Law and Crime

Feb. 5 (UPI) — The FBI on Thursday announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the return of Tucson, Ariz., resident Nancy Guthrie, 84, as the search for the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie enters its fifth day.

The reward is also available for information leading to “the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance,” the FBI said.

Local law enforcement officials said no suspects have been identified in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, which happened in the early hours of Sunday.

“They just hurt. Understandably so,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said of the missing woman’s family during a Thursday afternoon news conference. “The community is hurting with you. We really just want mom back.”

He said investigators “believe Nancy is still out there” and that local police and the FBI are “working around the clock” to find her.

“We just want her home and to find a way to get to the bottom of all of this,” Nanos said.

A larger regional team of Tucson-area law enforcement has been added to the task force that includes a large team of FBI personnel to investigate her suspicious disappearance.

“We’re sharing every piece of information — all the data that we can — to get this solved,” he said.

He also confirmed that blood found on the porch of Nancy Guthrie’s home is hers.

FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heigh Janke confirmed that ransom notes have been received, including one seeking an Apple watch and another asking for a floodlight.

He said investigators were limiting the amount of facts released because some people might use them to profit from the case.

Janke said one “imposter” has been arrested, and investigators were working on the ransom note that was shared with media.

No proof of life has been provided, Janke said, but Nanos told reporters that they are investigating based on Nancy Guthrie still being alive until evidence shows that she is not.

One of the ransom notes included “facts associated with a monetary value they were asking for,” Janke said.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing by her family on Sunday afternoon after they received a call from her church saying that she was not at home.

Before her disappearance, investigators said Nancy Guthrie visited with family members at 5:32 p.m. on Saturday and returned to her home at 9:48 p.m., NBC News reported.

She obtained a ride both ways from the Uber ride-hailing service, and investigators spoke with the driver who took her home.

Investigators said a doorbell camera on her home was disabled at 1:47 a.m. on Sunday, but its software detected movement at 2:12 a.m

Her pacemaker disconnected from her personal device at 2:28 a.m., and her family arrived at the home to check on her several hours later at 11:56 a.m.

They placed a 911 call minutes later at 12:03 p.m., and Pima County Sheriff’s deputies arrived about 10 minutes later.

Feb. 4 (UPI) — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal lawsuit seeking information regarding allegations of discrimination against athletic shoemaker Nike Inc.

The EEOC has received complaints of systemic race discrimination against white workers via Nike’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other mechanisms, the federal agency said in a news release on Wednesday.

The EEOC filed its request for a court order for information on the matter in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Missouri, which is located in St. Louis.

“When there are compelling indications, including corporate admissions in extensive public materials, that an employer’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion-related programs may violate federal prohibitions against race discrimination or other forms of unlawful discrimination, the EEOC will take all necessary steps — including subpoena enforcement actions — to ensure the opportunity to fully and comprehensively investigate,” said EEOC Chairwoman Andrea Lucas.

“Title VII’s prohibition of race-based employment discrimination is colorblind and requires the EEOC to protect employees of all races from unlawful employment practices,” Lucas said.

The federal agency is investigating claims that accuse Nike of engaging in a “pattern or practice of disparate treatment against white employees, applicants and training program participants in hiring, promotion, demotion or separation decisions,” the EEOC said in a news release.

The alleged discrimination includes selections for layoffs, internship programs and mentoring, leadership development and other career development programs, according to the EEOC.

The agency’s investigation and subsequent subpoena seek information involving allegations dating back to 2018, including the criteria used when choosing which workers would be laid off and the company’s tracking and use of worker race and ethnicity data.

The EEOC wants information on 16 Nike programs that are said to have provided race-restricted mentoring, leadership and career development opportunities.

Agency officials initially sought voluntary cooperation from Nike while undertaking the investigation.

Lacking cooperation, the EEOC filed the legal action seeking a federal court subpoena that compels Nike officials to provide the sought-after information.

Feb. 4 (UPI) — Savannah Guthrie, a Today show co-host, and her two siblings said Wednesday night that they are “willing to talk” to the person who may have taken their 84-year-old mother, as authorities search for a suspect.

In a video posted on Instagram, Savannah, reading a prepared statement flanked by her two siblings, Annie and Camron, said they are aware of a ransom letter sent to media outlets, but they need proof that the person has their mother, Nancy.

“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen,” she said. “Please reach out to us.”

Savannah thanked the public for its support and prayers, describing her mother as “a kind, faithful, loyal and fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” who has “grandchildren who adore her and cover her in kisses.”

She said her mother’s “health, her heart, is fragile” and she lives in “constant pain,” requiring medicine that she now doesn’t have.

Speaking directly to Nancy, Savannah said that people are looking for her and will not rest until “we are together again.”

“We love you, Mom,” she said.

President Donald Trump, in a statement published after the video from the Guthries went public, said on his Truth Social platform that he spoke with Savannah and told her “I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal IMMEDIATELY.”

“We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely,” the president said. “The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family.”

Law enforcement officials in Arizona said earlier Wednesday that they have not identified a suspect as they enter the fourth day of the search for Nancy.

In a statement posted to X, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators also haven’t identified any people of interest in the case. Officials believe Nancy was kidnapped from her Tucson-area home in the early hours of Sunday. She was last seen around 9:45 p.m. MST Saturday and was reported missing after she failed to attend church the next day.

“Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie,” Nanos said in the statement.

“Detectives are working closely with the Guthrie family. While we appreciate the public’s concern, the sharing of unverified accusations or false information is irresponsible and does not assist the investigation.”

NBC News reported that the FBI joined about 100 detectives from the Pima County Sheriff’s Office in the search for Nancy. Trump earlier committed to sending additional federal agents to participate in the investigation.

