INTERNACIONAL
Why DOJ is caught up in two dozen court fights over voter rolls
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Arguing that noncitizens could be on state voter rolls — something that is illegal under federal law — the Trump administration is escalating its campaign to obtain registration data ahead of the 2026 midterms, despite a string of federal court setbacks.
The strategy has unfolded on three fronts: cooperation from Republican-led states willing to share voter data, lawsuits against roughly two dozen blue and purple states that have refused, and a legislative push in Congress to tighten national voting requirements. Federal judges have so far rebuffed the administration’s legal demands, but the Justice Department is widening its campaign as Election Day draws near.
Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the conservative group Advancing American Freedom, said voter rolls are a central focus ahead of the midterms because of the Trump administration’s concerns that noncitizens are on them and could end up voting. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.
«The problem is, blue states, like Oregon, they have no interest in that kind of verification, so they’re not actually doing what they ought to be doing, which is running data-based comparisons with the [Department of Homeland Security],» von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital.
DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE AS 73,000 NORTH CAROLINA VOTERS WITHOUT PROPER ID STAY ON ROLLS
Attendees listen as Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) speaks at an «Only Citizens Vote» bus tour rally advocating passage of the SAVE Act at Upper Senate Park outside the U.S. Capitol. Washington, District of Columbia, on Sept. 10, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The DOJ has made sweeping demands for not just publicly available voter roll data, but also sensitive information, such as voters’ partial Social Security numbers and dates of birth.
The latest state to successfully fight the DOJ’s request is Michigan, where Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the federal government was not entitled to its 7 million voters’ personal information beyond what was already available.
The DOJ cited three federal laws, the Civil Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act and the National Voter Registration Act, that it said gave the Trump administration the right to the confidential information. Judge Hala Jarbou disagreed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi looks on during a news conference. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
«The Court concludes that (1) HAVA does not require the disclosure of any records, (2) the NVRA does not require the disclosure of voter registration lists because they are not records concerning the implementation of list maintenance procedures, and (3) the CRA does not require the disclosure of voter registration lists because they are not documents that come into the possession of election officials,» Jarbou, a Trump appointee wrote.
Federal judges in Oregon and California have also thrown out the DOJ’s lawsuits. The DOJ could appeal the decisions. A department spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
But the DOJ has seen cooperation from red states, such as Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, who were among several to reach a «Memorandum of Understanding» that led the states to hand over the information the department wanted.
In another maneuver, Attorney General Pam Bondi pressured Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, to provide the Midwest battleground’s voter rolls, saying in a warning letter that such action would help ease unrest in the state that stemmed from a federal immigration crackdown there.
Democrats were enraged by the letter and have argued the Trump administration is infringing on states’ rights to conduct their own elections.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Ct., argued the letter was a «pretext for Trump to take over elections in swing states,» while a state lawyer described the letter as a «ransom note.» The DOJ, at the time, told Fox News Digital Democrats were «shamelessly lying» about the letter’s purpose. Bondi said that handing over the voter rolls was among several «simple steps» Minnesota could take to «bring back law and order.» A lawsuit is still pending in Minnesota over the voter rolls.
In Congress, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would make it a national requirement that people registering to vote provide in-person proof of citizenship, such as birth certificates or passports. The legislation also includes a new national requirement for photo ID at the polls.
The bill has widespread Republican support. The House passed the SAVE Act last week, and even moderate Republican senators like Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., have said they are on board with it. The bill is still stalled in the Senate, however, because it needs 60 votes to pass, meaning several Democrats would need to support it. Currently, none do.
Von Spakovsky noted that the SAVE Act had a key provision that would allow private citizens to bring lawsuits over it.
People participate in a protest against the Trump administration in front of the Capitol. Washington, District of Columbia, on Feb. 17, 2025. (Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
«There’s no question in my mind that if the Save Act gets passed, there are election officials in blue states that will be reluctant to or may refuse to enforce the proof of citizenship requirement,» von Spakovsky said. «The Save Act provides a private right of action, so that means that citizens in Oregon could sue those election officials if they’re refusing to comply with the Save Act.»
