DHS Debunks New York Times False Reporting: DHS Does NOT Deport U.S. Citizens

 News Release:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Office of Public Affairs

DHS Debunks New York Times False Reporting: DHS Does NOT Deport U.S. Citizens    Make no mistake, if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today sets the record straight, again, about the New York Times false and misleading report alleging DHS is targeting U.S. citizens during targeted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.       “We have said it a million times: ICE does NOT arrest or deport U.S. citizens. One week after the terrorist attack targeting ICE in Dallas, the media is once again shamefully peddling a false narrative, attempting to demonize our DHS law enforcement agents, who are already facing a 1000% increase in assaults against them,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Any U.S. citizens arrested are because of obstructing or assaulting law enforcement.”     The following are some of the FALSE claims made in the New York Times article and the facts from DHS:     FALSE CLAIM: DHS roams the streets, courthouses, and workplaces demanding proof of citizenship from residents.     THE FACTS: DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted and are not resulting in the arrest of U.S. citizens. We do our due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability. ICE does not arrest or detain U.S. citizens.    FALSE CLAIM: Detainees are being held in immigration facilities overnight without access to a lawyer or even a phone call.     THE FACTS: Any claim that there are subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are false. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members.    FALSE CLAIM: Kenny Laynez-Ambrosio was innocently detained during a traffic stop.     THE FACTS: On May 2, 2025, several adult male illegal aliens from Guatemala were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents responding to a request for assistance from Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Troopers conducting a vehicle stop near John D. MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach, FL. During the encounter, Kenny Laynez who was part of a group of illegal aliens that resisted arrest during a traffic stop.    FALSE CLAIM: Jason Brian Gavidia was innocently arrested during an immigration enforcement operation.     THE FACTS: Gavidia was arrested for assaulting a law enforcement officer and interfering with agents performing their duties.     FALSE CLAIM: Javier Ramirez was driven around for hours and did not speak to a lawyer or any family member for three days.     THE FACTS: Javier Ramirez was detained on the street for investigation for interference and released after being confirmed to be a U.S. citizen with no outstanding warrants.    FALSE CLAIM: George Retes was wrongly arrested and held by ICE.    THE FACTS: As U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE agents were executing criminal search warrants on July 10 at the marijuana sites in Camarillo, CA, George Retes—a U.S. citizen—became violent and refused to comply with law enforcement. He challenged agents and blocked their route by refusing to move his vehicle out of the road. CBP arrested Retes for assault.    FALSE CLAIM: Leonardo Garcia Venegas was wrongfully detained for hours.     THE FACTS: During a targeted worksite operation, Garcia Venegas attempted to obstruct and prevent the lawful arrest of an illegal alien. He physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands. Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including U.S. citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest.

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 Press Release

Kansas woman sentenced for murder of U.S. soldier husband

Friday, September 26, 2025

TOPEKA, KAN. A Kansas woman was sentenced to 293 months in prison for the murder of her husband, a U.S. Army soldier. 

On February 14, 2025, a federal jury found Margaret E. Shafe, 31, guilty of murder in the second degree for killing her husband, Greg Shafe, in February 2024 at their home on the Fort Riley military installation. Evidence presented at trial showed that Shafe shot her husband in the face while in the presence of two minor children. 

“Margaret Shafe deserves to go to prison. The evidence in this case showed she murdered her husband while the couple’s two young daughters were in the home,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “The Court heard brave testimony from Ms. Shafe’s own daughter who witnessed her mother shoot her stepfather in a fury.” 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Army Criminal Investigation Division, and Fort Riley Fire and Emergency Services investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Walton and Lindsey Debenham and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Graham prosecuted the case.

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 EPA Press Office:

EPA and HUD Protect Newark Housing Authority Residents from Lead Paint

Newark, N.J. (September 29, 2025) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have reached concurrent settlements with the Newark Housing Authority (NHA) in New Jersey to correct violations of federal lead-based paint regulations and improve protections for residents and staff. The agreements require NHA to conduct lead testing and abatement where lead-based paint is found across the housing authority’s 11 pre-1978 properties with a total of about 5,500 residents. In addition, NHA must comply with lead hazard disclosure practices, improve staff training and ensure safer renovations. EPA’s settlement assesses a $170,000 penalty, which EPA will waive if NHA takes the actions necessary to comply with the federal lead requirements. The waiver will help ensure NHA’s ability to direct its limited funds towards tenants’ housing needs. HUD’s settlement assesses a civil penalty of $7,500.   

 

“We have made progress in lowering children’s blood lead levels over the past 50 years, but potential exposures to lead in the home and our environment still present a risk, especially for our children, and settlements like this ensure that we are continuing to address this pathway,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “Children are much more vulnerable to the harmful effects of exposure to lead in dust, and our partnership with HUD is critical to protecting them in their homes.”  