Federal officials were assisting by analyzing cellphone data and cell towers in the area. Investigators said there was a technical problem with the surveillance cameras at Nancy’s home and they were trying to determine if neighbors had any footage of her abduction on their cameras.

Three media outlets reported they received ransom notes asking for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency for Nancy’s safe return. TMZ said the note it received mentioned a specific item damaged at the woman’s home. KOLD-TV in Tucson said it forwarded the email it received to the sheriff’s office and KGUN-TV, also in Tucson, said the note it received threatened to kill Nancy.

The sheriff’s department said it was aware of the alleged ransom notes and that it’s investigating their validity.

Nanos said that while Nancy does have difficulties with mobility — making it unlikely she wandered off by herself — she does not have any mental or memory issues that may explain her disappearance.

Investigators said Nancy has a pacemaker that last connected to her iPhone around 2 a.m. Sunday. The phone was left behind at her home, CNN reported.

Savannah issued a statement thanking supporters.

“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant,” she said. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”

Feb. 4 (UPI) — Ryan Routh, who was convicted for an attempted assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Florida, was sentenced to life in prison plus seven years Wednesday.

Before announcing the sentence, Judge Aileen Cannon called Routh an “evil” man.

Routh, 60, was convicted of hiding in the bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024. He pointed a military-grade SKS rifle toward Trump, who was then a candidate running for his second term, and a Secret Service agent.

He defended himself in the trial that ended in September. When the verdict was read, he stabbed himself in the neck with a pen.

Prosecutors argued in a court filing that Routh deserved a life sentence.

“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence — he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.

“Routh’s crimes of conviction reflect careful plotting, extensive premeditation, and a cowardly disregard for human life,” prosecutors wrote. “Routh’s motive for his crimes was unconscionable — preventing the American people from electing the candidate of their choice for President. Routh’s gloss on his crimes has always been that anything he may have done was justified by events in Ukraine or American domestic politics.”

Since the conviction, Routh has been represented by court-appointed attorney Martin Roth. He requested a 27-year sentence and argued that he didn’t get a fair trial because he represented himself.

“Defendant recognizes that he was found guilty by the jury but asserts that the jury was misled by his inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits, or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence designed to prove his lack of intent to cause injury to anyone,” Roth wrote.

Routh had a psychiatric evaluation before the trial, which showed he had bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.

His family submitted letters of support to the court.

Routh’s son Adam wrote that his father “wants to move forward in the right way and continue to be someone who contributes to our family and his community.” He said, “we still need him, and he still has people who love and support him.”

Routh’s sister Nancy Meyers asked the court to consider placing her brother in a prison in North Carolina. She said the family was devastated by his actions but “committed to assisting him with his rehabilitative efforts.”

Feb. 4 (UPI) — Fulton County, Georgia, filed a motion in federal court on Wednesday demanding the return of election materials taken from the county by the FBI.

The motion was filed under seal, said Jessica Corbitt, a spokesperson for the county, to The New York Times. It also asks for the affidavit filed in support of the search warrant to be unsealed.

Robb Pitts, chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, said at a press conference Wednesday that the motion was a way to uphold the Constitution and the rights of Fulton County voters.

“We will fight using all resources against those who seek to take over our elections,” he said. “Our Constitution itself is at stake in this fight.”

Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. said the motion is important to the people of his county because “actions like this mass seizure risk sowing seeds of distrust in the election process.”

“This morning’s filing could not have come fast enough; justice delayed is justice denied,” Arrington said in a statement to USA Today. “The people of Fulton County deserve justice now, and that’s why I pushed so hard to get this motion filed as soon as possible.”

On Jan. 28, the FBI seized large quantities of materials from the Election Hub and Operations Center in Union City, Ga., just outside of Atlanta. They specifically took items from the 2020 election, which President Donald Trump has claimed he won, despite a lack of evidence.

Fulton County, which makes up a large portion of Atlanta, is a strongly Democratic county and is the most populous in the state.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present at the raid, and lawmakers have demanded to know why. She responded that Trump had requested that she be there.

In a letter to Rep. James Himes, D-Conn., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Gabbard defended her presence.

“My presence was requested by the President and executed under my broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate and analyze intelligence related to election security, including counterintelligence, foreign and other malign influence and cybersecurity,” she said.

The Times reported that a day after the raid, Gabbard facilitated a phone call between her, Trump and the FBI agents involved.

“Tulsi Gabbard has no legal role in domestic law enforcement, yet 5 days ago she participated in an FBI raid of Fulton County, Georgia’s, election office — the center of Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy theories,” Warner said on X on Monday.

“And now we find out that she orchestrated a call between Trump and the FBI agents conducting the raid? Something’s not passing the smell test …,” he said.

Trump has recently said that he wants to “nationalize” the upcoming midterm elections, though he has no legal authority to do so.

The FBI agents loaded three box trucks of evidence from the election facility. Fulton County officials said that more than 20 pallets of ballots, election tape and equipment were taken, but they don’t have a list of items from the Department of Justice, The Times reported.

“We don’t even have copies of what they took, so it’s a problem,” Pitts said. He added that the county wants the items back “so we can take an inventory” of what was taken.

“We don’t know where they are. We don’t know, really, who has them,” The Times reported he said. “We don’t know what they’re doing with them. Are they being tampered with? I can use my imagination, and I would certainly hope not. But we just – we don’t know.”

Pitts mentioned Trump’s comments about taking over the elections in about 15 states.

“We’ll be the test case,” he said. “If they’re successful in Georgia — Fulton County, Georgia, in particular — the others on that list of 15 plus states, they should be aware.”

He said the raid was “probably the first step in whatever they’re going to do in order to depress voter participation, voter registration, making whatever changes they think are necessary to help their case in 2026, but more importantly, in 2028.”

