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Michigan governor hopeful pressed on past SPLC work after DOJ indictment: ‘What did Jocelyn know?’
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Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s campaign hit back at Republican attacks Friday after the state GOP demanded answers from the Democratic gubernatorial front-runner on her past work with the federally-indicted Southern Poverty Law Center.
Benson is a former volunteer and later board member of the SPLC, which was indicted Tuesday on 11 counts over accusations it fraudulently paid members of extremist groups like the KKK and those tied to the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the SPLC paid members of these extremist groups so it could create a «work product that reported on these activities.»
«Jocelyn Benson regularly touted her experience as a leader of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a group that the Department of Justice says secretly funneled money to the KKK and other hate groups they were purportedly tracking,» the Michigan Republican Party posted on its official X account on Friday.
«What did Jocelyn know, and when did she know it?»
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Michigan Attorney General Jocelyn Benson is seen at an event. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
After her 2004 graduation from college in Massachusetts, Benson moved to Alabama to work for the SPLC, where she aided investigations of hate groups and hate crimes, according to the Harvard Law Review.
She also visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma where civil rights figures like the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., marched and were badly beaten by law enforcement.
An official with the Benson campaign confirmed she served as a volunteer researcher for the SPLC after college and later served on the Montgomery-based group’s board from 2014–2018.
But when pressed on what Benson knew about the allegations in the DOJ’s indictment, her campaign pushed back on the Republican Party’s attacks.
«Jocelyn Benson has spent her career advancing the unfinished work of the civil rights movement and expanding economic opportunity, including helping dismantle white supremacist and neo-Nazi extremist networks responsible for hate crimes across the country,» the campaign told Fox News Digital on Friday.
«And while Donald Trump is trying to use his Justice Department to distract from his reckless economic policies that are driving up costs for Michiganders, Jocelyn remains focused on lower costs, raising wages, and protecting the rights and freedoms of the people in this state.»
Republicans continued to press Benson for answers.
MIGOP Chairman Jim Runestad told Fox News Digital that Benson’s tenure on the SPLC board coincided with the timeframe in which the DOJ alleged the group began «paying the KKK and other extremist groups.»
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«Benson owes an explanation to the public in what she knows about the SPLC’s alleged criminal behavior, considering the criminal activity started around the same time Benson was named to the Board,» Runestad said.
Benson has previously described her early work at the SPLC as focused on investigating extremist groups.
In a 2025 interview with «Keen on America,» Benson recounted researching groups «claiming to be the reincarnation of [Adolf] Hitler,» saying she once sat alone in a hotel room in Spartanburg and feared those people «were going to find out who I was and come and kill me and no one would ever know about it and all the rest.»
«And that was an act of courage, small and no one saw it, but it helped me build a bravery muscle that and several other points throughout my life so that 20 years later, 25 years later, when I’m standing up to the president of the United States, it wasn’t the first time I’ve had to take on those harrowing fights,» Benson went on in the interview.
In prior comments, an SPLC official named Penny Weaver described Benson as coming to Montgomery «straight out of college as an unpaid intern, then worked for us.»
«Benson worked as a waitress to support herself so she could continue to volunteer at the center,» Weaver said, adding that Benson begged to be able to volunteer for the SPLC.
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The SPLC is a longstanding left-wing nonprofit that claims to fight White supremacy and racial hatred by reporting on extremist groups and conducting research to inform law enforcement about them with the goal of dismantling the groups. SPLC’s CEO, Bryan Fair, addressed the probe in a video message posted online, arguing the Trump administration has «made no secret who they want to protect and who they want to destroy.»
«We are reviewing the charges,» a subsequent statement from Fair sent to Fox News Digital added. «However, after today’s Department of Justice press conference, we are outraged by the false allegations levied against SPLC – an organization that for 55 years has stood as a beacon of hope fighting white supremacy and various forms of injustice to create a multi-racial democracy where we can all live and thrive. Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do. To be clear, this program saved lives.»
The complete list of these groups, according to a Justice Department press release, includes the Ku Klux Klan, United Klans of America, Unite the Right, National Alliance, the National Socialist Movement, Aryan Nations affiliated Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club, National Socialist Party of America (American Nazi Party), and the American Front.
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Blanche and FBI Director Patel also argued Tuesday that the SPLC tried to hide its payments to groups the SPLC told its donors it was trying to combat, leading to several of the charges in the indictment.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and Alec Schemmel and Fox News’ Jake Gibson and David Spunt contributed to this report.
democrats elections, michigan, hate crime, republicans, politics, justice department
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Unearthed video exposes El-Sayed’s opinion on driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants
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Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, once proposed allowing undocumented immigrants to secure driver’s licenses, making the case that not doing so would be discriminatory.
«We’ve got to make sure that in this state we are not discriminating against documentation status. Right now, if you’re undocumented, you don’t get access to a driver’s license. You’re stuck,» El-Sayed said in a 2018 campaign interview.
At the time, El-Sayed was running for governor.
