Southwest
DHS uses taxpayer money to fund Texas billboards countering immigration enforcement efforts
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using taxpayer money to erect billboards in Texas, offering help to those with friends and family in immigration custody.
A DHS source provided a photo of one of the billboards along an interstate in Texas, which reads, “Your brother in immigration custody has rights. We’re here to help.”
The ads are part of a campaign by the DHS’s Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (IDO), an independent office within DHS that assists individuals with complaints about potential violation of immigration detention standards or other misconduct by personnel. The office also provides oversight of immigration detention facilities.
Congress established the office in 2019, and currently, Michelle Brané serves as the IDO at DHS.
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A billboard along an interstate in Texas and paid for by the Department of Homeland Security, advertises assistance to illegal immigrants. (Fox News)
Sources, including from the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, told Fox News’ Bill Melugin they are furious about the ads, especially since their agencies are already working with limited funding and resources.
Yet, DHS spends money on billboards that the same sources say work against them and are “insulting.”
Fox News reached out to DHS last week with questions, including how much taxpayer money was used to pay for the signs, how many signs were paid for, how many were erected and in which states.
TENNESSEE AG EXPOSES ICE’S PLAN TO RELEASE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF DANGEROUS CRIMES INTO STATE
Texas National Guard troops watch over more than 1,000 migrants who had crossed the Rio Grande overnight from Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, Dec. 18, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)
DHS was also asked about how it responds to criticism that the signs portray a soft on illegal immigration message from the agency tasked with enforcing immigration laws.
In response, DHS provided a history lesson about the ombudsman office, adding that DHS and its employees provide the highest standard of care for individuals detained in its custody.
No further information was provided about the outreach campaign.
Representatives from Texas turned to social media to express concerns about the signs.
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Illegal immigrants at the southern border in Texas. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
“The news that DHS is using taxpayer money to launch billboards advocating ‘rights’ for individuals in ‘immigration custody’ should be alarming because it’s a preview of the legal arguments that radical progressive democrats will use to argue against deportation of the millions dumped in America by Biden-Harris-Mayorkas,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on X. “Congress should NOT be funding propaganda to undermine our own laws. That’s insane.”
He also said, any illegal migrant in the U.S., or even legal immigrant who has broken the law, “can and should be deported.”
“Americans should not PAY for free legal advice to foreign criminals,” Roy added.
Also weighing in was Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who said DHS has put an open borders agenda ahead of its mission to keep American families safe.
“Whether it’s FEMA splurging hundreds of millions of dollars on migrant housing or OIDO running ads like this, our government is hemorrhaging money on the wrong priorities,” he said. “It’s time for Congress to pull the plug on programs like these.”
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Los Angeles, Ca
Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor
A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
Los Angeles, Ca
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