Southwest
Former SEAL still fighting to defend country in Congress, this time on border security
Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, has taken his fight to defend the U.S. from the battlefield to the halls of Congress, where the freshman representative has recently introduced or supported a flury of immigration and border security reforms.
“It’s a different role, but there’s almost kind of a similar problem set,” Luttrell, who has made the transition from Navy SEAL to a first-term member of the House of Representatives, told Fox News Digital.
Luttrell’s comments come as the Texas lawmaker has taken on a new mission for defending the country, making border security one of the top issues of his first term in office.
“Texas is taking the brunt of this, in my opinion, and I’m a fifth-generation Texan. So, when I say it’s my home, it absolutely is. I am trying to protect the home front against all enemies, and we are just being overrun,” Luttrell said.
WITHOUT FUNDING FROM BORDER BILL, ICE CONTEMPLATES RELEASING THOUSANDS OF DETAINEES
Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, talks with reporters at the Capitol on Jan. 10, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
Luttrell, whose twin brother, Marcus, is also a well-known SEAL veteran, has made it his new mission to combat the issue, introducing three border security-related pieces of legislation in February alone.
The first, introduced at the beginning of the month and called the Defend Our Borders from Armed Invaders Act, sought to empower National Guard troops with the ability to repel armed migrants from crossing the southern border. The second, introduced last week and called the Jalisco Cartel Neutralization Act, would require the Department of Defense to “establish a strategy to kill or capture Jalisco cartel leadership and provide a report to Congress on their progress.”
The latest legislation, shared first with Fox News Digital and called the Empowering Local Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act, would allow for JAG program funds to be used to help local law enforcement fight human trafficking, an issue exacerbated by the crisis at the border.
“Human trafficking affects communities across our country, and Houston, Texas is currently the top city in America for these horrific crimes. Tragically, the problem is only getting worse as cartels exploit our open border,” Luttrell said of the legislation, introduced Thursday, in a press release. “This crucial, commonsense legislation provides law enforcement the resources to combat the traffickers who threaten and force men, women, and children into modern day slavery. We cannot allow human traffickers to continue to run amuck in our communities.”
That legislation comes amid a contentious battle between the state of Texas and the Biden administration, who are set to go to court over a state law signed in December that allows Texas police the ability to arrest and charge illegal migrants.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES TEXAS OVER LAW TO LET POLICE ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
The Justice Department has sued the state over the law, arguing that it needs to maintain the federal government’s “exclusive authority under federal law to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens.”
“Its efforts, through SB 4, intrude on the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens, frustrate the United States’ immigration operations and proceedings, and interfere with U.S. foreign relations,” the DOJ lawsuit reads.
Rep. Morgan Luttrell (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
But Luttrell said he’s seen the devastation of the border crisis firsthand in Texas, where constituents relay stories to him of loved ones who have become addicted to drugs and died of overdoses from narcotics smuggled across the border or fallen victim to human trafficking and other crimes as the result of cartels. Instead of waiting on the political gridlock in Washington, Luttrell said the federal government should utilize the help of local law enforcement.
His latest piece of legislation, Luttrell said, could do just that.
“It seems like the federal government is applying unnecessary pressure to our local law enforcement,” Luttrell said.
OVER 40 LAWMAKERS SIGN BRIEF TO SUPPORT TEXAS IN IMMIGRATION FIGHT WITH BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Luttrell is attempting to break the gridlock by working across the aisle, with the new legislation garnering support from Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., who said the Texas lawmaker’s bill would help make “communities safer.”
“I’m glad to join with Congressman Luttrell on the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act to get more federal resources in the fight against the scourge of human trafficking,” Deluzio said in a statement.
Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is shown during his time as a Navy SEAL. (Morgan Luttrell/YouTube)
The bill has been co-sponsored by Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Ann Wagner, R-Mo., Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, Jenniffer González-Colón, R-Puerto Rico, Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, Pete Stauber, R-Minn., and Jake Ellzey, R-Texas.
Luttrell said he intends to continue to fight for a more secure border regardless of the result of the new legislation, though he noted that the battles in Congress often require more patience than the ones he fought as a SEAL.
“It’s a lot different to use a pen. Back in my past, I used a rifle to combat threats to the country,” Luttrell said. “Now, using a pen is challenging because you want to see instant results, and that’s very challenging.”
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Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. police shoot knife-wielding man during response to assault call
A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Los Angeles, Ca
Rip tides, high surf forecast for Los Angeles beaches this weekend
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
Los Angeles, Ca
Los Angeles releases searchable list of worst rental properties
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
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