SANTIAGO, Chile, Feb. 4 (UPI) — Chileans want more restrictive laws for unauthorized migrants and even the imposition of prison sentences, according to the latest Plaza Pública survey by public opinion firm Cadem.

The survey results were released after president-elect José Antonio Kast conducted a tour of Central America and the Caribbean this week.

Kast, who will take office in March, met with the presidents of the Dominican Republic, Panama and El Salvador to discuss security and organized crime in the region.

In El Salvador, he also visited the Terrorism Confinement Center, or Cecot, the notorious maximum-security mega prison promoted by President Nayib Bukele.

The Cadem survey found that 79% of respondents believe Chile should adopt a more restrictive migration policy than the current one. In addition, 74% said they agree with having a law that sets prison sentences for irregular migration, while 81% approve of expelling all irregular migrants.

However, 61% said they would support regularizing migrants who can prove they have formal employment.

Immigration was one of the most prominent issues in Kast’s presidential campaign, with proposals such as expelling irregular migrants, installing physical barriers at unauthorized border crossings and limiting the transfer of remittances abroad.

Chile’s migration conflict centers on a crisis of irregular immigration that has strained public services, including health care, education and housing, and increased perceptions of insecurity.

Kast has promoted with neighboring countries the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow migrants to leave. He has also announced that during his first 90 days in office, he will submit to Congress a bill to classify irregular entry into Chile as a crime, which is currently considered only an administrative offense.

“The migration issue was a central topic of the presidential campaign that has just ended and, therefore, it will also be a central issue for the government that begins in March,” Republican Party lawmaker Stephan Schubert, tied to the incoming president’s coalition, told UPI.

For that reason, he emphasized the need to work on a migration reform to address all the changes that are required.

“It is an issue that needs to be put in order by the future government, and that involves strengthening borders to prevent irregular crossings, but also modifying legislation to establish irregular entry into Chile as a crime,” he said.

Schubert also said priority must be given to “the expulsion of those foreign citizens who, by administrative resolution or court ruling, must leave our country.”

Deputy-elect Fabián Ossandón, from the right-wing Partido de la Gente, told UPI that Kast should push for a deep migration reform, with a priority focus on the northern regions of the country, which border Peru and Bolivia.

“That agenda must include border control with technology and intelligence, effective expulsions of those who violate regulations, regularization processes with clear and demanding requirements, and real regional coordination with neighboring countries,” he said.

One obstacle for the new government is that it will not hold a majority in Congress to approve all of its reforms with the support of the center-right alone, forcing it to seek consensus.

Migration policy specialist Byron Duhalde, of the Center for Migration Studies at the University of Santiago, said the future president’s idea of modifying migration categories requires changes to the law.

“An absolute majority in Congress is required to approve modifications. The parties that are part of the new government do not have the necessary votes,” Duhalde said.

However, Ossandón defended the possibility, arguing that “there is broad-based citizen support to move forward with deep changes, and Congress has a responsibility to legislate on the real priorities of people and the country.”

He added: “On this matter, it is key to act with determination and coordination to push for an effective migration reform that provides certainty, order and clear rules, and that can be implemented as quickly as possible.”

Political analyst Guillermo Bustamante, an assistant professor in the the Faculty of Communications of the University of the Andes, said Kast will be forced to build bridges to advance legislative reforms.

“Here, the figures of his political committee, the presidents of governing and opposition parties, as well as parliamentary caucus leaders, will be relevant,” Bustamante said, adding that the first days of the new administration will be key for the opposition to define its own course of action.

“What we have seen so far does not allow us to ensure that migration will find an agreement between the parties, nor that there is an intention to engage in dialogue around this issue with a 20-year outlook,” he said.

Nevertheless, Duhalde noted that given the positions of political parties on migration, significant cross-party agreement exists on tightening certain measures.

“It is an issue in which the coalition of parties that will be governing will indeed have opportunities to negotiate with the Party of the People, for example, to secure the missing votes needed to legislate on this matter,” he said.

He said he believes clear results will only be achieved if authorities manage to respond to migrants’ needs.

“The challenge will be to design strategies and measures that respond in a balanced way in terms of security, but also protect the fundamental rights of these people in vulnerable situations, linked to the political, social and economic crisis in Venezuela,” Duhalde said.

Feb. 3 (UPI) — A federal judge denied bail for Anthony Kazmierczak, who is accused of disrupting a town hall by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in Minneapolis on Jan. 27 by spraying her with water and vinegar.

U.S. District Court of Minnesota Magistrate Judge David Schultz on Tuesday denied a motion by Kazmierczak, 55, to be released from custody while his case is active.

He is charged with assaulting and interfering with a member of Congress when he approached Omar, 43, while she stood at a lectern and used a plastic syringe to spray her midsection with what later was determined to be a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water.

He could be sentenced to a year in prison if he is convicted.

Kazmierczak interrupted Omar after she called for Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem to resign and accused the congresswoman of “splitting Minnesotans apart.”

Omar’s security staff tackled Kazmierczak and kept him detained until local police arrived to arrest him.

An FBI affidavit indicates that Kazmierczak has a history of making threatening comments toward Omar and years ago allegedly suggested “somebody should kill her.”

He also has been arrested many times during the past 40 years and was convicted in 1989 on a felony charge for vehicle theft.

Omar was born in Somalia and spent part of her childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya before her family migrated to the United States in the 1990s.

The congresswoman is a central figure in allegations of widespread fraud among the Somali community in Minneapolis and other parts of Minnesota.

President Donald Trump has accused Omar of profiting from the fraud and suggested that she have her citizenship status revoked.

He also wants Omar to be jailed and deported for alleged fraud after she recently reported her family has up to $30 million in assets, despite reporting a much lower amount two years ago.

