Featured image and videography by Erik Herrera

MÉRIDA, Yucatan — The origin of guayaberas is subject to debate, but it is commonly accepted the shirt’s distinctive style originated in Cuba after field workers wanted extra pockets to help carry items. This is why the Cuban version has four pockets.

The Mexican style usually gets rid of most or all of the four pockets and incorporates a wide variety of embroidery. Both versions have vertical pleats, called “alforzas” in Spanish, and are meant to be worn untucked.

My first introduction to Mexican guayaberas was in Tapachula, Chiapas while on assignment about the long-reaching effects of the Biden-Harris border crisis in 2023. We stopped by a small store for souvenirs when a navy blue, short sleeve shirt with colorful embroidery caught my eye.

After purchasing, I left the store sporting my new shirt. It did not take long for me to look for more guayaberas upon returning to the United States. What I love about these shirts is they are made from linen or cotton and have a unique style that is not usually found in most of the United States. They can be very elaborate or more simplified, whatever the occasion calls for.

From the White House to field assignments to on-camera interviews, I have found a reason to wear guayaberas as many times as possible. You will often see the shirts being worn at weddings or formal events in hot climates. It is common for workers across Mexico to wear it as a uniform in restaurants or hotels, a nod to the reasoning for its creation.

At a White House roundtable with President Donald Trump

While these shirts have seen a rise in popularity in recent years (Bad Bunny sparked interest in his fans due to wearing Puerto Rican-made guayaberas during concerts on the island) the demand has resulted in the garments being made at large-scale in Asian countries, such as China, and sold by companies like Temu and Shein. This means Mexican-based companies are not only competing against each other, but also other countries who can make more at a faster pace and sell at very cheap prices.

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Making an authentic guayabera is no easy task. It takes an experienced worker anywhere from four hours to make a basic guayabera to three weeks for ones incorporating complex designs. A lot of time is lost if a mistake is made during production.

The state of Yucatan is considered the guayabera capital of Mexico. This means the guayabera business is a critical industry for the region. Yucatan Senator Jorge Carlos Ramírez Marín says up to 70 percent of residents in some municipalities are dedicated to making the button-down. It is here where makers and sellers are starting to raise awareness of, what they call, inferior products.

I interviewed Samuel May, of Mayakim, and the Rodriguez Avila sisters, Claudia and Cristina, who operate Guayaberas Presuel.

Samuel explained Mayakim has been in business for over 10 years and employs 16 people, “We can say there are 16 families that are supported through us.”

Presuel S.A. was started by Claudia and Cristina’s parents, originally from Veracruz, who relocated to Merida once the business took off. Presuel S.A. has been at its location near the center of Mérida for 65 years.

“There is really no comparison between the Chinese quality and our quality. So if you want or don’t appreciate the value of a quality guayabera, you can buy your Chinese guayabera. But if you want a good piece that will last many years, then you will invest in a good guayabera,” Claudia said.

“What makes this competition so difficult is the pricing they offer. I don’t really understand how they can handle prices that are so low,” Samuel said about the Asian companies’ copies.

“I believe we have been very careful since we started. It’s not about selling them at an expensive price to earn a lot, but it’s also not about selling them very cheap where we can’t earn anything,” he added.

These concerns have caused the National Chamber of the Clothing Industry (Cámara Nacional de la Industria del Vestido), CANAIVE, to start a campaign to protect Mexico’s famous shirt.

CANAIVE explained the demand creates 14,200 jobs and makes up six percent of Yucatan’s Gross Domestic Product. The trade organization wants to have Mexican guayaberas have an internationally recognized certification so people can distinguish what is authentic and what is a copy.

Guayabera sellers are betting their higher quality products will win over customers, who are more conscientious of where their clothing comes from. It is a matter of getting the word out, especially to the large market within the United States.

Foreign copies of other Mexican-made products have caused outrage and quick government action. When Adidas announced the “Oaxaca Slip-On” last year, based on the huarache sandal, the state of Oaxaca and President Claudia Sheinbaum accused the company of cultural appropriation and violating “collective intellectual property.” Adidas and the designer, who is half Mexican, issued an apology and pledged to work with Oaxacan artisans.

This is the part I admit to owning a couple of these non-Mexican made shirts for field assignments where the risk of getting extremely dirty or heavily damage is high. This is so if it becomes unwearable from field conditions, I can go online and easily replace it.

