The man who was shot and killed during a scuffle with federal agents last weekend had suffered a broken rib in a previous altercation with federal agents, sources claim.

Alex Pretti tried to intervene in another federal immigration operation and got tackled by federal agents about a week before his death, according to the CNN report.

‘That day, he thought he was going to die.’

The report was based on a person who spoke to Pretti about the previous incident but asked to remain anonymous to avoid retribution.

That source said the incident began when Pretti saw federal agents chasing a family, and he reacted by blowing his whistle and shouting at them. The agents tackled Pretti, and one leaned on his back, which led to a rib being broken, according to Pretti’s alleged comments to the source.

Pretti was released at the scene.

“That day, he thought he was going to die,” the source said to CNN.

Records reviewed by CNN showed that Pretti was given medication consistent with treatment for a broken rib.

It was unclear whether federal agents recognized Pretti in the second and lethal encounter, CNN reported.

RELATED: Ilhan Omar accuses Trump of ulterior motive for ICE raids — and JD Vance shuts her down

The CNN report suggested that Pretti could have been known to federal agents because of efforts to collect information about protesters.

“One thing I’m pushing for right now … we’re going to create a database where those people that are arrested for interference, impeding, and assault — we’re going to make them famous,” said Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, earlier in the month. “We’re going to put their face on TV. We’re going to let their employers, in their neighborhoods, in their schools, know who these people are.”

President Donald Trump sent Homan to oversee the operation in Minneapolis, and Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino is reportedly set to leave the city. Homan will report directly to Trump and is meeting with Tim Walz, the state’s governor, and Jacob Frey, the Minneapolis mayor, to negotiate their cooperation with the federal government.

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As the media continues to speculate on Trump’s negotiations with NATO, Greenland, and Denmark — BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere and Glenn Beck’s head writer Jason Buttrill unpack what they believe is actually happening.

“I find myself in a weird position on the Greenland thing. Which is like, I do see its strategic value. It would be great. I don’t necessarily love the way that we went about all of this, frankly. But I will say I really don’t understand what’s happening,” Stu says.

“I don’t necessarily listen to everything that Donald Trump says, because a lot of times what Donald Trump is saying is not directed at me. It’s not directed at you. It’s directed to some official in some other country. He’s saying it to the world, but he means it so that they react to it,” he explains.

“And then later on, his plan may have been the entire time to, like, make this big claim and kind of pull it back afterward. The art of the deal, if you will,” he adds.

He then asks Buttrill, “Was there ever a plan to try to take over Greenland?”

“No. I never believed that for a second. Although, I mean, going back to the 1800s, that’s been a thing that a lot of U.S. presidents have tried to do,” Buttrill answers.

“I assume that it’s like these back channel discussions. And again a lot of this framework could be more posturing,” Buttrill tells Stu.

“It might not eventually get there, but you can tell where the Trump administration is going. They don’t want to negotiate this in the future because we don’t know if our interests will align in the future,” he continues.

“But it still signals to where Donald Trump is going. So right now it says in this framework, if any of this is true, is that we will have bases, potentially multiple bases, and we will, like the area around our bases, be sovereign. So we’ll never have to negotiate these treaties again. We will just be there indefinitely. That’s what they want,” he explains.

“What was the reasoning for us giving it up in the ’90s? Like we’re like ‘Oh, communism fell. I guess we don’t need this anymore.’ Like we didn’t think there could possibly be a threat? It just seems insane that we would mothball all these bases that we had access to,” Stu chimes in.

While neither Buttrill nor Stu are 100% sure as to what the future holds, Buttrill does know one thing for sure.

“Anytime you see a lot of the stuff that President Trump is talking about, the collective freakout, it’s all directed and the media plays right along with it,” he tells Stu, adding, “And the Trump administration knows the media is going to take it in the most extreme.”

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To enjoy more of Stu’s lethal wit, wisdom, and mockery, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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Does Apple’s new deal mean you have to dump your iPhone if you don’t like Google?

Apple struggled for years to turn Apple Intelligence into a viable AI product, and up until now, the company has largely failed. After missed launch deadlines, feature delays, and even lawsuits alleging false advertisement, it was starting to look like Apple Intelligence would be a total dud. Apple thought so too, so the company is officially partnering with Google to make Siri great again, but mounting issues around user privacy and data collection might just be enough to make you want to ditch your iPhone.

This isn’t the first time Apple has enlisted the help of its Big Tech friends.

