EXCLUSIVE: Mississippi’s top law enforcement officer said the Magnolia State will welcome ICE agents with open arms compared to their clashes with public officials in California, Illinois and North Carolina – as reports surfaced of an upcoming “Swamp Sweep.”

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to send 250 border agents to areas in Mississippi and Louisiana for a two-month crackdown, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told Fox News Digital on Thursday that her office is proud to have been the first in the state to sign on as a formal ICE law enforcement partner.

“We look forward to working with Secretary Noem and the president to protect our communities and strengthen our efforts to combat human trafficking, drug cartels, and violent crime,” Fitch said.

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“Together, we will make Mississippi – and our entire nation – safer than ever before.”

Another top Mississippi official, U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee for Border Security and Enforcement.

Guest’s district runs close to New Orleans, spanning diagonally from Starkville – home of Mississippi State University – down to McComb, just north of the New Orleans metro, where the operation will reportedly have a key focus.

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“The men and women of ICE and CBP have been tasked with enforcing the law and working to remove the 15 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States,” Guest told Fox News Digital.

Guest praised ICE for successfully removing unlawfully present people charged and convicted of serious crimes, including offenses against children and suspects who pose a danger to local communities.

“I am confident that Operation ‘Swamp Sweep’ will have the same success as other operations across our nation,” Guest said.

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“This will result in locating, arresting, and deporting criminal illegal aliens who are residing in Mississippi.”

Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss. – who represents Memphis’ southern suburbs as well as Elvis Presley’s hometown of Tupelo – told Fox News Digital he also supports ICE’s mission.

“I am in favor of getting any criminal illegal immigrant off the streets,” Kelly said.

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“And I support law enforcement in their efforts to keep our communities safe.”

When asked about the “Swamp Sweep” mission, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said her agency does not discuss future or potential operations.

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“Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country,” she said.

In prior ICE operations, DHS was buffeted by official and legal roadblocks tossed in their way by local leaders.

California officials condemned President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard, while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reportedly conceived “No ICE” zones and compared Trump’s government to the Confederacy.

Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves did not respond to requests for comment on “Swamp Sweep.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Mississippi’s most prominent Democrat and Trump critic, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Hinds County, but he did not respond to a request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A high school assistant principal in Virginia and his brother are accused of threatening violence against ICE agents and local police officers.

According to court documents, an off-duty Norfolk Police Department officer overheard John Bennett and Mark Bennett at a Virginia Beach restaurant discussing the alleged threats, saying they “needed to do something about” ICE agents “kidnapping individuals,” according to WVEC. John Bennett is the assistant principal at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach.

The off-duty police officer allegedly overheard the two brothers while eating at a pho restaurant on Nov. 15. 

According to the criminal complaint, Mark Bennett said he was planning on flying to Las Vegas where he’d meet with “like-minded individuals” and come back with “enforcement ideas and plans.”

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The two brothers were charged with conspiracy to commit malicious wounding.

Mark Bennett also said he recently bought an assault rifle as it can fire rounds that would pierce through body armor, then said he wanted to “go hunting,” according to prosecutors.

Mark Bennett allegedly said he bought the assault rifle because “it utilizes the explosive rounds that are needed to penetrate the vests,” according to WTKR.

John Bennett allegedly expressed support of Mark’s ideas and was interested in going to Las Vegas as well.

Virginia Beach City Public Schools told the news outlet that John Bennett is employed at the school district, where he has worked since 2009. While the school district wouldn’t comment on the allegations, a spokesperson said he is on leave from Kempsville High School.

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Attorneys for the suspects said Mark Bennett went to Las Vegas for a Formula 1 race, where he met up with his two sons. The defense attorneys said Mark Bennett was arrested at the Norfolk International Airport. 

Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul W. Neudigate called the allegations “incredibly alarming.”

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“We are grateful this information was brought to our attention. VBPD was able to work with various law enforcement agencies to assess the credibility of the information, leading to today’s arrests, ensuring the safety of both our law enforcement community and the public at large,” Neudigate said.

The Bennett brothers were granted bond, but can’t talk to each other, cannot have guns and must stay at their home with a GPS tracker.

Happy O’Brien, Mark Bennett’s attorney, told Fox News Digital “this case represents a gross overreach by the government.”

“The arrest was triggered by incredibly flimsy, circumstantial information attributed to an off-duty Norfolk police officer who was sitting several booths away in a restaurant on a weekend. Despite the obvious limitations of what he claims to have observed, law enforcement treated these statements as if they were verified fact,” O’Brien said. 

O’Brien alleges that federal and law enforcement “took virtually no steps to verify, corroborate or even meaningfully assess the credibility of these claims.”

“If you, as an American citizen, believe that something like this cannot happen to you, think again. Mark Bennett is the embodiment of what it means to be an American,” he said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Bennett’s attorneys and Virginia Beach City Public Schools for comment.

A former Alabama teacher was arrested and fired after a video emerged allegedly showing her striking her child more than 20 times with a belt, police said. 

Randi Nicole Staples, a 44-year-old who worked at the Cottage Hill Christian Academy, is now charged with willful abuse of a child under 18, according to WALA. 

“Discipline is supposed to be for corrective action. That went way beyond that,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said. “Snatch him up by his hair and yell and curse the way that she did, working for a Christian school, I thought was repulsive. It’s sickening to see somebody do that to their child.” 

The station cited the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office as saying that the alleged abuse happened after the child had not completed chores in the manner that Staples wanted them done.

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“It’s almost like a dual personality. Because by all accounts, I’m told she is a good teacher and well respected. And yet what happens in the home is clearly opposite of that,” Burch also said, according to NBC 15. 

The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that, “A video recorded by a family member appears to show Randi Nicole Staples instructing her 12-year-old son to lay across the arm of their sofa inside the residence in Grand Bay, Alabama.”

“Staples then allegedly struck her son on his bottom and legs approximately 20 times with a belt, during which the son can be heard pleading for her to stop,” the statement continued, adding that deputies “interviewed several witnesses and found that other children living in the home had encountered similar actions.”

“There’s an adult who no longer lives in the home that has contributed some information that is significant to the investigation. This is an active investigation and we are continuing to interview others involved,” Burch said in a statement. “The other children in the home are in a safe place right now, that both parents agreed to, and that was our first priority. We want to make sure they are provided the services they need to move forward.
There could be additional charges forthcoming as this investigation unfolds.” 

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The Academy, which has two locations in Mobile, told NBC 15 in a statement that it is “committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and Christ-centered environment for all students,” and that, “This commitment guides every action our school takes regarding student welfare and staff conduct.” 

“On November 19, 2025, school leadership was made aware of concerns involving the off-campus conduct of an elementary teacher toward her minor child at her personal residence. Although the incident did not occur on school property, the nature of the information required immediate administrative action,” the statement continued.

“Upon learning of the alleged misconduct, the school acted swiftly and decisively, relieving the teacher of her duties and placing her on administrative leave pending a full review,” it also said. “Following the findings of law enforcement, which determined that the teacher had engaged in improper conduct unrelated to her school responsibilities, an arrest was made and Cottage Hill Christian Academy terminated her employment in accordance with institutional policy.” 

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Staples was released from jail on Wednesday after posting a $7,500 bond, WALA reported. 

Fox News Digital’s Adriana James-Rodil contributed to this report.