INTERNACIONAL
Feds launch operation targeting Minnesota refugees for potential deportation amid fraud investigation
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EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is deploying personnel on site in Minnesota to reexamine the legal refugee population, which includes Somalis, and search for cases, potentially leading to deportations.
Operation Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening (PARRIS) was launched in mid-December to reexamine Minnesota’s roughly 5,600 refugees from countries of concern listed in President Donald Trump’s travel ban proclamations.
«Minnesota is ground zero for the war on fraud. USCIS’ show of force in Minnesota demonstrates that USCIS will not stand idly by as the US immigration system is weaponized by those seeking to defraud the American people,» USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told Fox News Digital. «American citizens first, always.»
The 39 countries listed in the president’s travel ban include Somalia, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Sudan, Yemen, Iran and others.
ICE BLASTS HILTON AFTER EMAILS ALLEGEDLY SHOW HOTEL REFUSING ROOMS TO IMMIGRATION AGENTS
The deployment comes amid an intensified federal immigration enforcement push in Minnesota tied to alleged fraud and travel-ban-related policy changes, where USCIS will redo background checks and case reviews to determine if refugees’ status should be maintained or revoked. (DHS photo by Tia Dufour)
USCIS, which operates within the Department of Homeland Security, intends to redo background checks, reinterview refugees and verify the merits of each refugee claim to determine whether an individual should be referred to ICE.
Should the agency identify a national security or public safety issue or find that a refugee has committed immigration fraud, deportation proceedings will be initiated.
On Wednesday, ICE said that agents were targeted by rioters in «an act of domestic violence» and that «an ICE officer, fearing for his life… fired defensive shots» that ultimately killed the perpetrator.
«This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement, who are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats,» a spokesperson from DHS said.
Sources at USCIS tell Fox News Digital that Operation PARRIS has been in the works for several months and that the agency uncovered rampant fraud in the Twin Cities during Operation Twin Shield, a large-scale investigation that focused on immigration fraud, last fall.
GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS MINNESOTA FRAUD BE TREATED AS ‘ORGANIZED CRIME’ SCHEME
The operation will continue until the agency has reviewed all targeted cases, and sources at USCIS also say that Operation PARRIS will expand beyond Minnesota.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem receives a briefing on the Minnesota day care fraud and related operations in Minneapolis. (DHS photo by Tia Dufour)
The operation is in sync with a DHS surge in Minnesota as the state continues to be rocked by a widespread roughly $9 billion fraud scheme that resulted in 78 individuals being charged, many from the Somali community in Minnesota.
ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a video posted to X on Tuesday that «the largest immigration operation ever» is underway in the state.
FBI SURGES RESOURCES TO MINNESOTA AS PATEL CALLS $250M FRAUD SCHEME ‘TIP OF ICEBERG’
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also posted that «DHS has surged law enforcement to Minneapolis and has already arrested more than 1,500 crooks and creeps: murderers, rapists, pedophiles and gang members.»
DHS faced opposition on the ground in the largely Democratic state, after a local, formerly Hilton-branded hotel allegedly denied ICE and immigration officials stay at their property.
Minnesota locations accused of fraudulent claims were investigated by Fox News Digital, uncovering vacant lots and non-existent suites. (Nikolas Lanum/Andrew Mark Miller/Fox News Digital)
The agency posted several emails between the Hampton Inn Lakeville and agents who purchased rooms at the hotel, in which hotel operators stated they are «not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property.»
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Hilton Hotels has since disbanded with the local venue, and the Trump administration took action against the Hampton Inn, revoking a General Services Administration contract that had the property on a list of approved lodging providers.
Sources at USCIS say there’s more to come with Operation PARRIS in Minnesota, despite the news surrounding the local hotel’s pushback.
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
minnesota fraud exposed,immigration,illegal immigrants,somali immigrant community
INTERNACIONAL
El régimen de Corea del Norte se sumó a Rusia y respaldó la elección del nuevo líder supremo de Irán, Mojtaba Khamenei
Las autoridades de la dictadura norcoreana expresaron este miércoles su apoyo a la elección del nuevo líder supremo de Irán, Mojtaba Khamenei, tras la muerte de su padre, Ali Khamenei, durante el primer día de los bombardeos de Estados Unidos e Israel a Teherán.
Un portavoz del Ministerio de Exteriores de Corea del Norte afirmó que, “ante el reciente anuncio oficial de la Asamblea de Expertos iraní”, Pyongyang respalda “el derecho y la libertad del pueblo iraní de elegir a su propio líder supremo”, según recogió la agencia estatal KCNA.
El portavoz manifestó además su “profunda preocupación” y condenó enérgicamente lo que calificó como agresión “ilegal” por parte de las fuerzas estadounidenses e israelíes, a quienes acusó de “socavar los cimientos de la paz y la seguridad regionales, y aumentar la inestabilidad en el panorama internacional”.
En ese sentido, el funcionario del régimen liderado por Kim Jong-Un señaló que “todas las formas de amenazas retóricas y acciones militares que socaven el sistema político y la integridad territorial del país en cuestión, interfieran en sus asuntos internos y aboguen abiertamente por el derrocamiento son inaceptables bajo cualquier circunstancia y deben ser condenadas y rechazadas”.