Siri will be powered by Google

According to a story published in mid-January, Apple has put a hold on building its own in-house models of an AI-powered Siri, at least for now. Instead, the company has partnered with Google on a total refresh that runs on a custom version of Gemini 3 in a deal that’s worth an estimated $5 billion.

The partnership is a huge admission of failure from Apple, as the team has worked on Apple Intelligence for years with little to show for it. Although the team made internal progress, the upgraded Siri was nearly scrapped and rebuilt from scratch at least once since it was unveiled at WWDC 2024. As time rolled on and whispers of development issues plagued the Siri team, rumors started to float around that Apple might tap Google for some much-needed help, and now those rumors have come true.

While Gemini will provide the AI backbone for the new version of Siri that is set to launch this spring, Apple is reportedly not giving up on building its own large language models. This partnership is simply a stopgap option while the company sorts out its internal services for a future release down the road.

Apple trades user privacy for a smarter Siri

This isn’t the first time Apple has enlisted the help of its Big Tech friends on AI. Parts of Apple Intelligence today leverage ChatGPT for bigger queries that are too complex to be processed on device. Instead, these broader queries are sent to OpenAI through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, an AI server stack powered by Apple hardware that provides a bridge between Apple users and ChatGPT’s servers to anonymize data and protect user privacy.

RELATED: Google’s new motto: Don’t be Christian

At first, it was believed that the new Siri powered by Gemini would use this same structure; however, emerging reports suggest otherwise. Gemini 3 requires more powerful hardware than Apple’s Private Cloud Compute offers today. To ensure that the new Siri runs well on Apple products, queries for the rebooted version on iOS 27, coming later this fall, will run directly on Google’s servers instead. That means Google can access, save, and track any data you feed to Siri once the new version is available, all so Apple can finally turn Apple Intelligence into something people might want to use.

Even worse, while Google claims not to leverage personal data to train AI, recent support documents on Gemini Personal Intelligence state otherwise. The article explicitly highlights that your data can be “used to do things for you, like look up your info or add items to your grocery list, and to improve Google services, including training generative AI.”

Google also has its own version of Private Cloud Compute called Private AI Compute that is meant to protect user data and privacy, so the information you feed into the Googlified Siri should be safe, right? Only if you trust the fox to guard the henhouse. It’s no secret that Google’s entire business model revolves around gobbling up consumer data to sell ads, improve its services, and more. Even if your queries are anonymized, they can still be used to grow the big Google machine.

How to disable Apple Intelligence

If you hate the idea of Google gathering, tracking, and monetizing your data through the new Siri, you might be wondering if it’s time to dump your iPhone for something else.

The short answer is “no.” Aside from an iPhone, the only other smartphone alternatives all run Android, which is even more closely tied to Google, Gemini, and their suite of data-gobbling apps. What you can do, though, is opt out of Apple Intelligence entirely.

To disable Apple Intelligence:

Open up the Settings app on your iPhone.Tap on “Apple Intelligence & Siri.”Uncheck the “Apple Intelligence” toggle at the top of the page, and you’re done.

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw

Note that this will leave you with a dumber version of Siri, but at least you can be certain that none of your data is shipped off to a Google server somewhere for reasons unknown.

While Siri is said to be getting its first refresh this March or April with Apple Private Cloud Compute in tow, the even more advanced version that runs directly on Google’s servers is coming later this fall. Blaze Media will likely have more coverage on the rollout when iOS 27 launches in September or October. Until then, your Siri queries are safe from Google’s prying eyes, at least for a little while longer.

​Tech 

A Hollywood star’s job is never easy. And it’s especially hard in today’s political climate, when “gestapo”-like law enforcement arrests people whose only crime is being in our country illegally.

Such is the grim report from this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

‘An illegal army is being mounted against US citizens.’

‘What are we gonna do?’

Take actor Ed Norton. What was supposed to be a lighthearted chat about his new polyamory sex comedy, “The Invite,” with co-stars Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde soon turned decidedly dark as the specter of Trump’s immigration policy loomed.

“These days it’s, like, ‘What are we gonna do about masked gestapo shooting American citizens?'” Norton said.

“Have you found an answer?” actor Seth Rogen laughed.

“We are sitting here talking about movies while an illegal army is being mounted against U.S. citizens,” Norton responded.

“Yep,” Wilde agreed.

