Connect with us

Midwest

Feds shift to targeted immigration enforcement in Minneapolis under Homan

Published

on

Feds shift to targeted immigration enforcement in Minneapolis under Homan

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Trump administration is shifting its approach to cracking down on illegal immigration in Minneapolis after federal agents’ actions drew scrutiny and sparked protests, sources tell Fox News.

Minneapolis has become a flash point for clashes between federal immigration enforcement agents and agitators, particularly following the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Local leaders slammed the Trump administration’s actions in Minneapolis, with Mayor Jacob Frey calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “get the f— out” of his city after Good was fatally shot.

Amid the unrest, President Donald Trump moved to change his administration’s approach and sent border czar Tom Homan to manage the situation. 

A White House official appeared to dismiss rumors of tension between Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Homan, saying that the two were working together to carry out the president’s agenda.

Advertisement

HOMAN ANNOUNCES DRAWDOWN OF FEDERAL PRESENCE IN MINNESOTA, HAILS ‘UNPRECEDENTED COOPERATION’ FROM LOCAL POLICE

White House border czar Tom Homan attends a press conference in Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 29, 2026.  (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

“Thanks to Tom Homan’s tireless work, an unprecedented number of counties in Minnesota have agreed to coordinate with ICE to transfer custody of criminal aliens upon their release. This is one of the conditions President Trump set for a draw down. These commitments have been made by local officials, and will continue to be monitored for compliance,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital.

Not all of Homan’s changes have been kept behind closed doors. The border czar announced the immediate drawdown of 700 personnel from Minnesota, effective Wednesday, though 2,000 officers will remain. He cited improved cooperation with jails and said that a complete drawdown was the goal, but it was “contingent upon the end of illegal and threatening activities against ICE.”

A federal agent prepares to depart the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Feb. 4, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Advertisement

MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR TO VISIT DC TO PUSH FOR END OF ‘UNLAWFUL ICE OPERATIONS’ AFTER TRUMP’S BLUNT WARNING

Homan has reportedly changed how Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) operates and interacts with suspected illegal immigrants. The border czar has reportedly increased the threshold for making arrests and shifted entirely to targeted operations as opposed to rover patrols, which were seen under Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, according to sources. 

Under Homan’s leadership, CBP agents have been instructed to not approach anyone they suspect to be in the country illegally unless they are a target, according to sources. CBP agents will instead be partnered with ICE officers to make targeted arrests, sources said. Additionally, sources told Fox News that Homan gave agents a warning that there would be consequences for stepping out of line.

A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital that while officers on the ground in Minnesota will be making targeted arrests, they will also “enforce federal immigration law” if, during an operation, they “come across additional illegal aliens.”

A person is detained by federal agents on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis.  (Ryan Murphy/AP)

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News has been told that there are thousands of targets in Minnesota and that targets are being identified through public records, which are run through a DHS database that provides criminal history, immigration history, invalid immigration documents and information on whether they have failed to appear for any immigration court hearings. 

Sources say that fingerprints have been used to identify targets, as anyone who entered the country illegally under the Biden administration and encountered CBP was fingerprinted. If an illegal immigrant is arrested by a local police department, DHS gets an alert on where they were fingerprinted and what the arrest was for.

DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Detroit, MI

Another bribery scandal hits Detroit. It involves the People Mover

Published

on

Another bribery scandal hits Detroit. It involves the People Mover


play

  • A former Detroit People Mover official is accused of accepting $300,000 in bribes.
  • The official allegedly approved phony invoices for IT work that was never performed.
  • The businessman who submitted the invoices owned a home restoration company with no IT experience.

More than a decade ago, a juror in a Detroit public corruption trial that ended with three men getting convicted in a $97 million bribery scheme exclaimed: “Hopefully this is the end of this nightmare … this is a whole new beginning.”

It didn’t quite go that way as the following years saw two city councilmen indictments, a dozen school principal bribery convictions, a towing scandal, as well as a toxic dirt and demolition fiasco.

Advertisement

And now there’s this.

In a new criminal filing in U.S. District Court, a former city official in charge of the Detroit People Mover shuttle is charged with taking $300,000 in bribes from a businessmen who reportedly billed the city for work that was never performed — all with the help of his connected associate.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, June 2 in U.S. District Court, the alleged scheme involves 55-year-old Michael Anderson, a former director with the Detroit Transportation Corporation, who allegedly helped Detroit businessman Terrence Parker bill the city for nearly $305,000 in information technology work that was never performed.

Moreover, court records show, Parker’s company has no experience with IT work, but rather performs restoration work on homes damaged by storms and natural disasters. Still, the FBI says, Parker managed to submit 22 phony invoices to the DTC for IT work, including fixing computer monitors — and got paid for all of it. That’s because Anderson was approving his phony invoices from the inside, the government says, and getting money in exchange for his help.

Advertisement

Anderson and Parker both are charged with conspiracy and federal program theft/bribery and face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. They were released on bond following their initial appearances in U.S. District Court. Their court-appointed lawyer could not be reached for comment.

According to the complaint, Anderson, who was hired by the city in 2022, was in charge of overseeing People Mover operations until he was fired in April for conduct unrelated to the pending criminal case. Parker owns a business called Total Care Restoration (TCR), which performs restoration work on homes damaged by fire, water, windstorms, or other elements.

According to the government, Parker was billing the DTC for information technology services, even though his company has no experience in that field, nor has it ever submitted a bid proposal to the city for such work, or signed any contract with the DTC.

Still, the government alleges, between 2023-25, the DTC paid nearly $305,000 to TCR for 23 invoices it had submitted, 22 of those invoices charged for IT services.

