Midwest
Why won’t the Homeland Security secretary say if DHS funded a terrorist’s travel to Minnesota?
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Is your money funding the transportation of foreign terrorists to Minnesota? Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas won’t answer that question.
In January, reporting revealed that DHS allowed a known terrorist to roam freely throughout the country for almost a year before being arrested in Minnesota after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released him into the United States at our southern border.
This case raised fundamental questions about the Biden administration’s potential use of taxpayer money to transport illegal aliens who pose a threat to national security into communities across the United States.
DHS, led by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, has failed to produce a single document in response to a basic FOIA request.
The American people deserve to know if DHS spent taxpayer dollars to transport a known terrorist across the country – but President Biden’s DHS has refused to answer simple questions about the situation for months.
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Here’s what we do know, despite stonewalling from Mayorkas: DHS encountered a Somali man at the southern border on March 13, 2023. According to the current administration’s practice, he was promptly released into the United States and somehow made his way to Minnesota.
On Jan. 18, 2024, after the individual had been in the country for more than 10 months, he was deemed “a confirmed member of al-Shabaab,” a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization in Somalia. He was finally arrested two days later in Minneapolis.
In early February, members of Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation sent a letter directly to Mayorkas seeking answers on how exactly Biden’s DHS allowed a terrorist to enter and remain in the homeland for almost a year. To date, it has gone unanswered.
How was a terrorist who entered the United States as an illegal immigrant able to get to Minnesota, and how was he able to support himself while there?
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According to research published in March by The Heritage Foundation, he may well have been provided a plane ticket and other support by the American taxpayer.
Since 2021, the Biden administration has been using a program called the Emergency Food and Shelter Program-Humanitarian (EFSP-H) to provide long-range transportation, legal services and more to illegal aliens encountered at the southern border.
The money is appropriated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which, in turn, hands it over to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide for illegal aliens. These NGOs have received billions of taxpayer dollars since Biden took office – exploiting our open border to fill their own coffers.
The only clear eligibility requirement for illegal aliens to benefit from the government’s program is that they were encountered and released by DHS at the southern border – meaning that the Somali terrorist arrested in Minnesota was likely eligible.
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According to Heritage’s estimate, as many as two million illegal aliens, some undoubtedly dangerous criminals, may have gained access to long-range transportation through Biden’s EFSP-H program.
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project submitted a FOIA request for records of travel expenses incurred by the program. Such documentation is required by law.
FEMA, however, responded to the FOIA request by claiming that it was not responsible for holding those documents and did not have any – implying that hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars going toward plane tickets and more for illegal aliens, like that Somali terrorist, were not even being monitored by DHS.
Still seeking answers, members of Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation again sent a letter to Mayorkas in early April. They hoped the secretary would provide clarity on whether DHS had evidence on how the terrorist traveled to Minnesota, as well as whether an NGO aided in that travel, and if that NGO received federal funding.
That letter was dated April 2, with a request for response by April 17. It has also gone unanswered.
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Not only has the Biden administration failed to answer basic questions about the EFSP-H program, but they’ve also doubled-down by creating the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which will replace EFSP-H and “facilitate more effective support of CBP efforts to efficiently process and humanely treat noncitizens.” In their proposed budget for fiscal year 2025, DHS requested an additional $1.4 billion for the SSP.
Taxpayer dollars have gone to supporting unvetted illegal aliens and transporting as many as two million of them across the country. Among them may have been a known terrorist.
DHS failed to produce a single document in response to a basic FOIA request. They have flatly ignored two letters from Congress. And they expect more of your money – without oversight.
DHS’ abuse of taxpayer dollars while failing to protect the homeland from known terrorists cannot stand. Congress can and must use the power of the purse to defund the SSP and stop hardworking Americans from being forced to foot the bill for President Biden’s unprecedented crisis at our southern border.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration owes it to the American people to provide answers on the dangers it has welcomed to the country.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM LORA RIES
Lora Ries is the director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center.
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BROOKINGS, S.D. – Instead of boarding airplanes or planning weeklong vacations, many South Dakota families are spending summer weekends closer to home, filling festivals, community events and family attractions that offer affordable ways to make memories together.
That trend is showing up across the state, according to South Dakota tourism officials. And organizers of many local events say they’ve watched it evolve over decades.
“We did re-coin that term ‘staycation’ again this year,” said Shari Budahl Avery, publicity chair for the 55-year-old Brookings Summer Arts Festival. “If things are a little tight but you want to get away for a day, we can provide that experience.”
Families are redefining summer travel
Travel South Dakota has reported that many travelers are choosing more affordable destinations, taking shorter trips and staying closer to home because of continued economic uncertainty. The department said South Dakota is well positioned because many visitors already travel by car from nearby states.
According to the department, 58% of visitors travel within 150 miles of home, and affordability, scenic beauty and family experiences remain among the state’s strongest attractions.
Travel South Dakota reports that visitors rate the state highly for affordability and family experiences, with 87% saying they would recommend South Dakota to others and 90% planning to return.
Shawn Steward, public affairs manager for AAA South Dakota, said travelers look for ways to make summer vacations fit their finances rather than canceling them altogether.
“People still want to travel,” Steward said in an interview with South Dakota News Watch. “They’re just making different choices.”
Steward said many families are adjusting by taking shorter trips, traveling by car instead of flying or choosing destinations closer to home, trends that align with what tourism officials and local event organizers are seeing across South Dakota.
Local events become summer destinations
Budahl Avery said those statewide trends match what festival organizers have observed for years.
“We’re kind of dead center in a pretty good population center,” she said. “People can come on what one friend from Texas called a ‘tank trip’ – somewhere you can drive on one tank of gas and get home.”