RELATED: ‘The American Revolution’ keeps founders at arm’s length

ICE to meet you

The harrowing discussion petered out after about 30 seconds, with the celebrities gamely returning to the discussion of their craft.

However, Wilde’s “ICE OUT” lapel button, paired with a laid-back prep ensemble of striped button-down, gray sweatshirt and white barrel-cut jeans — and finished off with a baggy denim jacket in a playful nod to the “Canadian tuxedo” — remained a haunting reminder of what was at stake.

The previous day, Wilde sported the same button on her very on-trend red-carpet ensemble of black “naked dress” — its sheer lace bodice featuring a sweetheart neckline, visible bra cups, and thin straps. The button was pinned high on the bodice, ensuring it remained visible above the neckline.

RELATED: Actresses Olivia Munn and Olivia Wilde mock all-female trip to space: ‘Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride?’

Actress ‘horrified’

Wilde, whose floor-length dress flared slightly before giving way to a thigh-high slit trimmed in matching lace, elaborated on her message to the Associated Press.

“I’m horrified by this string of murders that we are somehow legitimizing and normalizing,” Wilde said. “And I think Americans are all horrified. I think it’s insane and hideous.”

“It’s really difficult to be here and to be celebrating something so joyous and beautiful and positive when we know what’s happening on the streets,” she added.

“Americans are out on the streets marching and demanding justice, and we’re there with them. And if we can do anything with our platforms, you know, we can speak out and demand that ICE get out,” she said, echoing the two-word phrase emblazoned on her button.

Boots on the ground

Elsewhere at the festival, Natalie Portman turned heads with her Luna black zip boots from Moon Boot ($250), the perfect complement to her cozy sweater-and-jeans look. But as with Wilde, all eyes were on her “ICE OUT” button.

The “Star Wars” star minced no words when criticizing the Trump administration’s policies, suggesting that it was the “worst” approach to the problem of illegal immigration, instead of the “best.”

“What they’re doing is really the worst of the worst of humanity,” she told Deadline. “And then we have the best of humanity for the way people are showing up for each other.”

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Kirk Bangstad, the Wisconsin owner of Minocqua Brewing Company and the treasurer of a federal super PAC of the same name, has made no secret of his hatred for President Donald Trump, conservatives, and virtually anyone who doesn’t share his leftist worldview.

For instance, Bangstad — who was ordered to pay a six-figure sum for defamation in 2023 and was charged with harassment last year — stated, “F**k Charlie Kirk,” in a diatribe the day after the Turning Point USA founder’s assassination and wrote weeks later, “May his soul never find peace.”

‘Free beer, all day long, the day he dies. Show us this post when it happens in a few months and we’ll make good on that promise.’

Although the leftist brewer has long engaged in this variety of incendiary commentary, which dovetails with his Ben & Jerry-styled progressive marketing, Bangstad recently raised eyebrows and a potential red flag with a post insinuating the president’s death was forthcoming.

Days after circulating a wanted poster for a federal agent, calling for a “regime change” in the U.S., and stating that “it’s just a matter of time” before “every ICE agent will face justice,” Bangstad said in a Jan. 22 post on the brewery’s Facebook page, “Free beer, all day long, the day he dies. Show us this post when it happens in a few months and we’ll make good on that promise.”

When asked by Fox News for comment, Bangstad appeared to confirm that he was referring to Trump and indicated the brewery would be throwing a “party celebrating the impending death of a twice-impeached convicted felon.”

Bangstad, who unsuccessfully attempted to block President Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot in Wisconsin, did not respond directly to Blaze News’ questions. Instead he accused Blaze News of engaging in “‘gotcha’ state-sponsored propaganda” and shared the contact information of a Blaze News reporter, inviting his followers to email the reporter with their own comments.

RELATED: Anti-ICE lunacy hits new low: Activist allegedly air-horns cops investigating school threat that had nothing to do with ICE

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

The U.S. Secret Service told Blaze News, “The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the social media post by the Minocqua Brewing Company. Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”

Bangstad’s post also caught the attention of various critics, including Libs of TikTok, who noted, “How are we supposed to share a country with these people? Democrats want us dead.”

The American left appears to have a strong appetite for political violence.

‘That’s kind of shady.’

A survey conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab revealed in April 2025 that 55% of respondents who identified as left of center said that assassinating Trump would be at least somewhat justified.

When asked by pollsters about the September 2024 attempt on the president’s life at his golf course in Florida, 28% of Democrats told RMG Research it would have been better if Trump had been gunned down.

While the brewer’s apparent eagerness to see the president die has attracted attention, his super PAC’s expenditures have also prompted scrutiny in recent months.

Some of Bangstad’s former employees alleged to WISC-TV that some of the over $2 million raised by the brewer’s super PAC has gone toward paying regular brewery staff rather than political activities.

“At first, I was paid by a regular direct deposit, and then he said he’s going to pay me from the Super PAC and from the business. And I started to do some research,” said one former employee who spoke to WISC on the condition of anonymity. “I spoke with a couple attorneys and an accountant, and they said, that’s kind of shady, not a good idea.”

The former employee showed the outlet documentation apparently indicating that he received checks from the Minocqua Brewing Super PAC with “organizing” written in the memo line — something he had reportedly not done for the PAC.

Bangstad admitted that some employees receive PAC funds and suggested to WISC that the payments were aboveboard. A civil lawsuit filed in early 2025 suggested otherwise, accusing the leftist of fraud and misuse of donated funds, reported Wisconsin Public Radio.

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The congressional representative for Washington, D.C., has filed to end her re-election campaign after 18 consecutive terms in the House.

Democrat Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has served as D.C.’s representative since 1991 and is now retiring at 88 years old. Norton’s career was commended by her Democrat allies, but several colleagues have privately expressed concerns about cognitive decline leading up to the suspension of her re-election campaign.

‘I will retire at the end of this term.’

“With fire in my soul and the facts on my side, I’ve raised hell about the injustice of denying 700K taxpaying Americans in DC the same rights given to residents of the states for 33 years,” Norton said in a post on X.

“Now, with pride in our accomplishments, gratitude to DC, and confidence in the next generation, I announced I’ll retire at the end of this term.”

RELATED: ‘Fixing the mess’: Retired Navy SEAL aims to flip Connecticut congressional district red

Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Notably, Norton officially filed paperwork to suspend her campaign on Sunday and didn’t release her official statement until Tuesday.

“The privilege of public service is inseparable from the responsibility to recognize when it’s time to lift up the next generation of leaders,” Norton said in the statement. “For D.C., that time has come. With pride in all we have accomplished together, with the deepest gratitude to the people of D.C., and with great confidence in the next generation, I announced today that I will retire at the end of this term.”

RELATED: Case against man who threw Subway sandwich at federal agent during DC surge goes awry

Photo by Tom Brenner for the Washington Post via Getty Images

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) congratulated Norton on her career, which spanned over three decades, calling her “our Warrior on the Hill.”

“From securing shutdown protection for the city and the creation of DCTAG, to defeating continued attacks on Home Rule and leading historic votes in the House for DC Statehood,” Bowser said in a statement. “Her work embodies the unwavering resolve of a city that refuses to yield in its fight for equal representation.”

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A beloved Christian actor is showing possible signs of recovery while in hospital on life support.

Quinton Aaron starred in “The Blind Side,” a movie with Sandra Bullock about Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who is taken in by a Christian family and becomes a first-round NFL draft pick.

‘I grew up in the church. I was raised in the church.’

In real life, Aaron’s wife, Margarita, said she rushed the 41-year-old to the hospital after he lost feeling in his legs. The issues were initially thought to be from a bad sleep, but pain persisted in Aaron’s neck and back until he became numb.

His wife is a registered nurse, and she helped him lie down before calling 911. The big man — reportedly around 6’6″ — was in and out of consciousness on the way to hospital.

Doctors allegedly determined after several tests that he had a blood infection and recommended he be put on life support, according to TMZ.

A ‘fighter’

After initial reports looked grim, the outlet explained that Aaron was partially breathing on his own until Monday, when he “opened his eyes today and gave a thumbs-up,” his wife said.

RELATED: The Blind Side’ Actor’s Adherence to God, Refusal to Compromise His Values in Hollywood — and a New Role in ‘Left Behind’

Describing her husband as “a fighter,” Margarita had previously said, “He’s showing a lot of improvement. We all have faith in God that he will walk out of here fully recovered.”

Aaron had been dealing with health issues last March, according to E News. He was hospitalized after experiencing a bloody cough coupled with a fever and was told he was likely dealing with Type A flu and pneumonia.

In 2019, he was also admitted to a hospital for an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis.

Man of faith

The man of faith was interviewed by Blaze News in 2013 when he said, “I grew up in the church. I was raised in the church.”

“I do believe in showing more so than having to say. I feel like if I live the Christian life, then the people should be able to see it in my everyday actions.”

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey: Choose God and family, not ‘participation trophies’

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Outspoken Christian

Aaron has been outspoken about being a Christian in Hollywood. In a 2017 interview, he noted that many people in the film industry are “not very charitable” unless it benefits them.

“I’ve noticed that, especially with friends in Hollywood, if you want to keep a friend, don’t ask them for anything. I tell people all the time, I say, ‘The moment you ask for a favor, you’re probably never going to hear from them again,'” he explained.

“They may grant that favor, but don’t plan on asking for another one,” the actor added.

Oher, whom Aaron portrayed in the 2009 film, had eight seasons in the NFL, five of which were with the Baltimore Ravens.

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The Democrats’ manipulation of the truth is truly unmatched, and the latest example of this is one of the most egregious BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has seen yet.

In a post on X, the Democratic Party’s official account posted a photo of a young boy whose father was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement alongside the caption, “In Minneapolis, ICE arrested a 5-year-old coming home from preschool and tried to use him as human bait. His teacher describes him as ‘a bright young student.’ These monsters are sick.”

“The claim then got repeated, over and over and over again,” Gonzales says.

Even Kamala Harris bought and sold the lie, writing in her own post on X, “Liam Ramos is just a baby. He should be at home with his family, not used as bait by ICE and held in a Texas detention center. I am outraged, and you should be too.”

Ilhan Omar joined in, writing in another X post, “ICE just detained a 5-year-old. Don’t tell us this is about ‘the worst of the worst.’ That’s a lie. Absolutely vile.”

The mainstream media also picked up the claim, with a headline from ABC News reading, “5-year-old asylum seeker detained as ICE expands enforcement in Minnesota.”

Vice President JD Vance also chimed in, but instead of repeating the lie, he told the truth.

“I see this story, and I’m a father of a 5-year-old … and I think to myself, ‘Oh my God, this is terrible. How did we arrest a 5-year-old?’ Well I do a little bit more follow-up research, and what I find is that the 5-year-old was not arrested, that his dad was an illegal alien, and then when they went to arrest his illegal alien father, the father ran,” Vance said.

“So the story is that ICE detained a 5-year-old. Well what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death?” he asked.

“And now the story becomes much different because it transformed from ICE just arrested a 5-year-old to wait a second, this loving father just literally abandoned his kid,” Gonzales comments.

“They’re just trying to save themselves from ICE. And ICE ends up being the true heroes of the story. Ironically enough, ICE were the ones who heroically swooped in to help this poor child who was abandoned by his awful father,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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As the Trump administration continues its fight to fix the Democrat-caused problems in Minnesota, an activist judge is seeking to impede Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s operations in a move even he acknowledges will likely escalate the conflict.

In a self-admittedly “extraordinary step,” Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the U.S. District of Minnesota has ordered the personal appearance of acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in court later this week.

‘This Court has been extremely patient with respondents, even though respondents decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens.’

In an order dated Monday, Schiltz threatened to hold Lyons in contempt for failing to comply with a court order earlier this month in a case involving an alien.

The order also names Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and St. Paul ICE field office acting Director David Easterwood as respondents to the case.

RELATED: ‘Convicted and f**king dangles’: NeverTrumper Rick Wilson calls for execution of top White House adviser

Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images

The specific case in question involves petitioner Juan T.R., who was owed a bond hearing within seven days of a January 14 habeas petition, the judge indicated. Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, noted that by January 23, the petitioner had not received a bond hearing and “remains detained.”

The order stated that federal immigration law enforcement had not complied with other similar court orders, resulting in “significant hardship to aliens.” The judge further claimed that “many of” these aliens “have lawfully lived and worked in the United States for years and done absolutely nothing wrong.”

“This Court has been extremely patient with respondents, even though respondents decided to send thousands of agents to Minnesota to detain aliens without making any provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result,” the order continued.

The court wrote that the “violations continue” in many cases. As a result, the order added:

The Court’s patience is at an end. Accordingly, the Court will order Todd Lyons, the Acting Director of ICE, to appear personally before the Court and show cause why he should not be held in contempt of Court. The Court acknowledges that ordering the head of a federal agency to personally appear is an extraordinary step, but the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed.

The order concludes, however, that if the petitioner is released from custody, Lyons will not be required to appear before the court.

The hearing is currently scheduled for Friday. Blaze News reached out to ICE for comment.