Advertisement

“Anderson approved the invoices and Parker deposited the checks into TCR’s bank account. TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments before Anderson was hired as Procurement Director. Likewise, TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments after Anderson was fired as Procurement Director,” the complaint states.

According to the government, Anderson did actually procure and manage IT contracts with a number of companies while he worked for the DTC. But TCR was billing the city for work that those companies had been contracted to do.

“At least six TCR invoices listed work that was actually contracted to (another company),” an FBI agent wrote in his affidavit attached to the criminal complaint.

Advertisement

Also noteworthy, the FBI agent writes: “Most of TCR’s invoices contained a charge for debris removal. In my experience, debris removal is a common line item for restoration projects but not for IT work.”

According to the complaint, the FBI figured out that Parker was funneling money to Anderson by reviewing their bank records, and noticing that their deposits and withdrawals coincided. For example, on Aug. 16, 2024, Parker deposited a DTC check for $23,934 and withdrew $18,000 cash. That same day and over the next several days, Anderson made cash deposits into his account for $1,500, $1,300, $1,000, $700 and $1,850.

“There is probable cause to believe that Parker paid Anderson a portion of the money from the TCR invoices,” the FBI agent writes.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Milwaukee, WI

MPS staffer who got plea deal in slapping case had earlier incident

Published

on

MPS staffer who got plea deal in slapping case had earlier incident


play

Advertisement
  • A former Milwaukee Public Schools paraprofessional received a deferred plea agreement for slapping a special education student.
  • Personnel records show the paraprofessional, Demitrios Visvardis, was accused of slapping another vulnerable student a year earlier.
  • Milwaukee Public Schools did not report the first incident to the police, according to department records.

When family members of a special education student voiced displeasure with a deferred plea agreement for former MPS paraprofessional Demitrios Visvardis in February, they were told it was fair given his lack of prior offenses. 

Visvardis was charged with battery four months earlier in connection with an incident involving Shrone Dunn, 18, of Riverside High School. 

“This ain’t nothing but a slap on the wrist,” Tyrone Dunn, Shrone’s father, said during the plea hearing. “We’re looking for justice.” 

Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski assured Dunn of District Attorney Erin Karshen’s ability to fully prosecute based on what was known. 

But records obtained by the Journal Sentinel through an open records request raise questions about Visvardis’s history, and how much was known before the plea deal was reached. 

Advertisement

Visvardis has no prior criminal record, but documents in his personnel file at Milwaukee Public Schools reference a 2024 accusation that he struck a special education student. 

In a December 2025 letter filed after a disciplinary hearing, MPS hearing officer Natalie Fluker said the November 2025 incident involving Shrone Dunn was “the second time in a year that [Visvardis has] been accused of slapping a vulnerable student.” 

The letter references findings made by hearing officer Gary Johnson during disciplinary proceedings related to the 2024 incident. 

Earlier incident also involved slapping 

According to the December letter, another Riverside High School staff member expressed concern to Principal Jeff Lasky after witnessing Visvardis slap an intellectually disabled student on October 10, 2024. As with the incident involving Dunn, review of security footage confirmed the allegations.  

Advertisement

Visvardis physically kept the student on a vent near an exit on the first floor of the school building despite the student’s multiple attempts to get up, according to the letter. Describing the footage, Johnson wrote, “The student appears to scream and you turn and slap him on the face. You then exit the hallway.”

Visvardis apologized for the incident, stating it was the worst thing he’d ever done.

Milwaukee Public Schools failed to report prior incident

According to the MPS employee handbook, the district generally follows a progressive discipline model that depends on the behavior and frequency of occurrences.  

Johnson found the first incident to be “especially egregious, considering the unnecessary and excessive force” used on Student A and recommended a departure from the progressive discipline model. The departure meant Visvardis would be issued a three-day unpaid suspension and required enrollment in a course in nonviolent crisis intervention. 

Advertisement

The school district did not directly respond to questions from the Journal Sentinel about whether the police were notified of the incident in 2024. It also declined to say whether Student A’s parents were informed or what steps were taken to protect the student following the incident. 

“The safety of our students is our highest priority,” Stephen Davis, a media relations manager at Milwaukee Public Schools, told the Journal Sentinel in an emailed statement. “We cannot discuss the details of any personnel matter, and the current administration would not be able to speak about how a prior case was addressed in 2024.” 

But according to Milwaukee Police Department records, no report associated with Visvardis exists since January 2021 beyond the report on his arrest on November 13, 2025. That’s the day after Riverside cameras captured footage of Visvardis slapping Dunn “with an open hand to the left side of face,” according to police records. 

Review hearing scheduled for this week 

Visvardis is due back in court on Thursday, June 4.  

According to the deferred prosecution agreement obtained by the Journal Sentinel, he will be eligible to seek employment in a “school, group home or any other place of employment where he would interact with other vulnerable people” this month, given successful completion of an anger management treatment program. 

Advertisement

Meanwhile, the Dunn Family has filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Board of School Directors, and Visvardis. 

April Quevedo covers Metcalfe Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: aquevedo@usatodayco.com.

Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Journal Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.

The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

Motorcyclist seriously injured in north Minneapolis hit-and-run

Published

on

Motorcyclist seriously injured in north Minneapolis hit-and-run



Minneapolis police are investigating a hit-and-run that left a man seriously injured Tuesday afternoon.

The crash happened near Oliver Avenue North and Lowry Avenue North just before 2 p.m., according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

Investigators say an SUV struck another vehicle, which then collided with a motorcyclist. The driver of the SUV then fled the scene.

Advertisement

The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. Police say the driver of the other vehicle was not injured.

No arrests have been made as of Tuesday night.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending