Northeast
Kilmar Garcia now gets 5 total Dem proponents in El Salvador
After Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., returned from El Salvador, four Democrats in the House of Representatives passed in the night to continue his mission to pressure the release of deportee Kilmar Garcia, who had been living in the Old Line State.
Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., and Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., said Monday they had arrived in San Salvador, the capital, while deportee Garcia, an accused MS-13 gang member, was moved to a less-stringent detention center than the infamous CECOT he was first housed in.
In a statement released Monday via Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the deportee’s wife, Jennifer Garcia, said, “We’re deeply grateful to the members of Congress and advocates for justice now on the ground in El Salvador, building on the leadership of Senator Van Hollen.”
“Their presence sends a powerful message: the fight to bring Kilmar home isn’t over.”
DEPORTED ILLEGAL ALIEN AND SUSPECTED MS-13 GANG MEMBER TRANSFERRED FROM NOTORIOUS EL SALVADORAN MEGA-PRISON
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., center, joined by Garcia family members after returning to the U.S. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“I’m fighting for Kilmar and for all the other Kilmars, who have been unjustly deported without due process. We need Congress to keep showing up, both here and abroad, until justice is served and the rights of everyone are protected,” Jennifer said.
In a joint press release, the Democrat lawmakers said their request to have their trip financed by taxpayers was refused by House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.
DOJ INDICATES TRUMP ADMIN NOT OBLIGATED TO RETURN MAN DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR, PUSHING BACK ON JUDICIARY
Reps. Maxine Dexter, Robert Garcia and Maxwell A. Frost traveled to El Salvador. (Getty)
In their letter to Comer, Frost and Garcia wrote that deportee Garcia, “a Salvadoran national legally living and working in Maryland, was subject to a 2019 withholding order from an immigration judge prohibiting his removal to El Salvador.”
Additionally, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is also reportedly planning to travel to CECOT, according to reports from Politico and Axios. His office did not respond to a Fox News Digital inquiry.
NOT A MARYLAND MAN: GOP BLASTS DEMOCRAT SENATOR FIGHTING FOR RETURN OF SALVADORAN NATIONAL
Fox News Digital reached out to Comer’s office for comment, and whether other lawmakers had contacted him seeking CODEL authorization.
Republicans have seized on Democrats’ support for Garcia, with House Speaker Mike Johnson writing Monday afternoon, “Today, House Democrats travel to El Salvador as part of their obsession to bring a violent illegal alien and member of MS-13 BACK INTO the United States. Could the contrast be more clear? House Republicans remain committed to doing everything we can to protect American families and keep dangerous gang members OUT of our country.”
BONDI DEFIANT, SAYS ABREGO GARCIA WILL STAY IN EL SALVADOR: ‘END OF THE STORY’
Five Democrats: Chris Van Hollen, Robert Garcia, Maxwell Frost, Maxine Dexter and Yassamin Ansari, have gone to El Salvador (Fox)
“Squad” member Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., also wrote to House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., demanding her own CODEL to El Salvador, “given that the Administration’s use of CECOT for illegal and unconstitutional deportations is rife with ‘administrative errors.’”
Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., also suggested to Axios that travel to El Salvador may be necessary.
“We have to do similar kinds of things for the others who are victims of this dystopian attack on our Constitutional rights. This president is dangerous and we can’t let this go,” she said.
Meanwhile, at least two Republicans have traveled to CECOT, albeit for different reasons.
Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., tweeted a photo from the prison, saying he just finished a tour and that many inmates were “extremely violent” recent U.S.-deportees.
“I leave now even more determined to support President Trump’s efforts to secure our homeland,” Moore said.
Homeland Security released new documents this week that it says definitively prove Abrego Garcia, who is imprisoned at CECOT after his deportation from the U.S., is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, which his lawyers deny.
Abrego Garcia also allegedly has a record of being a “violent” repeat wife beater, according to records filed in a Prince George’s County, Maryland, district court by his wife.
Fox News Digital reached out to Booker, Frost, Balint, Ramirez and Garcia for further comment.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Maine
ICE arrests operator of midcoast Maine market
FRIENDSHIP, Maine — A federal judge has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to relocate a Friendship man who ICE agents arrested Saturday.
Dhavalkumar Kalidas Patel was seized by four ICE agents at Wallace’s Market, which Patel and his wife operate on Harbor Road in Friendship.
His wife said the agents did not say why he was being taken away in handcuffs.
Attorney Audrey Richardson of Greater Boston Legal Services filed a motion for habeas corpus, meaning he is to be brought to a court in person.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts issued an emergency order hours after Patel was seized that prohibits him from being moved elsewhere.
“To provide a fair opportunity for the judge who will be randomly assigned to this case to review the merits of the petition and to rule on any contested issues of jurisdiction, unless otherwise ordered by the assigned judge, respondents will not remove the petitioner from the jurisdiction of the United States or transfer petitioner to a judicial district outside that of Massachusetts for a period of at least 72 hours from the time this Order is docketed,” Talwani wrote.
Patel is being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The petition filed by the attorney representing Patel argues that he is being held unlawfully.
No further hearing dates have been scheduled, but the federal government has until July 6 to file a response.
