estadounidense también sostuvo que el aumento del gasto debe traducirse en capacidades militares concretas. “El objetivo es claro: seguir trasladando la responsabilidad de la defensa convencional de Europa a nuestros aliados de la OTAN”, afirmó. Asimismo, agregó: “Estados Unidos no va a desaparecer, pero tenemos responsabilidades a nivel mundial”.
Otro de los temas previstos para la reunión será el fortalecimiento de la industria de defensa a ambos lados del Atlántico. Whitaker expresó el respaldo de Washington a los esfuerzos de la Unión Europea para ampliar la producción militar, aunque advirtió sobre iniciativas que puedan excluir a empresas estadounidenses.
“Desde luego, no apoyamos el lenguaje proteccionista que a menudo incluyen muchas de las iniciativas de defensa europeas, que excluiría a los aliados”, señaló. Por último, sostuvo: “Ese es un tema que podría surgir durante la cumbre y esperamos poder llegar a un acuerdo sobre ese desafío”.
(Con información de AFP)
Europe
INTERNACIONAL
The Democratic socialists are no longer on the fringe

Kamala Harris coordinating with Zohran Mamdani in restructuring the left: Report
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, achieved a significant primary victory in Colorado, unseating a 29-year congressional incumbent, Diana DeGette. Her win is highlighted as part of a spreading trend of far-left candidates succeeding in primaries, a dynamic that could profoundly reshape the Democratic Party’s platform and direction.
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No one will struggle to keep warm amid an historic heat wave gripping the eastern U.S.
But how about keeping «your comrade warm?»
No. You’re not back in the USSR.
But you might be in the Democratic party.
SOCIALISTS SWEEP NYC AS AMERICANS BALK AT MOVEMENT’S BRUTAL CATCH: ‘TALK TO IMMIGRANTS’
Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King’s Theater on June 18, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
«You deserve to make sure that your international comrades are actually working with you and getting the benefits that you that you all deserve,» said Democratic New York House nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier at a union rally in New York City.
«Half of the people here are strangers to you all. But now you have comrades,» said Colorado Democratic Congressional nominee Melat Kiros who defeated Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) Tuesday.
«I’ve got to give a shout out to my comrades,» said Missouri Democratic Congressional candidate Hartzell Gray on a podcast interview.
To Democratic Socialists, you don’t know how lucky you are.
«You have the solidarity of the entire labor movement. And you have my solidarity, too,» said Democratic New York House nominee Claire Valdez.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) didn’t endorse either Avila Chevalier nor Valdez. However, he did congratulate them. Jeffries naturally needs Avila Chavalier, Valdez and Democratic New York House nominee Brad Lander to win. They probably will this fall. But when asked about progressives who prevailed in the New York primary – who he didn’t endorse – Jeffries delivered a nuanced answer.
«I will support every single Democratic incumbent in the New York Congressional delegation and beyond,» said Jeffries.
CNN resuscitated a set of old tweets from Avila Chevalier. Some praised communism. Others called for more Marxist literature in libraries. Yours truly pressed Jeffries about whether he should call out Avila Chevalier for some of her old social media postings.
«Should she apologize or clarify some of these very inflammatory tweets that she sent?» I queried.
«That’s a question you’re going to have to ask her,» answered Jeffries.
«But as Leader, is that a problem?» I followed up.
«I’ve spoken to this issue. I’ve expressed my position as it relates to many of the things that she has said in the past over Twitter. my statement speaks for itself,» answered Jeffries.
Then the 29-year-old Melat Kiros whipped 29-year House veteran Diana DeGette in Colorado. Kiros’s victory demonstrated that the Democratic Socialist message didn’t just resonate in the urban canyons of lower Manhattan. But in the Rocky Mountains, too.
«What we are fighting for is Medicare for all. Universal child care. Abolishing ICE. And ending the genocide in Gaza,» said Kiros.
These are core subjects for the left.
«They’re winning on platforms like Medicare for all. Universal health care. Universal childcare. Raising the minimum wage,» said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). «These ideas, whether you call it socialism or not, they are very popular across the country.»
Progressive influencer Hasan Piker believes victories by these candidates in New York and Colorado are just the beginning.
«Progressive politics, left populism. It can work in every district in every state. That’s why I kept saying over and over again, it’s coming to a city near you,» said Piker.
But not everyone is on board.
«Will Democrats continue to defend crazypants?» asked Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Fox.
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) is another. He’s a moderate, pro-Israel Democrat in a battleground district in which President Trump carried in 2024.
HAKEEM JEFFRIES CONFRONTED ON ‘YOU’RE NEXT’ CHANTS FOLLOWING NY DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST VICTORIES

Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic House candidate for New York, center, speaks during a rally with Columbia Postdoctoral Workers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City on June 30, 2026. (Bloomberg)
«My folks want really normal folks. Democrats, Republicans, just people who are going to get things done. And so they see this because this is what gets attention,» said Landsman. «I hope the party doesn’t go in that direction. Having a diversity of opinions is one thing. But some of what some of them think is beyond the pale. It’s just outrageous.»
Landsman wished Democratic leaders would speak out against controversial candidates and nominees.
«The fact that they won’t even call it out, I think is an underlying current within the Democrat Party that they’re scared of their own base,» said Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC).
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) is retiring after 32 years in Congress. She’s not aligned with her likely successor, Claire Valdez.
«So what do you make of some of the controversy about your prospective successor? And is that driving a wedge through the party?» yours truly asked Velazquez.
«Look, we are celebrating the outcome of this Supreme Court decision that reaffirm the fundamental principle of the Constitution that anyone born in this country is an American citizen,» answered Velazquez, trying to change the subject.
«But do you have but did you not see things eye to eye with your prospective successor here?» I followed up.
Velazquez sighed.
«Look, she won and I wish her well. And I offered myself to sit down with her and discuss the transition. But this is how democracy works,» said Velazquez.
Still, other Democrats believe the party can operate under a «big tent» and court voters.
«There’s room for conversations about where we go. But we’re not the party of one person or coalition and there’s going to be those discussions about where we move forward,» said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL).
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) asserted that wins by Democratic Socialists in New York City carried outsized weight. She also said that it was natural for the press corps to capitalize on possible divisions in the party.
«I think that you all try to stir it up. Stir up this language. Try to pit people against each other,» said Dingell.
I asked Dingell about «controversial things» which Avila Chevalier peddled over the years.
«I don’t have to agree with everything that she said. The Republicans are putting kerosene on the fire,» said Dingell.
«Didn’t she pour kerosene on it to start with?» I asked.
«Look, I wouldn’t have said some of the things that she said. But I don’t vote in New York. They do,» answered Dingell.
SOCIALISM GOES WEST AS DSA-BACKED CHALLENGER OUSTS LONGTIME DEMOCRAT

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces growing pressure as democratic socialist-backed candidates gain influence in New York, raising new questions about the party’s ideological direction. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Republicans are adamantly opposed to socialism. But in a weird way, the Democratic lurch left might actually help the GOP beat the historic odds and hold the House.
«They’re a complete socialist party now,» said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). «They’ve got to either own it or disassociate themselves from it.»
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When the Beatles released Back In the USSR, American conservatives and right-wing reactionaries said this proved that the group harbored communist sentiments.
Now the American right says the Democratic party has turned to the left. Republicans say listen to the rhetoric of Democratic Socialists espousing their views. And to hear the GOP tell it, those candidates may as well be back in the USSR.
democrats elections, democratic party, democrats, politics, elections, socialism
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