Eight years later, as he looks to join the U.S. Senate, the resurfaced clip sheds light on El-Sayed’s past thinking about how local governments should interact with illegal aliens and raises questions about whether granting them state identification would in some ways legitimize their presence in the U.S.
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Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
Hans von Spakovsky, an elections expert for Advancing American Freedom, explained that a license can act as a doorway to a range of government benefits.
«Because America does not have a national ID card like the Europeans and other nations, state driver’s licenses are a stand-in for that ID card. Issuing driver’s licenses to aliens will help them in all the instances where a license is needed, from opening bank accounts to all types of other transactions,» Spakovsky said.
Spakovsky noted that I-9 forms, paperwork for employment eligibility, regularly require little else than a license.
«The key to getting aliens to self-deport would be to ensure that they cannot rent apartments, open bank accounts and take all of the other steps necessary to live and work in the U.S.,» Spakovsky said.
«Providing them driver’s licenses is a huge step in allowing them to easily live and work in the United States,» he added.
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Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In the 2018 clip, El-Sayed seemed concerned that illegal aliens would be ineligible for some of those advantages.
«You don’t get access to a lot of the basic things that the state offers everybody else, and I think that’s ridiculous and so we’ve got to stop discriminating that way,» El-Sayed said.
Although El-Sayed has rejected labels like «progressive» or «far-left,» he has advocated for a more government-first approach in many key areas like affordability, infrastructure and public services.
He’s advocated for Medicare for all, opposes corporate tax carve-outs, and he supports tuition-free access to higher education. When asked about promises to increase government provisions by candidates like Zohran Mamdani, El-Sayed said he believes that Democrats will trend in that direction.
«You’re seeing that kind of resonance here in Michigan for sure. And I’m not surprised that you’re seeing that in New York, too. Government ought to be available to set an equal playing field for everybody and to offer those basic things that everybody needs and deserves,» El-Sayed told Fox News Digital in an interview.
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Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, at a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan on August 2, 2026 ( )
El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how far government should go in providing some of those same services to non-residents. His campaign also did not address whether providing licenses for undocumented immigrants would be a tacit approval of their presence in the country.
El-Sayed faces off against Rep. Haley Stevens on Tuesday evening in the state’s primaries. Whoever secures the party’s nomination will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
illegal immigrants, immigrant rights, politics, michigan
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Fiscalía pide un año de prisión preventiva para hijos del narcotraficante costarricense “Pecho de Rata”
La Fiscalía Adjunta de Legitimación de Capitales y Persecución Patrimonial solicitó un año de prisión preventiva para 37 de los imputados en el caso Riverside, entre ellos cuatro hijos de Edwin López Vega, alias “Pecho de Rata”, señalado como el presunto líder de una organización criminal dedicada al tráfico nacional e internacional de drogas y al lavado de dinero.
La petición fue presentada luego de que el Ministerio Público concluyera la exposición de las pruebas durante la audiencia de medidas cautelares, un proceso que se ha prolongado por más de siete semanas debido a la magnitud del expediente y al elevado número de personas investigadas.
Ahora corresponderá a los abogados defensores presentar sus alegatos antes de que el Juzgado Penal de Limón resuelva si acoge o no la solicitud fiscal.
De acuerdo con la investigación, la organización criminal habría continuado operando incluso después de que López Vega fuera extraditado a Estados Unidos en marzo de este año, tras permanecer detenido desde mediados de 2025.
La Fiscalía sostiene que la estructura quedó bajo el mando de los hijos de “Pecho de Rata”, quienes habrían asumido funciones de coordinación dentro de la presunta organización dedicada al abastecimiento de marihuana y cocaína para diferentes grupos criminales del país, además de exportar cargamentos de droga y blanquear las ganancias obtenidas mediante esas actividades ilícitas.
Entre los imputados también destacan un hombre de apellido Spencer, quien presuntamente era el responsable de la logística marítima utilizada para el transporte de estupefacientes, y dos personas de apellido Botti, señaladas como supuestos encargados del tráfico de drogas.
La solicitud de prisión preventiva alcanza a personas de apellidos Calero, López, Vaz, Cameron, Mc Lean, Wray, Pizarro, Angulo, Martínez, Lara, Mena, Kelly, Scoby, Sojo, León, Marchena, Botti, Pinnock, Ardón, Coto, Romero, Gordon, Collado, Córdoba, Spencer, Marín, Corrales, Slack, Segura, Gutrie y Weir, entre otros.
Mientras tanto, otras 17 personas investigadas permanecerán en libertad bajo medidas cautelares. Entre las restricciones impuestas por la Fiscalía figuran la prohibición de salir del país, la obligación de firmar una vez al mes ante las autoridades judiciales, mantener un domicilio fijo y abstenerse de tener contacto con los demás integrantes de la presunta organización criminal.
El Ministerio Público explicó que esas medidas fueron determinadas luego de valorar los riesgos procesales y el nivel de participación atribuido a cada uno de los sospechosos.
Además, advirtió que cualquier incumplimiento de las condiciones impuestas podría provocar la revocatoria de esas medidas y el eventual dictado de prisión preventiva.