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The Department of Homeland Security shared a disturbing phone call on social media that gives the public a glimpse of the terrors faced daily by members of law enforcement and their families.

The expletive-laced audio, posted on Monday, contains what appears to be a call from an agitator spewing sexually violent and suicidal language at an officer working in Minnesota, Fox News reported.

The DHS also pledged to ‘hunt these sickos down and put them behind bars.’

“You should f**king kill yourself. I hope your wife dies, I hope your mom and dad die. I hope everything wrong that could go [on] in your life happens,” the caller says in the audio clip.

“You are a traitor to the American people, to the values that made our very country,”

RELATED: ‘Organized obstruction’: Leaked alleged Signal chats show anti-ICE radicals tracking ICE agents, chasing vehicles

Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images

The caller also wishes that the ICE agent would be hit by a bus, become “paralyzed,” and have his wife cheat on him.

The caller then doubles down, describing the officer as “f**king disgusting” and a “f**king murderer” and claiming that “everyone hates” the agent as much as the caller does. The caller closes by reiterating: “Kill yourself.”

According to DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are facing a more than 8,000% increase in death threats and a 1,300% increase in assaults during the second Trump administration, despite conducting operations to remove “terrorists, rapists, and gang members from American neighborhoods.”

RELATED: Liberal media spins ‘homicide’ narrative after ICE detainee death — but DHS sets the record straight–

Julio Rosas/Blaze Media

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated ICE has faced an “unprecedented increase in violence against law enforcement,” citing a 3,200% rise in vehicular attacks. She attributed the increase to rhetoric from sanctuary politicians and the media.

“The men and women of ICE are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters,” DHS said in the post. “They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. The violence and dehumanization MUST END.”

The DHS also pledged to “hunt these sickos down and put them behind bars.”

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While the Senate continues stalling the commonsense SAVE Act, the Republican Study Committee members are pressuring their colleagues to send the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The House passed the SAVE Act for the second time in April, but the Senate has yet to schedule a vote to pass the bill. Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas originally spearheaded the legislation, which would simply require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections.

‘American elections should be fair and free, not subject to foreign influence.’

Since then, dozens of RSC members have been pressuring the Senate to hold a vote, telling Blaze News that “the Senate must do their job.”

“Voting in American elections is a right reserved for American citizens, and the House did our job by passing the SAVE Act months ago to secure it,” RSC Chairman August Pfluger (Texas) told Blaze News. “We’re already a full year into the 119th Congress, and the American people are still waiting for the Senate to deliver what we promised them in 2024. They sent us here to get things done, not to make excuses.”

RELATED: Democrats vote overwhelmingly against GOP bill aiming to bar illegal aliens from voting

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

“This is a commonsense reform with broad public support from Americans who want elections that are free, fair, and secure,” Roy told Blaze News. “Now it’s time for the Senate to act. All it takes is 51 Republicans willing to demand a vote. And if Democrats choose to filibuster, they can explain to the American people why they believe noncitizens should be allowed to vote. That is a debate we will win every time.”

Roy and Pfluger secured the backing of dozens of colleagues, including RSC Vice Chair Ben Cline of Virginia and Republican Reps. Mark Alford of Missouri; Riley Moore of West Virginia; Kat Cammack of Florida; Andy Harris of Maryland; Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Claudia Tenney of New York; Burgess Owens of Utah; Abe Hamadeh of Arizona; Anna Paulina Luna of Florida; Brandon Gill of Texas; John McGuire of Virginia; Robert Aderholt of Alabama; Mike Collins of Georgia; Eric Burlison of Missouri; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Marlin Stutzman of Indiana; Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania; Mike Ezell of Mississippi; Russell Fry of South Carolina; Mark Harris of North Carolina; Buddy Carter of Georgia; Mike Kennedy of Utah; and Lance Gooden of Texas.

As Luna of Florida noted to Blaze News, “House Republicans are aligned.”

“American elections should be fair and free, not subject to foreign influence,” Gill told Blaze News. “Illegal aliens have no right to be in America, and they certainly shouldn’t be voting.”

RELATED: ‘Horrifying situation’: Some Republicans retreat following Minneapolis shooting of anti-ICE agitator

Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images

“We hear from the other side that voter ID is somehow racist,” Owens told Blaze News, referring to common talking points peddled by Democrats. “That is nonsense. What is racist is assuming minorities can’t get an ID. That’s called the soft bigotry of low expectations, and it is wildly insulting. I’ve been a proud day-one co-sponsor of the SAVE Act.”