Not so with my Mexican guayaberas. I have too much respect for them and replacements would require another trip back in most cases. They are too nice for riots!

Cristina said tourists are slowly becoming more aware of imitations and do their research before visiting the city: “There are many people from the United States who have bought from us, and they come by recommendation…There have been times I was asked, ‘They’re not Chinese?' and I say, ‘No.’”

“What makes guayaberas special? They use [them] for weddings, for baptisms, for communion,” Samuel said. “It is what it is. It’s elegant and formal.”

The passion Mexicans have for making guayaberas the correct way is evident. It is that same passion that will be needed to ensure this art form is maintained for future generations.

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Yesterday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing about Fairfax County’s sanctuary policies that protect illegal immigrants gave way to some humorous interactions between Republicans and the Democrat witnesses, despite the serious subject.

The most amusing part to watch was when Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) grilled Soros-backed Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano about his campaign website stating, before it was recently changed, someone’s immigration status will be taken into account during criminal proceedings.

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When Jordan tried to get an explanation from Descano, he basically admitted it was just a campaign promise that did not translate into policy once he was in office. However, it does appear his promise is indeed policy, but watch the hilarious way Descano claims that is not the case:

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Up to a thousand Mexicans in the state of Guerrero have been recently displaced from their homes due to ongoing cartel violence, with reports saying the attacks have been perpetuated by Los Ardillos.

The violence is nothing new for the mountain regions in the state, but the fighting intensified in recent days, forcing many of the local population to quickly leave. Videos show women, children, and the elderly walking through the night with backpacks in an attempt to reach safety.

Some of the displaced Mexicans have recorded videos pleading for help, even asking for President Donald Trump to intervene since, according to them, Mexican security forces are not doing nearly enough. Towns affected by the recent violence include Tula, Xicotlán, and Acahuehuetlán. Residents who have fled said the cartels are using drones to drop explosives, setting fire to homes, and killing livestock.

The women in the video below covered their faces to avoid retaliation from Los Ardillos,

“We want support from the United States government because President Claudia Sheinbaum is not listening to us. She does not want to send us support…The children are suffering. We have no food. Please help share this video. We want it to reach the United States. Please, Claudia Sheinbaum still is not listening to us. Donald Trump, help us. Send helicopters to save us,” the women said.

To emphasize their point, the group gets on their knees and continued to ask Trump for assistance.

Starting out as a group dedicated to heroin trafficking, Los Ardillos has expanded to other illicit trades such as extortion and kidnappings. Los Ardillos primarily operates in Guerrero. The cartel has clashed with the indigenous community in the mountains in order to control land for poppy production and mining operations.

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The man who was arrested is Chidozie Wilson Okeke, an illegal alien from Nigeria who has previous arrests for assault and criminal drug possession. Okeke had overstayed his tourist visa for over two years.

“Okeke remained non-compliant during the medical evaluation throwing himself to the floor and screaming. The medical staff cleared him. During the medical evaluation, a significant crowd of anti-ICE agitators gathered at the hospital and became violent. The protestors damaged several ICE vehicles and assaulted ICE officers, resulting in minor injuries to the officers,” the Department of Homeland Security told me.

Videos taken from the scene shows the crowd getting violent as New York City police officers held them back while federal agents moved Okeke into a vehicle. Okeke could be seen acting as dead weight to make it harder to move him, further enraging the rioters. Officers made several arrests in response to the clashes.

It should come as to no surprise that local politicians have blamed the chaos on DHS and ICE, not the rioters.

Brooklyn Council Member Sandy Nurse released a statement where she complained the New York police were coordinating with ICE (by conducting crowd control).

“Thank you to the New Yorkers who dropped everything and showed up to demand ICE out of our neighborhood,” Nurse said.

The City Council Progressive Caucus, which Nurse co-chairs, said in its statement the NYPD’s role in the “violent suppression of a local mobilization against an ICE kidnapping” was unacceptable. In true far-leftist fashion, the caucus called for all charges to be dropped against the arrestees and for the officers who did crowd control to be disciplined.

“ICE is not welcome in our communities. New Yorkers won’t stand by while it parachutes in to wreak havoc and instigate violence. The allegations that NYPD was supporting ICE are deeply serious. We must pass NY4All to end our state’s complicity in this terror campaign,” said New York Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, a democratic socialist.