He said the private right of action provision would also provide recourse for citizens if Democrats take over the DOJ in the next administration and refuse to enforce the SAVE Act.
Trump has repeatedly argued that noncitizen voting poses a threat to election integrity and has pressed Republican lawmakers to tighten federal requirements. Last week, he floated attempting to impose identification requirements through executive order if Congress does not act.
«This is an issue that must be fought, and must be fought, NOW!» Trump wrote on Truth Social. «If we can’t get it through Congress, there are Legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted. I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order.»
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A much broader bill called the Make Elections Great Again Act is still moving through the House and faces a steeper uphill climb to passage.
In addition to national documented proof of citizenship requirement, the MEGA Act would end universal mail voting, eliminate ranked-choice voting and ban ballots postmarked by Election Day from being accepted after that day, which would outlaw postmark rules in 14 states and Washington, D.C.
justice department,voting,elections,politics,law
INTERNACIONAL
Israel hits back after coordinated Iran-Hezbollah missile, drone strikes, urges Beirut to rein in terrorists
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JERUSALEM: Iran proxy Hezbollah fired some 200 missiles and drones into the Jewish state overnight and into Thursday in what Israeli media described as an «integrated Hezbollah and Iran joint attack.»
The attacks prompted fierce retaliatory strikes from the Israeli Defense Forces into Hezbollah strongholds in the Beirut suburbs.
The Israel Defense Forces said, «The IDF is operating with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization following its deliberate decision to attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime. The IDF will not tolerate any harm to Israeli civilians and will forcibly respond against any threat posed to the State of Israel.»
Calling its new operation «Eaten Straw,» the terror group claimed to have targeted Israeli military sites in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, among other targets.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH BORDER TENSIONS RISE AS TERROR GROUP REARMS, RESISTS US- BACKED CEASEFIRE
Hezbollah members salute and raise the group’s yellow flags during the funeral of their fallen comrades Ismail Baz and Mohamad Hussein Shohury, who were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicles, in Shehabiya in south Lebanon on April 17, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
Matthew Levitt, a leading scholar on Hezbollah from the Washington Institute, told Fox News about Eaten Straw. «The term comes from a Koran verse about destroying one’s enemies to the point that they are destroyed like grains of straw husks. In fact, it is going to lead to a massive Israel response.»
Just days prior to Wednesday’s attacks, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun charged Hezbollah with pushing Lebanon into becoming «a second Gaza.»
An Israeli security expert from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, Sarit Zehavi, told Fox News Digital, that «I think that Hezbollah is trying to scare Israel from launching further operations and I truly hope that we will not be afraid, and our government will do what it has to do.»
IRAN COULD ‘ACTIVATE’ HEZBOLLAH IF US TARGETS REGIME, TRUMP’S INNER CIRCLE TO DECIDE: EXPERT
A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight March 10 to 11, 2026. (Fadel itani / AFP via Getty Images)
The Lebanese armed forces also failed to meet President Trump’s deadline to disarm Hezbollah terrorist organization in 2025.
The Lebanese government announced on Tuesday that it is interested in direct talks with Israel to end the current conflict with Hezbollah, yet one Israeli official claimed Beirut was not «affecting Hezbollah’s behavior in any way,» the Times of Israel cited a report from news site Y-Net reported.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, speaking Wednesday, told members of the United Nations Security Council in New York that, «Lebanon now faces two options: either the Lebanese government takes real actions and restrains Hezbollah, or Israel uses its force to dismantle this terrorist organization. There is no other option.»
Edy Cohen, a Lebanese-born Israeli scholar of Hezbollah, dismissed the Lebanese government overtures to Israel as political theater. He referenced the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah that concluded with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, requiring the Lebanese state and army to disarm Hezbollah, as a failed effort.