La semana pasada, Corea del Norte calificó los ataques militares de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán como “un acto de agresión totalmente ilegal” y “la forma más despreciable de violación de la soberanía”, en medio del estancamiento de las conversaciones nucleares indirectas entre Washington y Teherán.
Pyongyang y Teherán mantienen una relación histórica de cooperación en materia de defensa y tecnología militar, y el conflicto en Medio Oriente podría reforzar la postura norcoreana de que su arsenal nuclear es fundamental para garantizar la supervivencia del régimen.
Entre otras personalidades internacionales que apoyaron la asunción política de Mojtaba Khamenei se encontró el líder del movimiento hutí de Yemen, Abdelmalek al Hutí, quien calificó el lunes el nombramiento como “una bofetada enorme” para Estados Unidos e Israel.
En una carta de felicitación publicada por medios hutíes, Al Hutí elogió la transición de liderazgo en Irán como una victoria para la Revolución Islámica. “Esta exitosa elección fortalece los cimientos del sistema islámico y asesta una bofetada a los tiranos de esta era: Estados Unidos e Israel”, expresó el líder hutí.
A su vez, enmarcó la resiliencia de Irán como parte de una lucha más amplia contra “el plan sionista para cambiar Medio Oriente” y añadió que “la firmeza y la resistencia eficaz de Irán contra la agresión conducirán a la victoria”. El politburó hutí elogió el nombramiento como “una nueva victoria para la Revolución Islámica” y celebró la sucesión como “un golpe rotundo” para los adversarios de Irán.
El comunicado subrayó “la fe, la sabiduría y el coraje” de Mojtaba Khamenei y expresó confianza en que su liderazgo fortalecerá el papel de Irán en la lucha contra la “agresión estadounidense-israelí” y la “arrogancia global”. La transición marca la primera sucesión hereditaria en la historia de la República Islámica.
El presidente de Rusia, Vladimir Putin, también expresó el apoyo “inquebrantable” de su país a Irán tras la elección de Mojtaba como sucesor en el liderazgo supremo iraní.
“Rusia ha sido y seguirá siendo un socio fiable de la República Islámica. Le deseo éxito en las tareas difíciles que enfrenta”, señaló Putin en su mensaje de felicitación difundido por la Presidencia rusa. El mandatario reafirmó la solidaridad de Moscú con Teherán y sus “amigos iraníes”.
Putin subrayó que el nuevo mandato requiere “gran coraje y dedicación” en un contexto de agresión armada. “Confío en que continuará con honor la labor de su padre y que unirá al pueblo iraní durante estas duras pruebas”, concluyó el presidente ruso.
La Asamblea de Expertos, compuesta por 88 miembros, eligió a Khamenei como sucesor, respaldado por autoridades políticas, parlamentarias y militares de Irán, que defendieron la designación como una medida para garantizar la estabilidad del país en el contexto de la guerra con Estados Unidos e Israel.
(Con información EFE)
defence,domestic politics
INTERNACIONAL
US strike on key Iran oil hub would fit Trump’s ‘energy dominance doctrine,’ expert says
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Kharg Island, which handles the bulk of Iran’s crude exports and was once floated by President Donald Trump as a potential target could spark broader regional instability and attacks on energy infrastructure if struck by the U.S., a leading energy security expert has warned.
Reports indicate the Trump administration is weighing options that could include a direct attack on Kharg Island.
Discussing the possibility of boots on the ground amid Operation Epic Fury on «The Claman Countdown,» retired Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt also told Liz Claman striking Kharg could be in the «offing.»
«I don’t think a significant number of boots on the ground, other than the chance of an assault on Kharg Island, is in the offing,» he said March 9.
TRUMP IS REALIGNING WORLD ENERGY MARKETS, AND THE IRAN STRIKES ARE ACTUALLY HELPING
The Kharg Island Oil Terminal brings Iranian oil to the world market. The oil terminal is the world’s largest open oil terminal, with 95% of Iran’s crude oil exports coming through it. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Trump’s interest in the island dates back to a 1988 interview in which he reportedly suggested targeting Kharg in response to Iranian aggression, according to reports.
«I’d be harsh on Iran. They’ve been beating us psychologically, making us look like a bunch of fools,» Trump said. «One bullet shot at one of our men or ships, and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it.»
Sara Vakhshouri, a global energy analyst, said striking Kharg aligns squarely with Washington’s «energy dominance» doctrine and spoke as U.S. and Israeli military action in Iran rattles energy markets and disrupts oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
«Kharg currently acts as a strategic restraint point in the conflict,» Vakhshouri, founder and president of SVB Energy International, told Fox News Digital.
«Interrupting Iran’s main export terminal would likely trigger a major oil price spike, market instability and regional retaliation against energy infrastructure.»