This is a classic example of how the Left has been operating when it comes to immigration enforcement. It did not matter that the person who was arrested was in the country illegally and had a criminal history, all they saw were ICE agents doing their due diligence and it caused them to react with violence.

Then after the unrest, the local politicians provided cover for the rioters and blamed law enforcement. It seems it never occurs to Democrats that local police would not be needed to intervene if an unruly mob had not gathered with the intent to interfere and attack federal agents.

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White House/Daniel Torok

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s scheduled Friday appearance for an event at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts brought out a small crowd of protesters.

In the aftermath of the attempted assassination on Trump and members of his administration at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, there has been chatter online on whether it was “staged.”

The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, is accused of running past a security checkpoint with a shotgun and handgun in order to gain access to the room Trump was in. According to the manifesto he published moments before his foiled attack, Allen allegedly wrote, “Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial.”

Allen further mocked how light security at the hotel appeared despite Trump’s announced arrival to the venue.

All the protesters I spoke to said they, at a minimum, have doubts about what federal officials have said about the shocking incident. One protester said she believes the assassination attempt at Butler was staged. Another said the WHCD suspect "did not seem crazy to me...he seemed pushed over the edge, in terms of what is happening to our country.”

“It seems like Hollywood fluff,” the last interviewee told me.

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The United States announced on Wednesday the Department of Justice is charging Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, along with other current and former officials, with corruption and drug trafficking conspiracy due to allegedly working with the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most powerful cartels in Mexico, even as it is in the middle of a civil war between two rival factions. The DOJ is accusing the governor and officials of mainly working with the Chapitos faction, which has been run by the sons of El Chapo since their father was brought to the United States to face trial.

The news of the charges spread rapidly throughout Mexico. The charges further say the Chapitos tampered with the election that Rocha Moya won in exchange for protection and bribes.

President Claudia Sheinbaum gave her response to the U.S. charges during her morning press conference on Thursday.

“I have always said this clearly, and we have acted accordingly. We will not protect anyone who has committed a crime,” Sheinbaum said. “However—if there is no clear evidence, it is evident that the objective of these accusations by the Department of Justice is political.”

“It must be absolutely clear: under no circumstances will we allow interference or intrusion by a foreign government in decisions that belong exclusively to the people of Mexico,” she continued.

For his part, Rocha Moya is denying all accusations and will be addressing them “with full force, at the appropriate time.”

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it had received extradition requests from the United States on Wednesday.

Other officials being charged with corruption include the mayor of Culiacán, the capital and largest city in Sinaloa. Like Rocha Moya, Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil is flatly denying he has broken any laws.

The U.S. bringing these charges against Sinaloa politicians certainly puts Sheinbaum between a rock and a hard place. Rocha Moya and Juan de Dios Gámez belong to her party, Morena. Rocha Moya is very close…

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As previously mentioned, I was back in Los Angeles to work with my friend and YouTuber James Klug to show how the crisis of abused dogs extends beyond Skid Row. The two of us went out with Starts With One Today in south LA and found multiple dogs in horrific conditions. As of yesterday, many are still there.

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The video shows the lengths rescuers have to go through with the “owners” in order to remove the dogs so they can get urgent medical treatment.

Our team also went to Skid Row for an update since the problem has gained more media attention. We got a deeper dive into how Starts With One Today gets tips on abused animals.

Once again, I am aware it is tough to see something like this, but it very important to know what is happening beyond Skid Row.

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Many of you first became aware of me either through my coverage of the BLM/Antifa riots in 2020 or during the Biden-Harris border crisis, but it was far from my first time covering a chaotic event.

I had covered the protests at the Republican and Democratic conventions in 2016, but it was mainly filled with hippies who set up tents. Nothing crazy.

Then comes August 2017. A friend of mine at the time asked if I wanted to cover this rally Richard Spencer was hosting at a statue in Charlottesville. I had a car and he did not. Since it was during the weekend, I said, “Sure, why not?”

Once we arrived, to say I was unprepared for the day ahead is an understatement. No helmet, no gas mask, no vest, and shorts instead of pants. Walking through the crowd of counter-protesters and Antifa, I was expecting to see a police line to separate the two sides to prevent fighting. Instead, I found myself in “no man’s land” between the groups. No police.

Because the park the “Unite the Right” was being held at had stairs, it created a minor buffer for people to come down, fight, and then fall back. Again and again, the two sides clashed. One man on the alt-right side picked up a metal newspaper stand and chucked it, hitting no one. Another was bleeding from the head after being pulled from the Antifa crowd. For my part, I was hit a few times by thrown sticks and paint bombs, along with pepper spray.

Upon entering the park, riot police, who had been on a nearby street standing and watching the violence unfold, were pushing the rally goers out and into the street where counter-protesters were waiting. This led to more violence, unsurprisingly.

I was not present for the car ramming that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer. What most people do not realize is that the crash happened much later after the majority of the “Unite the Right” crowd marched away. We thought the day was over and were eating lunch at a nearby restaurant when the news broke.

It was this event that started it all for me. Despite conventional wisdom, it was then and there I wanted to continue reporting on hectic protests and riots. Not just for the adrenaline rush, but because it was important to document as much as possible since Charlottesville turned into a major story afterwards.

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This is why the recent news of the Southern Poverty Law Center allegedly having at least one person on their payroll, who was involved with the “Unite the Right” rally, is interesting. SPLC defenders are saying the organization was simply paying informants, but the indictment says SPLC’s man on the inside was an organizer and helped with transportation for the event.

If that is indeed the case, it should be determined whether any of their funds were used or made it easier to make the rally happen.

At the end of the day, I don’t think it will matter if SPLC’s money was used for the rally, but I could be wrong. The Left’s reaction and weaponization of President Trump’s “fine people on both sides” of the statue debate (not the riot) set the tone for the rest of his term. Heck, it is still used as an example by the Left against Trump nearly seven years later. Not to mention, I am sure people acted independent of the SPLC.

The fault for the violence mainly falls on state and local leaders who clearly did not prepare for the day. No roads were blocked off for the crowds, thus allowing a car to go into a march, and police stood by for a long time before doing anything. Much like the 2020 riots, a lot could have been prevented had the people in charge acted like they had a pair.

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. — I returned to southern California this past weekend to do a follow-up report on the animal abuse crisis in LA County with my friend and YouTuber James Klug.

In the time since my first report in February, the rampant abuse on Skid Row has gotten a lot of national and local media attention. The problems are no longer being seen just by local animal activists.

While it is great more people are being made aware of the crisis on Skid Row, it is unfortunately not the only place in the metro area where blatant animal abuse and neglect are taking place. We went to other locations far from downtown. It was not hard to find these cases.

It is without exaggeration that there were a few times where our safety was not a guarantee because these abusers view the dogs as objects to make money off of or think they are taking “good” care of the dogs. They do not like it when people come to end their income stream, no matter how vile it is or if the dog clearly needs urgent medical attention.

The report will be on James’ YouTube channel and should be out later this week. I will be sharing the video here on Substack as well, so stay tuned.

Supporting members are getting an exclusive teaser of what we saw this weekend:

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Chris and DeYaana Ostroushko appeared on “Pushing The Limits” to give their first interview about the scuffle between them, their daughter, and reporter Savanah Hernandez during an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota.

Savanah, who is a good friend of mine, videoed herself being harassed and then attacked by the Ostroushkos, which ultimately resulted in the much heavier Chris shoving her to the ground while her back was turned.

During the interview with liberal host Brian Shapiro, Chris and DeYaana maintained that Savanah made physical contact first with their daughter, who was blowing a whistle right into Savanah’s ear.

Chris said he and his family are not violent people, “In fact, we tend to shy away from it.” He said he was simply protecting his family since, according to him, Savanah was the one who started the fight.

"I just wanted her to leave,” he claimed.

Chris said the past few days since the fight have been “hell” due to their personal information being shared on the internet. His wife confirmed he lost his job because of his actions in the video.

“This situation was, you know, a family really trying to protect each other,” DeYanna added.

Interview starts at 1:02:13

Brian doubted the severity of the injuries Savanah sustained, in particular the ones caused by Chris, because she got up right away and smiled. Savanah said she has been experiencing head, neck, and back pain from the hard shove.

As someone who has been hurt in high-stress situations…

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I’ll post questions and updates about my assignments, podcast interviews, and news of the day. I have some ideas in the works that I am really excited about. I’ll be posting them soon in the chat for feedback since you have a stake in what I am able to do.

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The brutal murder of a gas station worker at the hands of a Haitian who illegally crossed into the United States and was then shielded from deportation by the Biden-Harris administration is yet another disastrous example of the Democrats’ open border policies

The murder was recorded on the station’s security camera. For simply telling Rolbert Joachim to stop hitting her car with a hammer, Joachim beat the clerk in the head with the same hammer. The attack took place in Fort Meyers, Florida.

An immigration judge ordered Joachim to be deported from the United States in 2022, but he was instead granted Temporary Protected Status by the Biden-Harris administration. His TPS expired in 2024.

The Department of Homeland Security and President Donald Trump posted the video of the crime. True to fashion, Democrats and liberals were more upset at the Trump administration highlighting the reason for its deportation efforts instead of the actual crime.

“NOT A SINGLE MAJOR NEWS OUTLET IS TALKING ABOUT THE SNUFF VIDEO POSTED TO OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE AND POTUS ACCOUNTS! What the actual fuck, y’all,” one X user posted, which garnered over 31,000 likes.

Serial Trump video clipper Aaron Rupar, whose deceptive edits and captions earned him an entry in Urban Dictionary, shared the Truth Social link and simply described it as, “Trump just posted a video of a woman getting murdered on his Truth Social account.”

“Earlier in the week the president threatened to kill an entire civilization. Now he posts a video of a woman being beaten to death. To put it mildly, that’s concerning behavior. If he was a member of your family you would urge him to see a doctor. He should have a medical evaluation,” one liberal user said in response to Rupar’s post.

“He’s unhinged. Bloodthirsty, depraved, and completely unhinged. My god,” another said.

Yes, Trump is the “bloodthirsty” one in this scenario, not the murder suspect.

It’s a cycle that I am very familiar with since Trump’s first presidential term. The biggest example that comes to mind is when Trump called MS-13 gang members “animals.” Democrats, with their mainstream media lapdogs, twisted it as claiming he labeled all immigrants as “animals.” It was not the result of him misspeaking, it was the power of liberals’ imagination and propaganda.

As if to prove his point around that same time, MS-13 gang members were arrested for stabbing a man multiple times, throwing his body in the back of his car, and setting the car on fire in nearby Woodbridge, Virginia. The reason why I remember that case is because it happened around 20 minutes away from where I was living at the time. Seems pretty animalistic to me.

It is frustrating to see such antics play out as someone who reported on the Biden-Harris border crisis. I was able to see firsthand the consequences of Democrats’ policies, but because most leftists don’t live along the border, they were able to claim ignorance of the issue. That was the case until the problem got too big for even Democrat cities to ignore due to the massive influx of “new residents.” Now with the Trump administration trying to clean up the mess, liberals are fighting, often with violence, to stop what people voted for in 2024.

This is why they are mad at DHS and Trump. They don’t want to see what their virtue signaling has resulted in.

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Brevard County, FL sheriff’s deputies working with U.S. Border Patrol, March 2025.

As we are well underway in President Donald Trump’s second term, his base has increasingly gotten antsy over the pace and aggressiveness for deportations. Many view carrying out one million deportations per year as the bare minimum to achieve any long lasting effect.

The Trump administration has said the federal government carried out over 600,000 deportations and around 2 million illegal aliens self-deported in 2025. Some dispute the self-deportation numbers as it is hard to say for certain how many decided to leave on their own accord if they do not tell DHS. That said, self-deportations has been a very real trend under Trump 2.0.

In my recent interview with Mike Howell, who is part of the Mass Deportation Coalition, he said he believes the Trump administration could have achieved that one million benchmark last year in spite of the many legal challenges and violence from the far-left but feels they were not aggressive enough.

While the purpose of this piece is not to excuse away any valid criticisms of how the Trump administration has been handling deportations, keyword being valid, it seems that red states also avoiding much deserved criticisms for not doing enough to help the federal government.

Naturally, states like California, Illinois, and New York are going to do everything in their power to make it as hard as possible for DHS and ICE to do their work. The easiest way for state and local law enforcement to help DHS beyond allowing access to jails is participation in the 287(g) program. The federal initiative allows local law enforcement to carry out immigration-related duties, often in conjunction with ICE or Border Patrol.

“We, states and local governments, should be proactive. Relying on the federal government is abdication of responsibility and duty to Idahoans and Americans.”

ICE reports there have been 1,637 Memorandums of Agreement for 287(g) programs covering 39 states and 2 U.S. territories as of April. It needs to be said this is a dramatic increase from the Biden-Harris administration.

