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Red state hunts Tren de Aragua terrorists as judges light ‘credibility on fire’ fighting deportations: senator

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Red state hunts Tren de Aragua terrorists as judges light ‘credibility on fire’ fighting deportations: senator

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Tennessee officials are waging their own battle against members of a violent Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua as left-leaning officials push back on deportations of illegal immigrants, including gang members.

The Trump administration recently deported nearly 240 TdA members to El Salvador — an action that came despite U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s order to halt deportations of illegal immigrants under a wartime powers act that President Donald Trump invoked on Friday.

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The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 allows the deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing and has been invoked three times before, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.

“President Trump has the complete, constitutional authority to deport criminal illegal aliens, especially the members of Foreign Terrorist Organizations like Tren de Aragua,” Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox News Digital in a statement. “With his deportation of hundreds of gang members to El Salvador, the President is fully complying with judicial orders and upholding the rule of law.”

US PAID EL SALVADOR TO TAKE VENEZUELAN TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS: ‘PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., says “Tren de Aragua has plagued communities across the country with violent crime—including in Tennessee, where its members established a transnational sex trafficking ring that forced women into modern-day slavery.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

The senator added that TdA “has plagued communities across the country with violent crime—including in Tennessee, where its members established a transnational sex trafficking ring that forced women into modern-day slavery.”

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“These violent criminals have no right to be in our country, and activist judges who try to block their lawful deportation are lighting their credibility on fire.”

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn

An ICE officer and an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations prepare to transport an illegal alien from Venezuela with ties to the Tren da Aragua gang. She was arrested for her role in an illegal commercial sex and sex-trafficking enterprise out of Nashville motels from July 2022 through March 2024. (ICE)

The Department of State designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization on Feb. 20. The gang has thousands of members, many of whom the Trump administration says have unlawfully infiltrated the United States from South and Central America and are “conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States,” in multiple states, with strongholds in places like Colorado and New York.

The White House on Sunday said TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, a Venezuelan-based, narco-terrorism gang sponsored by the Nicolás Maduro regime. The gang is known for its brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortion, human and drug trafficking. TdA’s mass migration to the United States will further the Maduro regime’s objectives of harming U.S. citizens and undermining public safety, according to the White House.

Map of Tren de Aragua presence in the United States as of December 2024. (Fox News Digital)

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TdA grew significantly while Tareck El Aissami served as governor of Aragua between 2012 and 2017, when El Aissami was appointed as vice president of Venezuela.

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Former DEA agent Wesley Tabor was stationed in Venezuela from 2010 until almost 2013 and was the only agent during that time to meet with El Aissami.

“What you’re really looking at is the result of a permissive environment,” former DEA agent Wesley Tabor said. “And so … when TdA first started coming into the United States, they were kind of collating into the big cities. You got Chicago, you got New York, you got El Paso, you got some other cities. But eventually what happened is: when the pressure was turned on after committing crimes or they had to flee for whatever reason, they were looking for a quieter area to go to.”

“[T]hey were looking for a quieter area to go to.”

— Wesley Tabor, former DEA agent

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In these “quieter” states and cities, TdA members then establish networks with family members and other connections, bringing other TdA members with them to those places.

TdA is different from other gangs like MS-13 in the sense that members do not have specific identifiers like tattoos linking them to the gang, and they commit a variety of crimes that may go undetected as being gang-related: everything from kidnapping to murder to sexual assault, Tabor explained.

TREN DE ARAGUA CRACKDOWN: 8 VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS INDICTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING

Nicolas Maduro (Fox Nation)

Tabor added that the Maduro regime sent groups of people from Venezuelan prisons and insane asylums through Central America and into the United States with the purpose of destroying communities.

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“Many of these Venezuelan criminals … were sent here for a purpose from Venezuela, sent by the Maduro regime.”

