Midwest
US northern border faces Great Lakes threat from ‘bad actors’ pressing waterfront weaknesses: expert
As the White House focuses on cracking down on illegal immigration on the southern border, an expert warns that the maritime industry along the northern border faces threats from bad actors and the risk of foreign influence.
Fox News Digital spoke with Jim Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association and retired U.S. Coast Guard officer, about national security risks along the Great Lakes and the Detroit Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which covers parts of Michigan and northern Ohio along the U.S.-Canada border.
“What people outside our region or outside of law enforcement often don’t understand is that border security—or any type of perimeter security—is a lot like a tube of toothpaste: if you apply pressure in one area, such as the southern border, the threat simply shifts to another part of the perimeter,” he said.
“So, as we—rightfully, in my view—reinforce our southern border, which has proven to be significantly lax, bad actors looking to smuggle terrorists, humans, fentanyl, or other contraband will likely redirect their efforts to our northern border.”
NORTHERN BORDER ‘QUIET CRISIS’ BREWS AS EXPERT FLOATS UNCONVENTIONAL SOLUTION TO COMBAT HUMAN SMUGGLING
A ship sails down the St. Clair River under the Blue Water Bridge border crossing between Canada and the U.S. near Sarnia, Ontario, on April 3, 2025. (Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images)
Weakley said that the lower standards in Canada serve as a national security risk in the U.S., due to the stricter inspection and manning regulations.
“To work on a U.S. vessel, officers must be U.S. citizens and most crew must be at least green card holders, with limits on how many non-citizens can be on board. In contrast, Canada allows sailors and officers from a wide range of countries, including the Philippines, Jamaica and Ukraine.”
“Canadian companies can also issue pilotage endorsements, unlike the U.S., where it’s tightly regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard. That means a Canadian vessel, even on Lake Michigan—where there’s no Canadian border—could be operated by foreign nationals with minimal oversight. They also carry fewer pilots and use cheaper, Chinese-subsidized ships, which further lowers their costs.
Weakley argued that the standards are a national security risk and a major reason why Canada dominates 90% of the cross-lake shipping market, putting U.S. carriers at a disadvantage.
Crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Katmai Bay prepare to return to port following ice-clearing operations near Lake Huron in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, on March 15, 2023. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As the Great Lakes region plunges into the wintry weather, the lakes freeze over and provide human smugglers with another way to traverse across to America, Weakley explained.
“The vastness of the Great Lakes makes border security and law enforcement far more complex, especially when the Canadians aren’t pulling their weight,” he said. “In fact, I don’t believe they have any law enforcement presence on the Great Lakes during the winter.”
When the ice melts, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or the Ontario Provincial Police operate patrol boats, he explained.
“We’re doing much more to secure the border on both sides. However, the Canadians are doing less, which forces the U.S. to take on a greater share of the responsibility. And as we strengthen our southern border, the threat along the northern border is only going to grow.”
US NORTHERN BORDER SEES ROMANIAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT INFLUX AS EXPERT PREDICTS WHAT COULD BE DRIVING THEM
A tugboat pulls a barge along the St. Clair River between Michigan and Ontario, Canada. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
By the numbers
During testimony in front of the House Intelligence Committee, FBI Director Kash Patel told lawmakers adversaries such as China and Russia have started to target the northern U.S. border with Canada.
“The enemy adapts,” Patel said.
The Trump administration has overseen a dramatic shift at the U.S. southern border since taking office in January, with the number of CBP recorded encounters plummeting by 90% in most sectors compared to the same time period last year. The administration has poured in resources to stop the spiraling immigration situation at the southern border.
The sudden silence there came after record-setting numbers of illegal crossings during the four years of the Biden administration, a trend that also saw a dramatic increase in attempted crossings by immigrants outside of North and Latin America.
WATCH: Chinese migrants are cause for concern, expert warns
Chinese nationals were among the most likely to attempt illegal crossings, with the number of crossings from citizens of the country rising to over 24,000 in 2023, a more than 5,200% increase from the 450 encounters just a year earlier, according to CBP data.
Overall, Patel told lawmakers that between 2022 and 2025, roughly 178,000 Chinese nationals attempted to cross the southern border.
ILLEGAL-SMUGGLING COYOTES NOW ADVERTISING AT CANADA BORDER AMID TRUMP MIGRANT CRACKDOWN: REPORT
Detroit Sector
CBP declined to comment but pointed to data that depicted encounters at the Northern Land Border in the Detroit Sector, broken down by fiscal year (FY) and demographic group.
FY 2024 had the highest monthly peaks, especially in May (139 encounters) and July (74). FY 2022 had consistently very low encounter counts, never surpassing 35 per month.
FY 2025 saw a large jump in February (139) compared to only 53 the same month in FY 2024.
Read the CBP data. Mobile users click here
Single adults consistently dominated the encounters in the Detroit Sector, data showed. Single adults peaked in FY 2024, with 604 encounters.
The trend is continuing into FY 2025, with 338 encounters to date, suggesting it could surpass previous years if the trend continues.
