INTERNACIONAL
ICE assaults spike 1,500% as Dems draw ‘hard red line’ to unmask agents in DHS battle
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Senior Trump administration officials defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by federal immigration enforcement officers, citing a sharp increase in assaults and violent threats against agents amid the administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown.
White House border czar Tom Homan on Sunday defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as necessary to protect agents from a rise in assaults and violent threats reported by the Department of Homeland Security.
«I don’t like the masks, either,» Homan said in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ «Face the Nation.» Still, he said, «these men and women have to protect themselves.»
His remarks come as Democrats in Congress have sharply criticized ICE agents’ actions in recent months, including the deployment of officers to major U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — as part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement effort.
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Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, speaks at the border with Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Nogales, Ariz. (Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans earlier this month to order the unmasking of ICE agents, describing the step as one of many «guardrails» needed to protect the public and earn their support in resolving the DHS shutdown.
Jeffries last week told reporters in the Capitol that unmasking federal agents is a «hard red line» for Democrats as Congress debated funding for DHS and ultimately failed to come to an agreement, the Associated Press reported.
The Trump administration has cited concerns about the number and severity of threats against ICE officers and has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals who target agents or solicit violence.
Homan pointed to DHS reports from January citing a 1,500% increase in assaults against ICE personnel. Violent threats against ICE officers have also soared by a staggering 8,000%, according to data shared by the Department of Homeland Security in October.
The release from DHS ticked through a number of violent threats that have been made against ICE personnel and their family members, including a voicemail left for the spouse of a Texas-based immigration officer.
«I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night … I hope your kids get deported by accident,» the voicemail said. «How do you sleep? …. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.»
MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES
Protesters chant and bang on trash cans as they stand behind a makeshift barricade during a protest in response to the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer earlier in the day, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
«From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families,» DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time.
DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the time frames it used to measure the 1,500% and 8,000% increases in assaults and threats, respectively.
The Justice Department has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals found to be targeting immigration officers or soliciting violent behavior.
Federal prosecutors in October announced the arrest of Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant living in Dallas, for allegedly posting TikTok videos soliciting individuals to «murder ICE agents,» according to a copy of the federal criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Aguilar also allegedly offered a reward of $10,000 «for each ICE agent,» according to information shared by the Justice Department. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.
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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump at the White House. (Getty Images)
Months earlier, Alan W. Filion, a California teenager, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for allegedly placing 375 «swatting,» hoaxing, or doxxing calls that involved ICE and other federal officers.
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Fillon’s «serial doxxing» campaign involved falsely reported bomb threats or imminent mass shootings at public schools and religious institutions across the country, according to the Justice Department — prompting an emergency response from myriad federal agencies and first responders, and diverting their ability to respond to real crises.
The Justice Department has cited Fillon’s case as a benchmark of sorts for how it will prosecute other individuals found to be weaponizing law enforcement response systems.
The remarks come as Democrats continued to assail ICE as the DHS funding shutdown drags on. Schumer blasted ICE on CNN’s «State of the Union» Sunday as «rogue» forces that appear almost «trained to be nasty and mean and cruel, and go way beyond what ordinary police departments do.»
«They need to be reined in, and they need to stop the violence,» Schumer added.
donald trump,immigration,politics,homeland security,illegal immigrants
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French police raided the headquarters of the Arab World Institute (AWI) on Monday as part of its investigation into a former government official’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Authorities searched the Paris headquarters along with several other locations, according to the national financial prosecutor. The investigators were searching for documents relating to ex-culture minister Jack Lang, who served as the AWI’s head until his resignation last month. AWI is a part of France’s foreign ministry.
Both Jack and Caroline Lang have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or receiving financial benefits from Epstein. Their lawyer, Laurent Merlet, told French broadcaster BFMTV this month that «there was no movement of funds.»
Fallout from the release of millions of new documents related to Epstein has rippled through Europe. On Saturday, Paris prosecutors set up a dedicated team to review the files, coordinating with the financial prosecutor and national police.
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French police officers patrol in front of the Arab World Institute in Paris on Feb. 16, 2026. (Charlotte Siemon/AFP via Getty Images)
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in a letter on Saturday that «all» Epstein files have now been released, consistent with Section 3 of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
«In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and as described in various Department submissions to the courts of the Southern District of New York assigned to the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions and related orders, the Department released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department’ that ‘relate to’ any of nine different categories,» the letter read.
The letter includes a list of more than 300 high-profile names, including President Donald Trump, Barack and Michelle Obama, Prince Harry, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Kurt Cobain, Mark Zuckerberg and Bruce Springsteen.
Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill and takes questions from Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram ahead of a House hearing. (Tom Williams)
CBS NEWS SCRAMBLES AS NEW CONTRIBUTOR’S EPSTEIN EMAIL CONNECTIONS SURFACE IN LATEST DOJ FILES
In accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the list of names includes «all persons where (1) they are or were a government official or politically exposed person and (2) their name appears in the files released under the Act at least once,» the letter said, adding that the names appear in a «wide variety of contexts.»