On Tuesday, the president on social media posted a photo of U.S. forces striking ISIS and Somali leaders in a cave in Somalia in February 2025.

He prefaced the photo with the question: “Was Ilhan Omar there to protect her corrupt ‘homeland?'”

Omar also is a prominent opponent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection efforts to remove “undocumented migrants” from the United States.

Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and is the first Somali-American to be elected to Congress.

Feb. 3 (UPI) — Spain announced it will ban social media for children younger than 16 and introduce measures that hold platforms and people accountable.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke at the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and denounced social media companies’ misconduct. He said access for young teens will end next week as part of five new government measures against the platforms.

“Social media has become a failed state, a place where laws are ignored, and crime is endured, where disinformation is worth more than truth, and half of users suffer hate speech,” Sanchez said. “A failed state in which algorithms distort the public conversation and our data and image are defied and sold.”

He said, “platforms will be required to implement effective age-verification systems — not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work.”

“Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone: a space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence. We will no longer accept that. We will protect them from the digital wild west,” Sanchez said.

The first country to ban young teens from social media was Australia, which implemented its new law in December. There is also a measure in the French National Assembly to do the same. Greece, Denmark, Ireland and Great Britain are considering similar laws.

Spain hasn’t said which platforms will be subject to the new law. But during his speech, Sanchez criticized TikTok, X and Instagram.

Spain’s other measures include developing a “hate and polarization footprint,” which would track and quantify how platforms create division and magnify hate. Sanchez said the government will also hold social media executives criminally liable for failure to remove illegal or hateful content.

“We will turn algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content into a new criminal offense,” he said in Dubai. “Spreading hate must come at a cost.”

Feb. 3 (UPI) — Marius Borg Høiby, son of the crown princess of Norway, pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape in his trial that began Tuesday in an Oslo courtroom.

Høiby, 29, is facing 38 charges, including abuse in close relationships and filming women’s genitals without their knowledge. He pleaded guilty to some charges, including sexually offensive behavior, violation of a restraining order and some driving-related charges. He pleaded partially guilty to serious bodily harm, reckless behavior and violation of a restraining order.

“The defendant is the son of the crown princess. He is part of the royal family. He should still be treated equally like any other person charged with the same offenses. He should not be treated more severely or more leniently because of those with whom he is related,” lead prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø told the court.

“There is no requirement for a prosecution request from the victims,” he added. “It is society’s responsibility to prosecute serious crimes, regardless of whether the victim themselves wants it. In several of these cases, it is not the victim who has come to the police and said ‘I have been subjected to something criminal.'”

He was arrested again Sunday for alleged assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order. Oslo police are keeping him in custody until March 2.

Høiby is not an official member of the royal family. His mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, married Crown Prince Haakon when Høiby was a young child.

Mette-Marit is facing her own troubles at the moment. Her name shows up more than 1,000 times in the latest dump of Epstein files, showing her close friendship with the late sex offender.

She is also suffering from pulmonary fibrosis and needs a lung transplant.

Feb. 3 (UPI) — U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Monday said she attended an FBI search of election offices in Georgia last week at the request of President Donald Trump, defending her and the Trump administration’s role in the law enforcement action against mounting Democratic criticism.

Gabbard has come under growing scrutiny since photographs surfaced showing her with FBI agents executing a search warrant at the Fulton County elections hub, where authorities seized documents related to the 2020 election.

Democratic concerns about alleged Trump administration efforts to undermine the upcoming midterm elections have been stoked by Gabbard’s unprecedented involvement in the raid at Fulton County, prompting House and Senate Democrats on their respective intelligence committees to demand she explain her role.

In a Monday letter addressed to Rep. James Himes, D-Conn., the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said she accompanied FBI personnel “for a brief time” while they executed the search warrant.

“My presence was requested by the President and executed under my broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate and analyze intelligence related to election security, including counterintelligence, foreign and other malign influence and cybersecurity,” she said.

“ODNI’s Office of General Counsel has found my actions to be consistent and well within my statutory authorities as the Director of National Intelligence.”

In the letter, she told the Democrats that her office “will not irresponsibly share incomplete intelligence assessments,” but she would share them with Congress once they are completed.

Fulton County was the focal point of Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden. Trump and 18 others were later charged in Georgia for their alleged efforts to overturn the state’s results, a racketeering case that was dropped late last year following Trump’s return to the White House.

The letter came as The New York Times reported Monday that a day after the Wednesday raid, Gabbard arranged a phone call between the involved FBI agents and Trump.

“Tulsi Gabbard has no legal role in domestic law enforcement, yet 5 days ago she participated in an FBI raid of Fulton County, Georgia’s election office — the center of Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy theories,” Warner said on X on Monday.

“And now we find out that she orchestrated a call between Trump and the FBI agents conducting the raid? Something’s not passing the smell test…”

Gabbard confirmed the call in her letter Monday, stating: “While visiting the FBI File Office in Atlanta, I thanked the FBI agents for their professionalism and great work, and facilitated a brief phone call for the President to thank the agents personally for their work.”

“He did not ask any questions, nor did he or I issue any directive,” she added.

Feb. 2 (UPI) — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest of two more people on Monday in relation to an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota last month.

Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson are the latest to be arrested for protesting during a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 18. They are among nine people that the Justice Department has indicted for the protest.

“If you riot in a place of worship, we will find you,” Bondi posted on X.

U.S. code describes a riot as a “public disturbance involving an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons.”

The indictment of the protesters does not describe any acts of physical violence but mentions protesters “intimidated the church’s congregants and pastors by physically occupying most of the main aisle and rows of chairs near the front of the church.”

The protesters are charged with conspiracy against the right of religious freedom at a place of worship and conspiracy to injure, intimidate or interfere with the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship.