    

“With over two-thirds of New Jersey’s housing stock built before 1980, the risks from lead remain real,” said HUD Region II Administrator Jason Loughran. “This agreement ensures that the Newark Housing Authority takes steps to protect residents, especially children, from the harmful dangers of lead exposure. HUD is committed to working alongside EPA to make the homes of American families healthier, safer, and a source of stability.” 

 

The settlement follows EPA inspections at the John W. Hyatt Court and Pennington Court properties in Newark. EPA found that NHA did not provide tenants with complete lead hazard disclosures, or ensure renovations were properly done under EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule.  

 

To resolve these violations, NHA has agreed to implement corrective actions across all eleven of its housing developments, including:   

• Developing and following detailed compliance plans to meet and maintain compliance with the federal Lead Disclosure Rule, the RRP Rule and HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule; 

• Submitting quarterly reports to EPA and HUD to demonstrate compliance with disclosure requirements for new leases and lease renewals as well as compliance with lead safe work practice standards under the RRP and HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule; 

• Creating and following a plan for abatements of all lead-based paint building components (interior, exterior, common areas); 

• Leading worker training sessions to train and certify NHA staff to perform renovations under the RRP Rule and to educate maintenance staff on lead safe work practice standards in day-to-day operations to protect themselves and residents from lead dust; 

• Holding tenant education sessions to educate tenants on the hazards of lead-based paint and methods to minimize potential exposures that tenants can implement in addition to NHA’s obligations under the rules; 

• Distributing an EPA and HUD approved fact sheet to NHA maintenance staff and contractors on required RRP certifications and a summary of the lead disclosure requirements and lead safe work practices; and 

• Posting all written materials for the worker training and tenant education sessions on NHA’s website www.newarkha.org. 

 

Given the shared and independent authorities for enforcing lead paint rules and regulations, EPA and HUD entered into a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU outlines coordination between the agencies for inspections, investigations, and enforcement of judicial and administrative enforcement cases. These coordinated settlements are the first in the country with a public housing authority since the issuance of this MOU. 

 

EPA and HUD will continue to work together to provide technical assistance and oversight to ensure that the NHA meets its obligations. 

 

Lead paint was banned from use in homes in 1978, but it remains on the walls and woodwork of millions of homes and buildings across the country. Exposure to improperly managed lead-based paint can cause serious health problems, especially in children. Federal law requires landlords and contractors to provide tenants with lead-paint hazard information and to use certified and trained personnel during renovations. 

 

Learn more about lead-based paint rules by visiting EPA’s lead webpage. For information about compliance, visit Enforcing Lead Laws and Regulations.  

 

25-050 

 

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 Press Release

Kansas City Man Sentenced for Bank Robbery

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Kansas City men have now been sentenced in federal court for bank robbery.  

Rathell Quavon Ross, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 77 months. Ross’s co-defendant Gerrad D. Rivera-Willis was sentenced previously on April 22, 2025, to 72 months in prison for bank robbery.

According to court documents, Rivera-Willis and Ross parked a vehicle near a bank in Kansas City, Mo., entered the bank and threatened its employees and demanded money.  The two defendants left the bank with $2,033 and left in the same vehicle in which they arrived. Law enforcement officers were able to identify the vehicle, which had also been used in a previous bank robbery at a different bank. The vehicle was subsequently located at which point Ross and Rivera-Willis both fled on foot. Ross was found hiding under a tarp nearby in possession of the vehicle’s keys. Officers also tracked the path of Rivera-Willis’s flight from the vehicle with a K-9 and recovered the stolen $2,033 in currency from under a cinder block near where Rivera-Willis was arrested. Rivera-Willis admitted to taking part in the previous bank robbery and was ordered to pay $8,542 in restitution.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

Operation Take Back America

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 

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ICE Arrests Worst of the Worst: Criminal Illegal Aliens Convicted of Heinous Sex Crimes

 News Release:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Office of Public Affairs

ICE Arrests Worst of the Worst: Criminal Illegal Aliens Convicted of Heinous Sex Crimes

WASHINGTON —U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens across the country as they carry out President Trump’s mandate from the American people to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities. “ICE is arresting heinous sexual predators who terrorize innocent children and families,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “In the face of sanctuary politicians comparing ICE to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols, the brave men and women of ICE continue to remove these monsters who are the WORST OF THE WORST and should never have been in our country. Our ICE agents are heroes for risking their lives to get these dangerous criminals off American streets.” Yesterday’s arrests include: Ronaldo Munoz-Portilla, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 in Dallas County, Texas. Carlos Romero-Obregon, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of attempted gang assault in Queens, New York. Kingsley Ariegwe, a criminal illegal alien from Nigeria, convicted of attempted sexual intercourse without consent in Montana. Hector Monzon-Colindres, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, convicted of unlawful restraint in Austin, Texas. Marvin Adonay Hernandez-Montes, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under age 14 in Los Angeles, California.

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