Southeast
SEN BILL HAGERTY: Nashville is not a sanctuary city. I won’t let that happen
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Nashville is not, nor is any other city in Tennessee, a sanctuary city. I intend to make certain that remains the case.
In May in Nashville, ICE conducted a successful operation with Tennessee Highway Patrol to arrest 196 criminal illegal aliens, including a convicted rapist and a suspected murderer.
While I have received every assurance that Nashville and every other city in Tennessee will work in a cooperative manner with law enforcement, make no mistake: I will make certain those commitments are not just lip service.
TENNESSEE REP SAYS NASHVILLE MAYOR’S ICE POLICIES AMOUNT TO ‘AIDING AND ABETTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION’
After the operation, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell condemned ICE’s good work, promoted a fund to provide support dollars for illegal immigrants and their families in Nashville, and even updated an executive order to fast-track the collection of all Nashville government employees’ interactions with ICE.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell criticized ICE raids in Nashville, saying they are not focused on making the city safer, but instead leave the community fearing law enforcement interaction. (Associated Press / Getty Images)
The mayor’s executive order has – unsurprisingly – led to the doxxing of ICE agents, who have faced a 413% increase in assaults against them while on the job. In Nashville, we know that activists are monitoring ICE activity in the city and alerting each other of ICE’s movements using encrypted group chats.
Did these groups see the doxxed ICE agents’ personal information? How will they use it? How does the mayor ensure these lists of ICE agents do not end up in the wrong hands? These are all questions we shouldn’t have to ask, but now we do.
HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT
The cloud of confusion that has arisen from this misstep is unfortunate, and the facts need to be made clear: the state of Tennessee is a state that stands for law enforcement and the protection of its citizens.
The leftwing media is adding fuel to the fire. For example, New York Times opinion writer Margaret Renkl explicitly compares ICE raids in Nashville to the Jim Crow South and the Trail of Tears. Her article – littered with cherry-picked stories from immigrant activists – uses such ridiculous words as “hunt” to suggest that what is happening in my state is not legal. Let me be clear: the only illegality is from those who chose to cross the border illegally.
We know where this all leads: In 2019, an Antifa activist attempted to firebomb an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington. Thankfully, he was stopped before he could succeed. But his intentions and motivation were clear. In his manifesto, he slandered ICE as “the forces of evil,” and compared their detention facilities to “concentration camp[s].”
DHS FIRES BACK AT BLUE-CITY MAYOR UNHAPPY ABOUT ICE OPERATION, PROVIDES RAP SHEETS FOR THOSE CHARGED
Even when such rhetoric from the media and mismanagement on the part of local officials does not inspire acts of domestic terrorism, it still leads to harassment and threats against ICE and other federal law enforcement officers.
In the first Trump presidency, the left shamelessly engaged in doxxing of ICE agents, sharing their personal information in an effort to intimidate them out of their jobs, or even cause direct harm to them. Such private information was even shared by college professors, published by WikiLeaks, and disseminated by the far-left domestic terrorist organization Antifa.
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Now that President Donald Trump is back in office, activists have resumed this dangerous tactic. Even state lawmakers have joined in on efforts to expose ICE officers’ identities, with Tennessee Democrat state Representative Aftyn Behn filming herself gleefully stalking ICE agents.
White House ‘border czar’ Tom Homan speaks with reporters outside the White House in Washington, DC, on March 7, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s historic re-election made it clear: the American people support his immigration agenda, including the removal and deportation of criminal illegal aliens from our communities. Yet some, like Nashville Mayor O’Connell, whether intentional or not, are inhibiting the president’s mission. This will not stand.
BLUE CITY MAYOR SAYS ICE ARRESTS OF DANGEROUS CRIMINALS ARE NOT ‘FOCUSED ON MAKING US SAFER’
The Trump administration and the men and women of ICE have a Herculean task before them in cleaning up what former President Joe Biden facilitated: the largest invasion of our Southern border in history.