On Thursday, federal officials arrested journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort who were at the scene covering the demonstration. Both have been released from custody.

Protesters interrupted the church service in response to the ongoing immigration raids by federal agents in the Minneapolis area. Two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis last month, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37 years old.

Cities Church was the site of this demonstration due to its pastor, David Eastwood, being an acting field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

President Donald Trump referred to the church protesters as “agitators and insurrectionists” in a social media post last month.

Feb. 1 (UPI) — One police officer was killed and another wounded in a shooting Sunday at a suburban Atlanta hotel, according to authorities, who said the gunman has been arrested.

The shooting occurred Sunday morning in Stone Mountain, located northeast of Atlanta, the Gwinnett County Police Department said in a statement.

Two officers with the Gwinnett County Police Department were responding to a fraud call at the Holiday Inn Express on 1790 E. Park Place Boulevard shortly before 8 a.m. EST. After the officers made contact, the subject opened fire, striking both Gwinnett County officers.

The suspect, who has since been identified as 35-year-old Kevin Andrews of Decatur, Ga., was struck by return fire, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries.

Officer Pradeep Tamang died from injuries sustained in the shooting, the Gwinnett County Police Department said, adding that the other officer, David M. Reed, underwent surgery at a hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.

“Our hearts are with the families of Officer Pradeep Tamang and with MPO David Reed, their loved ones and the entire Gwinnett County Police Department during this incredibly difficult time,” Nicole Love Hendrickson, chair of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, said in a statement.

“We are deeply grateful for their continued dedication, and we stand united with our officers, their families and all of you as we navigate this challenging time together.”

Tamang joined the Gwinnett County Police Department in July 2024. Reed, a master police officer, has been with the force since September 2015.

Andrews, the suspect, will be transported to Gwinnett County Jail once he is released from the hospital, authorities said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said in a statement that the officers were called to the hotel in response to a South Carolina individual stating their credit card had been fraudulently used there.

The hotel desk manager advised Tamang and Reed that the room in question was being rented to Andrews, whom they spoke to about the alleged fraudulent use of the credit card.

After learning Andrews had an active warrant for failure to appear in DeKalb County, Tamang and Reed attempted to arrest the man, who allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired on the officers.

Andrews has been charged with one count each of malice murder, felony murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of aggravated assault upon a public safety officer.

“Today, we join @GwinnettPD in mourning the loss of a brave officer and are praying for the swift recovery of another,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement on X.

“This is the latest reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis, and we are grateful for every one that puts themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Georgians.”

Jan. 31 (UPI) — Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul lost their bid to have a federal court order the Department of Homeland Security to end its immigration enforcement effort in the state.

U.S. District Court of Minnesota Judge Katherine Menendez on Saturday denied a motion to enjoin the federal government from continuing its immigration law enforcement surge in the Twin Cities.

“Even if the likelihood of success on the merits and the balance of harms each weighed more clearly in favor of plaintiffs, the court would still likely be unable to grant the relief requested: An injunction suspending Operation Metro Surge,” Menendez wrote in her 30-page ruling.

She cited a recent federal appellate court ruling that affirmed the federal government has the right to enforce federal laws over the objections of others.

“The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently vacated a much more circumscribed injunction, which limited one aspect of the ongoing operation, namely the way immigration officers interacted with protesters and observers,” Menedez said.

“The injunction in that case was not only much narrower than the one proposed here, but it was based on more settled precedent than that which underlies the claims now before the court,” she explained.

“Nonetheless, the court of appeals determined that the injunction would cause irreparable harm to the government because it would hamper their efforts to enforce federal law,” Menendez continued.

“If that injunction went too far, then the one at issue here — halting the entire operation — certainly would,” she concluded.

Menendez said her ruling does not address the merits of the case filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on behalf of the state and two cities, which are named as the lawsuit’s three plaintiffs.

Those claims remain to be argued and largely focus on Ellison’s claim that the federal government is undertaking an illegal operation that is intended to force state and local officials to cooperate with federal law enforcement.

Menendez said Ellison has not proven his claim, which largely relies on a 2013 ruling by the Supreme Court in a case brought by Shelby County, Ala., officials who challenged the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The act placed additional restrictions on some states based on “their histories of racially discriminatory election administration,” Menendez said.

The Supreme Court ruled a “departure from the fundamental principle of equal sovereignty” requires the federal government to show that geographically driven laws are “sufficiently related to the problem that it targets” to be lawful, she wrote.

Ellison says that the ruling “teaches that the federal government cannot single out states for disparate treatment without strong and narrowly tailored justification,” according to Menendez.

But he does not show any other examples of a legal authority applying the “equal sovereignty ‘test'” and does not show how it would apply to a presidential administration’s decision on where to deploy federal law enforcement to “enforce duly enacted federal laws,” she said.

“There is no precedent for a court to micromanage such decisions,” and she can ‘readily imagine scenarios where the federal executive must legitimately vary its use of law enforcement resources from one state to the next,” Menendez explained.

Because there is no likelihood of success in claims based on equal sovereignty, she said Ellison did not show there is a likelihood that plaintiffs will succeed in their federal lawsuit, so the motion to preliminarily enjoin the federal government from continuing Operation Metro Surge is denied.

Former President Joe Biden appointed Menendez to the federal bench in 2021.

Jan. 30 (UPI) — Two Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers about why National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard was at an FBI raid at a Georgia election facility.

Gabbard was photographed outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operations Center, just outside of Atlanta, when the FBI executed a “a court authorized law enforcement action” on Wednesday. FBI spokesperson Jenna Sellitto told The Hill that boxes loaded on trucks contained ballots.

Agents sought 2020 election records, Fulton County spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez said.

“We don’t know why they took them, and we don’t know where they’re taking them to,” county board of commissioners Chair Robb Pitts told The Hill.