Some of the names mentioned had «extensive direct email contact with Epstein or Maxwell» while others were mentioned «in a portion of a document (including press reporting) that on its face is unrelated to the Epstein and Maxwell matters,» the letter said.
The Department of Justice released a trove of Epstein documents on Dec. 19 following President Trump’s signature on the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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The document outlines the broad range of Epstein-related materials, including records concerning Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; references to individuals—up to and including government officials—connected to Epstein’s activities; and documents tied to civil settlements and legal resolutions such as immunity deals, plea agreements, non-prosecution agreements and sealed arrangements.
Reuters contributed to this report.
france,jeffrey epstein,world
INTERNACIONAL
Francia: el asesinato a patadas de un joven de ultraderecha conmueve al país y acusan a grupos de extrema izquierda
Un joven de ultraderecha
Nada justifica un asesinato
Culpan a Francia Insumisa
La diputada exige investigación
Un país horrorizado por la violencia
El Arco de los Enamorados de Torre Sant’Andrea, uno de los símbolos más reconocidos de la región de Apulia en el sur de Italia, colapsó completamente durante la noche del 14 de febrero, coincidiendo con el Día de San Valentín.
El desplome de esta icónica formación de roca caliza en la costa adriática fue provocado por una combinación de violentas tormentas, marejadas ciclónicas y lluvias torrenciales que azotaron la zona en los días previos, según informaron las autoridades locales y medios como The Guardian y EFE.
La desaparición de este emblemático enclave ha causado profunda conmoción tanto en la comunidad local como entre los numerosos visitantes y turistas para quienes el arco representaba un popular destino romántico.
La estructura, formada por la acción erosiva del viento y el mar durante siglos, era un puente de roca blanca que unía dos columnas frente a la playa principal de Torre Sant’Andrea en Melendugno.
Según Daily Mail, caminantes matutinos advirtieron la desaparición total del “arco del amor” en la mañana del domingo, tras días de lluvias persistentes y vientos fuertes, sin que se registraran víctimas.
Para la región y el Salento, el Arco de los Enamorados no solo era una referencia natural, sino también cultural y turística. El alcalde de Melendugno, Maurizio Cisternino, lamentó la pérdida afirmando: “Ha desaparecido uno de los atractivos turísticos más famosos de nuestro litoral y de toda Italia”.
Por años, el lugar sirvió de escenario para propuestas de matrimonio, fotografías de parejas y campañas publicitarias, convirtiéndose en un icono del turismo italiano. El concejal de Turismo, Francesco Stella, definió el suceso como “un funeral”, en palabras citadas por The Guardian.
El colapso fue consecuencia directa de la erosión costera prolongada y de la intensificación de fenómenos meteorológicos extremos en el Mediterráneo, según expertos y autoridades.
Christian Mulder, profesor de ecología y emergencia climática consultado por The Guardian, explicó que “los mares más cálidos están sobrecargando la atmósfera y alimentando fenómenos extremos”.
La recurrencia de ciclones mediterráneos, los denominados medicanes, como el ciclón Harry ocurrido en enero, aceleró el deterioro de las costas y la destrucción de infraestructuras en el sur de Italia. Cisternino destacó a The Guardian la necesidad de encontrar recursos para una intervención orgánica que preserve el entorno costero.
Al mismo tiempo indicó a EFE que el plan de defensa elaborado por el municipio “nunca recibió financiación debido al agotamiento de los fondos”. Tras el incidente, la demanda de mayor apoyo estatal y fondos europeos se ha reiterado, con el deseo de que “esta enésima señal enviada por la naturaleza no caiga en el vacío”.
La leyenda local vinculaba el arco con la promesa de amor eterno. Se decía que las parejas que se besaban bajo el arco recibían un amor que duraba para siempre, según destacaron The Sun y Daily Mail. Durante décadas, este mito atrajo a miles de enamorados, reforzando el papel del enclave como un punto de referencia del turismo romántico nacional e internacional.
El episodio se enmarca en el contexto de la emergencia climática que experimenta Italia y el aumento de desastres naturales asociados a un clima más imprevisible. En enero, el ciclón Harry generó olas de hasta nueve metros y vientos de 119 km/h, lo que causó inundaciones, carreteras anegadas y evacuaciones en Sicilia, Calabria y Cerdeña, según detalló The Sun.
En el mismo fin de semana del colapso del Arco de los Enamorados, la región de Apulia y otras zonas del sur permanecían bajo alertas meteorológicas, con cientos de intervenciones de emergencia reportadas.
Servicios de bomberos y rescate evacuaron a familias enteras en Cerdeña y Roma ante los desbordamientos de ríos e inundaciones, mientras las autoridades advirtieron que pueden producirse más daños por la persistencia de lluvias y viento. Los expertos coincidieron en que el aumento de la temperatura del mar está agravando la situación y haciendo más habituales y destructivos los ciclones mediterráneos.
La desaparición del arco deja una huella profunda en el litoral adriático, despojando a la zona de una de sus imágenes más reconocibles dentro y fuera de Italia.
Torre Sant’Andrea,Melendugno,Lecce,Italia,acantilados,arcos naturales,costa,paisaje marino,Salento,turismo
Paris police raid Arab World Institute in connection with Epstein investigation
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