For four years, we watched Biden sacrifice our national sovereignty to allow millions to illegally flood our country. Unsurprisingly, this illegal tsunami included murderers, rapists, human traffickers, drug smugglers, people on terrorist watch lists, and more. Today, ICE is working overtime to remove these criminals and make our communities safer.
The leftwing media is adding fuel to the fire. For example, New York Times opinion writer Margaret Renkl explicitly compares ICE raids in Nashville to the Jim Crow South and the Trail of Tears.
Here’s the reality: Illegal aliens are facing justice. They are being sent home. And violent criminals, who are here illegally, will no longer plague our communities.
O’Connell should take care to empower ICE and local law enforcement to remove illegal aliens from our communities, not endanger them. The American people, the people of Tennessee and the brave men and women of ICE deserve much better. I look forward to seeing this commitment upheld.
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Southeast
Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’
MAHA eyes SNAP, school lunch restrictions for junk food
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the Trump administration’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative, detailing new efforts to restrict ultra-processed foods in school lunches and limiting SNAP benefit purchases.
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An Atlanta-area police department issued a blunt notice to parents after officers claimed a child brought a vodka-based beverage to school — tucked beside Doritos in a packed lunch.
The City of South Fulton Police Department sounded off about the incident in a now-viral Facebook post, warning parents to “CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX.”
“Say Twin… Before you send them babies off to school… CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX. Because why are we getting reports of juice boxes sitting next to… Cutwater margaritas??” the department wrote.
Officials also shared a photo of the alleged lunchbox, containing what appears to be a child’s lunch, Doritos and a Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini.
The police department shared a photo of a Cutwater canned cocktail in a lunchbox. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
“That is NOT Capri Sun. That is NOT Apple Juice. That is a whole ‘Parent had a long night’ starter pack,” the department wrote. “Now little Johnny done pulled up to 3rd period talking about: ‘Who want fruit snacks?’ knowing good and well he got a Lemon Drop Martini in the zipper pocket.”
Cutwater Lemon Drop Martinis, as found in the lunchbox, are 11% ABV ready-to-drink cocktails made with vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and natural flavors.
They come in 12-ounce cans, similar in appearance to a soda can.
The City of South Fulton Police Department issued a statement after the apparent mishap. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
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The department said it understands mornings can be hectic, but issued a stern notice to parents to “TIGHTEN UP.”
“Your child shouldn’t be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID,” authorities wrote. “If it says 12% ABV… it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.”
Officials also provided a “quick parent checklist,” with items including: “Homework,” “Lunch packed,” and “Alcoholic beverages.”
Boxes of Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai and Strawberry Margarita canned cocktails. (Gado/Getty Images)
“Check the lunchbox before the Fulton County Schools Police resource officers gotta do inventory at recess,” the department added.
It is unclear if any parents or students were disciplined in relation to the mix-up.
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Fulton County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The City of South Fulton, Georgia, is a rapidly growing municipality located about 20 minutes from Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
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Southeast
Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges
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A federal prosecutor acknowledged Thursday that the decision to charge Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia two years after a routine traffic stop was “extraordinary” while defending the human smuggling case as legally justified.
Abrego Garcia, 31, has become a flash point in the national immigration debate since last March, when he was deported to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order in what Trump administration officials acknowledged was an “administrative error.”
The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration had to work to bring him back to the U.S.
After returning in June, Abrego Garcia was taken into federal custody in Nashville and detained on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
He has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, left, are accompanied by Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, right, of We Are Casa, as they leave the federal courthouse, Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A 2019 court order prevents Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador after an immigration judge determined he faced danger from a gang that had threatened his family. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager and has been under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Abrego Garcia was accused in court records of repeated domestic violence against his wife, who alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse in protective order filings. She later withdrew the protective order request and has defended her husband publicly.