I have reported extensively on the program and have seen it in action in states like Florida. It has been required since last year for all law enforcement agencies to enroll in the 287(g) program. In that time, Florida law enforcement has arrested and turned over 20,000 illegal aliens to DHS. This is in addition to helping with capacity by operating Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades.

With the successes Florida has seen with enhance cooperation with the federal government, not all red states have been as eager to replicate those results.

Take Idaho. A similar bill to Florida’s law that mandates 287(g) participation has been proposed and hotly debated, but unlike Florida, the idea was strongly opposed by law enforcement.

The Idaho Sheriffs’ Association, the Idaho Fraternal Order of Police, and the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association all opposed the legislation, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.

The author of the original bill in the Senate offered a watered-down version to address law enforcements’ criticisms and they still said no.

“We don’t need a law to tell us to go out and work with ICE. We’re working with ICE, and we don’t have the manpower to go out and do ICE’s job. That’s ICE’s job. So we really just want the relationship that we’ve had, and we have had for decades, where we work with ICE, we assist ICE, but they do their job and we do ours,” Payette County Sheriff Andy Creech told the Sun.

A third attempt to pass the 287(g) requirement made it beyond the House but it died in the Senate because the “procedure by which the bill was brought violated Senate rules.”

Gregg Diacogiannis, a Republican who is running for Idaho’s House District 9B, told MP.M the resistance to greater cooperation is frustrating when he sees Florida walking the walk.

“Both are seen as ruby red states, but only Florida is keep up with their reputation,” Diacogiannis, an Army veteran, said. “Governor Little is nearly silent on the biggest issue in Idaho. The Idaho Sheriffs Association has been actively lobbying against immigration enforcement at the state and local level. They send a few sheriffs to committee meetings, in uniform, to testify against any and all immigration related bills.”

Diacogiannis accused Creech of “trying to gaslight the public on what the 287(g) program is and how it works” after the sheriff got public backlash.

“We, states and local governments, should be proactive. Relying on the federal government is abdication of responsibility and duty to Idahoans and Americans,” Diacogiannis added.

Other states like Iowa saw their Department of Public Safety enter into a 287(g) agreement, but reporting at the time revealed it was only for a three-member task force. Dubuque County Sheriff Joe Kennedy, a Democrat, said last year he would not want to be required to work with ICE because of capacity and monetary concerns.

Then we have a case like Texas. The 287(g) map shows there are many agreements throughout the state and Operation Lone Star, which was started in response to the Biden-Harris border crisis, is still ongoing.

That said, there are still areas working to undermine the cooperation.

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The free YouTube version of my interview can be found here:

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It should really not be a surprise anymore, but I admit every time I see the “peaceful” protest talking point, it makes me want to start my own riot.

As I previously reported, the gathering outside the Roybal Federal Building during the “No Kings” protest on Saturday quickly turned violent after anti-ICE rioters tried to breach the security fence. The attacks against federal agents continued for nearly two hours. Multiple dispersal orders were given to the crowd, not to mention the tear gas, but many refused to leave on their own accord.

This is why the Los Angeles Police Department was deployed to help make arrests for the rioters who refused to leave the street.

Despite the multiple videos and photos showing the crowd was violent, it has not stopped local Democrats from claiming it was a “peaceful” gathering and it was the police who were in the wrong.

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The “No Kings” protest brought out tens of thousands of people out by City Hall. Unlike many other “No Kings” locations, there was a good mix of older and younger people in attendance. It is because there were a lot of younger people in the crowd, it was no surprise when some of them made their way to the Roybal Federal Building to battle against federal agents once again.

The loading dock location for the federal building has long been the site of many riots since last June. The open parking space usually provides crowds easy access to the rear of the building in order to cause damage or prevent vehicles from entering or leaving. Because of the repeated attacks, there have been security fences installed to stop the crowd’s easy access.

As usual, however, the presence of a fence provides the anti-ICE rioters a target to go after. It did not take long before people started to kick the fence’s gate in an attempt to break it or try to peel apart the panels of the fence. The Federal Protective Service came out to get the agitators to stop. When the agents got close, rioters started to throw bottles and spit at them, resulting in pepper balls and tear gas being used.