Read the full article from Here
Midwest
Ilhan Omar kicked out of ICE facility after DHS requires week’s advance notice
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., says she and other Minnesota lawmakers were kicked out of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Omar visited ICE’s Whipple Building alongside fellow Minnesota Democrat Rep. Angie Craig, saying they were fulfilling their congressional oversight role. They were asked to leave the facility after being informed about a new Trump administration rule governing lawmaker visits.
“We were initially invited in to do our congressional oversight and to exercise our Article I duties,” Omar told reporters after the incident. “When we made it in, it was with the authorization of someone who’s been here for a really long time, who understood that we had a congressional duty to enter the building and see the facility.”
“Shortly after we were let in, two officials came in and said they received a message that we were no longer allowed to be in the building and that they were rescinding our invitation and denying any further access to the building,” she continued.
JEFFRIES CALLS NOEM ‘STONE-COLD LIAR’ OVER MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING RESPONSE, DEMAND INVESTIGATIONS
Rep. Ilhan Omar, center, joined by Reps. Kelly Morrison, left, and Angie Craig, arrive outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a new rule on Saturday requiring lawmakers to give at least one week’s notice before entering an ICE facility.
The move is the administration’s second attempt at such an order. A federal judge previously struck down a similar requirement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, finding that federal spending laws require that members of Congress receive unrestricted access to recipient facilities.
LAWMAKERS PROBE SBA LOANS LINKED TO MINNESOTA’S $9B FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘RECKLESS DECISION MAKING’
Omar said her group was able to briefly question officials inside the facility regarding hygiene for detainees and other topics. She described the answers she received as “insane,” and argued officials were downplaying how long detainees remain at the facility.
Rep. Ilhan Omar arrives for an oversight visit at the Whipple Building on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Federal officials say the new order complies with federal law because the funding for the facility is sourced from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rather than congressional appropriations.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin elaborated on Omar’s removal in a statement to reporters, arguing that the lawmakers entered the facility “with the explicit goal of ‘hunting down’ ICE officers who they believed may have been staying there.”
U.S. Border Patrol agents detain a person near Roosevelt High School during dismissal time as federal immigration enforcement actions sparked unrest in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)
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“For the safety of detainees and staff, and in compliance with the agency’s mandate, the members of Congress were notified that their visit was improper and out of compliance with existing court orders and policies which mandate that members of Congress must notify ICE at least seven days in advance of congressional visits,” she said.
Read the full article from Here
Detroit, MI
School Closings: List of closures across metro Detroit
(WXYZ) — Hundreds of schools will be closed on Thursday due to winter weather in metro Detroit.
>> See the full list here.
On Wednesday, winter weather advisories were issued in Southeast Michigan as several inches of snow fell across the area, creating challenges on the roads.
On Thursday, we’re expecting more snow chances and colder air.
Milwaukee, WI
Grocery store closures impact Milwaukee residents
MILWAUKEE — For many Milwaukee residents, it may become increasingly difficult to find access to fresh food.
Jonathan Hansen is the chief strategy officer for Hunger Task Force, a free, local food bank in Milwaukee. Hansen said Hunger Task Force has noticed a significant increase of need from the community.
“Everyone is feeling that pinch right now,” said Hansen. “Particularly families who are struggling with unemployment.”
He said grocery store chains scaling back and closing some locations makes it even harder.
The most recent store closure was on Jan. 11, when the Aldi on North Sherman Boulevard closed. A spokesperson with Aldi said the closure “is a part of a strategic effort to better allocate resources and continue providing a high-quality shopping experience at our nearby stores.”
Aldi also announced it’s opening 180 new stores across 31 states in 2026.
Milwuakee Alderwoman Andrea Pratt issued the following statement in light of the Aldi closure, saying, in-part:
“The closing is disappointing and will make it more difficult for many regular customers – especially those who do not have access to a vehicle – to obtain their groceries and other critical items.
“Additionally, it is just the latest development in a trend of recent divestment from neighborhoods where there are already few fresh food resources available to residents. Therecent closures of Pick ‘n Save stores nearby (35th and North and on Silver Spring Dr. in Glendale) are making it so that residents must travel significantly farther to secure their food, necessities, and medications.
“I will be working closely with city staff and our local business community to see what we can do to attract new grocery outlets to the 1st District and the north side.”
Hansen said there’s options for residents in who are unable to travel far for groceries. The Hunger Task Force Mobile Market travels Monday through Friday throughout the county where residents have limited access to fresh and healthy foods.
“We see the instance of a grocery store closing or we see a neighborhood overtime that lost resources to healthy foods or to a grocery store,” said Hansen. “We’re able to pivot and send the market to those neighborhoods to help to address needs.”
The closest mobile market to the closed Aldi on North Sherman Boulevard is at Meinecke Plaza. The market will be there the first Monday of every month at 4 p.m.
The African American Roundtable is also fighting food insecurity through a campaign it’s launching this spring. Ryeshia Farmer said this will benefit the northwest side of Milwaukee.
“We really want to get the city’s decision makers, the Common Council, the mayor, to invest in food access for our residents,” said Farmer. “We want them to take up responsibility to prioritize through the city budget.”
Both Farmer and Hansen said it’s important for residents to know they’re not alone.
“We want people to have the same shopping experience that anyone wants in the grocery store and to be able to afford foods,” said Hansen.
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