The Department of Homeland Security has also said he was living in the U.S. illegally and has alleged ties to MS-13, disputing portrayals of him as simply a “Maryland man.” His attorneys have denied the gang allegations.
Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera footage from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding shows a calm exchange with officers. While officers discussed suspicions of smuggling among themselves — noting there were nine passengers in the vehicle — Abrego Garcia was issued only a warning.
TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES
A woman holds a sign in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in front of the U.S. District Court in Nashville. (Getty Images )
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who was acting U.S. attorney in April 2025, testified Thursday that his decision to charge Abrego Garcia was based on the evidence.
“I had previously prosecuted several human smuggling cases,” McGuire said, noting that after seeing video of the traffic stop, “I was immediately struck by how similar what was being depicted in the body cam was to those investigations.”
McGuire said Abrego Garcia’s vehicle belonged to someone with “a human smuggling background” and added that the route was “suspicious.”
“It was a large number of individuals traveling in one SUV with a driver who spoke for the group. No one had luggage… the car had Texas plates… the route was suspicious,” McGuire said.
DEM JUDGE IN HOT SEAT AFTER DHS EXPOSES ‘WHOLE NEW LEVEL’ OF ACTIVISM, SHELTERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrived at the federal courthouse, Thursday, for a hearing on whether the charges against him should be dismissed. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
During cross-examination, McGuire acknowledged that the timing of the charges, coming so long after the traffic stop, was “extraordinary.”
He said he had not previously been aware of the traffic stop but reiterated that nobody in the Trump administration, including the White House or the Department of Justice, pressured him to seek the indictment.
When asked about whether he might have felt pressure to prosecute the case, McGuire said, “I’m not going to do something that is wrong to keep my job.”
DHS OFFICIAL RIPS KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA FOR ‘MAKING TIKTOKS’ WHILE AGENCY FACES GAG ORDER
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, right, and his brother Cesar Abrego Garcia, center, arrive at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
McGuire also said timing factored into charging Abrego Garcia since he was being held in El Salvador, and he did not want the indictment to go public before all senior officials were briefed on the matter.
“I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a controversial matter,” McGuire said.
U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw did not make a ruling Thursday and said he would wait to receive post-hearing briefs from attorneys by March 5 before determining whether another hearing is necessary.
Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution “may be vindictive” and that prior statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”
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Thursday’s court appearance came after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from re-arresting Abrego Garcia into federal immigration custody on Feb. 17.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Southeast
GOP Rep Nancy Mace introduces ‘Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act’
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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced a bill to authorize the death penalty as a potential punishment for the sexual abuse of children.
“We have zero mercy for child rapists. Those who prey on our most vulnerable deserve the harshest consequence we can deliver,” Mace said in a statement.
The proposal is aptly called the “Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announces she will run for South Carolina governor during a press conference at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, on Aug. 4, 2025. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“No predator should be allowed to walk away from the most unthinkable crimes against children,” Mace noted.
“This bill is simple. Rape a child and you don’t get a second chance, you get the death penalty. We will never apologize for protecting America’s children,” Mace added.
The bill would put capital punishment on the table as an option to punish those who sexually abuse children.
REP NANCY MACE SLAPS DOWN EARLY RETIREMENT RUMOR: ‘BIG FAT NO FROM ME’
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., attends the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“INTRODUCING: The Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act to amend Title 18 to authorize the death penalty for aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact offenses against children. It will also amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to authorize the death penalty for the rape of a child,” she said in a post on X.
“We’ve spent months fighting to expose Jeffrey Epstein’s network of powerful predators. We’ve demanded accountability and pushed for transparency. Now we’re making sure anyone who rapes a child faces the ultimate consequence,” she noted.
Mace has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2021.
NANCY MACE CLAIMS NANCY PELOSI ‘WAS A MORE EFFECTIVE HOUSE SPEAKER THAN ANY REPUBLICAN THIS CENTURY’
She is one of the candidates currently running in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary.
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