“Director Gabbard has a pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of our elections against interference, including operations targeting voting systems, databases, and election infrastructure,” a senior administration official told NBC News.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., released a statement about Gabbard’s presence at the raid.

“There are only two explanations for why the Director of National Intelligence would show up at a federal raid tied to Donald Trump‘s obsession with losing the 2020 election,” he said. “Either Director Gabbard believes there was a legitimate foreign intelligence nexus — in which case she is in clear violation of her obligation under the law to keep the intelligence committees ‘fully and currently informed’ of relevant national security concerns — or she is once again demonstrating her utter lack of fitness for the office that she holds by injecting the nonpartisan intelligence community she is supposed to be leading into a domestic political stunt designed to legitimize conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy.”

He said it shows she is unfit for the job.

“Either is a serious breach of trust that further underscores why she is totally unqualified to hold a position that demands sound judgment, apolitical independence, and a singular focus on keeping Americans safe,” he said.

Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., who both serve on their chambers’ intelligence committees, penned a letter to Gabbard expressing concern about her appearance in Georgia and demanding that she “appear before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence immediately.”

The letter said it is “deeply concerning that you participated in this domestic law enforcement action. The Intelligence Community should be focused on foreign threats and, as you yourself have testified, when those intelligence authorities are turned inwards the results can be devastating for Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.”

They said they want her to address her reasoning and role in attending the FBI operation in Fulton County, under what legal authority she or any other IC employee were involved, and an update on any intelligence she has concerning foreign interference in U.S. elections, including the 2020 election.

“Given the politically fraught nature of elections for federal office, any federal efforts associated with combatting foreign election threats necessitate public transparency, prompt updating of Congressional intelligence committees, and clear commitment to non-partisan conduct,” the letter said.

“Your recent actions raise foundational questions about the current mission of your office, and it is critical that you brief the Committees immediately as part of your obligation to keep Congress fully and currently informed.”

Two unnamed senior officials with knowledge of the matter told NBC that Gabbard’s presence in Fulton County was not requested by the Justice Department. They said Gabbard was only observing, and her presence wasn’t illegal.

“It seems to be an attempt to make herself relevant,” one official told NBC. “It’s so strange.”

On Thursday, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about her presence in Georgia.

“She’s working very hard on trying to keep the elections safe, and she’s done a very good job,” Trump said at the Kennedy Center. “You got a signed judge’s order in Georgia, and you’re going to see some interesting things happening. They’ve been trying to get there for a long time.”

If she took part in the search, her involvement would be “wrong and potentially even illegal,” said Kevin Carrol, a former CIA officer and national security lawyer, to NBC.

“It is also inappropriate for a Cabinet-level official to take part in a law enforcement operation. Among other things, the director is now potentially a fact witness in any suppression hearing or trial related to the evidence seized by the bureau,” Carroll said.

Jan. 29 (UPI) — An appeals court ruled that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem unlawfully ended immigration protections for Haiti and Venezuela.

The three judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Noem, who ended the Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans on Jan. 29, 2025. She ended TPS protection for Haitians on June 28.

The opinion, written late Wednesday by Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, said Noem’s “unlawful actions have had real and significant consequences for the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and Haitians in the United States who rely on TPS.”

She said the move has hurt immigrants who came here to work.

“The record is replete with examples of hard-working, contributing members of society — who are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and partners of U.S. citizens, pay taxes, and have no criminal records — who have been deported or detained after losing their TPS,” Wardlaw wrote.

“The Secretary’s actions have left hundreds of thousands of people in a constant state of fear that they will be deported, detained, separated from their families, and returned to a country in which they were subjected to violence or any other number of harms,” she said.

The concurring opinion by Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. noted that Noem and President Donald Trump had made racist remarks about the people of Venezuela and Haiti, meaning that the decision to end TPS was “preordained” and not based on need.

“The record is replete with public statements by Secretary Noem and President Donald Trump that evince a hostility toward, and desire to rid the country of, TPS holders who are Venezuelan and Haitian,” Mendoza wrote. “And these were not generalized statements about immigration policy toward Venezuela and Haiti or national security concerns to which the Executive is owed deference. Instead, these statements were overtly founded on racist stereotyping based on country of origin.”

The concurring opinion cites Noem calling Venezuelans “dirtbags” and “criminals,” and Trump saying that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of Americans.

The ruling, though, won’t change the TPS removal for Venezuelans. The Supreme Court ruled in another case in October to allow Noem to end the TPS while the court battles continue.

TPS began as part of the Immigration Act of 1990. It allows the Department of Homeland Security secretary to grant legal status to those fleeing fighting, environmental disaster or “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that prevent a safe return. TPS can last six, 12 or 18 months, and if conditions stay dangerous, they can be extended. It allows TPS holders to work, but there is no path to citizenship.

Haiti was given TPS in 2010 after a magnitude 7 earthquake that killed about 160,000 people. It left more than 1 million without homes.

Jan. 29 (UPI) — The Justice Department on Thursday filed charges against Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, for spraying a substance on Rep. Ilhan Omar as she conducted a town hall hearing in Minneapolis.

FBI special agent Derek Fossi, in a criminal complaint, said Kazmierczak “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and interfered with” Omar while she was conducting a town hall with her constituents Tuesday, The New York Times reported.

Omar told the audience that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should resign when Kazmierczak approached her.

“She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” Kazmierczak said after squirting her with the unknown liquid, as reported by NBC News.

Omar’s security staff detained Kazmierczak, who was arrested after briefly disrupting the congresswoman’s event.

A hazardous materials specialist with the Minneapolis Police Department’s North Metro Chemical Assessment Team tested the substance and identified it as a mix of water and apple cider vinegar, Fossi said.

Kazmierczak was carrying a plastic syringe when he approached Omar while she was speaking and sprayed her with an unidentified liquid that stained her clothes and might have contacted her face and right eye, Fossi wrote.

“As he sprayed her, Kazmierczak gestured at Rep. Omar and shouted at her before turning away and being brought to the floor by two security officers,” he said in the affidavit.

Minneapolis Police Department officers responded to the scene and arrested Kazmierczak and jailed him on third-degree assault charges.

While being arrested, Kazmierczak told officers that he sprayed Omar with vinegar.

Fossi said he interviewed a “close associate” of Kazmierczak on Wednesday, and that person recalled a time “several years ago” when the suspect, during a phone conversation, allegedly said, “somebody should kill that [expletive].”

U.S. District Court of Minnesota Magistrate Judge Dulce Foster confirmed receipt of the criminal complaint and supporting affidavit on Wednesday but did not say when an arraignment hearing will be held to formally charge Kazmierczak.

Jan. 29 (UPI) — Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has taken its dispute with Mercado Libre to federal court after Argentina’s largest online marketplace accused it of unfair competition.

Mercado Libre filed a complaint in August 2025 with Argentina’s Secretariat of Industry and Commerce, alleging Temu violated Commercial Fairness Decree No. 274/2019, which governs truthful advertising and fair competition in the country.

After reviewing the filing, the National Directorate of Policies for the Development of the Domestic Market opened an investigation and ordered Temu to suspend digital advertising and promotions deemed misleading.

In response, Temu turned to federal court Wednesday to try to halt the administrative measure and maintain its operations in Argentina, Argentine daily La Nacion reported.

According to the complaint, the company founded by Argentine entrepreneur Marcos Galperin challenged Temu’s commercial strategy, which Mercado Libre said relies on extreme discounts and promotions that are not met under the conditions advertised, local outlet Ambito reported.

Among the main allegations are discounts ranging from 80% to 100% that apply only if users meet additional requirements, such as minimum purchase amounts, buying other products or completing purchases within the app.

Mercado Libre also accused Temu of what it described as “misleading gamification,” using games and interactive features that promise prizes or free products, but in practice impose increasingly complex and unclear conditions.

The dispute is now under the jurisdiction of the National Chamber of Appeals in Civil and Commercial Federal Matters, which must determine the next steps in the case, Infobae reported.

Temu rejected the allegations and said its business model is transparent and that prices, discounts and conditions are clearly disclosed to users, which the company contended rules out consumer deception.

Mercado Libre said the complaint is not related to Argentina’s opening of imports, a policy it supports. The company noted that it also offers imported goods through its international purchases category and competes in what it described as a dynamic and open market with both local and global players.

The legal battle unfolds amid rapid growth in cross-border e-commerce in Argentina. Data cited in the case show door-to-door purchases through platforms such as Temu and Shein posted increases close to 300% year over year, driven by low prices, direct shipping and intensive social media marketing.

The expansion of the Chinese platforms has revived debate over the regulatory framework for digital commerce and competition between domestic and foreign companies, Perfil reported.

Mercado Libre executives reiterated the need for rules that are “the same for everyone,” as the case becomes a key recent precedent on competition and advertising in Argentina’s e-commerce sector.

Jan. 29 (UPI) — A judge has barred federal immigration officers from arresting and detaining legally present refugees in Minnesota, handing the Trump administration a legal defeat in its aggressive immigration crackdown.

U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, in Minneapolis on Wednesday, issued a temporary restraining order that bars the arrest and detention of any Minnesota resident with refugee status as litigation on the issue continues.

“They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border,” Tunheim wrote in his order.

“Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully — and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries.”

The Trump administration has been conducting an aggressive immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have arrested thousands of people since December, attracting protests, which have been met with violence.

Democrats and civil and immigration rights advocates have accused the agents of using excessive force and violating due process protections.

The order issued Wednesday comes in a lawsuit filed by the International Refugee Assistance Project against Operation PARRIS, an initiative launched Jan. 9 to re-examine the 5,600 pending refugee cases in Minnesota in a hunt for fraud and other possible crimes.

IRAP said in its complaint, filed Saturday, that since the operation began, federal immigration agents have arrested and detained more than 100 of Minnesota’s refugee population without warrants and often with violence.

Those detained have not been charged with any crime nor with any violation of immigration statutes, according to the immigration legal aid and advocacy organization, which said this policy not only goes against immigration law but also ICE’s own guidance that states there is no authority to detain refugees because they have not yet changed their status to lawful permanent residents.

The organization states that the purpose of Operation PARRIS “is to use these baseless detentions and coercive interviews as fishing expeditions to trigger a mass termination of refugee statuses and/or to render refugees vulnerable to removal.”

“For more than two weeks, refugees in Minnesota have been living in terror of being hunted down and disappeared to Texas,” Kimberly Grano, staff attorney for U.S. litigation at IRAP, said in a statement, referring to the location of detention centers where refugees detained in Minnesota are being held.

“This temporary restraining order will immediately put in place desperately needed guardrails on ICE and protect resettled refugees from being unlawfully targeted for arrest and detention.”

Tunheim’s order does not interfere with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ ability to conduct re-inspections to adjust refugees’ status to lawful permanent residents nor the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement of immigration laws. It only prevents the arrest and detention of refugees in the state who have yet to become lawful permanent residents while litigation proceeds.

“At its best, America serves as a have of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty,” Tunheim said.

“We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos.”

Jan. 28 (UPI) — Deploying National Guard and other military troops in U.S. cities cost taxpayers nearly $500 million in the second half of 2025, the Congressional Budget Office reported Wednesday.

The cost breakdown includes the cost to activate, deploy and pay National Guard personnel; related operational, logistical and sustainment costs; and other direct and indirect costs of deploying National Guard and other military units, such as the U.S. Marine Corps, the CBO report shows.