— Wesley Tabor, former DEA agent

“And then, low and behold, you find out that many of them, not all of them, but many of them, are going to be Tren de Aragua members,” he said. “And then you start seeing these sporadic reportings becoming more and more frequent. And that just snowballs.”

On Feb. 14, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrests of eight TdA members in Tennessee, who are accused of trafficking women and girls across the border as part of a transnational commercial sex enterprise in Nashville.

‘ESCALATING THREAT’: RISE OF VENEZUELAN STREET GANG SPARKS ALARM THROUGHOUT US

Two of eight TdA members accused of organizing a sex trafficking ring in Nashville (TBI)

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The eight defendants allegedly operated an illegal commercial sex and sex trafficking enterprise out of Nashville motels between July 2022 and March 2024, ICE said in a press release, citing court documents.

“The success of this operation to stop Tren da Aragua operating in our communities is a significant step forward in our ongoing battle against human trafficking and transnational organized crime,” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud said in a Feb. 14 statement. “This investigation exemplifies the importance of collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies in ending these crimes in our communities. Human exploitation leaves a trail of suffering in its wake.”

TBI Director David Rausch said the state agency would not “allow TdA – or any criminal organization – to get a stronghold in Tennessee.”

VIOLENT VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA TERRORIZING AMERICANS IN AT LEAST 19 STATES

ICE officers get fingerprints on one of the known or suspected associates of the Venezuelan Tren da Aragua gang after a successful joint operation to dismantle an illegal commercial sex and sex trafficking enterprise out of Nashville motels from July 2022 through March 2024. (ICE)

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“We are thankful for our local, state, and federal partners who joined us in investigating this case, and we stand prepared to continue aggressively investigating human trafficking in our state, holding traffickers and buyers accountable and helping victims take their first steps toward becoming survivors,” he said.

U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Robert E. McGuire said officials “are coming after transnational criminal organizations like TdA, but this case shows that we will also do whatever it takes to stop those who would traffic women and girls no matter who is behind their suffering.”

Last year, Tennessee officials made two other significant TdA arrests.

WHO IS TREN DE ARAGUA? VICIOUS VENEZUELAN GANG ‘FOLLOWING IN THE PATH OF MS-13’ IN AMERICA

Four suspects, including a Tren de Aragua member, have been arrested in Hamilton County, Tennessee, in a sex-trafficking sting. (Hamilton County/Valerie Schremp Hahn/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service)

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On Nov. 19, 2024, ICE ERO officials arrested Luis Alejandro Ruiz-Godoy, who was wanted on outstanding international warrants, a spokesperson with the Memphis Police Department said. Days later FBI officials arrested four individuals, including one Tren de Aragua member, in a Chattanooga sex trafficking sting.

Tennessee’s Human Trafficking Task Force obtained information that led them to a hotel in Hamilton County, where law enforcement encountered the four suspects and confirmed that they were part of a human sex trafficking operation.

Tabor said it is “100%” more difficult for law enforcement from smaller cities and states that do not typically deal with gangs like TdA to identify and capture its members than in larger cities like New York, Chicago and Houston.

“What you’re seeing is these gangs and associated criminals were capitalizing on the fact that many of these small-town sheriffs’ offices and metropolitan police departments had no clue who they were,” the former DEA agent explained. “They had no idea how to get help to find out who these people were because the federal government didn’t care. And all that has changed since Trump came in.”

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By invoking the Foreign Enemies Act, the administration has made it easier to cut “through a lot of red tape” to detain TdA members, Tabor said.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

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Southeast

High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student

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High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student

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A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.

Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).

Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.

Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

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Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.

GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.

A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)

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Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.

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This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.

The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.

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Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms

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Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms

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A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.

The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.

The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.

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A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)

In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”

“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”

Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”

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A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.

The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.

“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”

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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”

“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.

“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”

Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.