Richardson issued a statement on the arrest.
“This is another example of ICE illegally and illegitimately taking someone who is working hard to support their family,” she said, including a child born in the United States. “The family is a critical part of the fabric of a small community.”
The Patels have operated the store since 2024. The attorney said ICE agents initially did not even identify themselves. They did not say where he was being taken but he was allowed to make a call when they stopped in Scarborough.
Rob Sample, a customer of the store, said he could not understand why such an action was taken.
“We appreciate them,” he said of the Patel family, adding that they work hard to provide a community service by operating the store.
Knox County Sheriff Patrick Polky said ICE notified his department after its action. He noted the agency is not required to notify the department.
Patel is a native of India.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
Massachusetts
4 shot during World Cup watch party in Massachusetts
BROCKTON, Mass. (WJAR) — Four people were shot on Friday night after hundreds had gathered to watch a World Cup match in Massachusetts.
Police said the shooting happened just before midnight on Main Street in Brockton.
Officers said the victims were taken to the hospital.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Police have not said if there were any arrests.
New Hampshire
Report card reflects New Hampshire’s maternal mental health improvements, room for growth – Concord Monitor
When maternal mental health report cards were introduced in 2023, New Hampshire received a failing grade.
The state’s poor performance has since improved, meeting the recommended ratio for maternal mental health therapists and psychiatric provider-prescribers per birth. Momnibus 2.0, a bill signed into law last year, built off of the gains of Momnibus 1.0 to broaden postpartum care, extending Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year after birth.
New Hampshire’s latest report card is reflecting those incremental strides: The state scored a C, on par with the national grade. No states earned As on their report cards, according to the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health.
Heather Martin sees the report cards as a helpful benchmark for states to track their progress.
“We didn’t have the right support for it, and now we do. And now we can do something, and moms don’t have to suffer alone,” said Martin, a lead perinatal navigator for New Hampshire Mom Hub, a maternal mental health program operated by nonprofit Hope on Haven Hill.
According to Mom Hub, 40% of childbearing people experience symptoms of anxiety and depression following birth, and 75% of these cases go untreated.
The program works to empower and educate mothers on the resources available to them, bridging the gap between health providers and mothers in need. Report cards are a step in that direction, Martin said.
The report cards grade each state on 27 measures broken up into four domains: screening and detection, providers and treatment, policy and payment and parental support.
Over the past few years, New Hampshire improved on multiple fronts. The new bills expand screening options for new mothers and supports them in hiring doulas, non-medical professionals for physical and emotional support during the birthing process.
Mothers screened at Dartmouth Health Children’s Hospital have had the opportunity to see community support therapists for follow-ups, Martin said.
“It’s not always about mental health support, it’s about community support, moms not having family around, access to childcare, so many different supports,” she said.
Mom Hub is partnered with numerous organizations and refers patients to birthing hospitals, community mental health centers, family resource centers and obstetrician and pediatric centers.
Despite New Hampshire’s improvements, there are still eight unmet measures on its 2026 report card, including parental support, provider consult accessibility, screening and health plan accountability.
One of the gaps is the inconsistency of screening data. While mothers are being screened, their results may not be documented and billed properly, according to the Maternal Mental Health Gap Analysis.
The state lost two points in the parental support category, due to a lack of paid maternal leave and accessible childcare. New Hampshire has no mandated public paid parental leave program and no guaranteed 100% wage replacement for low-income families, according to the analysis.
Currently, the Granite State Paid Family Leave is a voluntary program with about 60% wage replacement up to six weeks.
Specialized treatment programs for mothers are also lacking, especially in rural areas, according to the 2026 report cards.
New Hampshire also lacks consult lines for perinatal care. A consult line would serve as a hotline for mothers to receive support and guidance from anywhere in the state. An existing hotline only provides pediatric resources.
New Hampshire is also offering services to help with full family support out of local family resource centers like Waypoint, which has locations in Manchester and Concord. Martin emphasized that these centers are not just for low-income families but for anyone in need of support.
“They do home visiting, and they’re on the front lines of supporting families where their needs are,” she said.
Adequate health care for mothers is important beyond pregnancy, she said, since symptoms can go unnoticed for long periods of time.
“All moms need support. We are all tired, we are all sleep deprived and together is how we can support each other,” she said.
-
Florida4 minutes ago10 places to watch the fireworks in South Florida for 4th of July 2026
-
Georgia7 minutes agoBottoms wants Georgia to meet its universal pre-K pledge | Chattanooga Times Free Press
-
Hawaii12 minutes agoWashington Football Pursuing Coveted 2028 Four-Star Hawaii Athlete
-
Idaho19 minutes ago
BYU-Idaho Launches BYUI Live! as New Name for Campus Entertainment
-
Illinois22 minutes ago‘A real farm crisis’: Illinois farm bankruptcies rise for 3rd straight year
-
Indiana27 minutes agoCarroll and Clinton fairs join food drive to help local food banks
-
Iowa34 minutes agoIowa City man charged after alleged armed robbery in downtown Iowa City
-
Kansas37 minutes agoLittle Rock mounted police assist with public safety at Kansas City World Cup matches