A woman uses a mobile phone as she lies on a mattress in a railway station used as an underground bomb shelter in Tel Aviv on March 10, 2026. (Olympia De Maismont/AFP via Getty Images)
Cohen told Fox News Digital: «I don’t believe the Lebanese government. It is a game between them and Hezbollah. The Lebanese offered, for the first time since 1982, it would agree to dialogue with Israel. The first condition is a ceasefire. Hezbollah told the Lebanese government give the Israelis this offer. Hezbollah wants to stop this war. And that is how the government of Lebanon jokes about us.»
Speaking during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Lebanese Ambassador Ahmad Arafa told the council, «The Lebanese people do not want war, and the Lebanese government is moving forward in implementing its decisions and will not backtrack,» The National reported.
According to the National report, Arafa said, «In our modern history, no Lebanese government has demonstrated this level of courage and determination to reclaim the state authority, to restrict weapons to legitimate state institutions and to extend the state’s control exclusively through its own forces over all Lebanese territory.»
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An Israeli official told the Times of Israel that «The Lebanese government needs to get a grip on their country or Hezbollah parts of Beirut will soon look like Gaza.»
war with iran,israel,terrorism,conflicts,lebanon
INTERNACIONAL
ICE busts human smuggling ring that kidnapped family, sexually assaulted pregnant woman
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents busted a South Texas human smuggling ring, resulting in the arrests and sentencing of gangbangers who kidnapped a family and sexually assaulted a pregnant mother.
Rodolfo Daniel De Hoyos, 22, a human smuggler who goes by the nickname «Rufles,» was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison on Monday for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy. The sentencing was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas on Tuesday.
De Hoyos is the fifth of nine human smugglers arrested in Kinney County, Texas, as a result of an investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the cooperation of the Texas Department of Public Safety and several other law enforcement agencies. The investigation is part of the Trump administration’s Operation Take Back America.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, De Hoyos was involved in the kidnapping and attempted extortion of a family of illegal immigrants, consisting of a man, a pregnant woman and a seven-year-old child. The office said the smugglers sexually assaulted the pregnant woman and held the family for ransom. They obtained at least $1,000 from a relative and further threatened to kill the seven-year-old child and sell the unborn baby if additional payments were not made.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT’S TWO DECADES OF UNLAWFUL VOTES EXPOSE THE REAL ‘THREAT’ TO DEMOCRACY: EXPERTS
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
De Hoyos was first arrested in 2021 by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who observed him transporting three passengers wearing dirty clothing, hiking boots and camouflage backpacks. At the time, De Hoyos admitted the three passengers were illegal aliens and that he was being paid $1,500 to transport them to Del Rio. He was arrested again in August 2023 in relation to the kidnapping of the family.
Besides De Hoyos, four others have been sentenced. Texas man Juan Antonio Flores, 36, was sentenced to more than 17 years for his role in coordinating the smuggling trips. Two other co-conspirators, Tomas Estrada-Torres, 47, and Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya, received sentences of more than 12 years and 15 years, respectively.
Meanwhile, a 23-year-old Guatemalan national, Edwin Alfredo Barrientos-Mateo, nicknamed «Waches,» was sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with the smuggling ring.
According to Simmons’ office, four other co-conspirators — Ambar Obregon, Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez, Armando Garcia-Martinez and Anthony Ballones Jr. — have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
EXCLUSIVE: ICE SAYS EL PASO DETENTION FACILITY WILL STAY OPEN UNDER NEW CONTRACTOR AFTER $1.2B DEAL SCRAPPED
ICE Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations officers during an immigration enforcement operation in the Houston area. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Besides ICE HSI and the Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Border Patrol, the Eagle Pass Police Department, the Austin Police Department, the Houston Police Department, and the Comal County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with the investigation.
In a word of caution to would-be illegal aliens, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin Simmons said that «alien smuggling organizations care nothing about the hopes and dreams of those they smuggle.»
«When they look at an illegal alien, all they see is a dollar sign,» he went on, adding, «Do not trust them with your life because the only life they really care about is their own.»
This week, Simmons’ office also announced that 36-year-old Mexican national Pedro Luis Martinez-Jaquez was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for his leadership role in a conspiracy to transport hundreds of illegal aliens, resulting in at least one death.
Simmons called Martinez-Jaquez «one of the most prolific facilitators of alien smuggling in the last decade.» He said that over the course of an 18-month operation, Martinez-Jaquez made hundreds of thousands of dollars transporting illegal aliens into the U.S.
BORDER PATROL CHIEF BOVINO SAYS CHICAGO EFFORTS ‘VINDICATED’ AFTER COURT REVERSES ORDER RESTRICTING OPERATIONS
President Donald Trump visits the U.S.-Mexico border during his first term in Otay Mesa, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2019. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
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Both stings were the result of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative launched by the Trump administration last year to «achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations.»
immigration,migrant crime,illegal immigrants,enforcement,homeland security,texas,justice department
INTERNACIONAL
Una pasajera protagoniza pelea con adultos mayores durante un vuelo y obliga a desviar un avión con decenas de personas a bordo
El lunes 9 de marzo de 2026, un vuelo comercial de Frontier Airlines fue desviado a Miami después de que una pasajera identificada como Ebony Shyteria Harper protagonizara un altercado físico con adultos mayores a bordo, según documentos judiciales y reportes oficiales. La situación activó protocolos de seguridad y requirió la intervención de agentes federales al aterrizar la aeronave, afectando a decenas de pasajeros y la tripulación.
Según información confirmada por la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade y fuentes federales, la intervención se produjo cuando el vuelo 2089 de Frontier Airlines, que cubría la ruta entre el Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín en Puerto Rico y el Aeropuerto Internacional Hartsfield-Jackson en Atlanta, fue desviado tras el inicio de una pelea en pleno vuelo. La Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA) y la Oficina Federal de Investigaciones (FBI) participaron en la operación, según informaron medios como Fox News (canal nacional) y CBS News Miami (canal local de noticias de Miami).
El incidente ocurre en un contexto de aumento de episodios de indisciplina y violencia en vuelos comerciales en Estados Unidos, un fenómeno que genera preocupación entre autoridades, aerolíneas y organismos de seguridad. Las estadísticas de la Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA) indican un incremento en los reportes de altercados, derivando en normativas más estrictas y sanciones para quienes alteran la seguridad aérea.
De acuerdo con la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, la pasajera Ebony Shyteria Harper de treinta y un años, residente en Alabama, se dirigía al baño en la parte trasera de la aeronave cuando, según el informe policial citado por Local10 (canal local de noticias de Miami), se apoyó sobre el pasajero Jimmie Lee Baker, que viajaba en la última fila. Al pedirle este que retirara el brazo, la mujer extendió las manos y tocó el rostro del pasajero. La intervención de su esposa, Lakisha Baker, provocó que la acusada repitiera el gesto con ella.
CBS News Miami (canal local de noticias de Miami) agrega en su reporte que la reacción de Lakisha Baker fue golpear a Harper, lo que desencadenó una confrontación física. Una tercera pasajera, Annette Baker, intentó intervenir, recibiendo varios golpes en el rostro, según el documento judicial. La pelea ocurrió cuando el avión cruzaba el Caribe, a unos 9.100 metros (30.000 pies) de altitud.
La tripulación de Frontier Airlines notificó la situación al personal de tierra y solicitó la intervención de las autoridades, tal como informó la Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA). La decisión operativa fue desviar el vuelo hacia el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami, donde aguardaban agentes de la TSA, la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade y el FBI. Una vez en tierra, los oficiales abordaron la aeronave y detuvieron a Harper, quien fue trasladada bajo custodia policial, informó Fox News (canal nacional).
La aerolínea difundió un comunicado oficial indicando que “colabora plenamente con las autoridades en la investigación del incidente” y que mantiene “protocolos estrictos para la seguridad de pasajeros y tripulación”. La Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA) confirmó la apertura de una investigación administrativa y la coordinación con autoridades locales y federales.
