Congress
DHS watchdog details extensive probes into Trump’s immigration crackdown
The Department of Homeland Security’s independent watchdog disclosed numerous investigations into the department on Thursday as the White House faces heightened scrutiny over its nationwide immigration crackdown.
The probes, some of which have previously been disclosed, span ICE’s hiring surge, expedited removal of individuals, use of force and compliance with detention standards. An additional review pertains to “DHS’ processes for determining U.S. citizenship for individuals detained or arrested during immigration enforcement operations.”
The inspector general’s office is also conducting a probe into Customs and Border Patrol. The investigation — which is reviewing whether CBP conducts interior immigration enforcement in accordance with department policies and federal requirements — was opened in early January, according to a spokesperson for the DHS OIG.
The spate of investigations comes as the Trump administration faces an uproar from Democrats and a growing number of Republicans over its immigration enforcement operations in several states, which have at times turned violent. Senate Democrats are currently holding up DHS funding over a list of demands for reforms to ICE and CBP, including requirements that federal officers wear body cameras and IDs. The administration has also refused to budge on a demand that immigration enforcement agents do not wear masks.
Spokespersons for DHS, ICE and CBP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
President Donald Trump purged independent watchdogs for several government agencies during the first month of his second term, but Joseph Cuffari — the inspector general for DHS nominated by Trump during his first term — remains in place.
Dozens of congressional Democrats wrote last week to Cuffari urging him to expedite his probe into “whether ICE investigates allegations of use of excessive force,” which his office opened in June.
In a Thursday statement, Cuffari’s office said the timeline for conducting an oversight review “is affected by several variables.” The office has an internal goal of completing audits within 397 days but routinely misses the benchmark, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office last month.
“If, however, during our work we find matters that warrant immediate attention and action (such as those posing serious risk or imminent threat to safety, health, property, or continuity of operations), DHS OIG has mechanisms to promptly inform the Department and Congress, rather than waiting for a final report,” the office said.
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have also called for the removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in recent weeks, although an impeachment resolution is unlikely to garner sufficient bipartisan support in the House.
Speaker Mike Johnson will step aside as the top House Republican leader after Tuesday’s GOP defeat, concluding an unlikely and meteoric rise to power three years ago.
Johnson of Louisiana announced his plans on a private call with staff Wednesday morning, according to two people on the call. His decision comes after Republicans lost at least 21 seats in the midterm elections, returning Democrats to power after four years.
The speaker, who was out campaigning across the country in the final weeks until the election, had mused about potentially staying on as minority leader if Republicans lost their majority. But many of his colleagues believed that was unlikely.
The speaker’s decision to step down sets up a potential two-way race between House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead Republicans in the minority.
Democrat Aaron Ford won Nevada’s gubernatorial race, ousting Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo and becoming the first Black person elected to lead the battleground state.
Ford’s victory gives Democrats a key pickup and elevates the two-term attorney general, who made his working-class upbringing and ties to organized labor central to his campaign. He joins a growing list of Black governors-elect, following earlier victories by Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida.
Ford, a native of Dallas, campaigned on building more affordable housing, expanding union apprenticeship programs and repealing the state’s right-to-work law, with backing from the powerful Culinary Union.
His win returns the governor’s office to Democratic control four years after Lombardo defeated Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak. Ford overcame the incumbent’s substantial financial advantage in a race that tested Democrats’ efforts to win over working-class voters.
The result is a turnaround for Democrats in a state Donald Trump carried by 3 percentage points in 2024, and it gives the party an opening to rebuild support in a major battleground state ahead of 2028.
The conservative movement to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports showed its message could resonate beyond Republican strongholds.
Voters in Arizona — a state with a Democratic governor and senators — approved a ballot initiative further restricting transgender students from participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
The measure expands the state’s existing ban on trans athletes participating on women’s school sports teams, adds restrictions on locker-room use and defines a person’s sex based on their original birth certificate.
Similar measures in Colorado and Washington are leading in early results, though votes are still being counted. In Nebraska, voters also added a ban to their state constitution.
The issue has found a champion in President Donald Trump, who has pushed a suite of anti-trans federal policies since returning to the White House.
But conservatives had made little progress outside the red states that swiftly passed bans in recent years. The measures on the ballot this year marked the first time voters had the chance to weigh in on the issue. The measures’ success could fuel similar campaigns to bypass resistant legislatures in more states.
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