La audiencia se desarrolla en el auditorio del Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), debido a la cantidad de personas involucradas en el expediente. La utilización de ese espacio ha generado algunos retrasos, ya que el recinto también había sido reservado para otras actividades institucionales, como graduaciones y grabaciones, lo que obligó a realizar coordinaciones logísticas adicionales.
La diligencia es dirigida por la jueza Alejandra Rojas, del Juzgado Penal de Limón.
La operación Riverside, ejecutada el 23 de junio, es considerada por las autoridades como el mayor operativo realizado en la historia del OIJ contra una organización dedicada al narcotráfico y la legitimación de capitales.
Según las investigaciones, la estructura movilizaba cocaína y marihuana desde Colombia mediante embarcaciones que desembarcaban en la zona de Cahuita, en Limón, para posteriormente distribuir la droga dentro del país y enviarla a otros mercados.
Las pesquisas también permitieron identificar un patrimonio de aproximadamente ₡10,000 millones (USD 22 millones) que las autoridades consideran de origen presuntamente ilícito.
El expediente además incluye investigaciones por presuntos vínculos con el exmagistrado Celso Gamboa y menciona la supuesta participación de figuras públicas, entre ellas cantantes, exfutbolistas y modelos, aspecto que continúa bajo investigación.
Asimismo, el OIJ determinó que, pese a encontrarse privado de libertad antes de su extradición, “Pecho de Rata” habría continuado dirigiendo las op2weraciones de la organización desde el centro penal La Reforma mediante teléfonos celulares que, presuntamente, le eran facilitados de forma ilegal por funcionarios penitenciarios.
La investigación también señala que López Vega fungía como uno de los principales proveedores logísticos de droga para Alejandro Arias Monge, alias “Diablo”, uno de los criminales más buscados por las autoridades costarricenses.
pecho de rata,narcotraficante,extradicion,costa rica,estados unidos,prision
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Mexican cartel boss linked to influencer’s livestreamed murder arrested, officials say
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The alleged leader of a violent Mexican criminal cell has been arrested in connection with the assassination of a mayor, while authorities say the case also produced new evidence linking his organization to the livestreamed killing of a 23-year-old influencer.
Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, also known as «El R-1,» was taken into custody during a joint military and law enforcement operation, officials said.
Mexican authorities identified him as the leader of Los Rs, a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG.
Officials allege Álvarez Ayala ordered and financed the November 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo. His criminal cell was also linked to the May 2025 killing of beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, whose former boyfriend is Álvarez Ayala’s son, according to authorities.
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Mexican special security forces are seen alongside Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala after he was arrested. (SSPC – Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana)
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced details of the investigation a day after the arrest.
«‘El R-1’ is identified as the main leader of Los Rs, one of the most violent criminal cells linked to the CJNG, with operations in Apatzingán, Uruapan and Morelia, Michoacán, as well as in Jalisco,» García Harfuch said in a statement posted on X.
«This organization is involved in extortion, murders and drug trafficking, directly affecting producers, business owners and families in the region,» he added.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Márquez, a popular TikTok creator with more than 100,000 followers, was shot and killed while livestreaming from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.
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Mexican authorities say Álvarez Ayala ordered the May 2025 murder of popular beauty influencer Valeria Márquez. (@v___marquez/via Instagram)
At the time, the killing was being investigated as a femicide, a gender-based crime under Mexican law.
Video appeared to show a man entering the salon, asking, «Are you Valeria?» before handing Márquez a gift.
The man then allegedly shot her in the chest and head. Márquez collapsed on camera before another person ended the livestream, the video appeared to show.
García Harfuch said the killing was linked to Francisco, who allegedly threatened Márquez several times after their relationship ended.
«This criminal cell allegedly participated under his orders in coordinating multiple violent acts in the region. Among them is the tragic feminicide of Valeria Márquez, which occurred in May 2025 in Zapopan, Jalisco, a crime linked to Francisco, the victim’s former partner and Ramón Ángel’s son,» García Harfuch said.
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Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, a top figure in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) known as «El R-1,» was taken into custody following a joint military and law enforcement operation. (SSPC – Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana)
«With yesterday’s arrest, we learned that R-1’s son had a romantic relationship with Valeria. He had threatened her on several occasions and everything indicates, and this will be proven, that the son asked his father, R-1, to carry out the feminicide,» he said, according to reports.
Álvarez Ayala is now in custody, while Francisco remains at large. Jalisco authorities have also arrested another man accused of participating in Márquez’s killing.
In addition to Márquez’s killing, Álvarez Ayala is accused of financing and orchestrating the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations in November 2025.
Manzo had been an outspoken critic of organized crime and worked to root out corruption within the local police force.
Authorities have arrested 31 people in connection with Manzo’s killing, García Harfuch said.
Álvarez Ayala is being held at the Altiplano maximum-security prison while federal prosecutors pursue charges. Investigations into both killings are ongoing.
The Treasury Department said the CJNG was «one of the most powerful cartels in the world» and imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals and entities in Mexico linked to the organization in July.
organized crime, mexican cartel violence, world, mexico, assassinations murders
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