Since June, the CBO said the Trump administration deployed National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to the nation’s capital, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, Memphis and Portland, Ore.

The administration also kept 200 National Guard personnel deployed in Texas after they left Chicago.

“CBO estimates that those deployments (excluding the one to New Orleans, which occurred at the end of the year) cost a total of approximately $496 million through the end of December 2025,” the CBO said in a letter to Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

“The costs of those or other deployments in the future are highly uncertain, mainly because the scale, length and location of such deployments are difficult to predict accurately,” the CBO said.

“That uncertainty is compounded by legal challenges, which have stopped deployments to some cities, and by changes in the administration’s policies.”

Merkley is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Budget and asked the CBO to provide a cost breakdown of National Guard deployments in U.S. cities.

“The American people deserve to know how many hundreds of millions of their hard-earned dollars have been and are being wasted on Trump’s reckless and haphazard deployment of National Guard troops to Portland and cities across the country,” Merkley said Wednesday in a prepared statement.

The CBO further estimated the cost for continuing such deployments would be $93 million per month, including between $18 million and $21 million per month per city to deploy 1,000 National Guardsmen in 2026.

The cost breakdown includes healthcare, military pay and benefits, plus lodging, food and transportation costs.

“CBO does not expect the military to incur significant costs to operate and maintain equipment during domestic deployments,” the report said.

“So far, such deployments appear to mainly involve foot patrols conducted by small units, without the extensive types of supporting forces or heavy equipment associated with operations in combat zones.”

CBO officials also do not expect the Department of Defense to incur new equipment costs for the deployments.

Jan. 28 (UPI) — A French court sentenced former Sen. Joel Guerriau to four years in prison after finding him guilty of drugging a minister of the French parliament in November 2023.

Guerrieau, 68, will spend 18 months of his 48-month prison sentence behind bars, but he has appealed the decision and would not be imprisoned if the appellate court overturns his conviction.

The court also ordered him to pay MP Sandrine Josso, 50, the equivalent of $5,975 in the Tuesday ruling.

Guerriau formerly represented the Loire-Atlantique region in western France and was found guilty of spiking a drink with ecstasy and serving it to Josso in November 2023.

Prosecutors accused him of inviting Josso to his flat in Paris and drugging her with the intent of sexually assaulting her, but reports do not indicate whether a sexual assault is alleged in the matter.

Guerriau admitted he spiked her drink but said it was an accident and that he did not intend to commit sexual assault.

Following Tuesday’s verdict, Josso told media that she “had gone to visit a friend” on the night that she was drugged.

Instead of visiting a friend, she said, “I discovered an aggressor,” adding that “he looked at me insistently” and that she never had seen him like that.

“I didn’t want to show him my weakness because I was worried that if I told him I wasn’t feeling well, he would have forced me to lie down,” Josso said.

She left Guerriau’s flat and, with the help of a friend, went to a hospital, which determined her blood contained three times the normal dosage of a recreational MDMA.

Guerriau claimed he had been depressed and was using MDMA to treat it and meant to consume the spiked drink himself.

Instead of drinking it, he told the court that he accidentally served it to Josso, adding that he feels sorry for her.

“I am disgusted with myself, with my recklessness and my stupidity,” Guerriau told the court.

He said not enough is done to discuss “the effects of these drugs enough,” adding that he wants to “speak out on the dangers of these products.”

Guerriau was a member of France’s center-right Horizons Party and was suspended after being charged. He resigned is Senate seat in October.

Josso is a member of France’s center-right MoDem Party and has become a vocal opponent of “chemical submission” after her encounter with Guerriau.

Jan. 28 (UPI) — The Foreign Ministry of Ecuador has filed a protest with the U.S. Embassy in the South American country after a federal immigration agent tried to enter its consulate in Minneapolis.

Uncorroborated video of the incident shared online shows a consular employee confronting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempting to enter the facility.

The employee stands in the doorway and tells the ICE agent that he is not allowed to enter. The ICE agent is heard telling the employee to “relax” and threatens to “grab” the employee if the agent is touched.

The employee repeatedly tells the ICE agent he is not allowed to enter the premises. The agent then leaves. The incident lasts less than a minute.

“Officials of the Consulate prevented the ICE officer from entering the consular premises, thereby ensuring the protection of Ecuadorians who were present at the consulate at the time, and activating the emergency protocols issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility,” the Foreign Ministry of Ecuador said in a statement.

The incident occurred at about 11 a.m. CST Tuesday, the ministry said.

UPI has contacted ICE for comment.

Law enforcement of the host country is generally prohibited from entering diplomatic missions of foreign nations, including consulates, except with the consent of the head of the mission, Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 states.

Minneapolis City Council Member Elliot Payne, of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, said he spoke with Ambassador Helena Del Carmen Yanez Loza who explained they were filing the protest “so that they know that their community is safe coming here.”

“It’s really important that our Ecuadorian community knows that their consulate is a safe place to come and do the business that they need to do,” Payne said in a video statement published on Instagram.

The council member added that community members in the area monitoring the situation have been “really helpful” to ensure people feel safe coming to the consulate, encouraging them to continue with their service.

“Stay out on these foot patrols. Stay out on Central Avenue. Stay safe. Stay vigilant,” he said.

Launched by the Trump administration in December, Operation Metro Surge has seen thousands of federal immigration officers deployed to Minneapolis with the mission to arrest and then deport undocumented migrants with criminal records.

Thousands of migrants have been arrested. Activists and civil and immigration rights advocates have accused federal agents of detaining U.S. citizens, racial profiling people and using excessive force as well as violating due process rights.

Residents have taken to the streets in protest against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and have been met with violence, resulting in the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers in the city this month.