The two-day festival features about 178 juried artists, live entertainment, children’s activities, food vendors and historical demonstrations. Budahl Avery said the goal is to create an experience where multiple generations can spend time together without needing an expensive vacation.
Affordable, convenient entertainment
During a recent stop in Brookings, the Cardin International Circus drew families from across the region. Ringmaster and comedian Rulito Videla said attendance varies from city to city, but he believes many families are looking for affordable experiences closer to home.
“If they are staying home, support your local events,” Videla said. “The circus is family-oriented entertainment. You create memories.”
Visitors interviewed in Brookings described making similar choices.
Erica Quam said her family often prefers several smaller outings over one major vacation.
“We live right near Brookings,” Quam said. “It’s close, there were some coupons that made it more affordable, and it’s just a fun, easy activity.”
Sienna Vanmeveren also chose to stay closer to home this summer to save money.
“It’s easier than traveling somewhere,” she said, adding that she would likely travel more if finances allowed.
Not every family is changing its travel habits.
Sviatlana Senchanka said her family recently completed a road trip from South Dakota to California and continues to spend time outdoors at local lakes. She said work schedules determine when her family travels more than travel costs.
For Budahl Avery, however, the value of community events extends beyond economics.
“What keeps families coming back?” she said. “Tradition. Joy. Making memories.”
Whether families travel across the country or simply across town, organizers and visitors alike say a memorable summer doesn’t always require going far from home.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, subscribe for free and donate at sdnewswatch.org. Amina Aidarkhanova received the 2026 Jeffrey B. Nelson Investigative Journalism Endowed Internship and the Chuck Raasch and Sandy Johnson Scholarship from the SDSU Foundation. Contact: amina.aidarkhanova@sdnewswatch.org.
Wisconsin
Former Wisconsin judge to be sentenced after conviction in obstructing arrest of Mexican immigrant
Former Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of felony obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal officers in a case that highlighted President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in federal court.
Dugan, 67, faces up to five years in prison after a jury convicted her on Dec. 19. She resigned from her position as a Milwaukee County circuit judge two weeks later amid threats of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers. She had been a judge for nine years.
Trump administration tried to make an example out of Milwaukee judge
The Trump administration brought the case against Dugan as the president pressed ahead with his sweeping immigration crackdown. Trump’s administration and his allies branded Dugan as an activist judge, while Dugan’s attorneys said during the trial that the Trump administration was trying to make an example out of Dugan to “crush her.”
Immigrant rights advocates and other Dugan allies argued that the administration was trying to use her case to blunt judicial opposition to Trump’s immigration efforts. The case became a bellwether nationally in the conflict between the judiciary and Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a fierce Trump loyalist running for Wisconsin governor, urged authorities to “lock her up” in a social media post following her conviction.
Dugan’s attorneys declined to comment ahead of the sentencing. Dugan did not testify during her trial, but her attorneys said she would be making comments to the court on Wednesday. That would be her first public comments on the case in more than a year.
Prosecutors push for ‘serious sentence’
Dugan’s attorneys argued that as a judge she was immune from prosecution. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who will hand down the sentence, has rejected attempts by Dugan to vacate her obstruction conviction.
Prosecutors argued in a sentencing memo filed last week that Dugan violated her oath as a judge and put both law enforcement and the public at risk.
“Judges are entrusted with tremendous discretion, but there is a line they cannot cross,” Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling wrote. “The defendant crossed that line.”
Dugan’s attorneys argued she has “punished enough,” including resigning as a judge and facing threats of violence. They argued in her sentencing memo that she should not be sentenced to any jail time besides the part of one day she already spent in federal custody.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, the presentence report calls for 15 to 21 months behind bars. The judge is not bound by those guidelines.
Prosecutors said the average sentence for obstruction cases is 16 months, but they did not recommend a sentence.
“This was a serious offense, and it warrants a correspondingly serious sentence,” Frohling wrote.
No matter what she is sentenced to, Dugan’s attorneys said they plan to file an appeal.
Dugan’s case was a first for Wisconsin
Dugan’s case marked the first time that a state judge in Wisconsin went to trial on charges of obstructing immigration agents. She was found not guilty of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor.
On April 18, 2025, immigration officers went to the Milwaukee County courthouse after learning 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.
Dugan confronted agents outside her courtroom and directed them to the chief judge’s office because she told them their administrative warrant wasn’t sufficient grounds to arrest Flores-Ruiz.
After the agents left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. A week later, FBI agents arrested Dugan in the courthouse, leading her outside in handcuffs.
Flores-Ruiz was deported in November.
The Detroit Police Department is investigating after a 5-year-old child was shot in the arm near a park on Tuesday.
The shooting happened at about 8:50 p.m. near the Fargo-Oaklfield Playground on the city’s west side. Police Chief Todd Bettison says the child was in front of his home riding a bike with his father supervising at the time of the shooting.
Bettison says an individual at the park fired multiple shots, striking the child. He says the boy’s father reported hearing shots and the child falling from his bike.
Bettison says the child is expected to be OK.
Bettison says the person appears to have been firing shots randomly, which he calls “problematic.” He says a person of interest is described as possibly between 15 and 16 years old and wearing a mask. He says the person is known to frequent the area.
“When you fire a weapon, what goes up must go down,” Bettison said. “To parents and everyone, know where your kids are. Juveniles should not have guns, and whether you’re an adult or a child, you should not be firing a weapon inside of the city limits.”
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield released a statement, saying in part, “By the grace of God, this young boy will recover from his injury and is on his way home from the hospital. With that said, this incident was senseless and could have had a much more tragic ending.
“Every child in Detroit deserves to feel safe riding their bike, playing outside, and simply being a child in their own neighborhood. We cannot accept a reality where our children are placed in harm’s way because someone chose to recklessly fire a gun.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up.
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