Southwest
Republican bill would give National Guard lethal force powers to repel 'armed invaders' at border
A group of Republican lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would give the National Guard the power to use lethal force against “armed invaders” crossing the southern border into the U.S.
The bill, titled “Defend Our Borders from Armed Invaders Act,” was introduced by freshman Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, and has been referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
The legislation, if passed, would authorize the National Guard to take “such actions as may be necessary to repel persons attempting to enter the United States from Mexico who are carrying weapons, and for other purposes,” according to a description of the bill. The full text of the legislation has not been made public.
Rep. Morgan Luttrell delivers remarks. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images, main, and Fox News/law enforcement sources, right)
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Luttrell, a former Navy SEAL, said in a statement that the legislation is necessary to stop cartels and smugglers who are thriving at the “wide-open border.”
“We’re seeing violent crime continually escalate at the border and flow into our communities, as President Biden’s policies have created an untenable national security crisis,” Luttrell said.
“This legislation is a step in the right direction to reign in this crime by providing the National Guard [with] the power to stop these armed individuals from crossing into the United States by any means necessary.”
Cartel members and people smugglers have been known to use weapons to transport illegal immigrants across the southern border as well as drugs.
Authorities found armor-piercing ammo on the cartel members. (Law enforcement sources)
In August, Fox News obtained images showing suspected cartel gunmen coming across the U.S. southern border in Texas toting body armor and rifles. It is the same area where law enforcement arrested five suspected members of the Northeast Cartel in June.
Fox News’ drone also captured images of smugglers with machetes last summer hitting and threatening migrants at the edge of the river in Matamoros, Mexico, telling them to cross into Brownsville, Texas.
The Biden administration has taken several steps, including a collaborative law enforcement anti-smuggling campaign in 2022 that led to thousands of arrests, to crack down on cartel smuggling. It has also made over 170 sanctions designations of cartel leaders and members, often working with Mexico to do so.
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The move by Luttrell also comes as Texas is involved in a multipronged legal fight with the federal government on how to stem the unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants.
Authorities caught two cartel members coming across the southern border last year. (Law enforcement sources)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has seized state property along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass known as Shelby Park while the Biden administration won a Supreme Court decision that allows Border Patrol to cut razor wire the state erected. Texas has continued to fortify the border and has also indicated it will not comply with the administration’s demands for it to vacate the Shelby Park area.
“[President Biden’s] actions have caused an unprecedented invasion that we must defend against,” Abbott said on Thursday.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report for fiscal 2023 shows that the number of illegal immigrants on the non-detained docket has soared from 3.7 million in FY 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in FY 2022 to nearly 6.2 million in FY 2023.
The bill is being co-sponsored by Reps. Chuck Fleischman, R-Tenn., Chuck Edward, R-N.C, Brian Babin, R-Texas, Michael Guest, R-Miss., Mike Collin, Ga., and Brandon William, R-N.Y.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Griff Jenkins and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Fox News drone video shows a group of about 2,200 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to Eagle Pass, Texas. (Fox News)
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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.
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.”
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A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
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.
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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