Según los registros judiciales del condado de Miami-Dade, Harper enfrenta un cargo de agresión seria contra una persona de sesenta y cinco años o más y un cargo adicional de agresión menor. La ley de Florida establece sanciones más estrictas para casos en que la víctima es una persona mayor; por ejemplo, en este tipo de agresiones la pena puede duplicarse respecto a las aplicables cuando la víctima es un adulto menor de sesenta y cinco años. El acta de arresto citada por Local10 señala que “la pasajera fue retirada del avión sin oponer resistencia y trasladada de inmediato al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight”.
Las víctimas, identificadas como Jimmie Lee Baker, Lakisha Baker y Annette Baker, fueron entrevistadas por las autoridades y manifestaron su intención de presentar cargos. Ninguno de ellos requirió atención médica inmediata, de acuerdo con el informe policial.
Las cifras oficiales de la Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA) registran en 2025 dos mil reportes de altercados físicos o verbales a bordo de vuelos domésticos. Los incidentes han ido en aumento en comparación con años anteriores, motivando la aplicación de una política de “tolerancia cero” por parte de la Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA). Esta política implica multas, sanciones administrativas y la intervención judicial en los casos catalogados como graves.
El caso de Frontier Airlines forma parte de una serie de eventos recientes que han forzado desvíos de vuelos o aterrizajes no programados, buscando garantizar la seguridad de pasajeros y tripulación. Las autoridades federales han señalado que la aplicación estricta de la ley es la respuesta ante conductas violentas a bordo.
Tras la detención, Harper permanece en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight en espera de su comparecencia ante el juez. Según los protocolos judiciales del condado de Miami-Dade, la acusada enfrentará una audiencia de presentación de cargos para definir su situación procesal y la posible fijación de fianza.
La Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA) y la TSA mantienen abierta la investigación administrativa sobre el caso. La colaboración entre agencias federales y estatales busca determinar responsabilidades y prevenir episodios similares en el futuro. Frontier Airlines ha reiterado su compromiso con la seguridad y la aplicación de sus políticas internas.
Para los pasajeros afectados, el impacto incluye la interrupción del itinerario y la obligación de reprogramar conexiones y actividades. Las aerolíneas pueden asumir costos económicos adicionales por desvíos de vuelos, investigaciones legales y la necesidad de gestionar atención y compensaciones para los clientes involucrados, lo que puede generar afectaciones a su saldo operativo y reputación.
La coordinación entre tripulación y fuerzas de seguridad, subrayan las autoridades, “es fundamental para responder a incidentes de riesgo en pleno vuelo”.
La Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade confirmó que los pasajeros involucrados en el altercado no presentaron lesiones visibles y que no se requirió asistencia médica urgente. El acta de arresto difundida por CBS News Miami indica que “los afectados manifestaron su deseo de proseguir con la denuncia formal contra la pasajera”.
Desde el punto de vista de la seguridad aérea, la Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA) sostiene la recomendación de reportar cualquier conducta sospechosa o disruptiva a la tripulación. Según la agencia, “la seguridad de los pasajeros es la prioridad absoluta y cualquier violación será investigada y sancionada con firmeza”.
El incremento de incidentes como el registrado en el vuelo 2089 de Frontier Airlines ha propiciado la actualización de protocolos de seguridad y la implementación de campañas informativas para los pasajeros. Las aerolíneas estadounidenses han reforzado la capacitación de las tripulaciones y la comunicación con las autoridades responsables.
La Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA) y las agencias policiales insisten en la importancia de denunciar de inmediato cualquier comportamiento anómalo a bordo. Según datos oficiales, la aplicación de sanciones estrictas busca disuadir nuevos episodios y garantizar la segura operación de los vuelos.
El seguimiento judicial del caso de Ebony Shyteria Harper será una referencia para futuras actuaciones de las autoridades. Los próximos pasos incluyen la comparecencia ante los tribunales y la conclusión de la investigación de la Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA).
agresión,vuelo,Caribe,aeropuerto,pasajero,mujer,incidente,seguridad aérea,arresto
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