“The longer the Senate waits, the longer this commonsense protection sits on the shelf,” Pfluger told Blaze News. “Seven Democrat Senators must decide: Do they stand with Republicans in affirming that our elections are legal, fair, and only for American citizens, or don’t they? The answer should be obvious. Pass this bill and get it to President Trump’s desk.”

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The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered anti-ICE activists a crushing blow on Monday, granting a full stay of an activist judge’s ruling that had threatened to greatly restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ ability to fend off agitators and obstructionists in the Gopher State.

Quick background

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and three Minnesota-based law firms filed a lawsuit on Dec. 17 against ICE, alleging its agents violated the First and Fourth Amendment rights of several anti-ICE activists, including a Minnesota woman and a Somali-American who were both accused of attacking federal agents.

‘Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers.’

Kate Menendez, a U.S. district judge nominated by former President Joe Biden, ruled in favor of the radicals on Jan. 16, prohibiting federal agents from arresting, retaliating against, and using nonlethal munitions or crowd dispersal tools against “all persons who do or will in the future record, observe, and/or protest against” Operation Metro Surge and related operations in Minnesota.

The Biden judge also barred ICE from “stopping or detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles where there is no reasonable articulable suspicion that they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with Covered Federal Agents.”

The ACLU of Minnesota welcomed the ruling and expressed relief that they’d gotten their way — but the liberal group’s celebration was premature.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security promptly appealed the Biden judge’s ruling to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Last week, the appellate court granted the defendants an administrative stay of Menendez’s preliminary injunction.

The ACLU of Minnesota rushed to reassure fellow travelers that the “entry of an administrative stay is not a judgment by the Eighth Circuit on the merits or strength of the government’s motion to stay the injunction.”

RELATED: ‘Organized obstruction’: Leaked alleged Signal chats show anti-ICE radicals tracking ICE agents, chasing vehicles

Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The liberal outfit filed its opposition to the government’s stay request and asked that “the court rule quickly so that protesters and observers can again be protected by the district court’s injunction immediately.”

Tear gas back on the menu

To the likely chagrin of anti-ICE activists in Minnesota, an Eighth Circuit panel comprising two judges nominated by former President George W. Bush and one judge appointed by President Donald Trump granted the DHS a full stay of Menendez’s injunction, claiming that it “is unlikely to survive the government’s interlocutory appeal.”

The court highlighted two reasons why the “government has made ‘a strong showing’ that its challenge to the injunction ‘is likely to succeed on the merits,'” the first of which is that the “grant of relief to such a broad uncertified class is just a universal injunction by another name.”

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court determined in Trump v. CASA Inc. that the nationwide injunctions weaponized against the Trump administration by district court judges “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts.”

“Even if ‘courts may issue temporary relief to a putative class,’ this one has no chance of getting certified,” wrote the appellate court.

The Eighth Circuit panel noted further that the radicals whom the ACLU of Minnesota want to shield from consequence aren’t exactly the “peaceful and unobstructive” protesters imagined by the lesser court.

“We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did,” said the appellate court. “What they show is observers and protesters engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not.”

In addition to the radicals engaging in a variety of behaviors, federal agents also respond in a variety of ways such that “there are no ‘questions of law or fact common to the class’ … that would allow the court to decide all their claims in ‘one stroke.'”

The second reason cited by the panel for why the Trump administration’s challenge is likely to succeed is that the “injunction is too vague” and requires a fair bit of mind-reading on the part of federal agents.

“Even the provision that singles out the use of ‘pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools’ requires federal agents to predict what the district court would consider ‘peaceful and unobstructive protest activity,'” wrote the court. “The videos underscore how difficult it would be for them to decide who has crossed the line: They show a fast-changing mix of peaceful and obstructive conduct, with many protesters getting in officers’ faces and blocking their vehicles as they conduct their activities, only for some of them to then rejoin the crowd and intermix with others who were merely recording and observing the scene.”

The injunction’s breadth and vagueness also threatens to undermine the public interest as federal agents might begin hesitating in the execution of their lawful duties, said the court.

Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the ruling as a “WIN AGAINST JUDICIAL ACTIVISM IN MINNESOTA.”

“Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to violent agitators,” wrote Bondi. “The DOJ went to court. We got a temporary stay. NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand.”

Blaze News has reached out to the ACLU of Minnesota for comment.

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