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A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Guy Fieri once had ‘nothing else to sign’ on the beach but postcards; now, he’s built a food TV empire

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Guy Fieri once had ‘nothing else to sign’ on the beach but postcards; now, he’s built a food TV empire

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Twenty years ago, a contestant named Guy Fieri on the second season of what was then “The Next Food Network Star” showed up at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival with little more than spiked hair and ambition.

“He came to that festival that year and was walking around signing postcards because he had nothing else to sign,” recalled Lee Brian Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and its New York City counterpart.

Today, Fieri is one of the most recognizable faces in food on television. But, in 2006, he was just another up-and-comer working a crowd on the sand.

Speaking to “Fox & Friends” from Miami Beach, Florida, Friday morning, Fieri said he wasn’t chasing TV fame.

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“I was doing what I wanted to do,” he told Steve Doocy while walking the beach. “I wanted to be a great dad. I wanted to be a great husband. I wanted to be a chef. I wanted to own my own restaurant. So, I had accomplished the things I wanted in life and never really saw the other side of it.”

South Beach Wine & Food Festival founder Lee Brian Schrager and celebrity chef Guy Fieri pose for a photograph back in 2009. (South Beach Wine & Food Festival)

Two decades later, Fieri still comes back.

“He’s been part of our festival every year since he won ‘Food Network Star,’” Schrager told Fox News Digital.

The knack for spotting and elevating talent is part of the festival’s legacy as it marks its 25th year in Miami Beach.

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Schrager recalled a similar instinct with Giada De Laurentiis. When her agent suggested she might be ready the following year, Schrager pushed back.

“I said, ‘I don’t want her next year. I want her this year so she’ll remember where she got her big start,’” Schrager said.

Giada De Laurentiis, pictured here in 2015, was another celebrity chef who got her start at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Manny Hernandez/Getty Images)

Yet the festival doesn’t claim to have created celebrity chefs.

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“We don’t take responsibility for turning anyone into a superstar,” Schrager told Fox News Digital. “We do take some credit for giving them a platform and putting them in front of their fans.”

“Rock stars became chefs and chefs became rock stars.”

Over the past 20 years, the platform has grown alongside the broader transformation of food culture. 

“Rock stars became chefs and chefs became rock stars,” Schrager said.

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What began as a one-day wine event on the campus of Florida International University evolved after Schrager was tasked with reimagining it. His directive was to “make it better — not bigger, but better.”

Schrager had a solution.

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is where chefs like Fieri “became rock stars,” said Schrager, founder of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.  (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

“Move it to the beach, partner with the Food Network, get all their celebrities and make it more than just local,” Schrager said.

Today, the festival draws marquee names from the culinary world as well as from music and entertainment. Among those who showed up for Thursday night’s Burger Bash event were comedian Bert Kreischer and Cloud 23 hot sauce founder Brooklyn Peltz Beckham.

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Chefs don’t get paid for appearances at the festival.

“If it’s somebody new, the first question out of their agent’s mouth is, ‘Oh, what’s the honorarium? What’s the fee?’ I’m like, ‘Zero,’” Schrager said.

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham is among the celebrities to attend the food festival for free. (Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

The model works, Schrager said, because the festival operates as a nonprofit benefiting FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

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“Everyone’s doing it to support the cause, or they’re doing it because they want to do it,” Schrager said. “It’s not a bad place to be in the middle of winter.”

Schrager, left, appears along with Rachael Ray and Brooklyn Peltz Beckham onstage at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash. (Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

The festival has raised more than $50 million for student scholarships.

“To me, that’s why we do it,” Schrager said.

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Along the way, the festival has outlasted many imitators and weathered shifting food trends by staying nimble.

“We listened to the consumers,” Schrager said. 

Fieri, left, and a shirtless Bert Kreischer share a moment onstage at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

“There was never any ego involved in this festival.”

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He added, “Our goal was never to be the biggest.”

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“It happens that we turned out to be the biggest, but being the best, or at least doing our best, has always been the most important to me.”

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