TRUMP SAYS IT’S AN ‘HONOR’ TO KEEP STRAIT OF HORMUZ OPEN FOR CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES
Reports indicate President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a direct attack on Iran’s Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iranian oil exports near Strait of Hormuz. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Kharg’s significance is not only tactical but strategic, she added, arguing that it fits squarely within Trump’s long-touted doctrine.
The policy, central to Trump’s first term, prioritized maximizing U.S. oil and gas production, expanding exports and leveraging U.S. energy strength as a geopolitical tool.
«But when we talk about Kharg, the most important factor is that it fits within the U.S. energy dominance concept,» Vakhshouri said, suggesting that holding the island in reserve as a pressure point — rather than immediately striking it — may be a more strategic option.
Kharg sits in the northern Persian Gulf, roughly 15 miles off Iran’s mainland. Tankers leaving the terminal pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow choke point that handles about one-fifth of global oil trade.
KEANE WARNS IRAN STRIKE BECOMING ‘REGIONAL WAR,’ SAYS THREE GULF STATES PREPARING FOR COMBAT
President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One before departing Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., March 1, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Around 90% to 95% of Iran’s crude and petroleum exports pass through Kharg, making it the regime’s primary oil revenue hub.
«Roughly 15 to 20 million barrels may be in storage, with around 1.5 to 3 million barrels per day exported through the terminal during the sanctions, with export capacity up to 5 million barrels per day,» Vakhshouri said.
«If the export capability from Kharg were lost, this restraint could diminish, shifting the risk toward further strikes on regional energy facilities and, more importantly, prolonged disruption of oil flows and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,» she warned.
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«Putting a price ceiling on such a scenario would depend largely on Iran’s retaliatory actions,» Vakhshouri added.
«The certain outcome, however, would be prolonged volatility and uncertainty in the market, driven by fears of further retaliation or an extended cycle of disruption.»
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
war with iran,iran,middle east,donald trump,wars,energy,geopolitics
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Senate Democrats are preparing a series of war powers votes aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military operations against Iran — and forcing the administration to publicly defend its actions.
Several Senate Democrats filed war powers resolutions last week meant to handcuff Trump and his continued conflict in the Middle East. It’s a power play by the group, who say the administration has not shown enough evidence that the U.S. should have struck Iran in the first place, much less continue fighting in the region.
Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., collectively filed five war powers resolutions last week, and they’re joined by Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Tim Kaine, D-Va. Kaine has filed resolution after resolution to curb Trump’s war authority since he took office for his second term.
SCHUMER ONCE BLOCKED TRUMP’S MOVE TO FILL THE NATION’S OIL RESERVES, NOW HE WANTS THEM OPENED
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and five other Senate Democrats are planning to dominate the Senate floor with war powers votes, unless Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth publicly testify on the war in Iran. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Those resolutions, barring an official slate of hearings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, could hit the Senate next week and grind down floor time.
«This Congress should be focused on the biggest military action since the Afghanistan war, and we’re not even holding hearings on that,» Booker told Fox News Digital.
Murphy said that the resolutions could hit the Senate floor as soon as next week, and warned that if hearings are set in motion, Democrats would be able to «call up a vote every day on war powers and force at least a short debate and vote every day.»
«There’s no excuse to hide what the administration is doing from the public,» Murphy said.
STATE DEPARTMENT DEFENDS ‘PROACTIVE’ EVACUATION EFFORTS AGAINST DEMS’ CLAIMS OF DIPLOMATIC CHAOS
Senate Democrats are planning to grind the Senate to a halt unless Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio testify publicly on the war in Iran. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
While the group wouldn’t reveal exactly what their gridlock-inducing floor strategy would look like, they contended that the chairs of the Senate Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations committees had already requested that Rubio and Hegseth testify.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch, R-Idaho, wouldn’t say whether he had requested Rubio to appear before his panel but blamed Senate Democrats for helping the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
«You’ll notice the Democrats are the only entity on this planet who are helping the IRGC,» Risch told Fox News Digital, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
OPERATION EPIC FURY SURVIVES SENATE CHALLENGE AS REPUBLICANS CLOSE RANKS BEHIND TRUMP
Sen. James Risch, Republican from Idaho, speaks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republicans policy luncheon, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 28, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The group argued that Rubio and Hegseth should make the case for the war in Iran to the public and that closed-door, classified briefings on the matter weren’t enough to convince them that the war was necessary.
«I was absolutely not convinced. In fact, nothing was offered to show me that we were under imminent attack,» Baldwin said. «That we were under imminent attack, or that it was reasonable to believe that we were at risk — and that’s what would trigger the president’s authority to use military force without coming to Congress first.»
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged that Democrats’ strategy would eat away at floor time but cautioned that «we’ll see how the next few days in the conflict go.»
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«I’m sure there’ll be some decisions made around that, but maybe that’ll affect whether or not they try to trigger all those,» Thune said.
Thune said that «there always are» hearings and noted that the Senate Armed Services Committee would be holding hearings soon on the annual National Defense Authorization Act.
«So they’re going to have all those folks coming through on a fairly routine basis anyway, and I’m sure this will be a subject of discussion,» Thune said.
politics,senate,democrats senate,war with iran,john thune,marco rubio,pete hegseth
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