Because I was so focused on the skirmishes at the fence, I did not notice other people in the crowd had broken apart concrete barriers to make small pieces in order to throw at the agents. Federal agents deployed more canisters once the concrete chunks were being thrown. The Department of Homeland Security later stated two agents were injured by the thrown concrete.

Once most of the tear gas dissipated, the crowd came back to continue their attacks. It took some more time before the Los Angeles Police Department showed up. Dozens of protesters and rioters remained in the street despite several dispersal warnings from police. Federal agents and LAPD did make arrests, targeting those who threw concrete or did not leave the area. The Los Angeles Times reported 70 people were arrested.

“To those who were smashing concrete blocks and throwing them at our officers, we have you on video. We will find you and arrest you too. You’ve been warned,” said Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.

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Florida sheriffs and police chiefs who are on the state’s Immigration Enforcement Council made headlines this week after six out of eight members came out in favor of mainly targeting illegal aliens with criminal records, instead of anyone who is in the country illegally.

“We are 100 percent full throttle in favor of it and support it,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri “But what’s right’s right and what’s not’s not.”

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who is no stranger to national headlines due to his comments on being tough on crime, said he wants Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for illegals who are, otherwise, following the law and contributing to the community.

Judd has since doubled down on his stance following heavy criticism.

The board said they will be writing a letter to President Donald Trump to urge him to shift immigration enforcement priorities and to call for Congress to create that pathway to citizenship for those who qualify.

What made their recent comments more head turning was the fact that the members were appointed by Republicans such as Governor Ron DeSantis and Senate President Ben Albritton.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters opposed the majority’s opinion, saying, “I was not on the call referenced and do not share or endorse the comments made by others. Our focus remains on enforcing the law and continuing our mission to make Jacksonville a safer place for all residents.”

DeSantis addressed the debate on Thursday during his press conference in Bradenton.

“This idea that unless you’re an axe murderer you should be able to stay, that is not consistent with our laws and it’s also not good policy,” he said.

“’You come illegally and you stay until you commit a really violent crime,’ that just doesn’t work. It’s incoherent and it’s not what the President ran on,” he continued, adding that sending a letter to the president to go back on his campaign promise would be a bad idea.

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As I previously reported when I was with the Florida Highway Patrol, due to Florida law that requires all law enforcement agencies to actively work with ICE and Border Patrol, state and local agencies have made over 20,000 arrests since spring of last year.

As someone who has been covering immigration and the southern border since 2019, I can tell you the recent weak-kneed response to leftist violence and media distortions…

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I interviewed the team of Starts With One Today who I was with last month as they showed me the rampant dog abuse in Los Angeles’ Skid Row. Victoriah Parker, Jonathan Parker, and Joey Tuccio provided an update on the dogs featured in my report, their response to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass calling them dishonest about the city’s efforts, and how people can help even if they do not live in Los Angeles.

You can read the first report here:

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It wasn’t too long ago that Mexico was in our national headlines because of an outbreak of violence. For those who need a refresher, the Mexican military carried out an operation against the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the largest and most violent cartel in Mexico.

El Mencho reportedly died from his wounds while he was being transferred to Mexico City. As a result, CJNG sicarios unleashed mayhem in the parts of Mexico they control. It was in a lot of places.

Even the resort city of Puerto Vallarta was caught in the violence and acts of arson, spooking many vacationers. Though no foreigners were killed in the day of violence, the rampage of revenge has given many people pause on whether to go to Mexico on vacation or business.

My Mom and I have a saying when it comes to Mexico: When things are good, they are great! The food, culture, people, and yes, the good exchange rate for U.S. dollars, is why I love visiting whenever I can. But, when things are bad, they are really bad. CJNG’s reaction to their leader’s death was another reminder of that.

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As someone who has been to Mexico multiple times throughout the years, the sad reality is there is an uneasy peace that can be shattered in an instant because of the cartels’ power in many parts of the country. The main reasons for dangerous zones in Mexico is because different cartels or different factions of the same cartel fight for control. The flip side, some “safe” cities or states are simply due to one cartel being firmly in control. Which is why Puerto Vallarta is technically safe, so long as nothing happens to piss off CJNG. Naturally, the death of their leader pissed them off.

That said, there are places you can still go to where such concerns are minimal. As my headline states, I just returned from Mexico and I felt safe because of where I went.

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BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — After putting on his playlist that features highway-themed songs, Florida Highway Patrol Investigator Robert Valenzuela raced to the scene of two illegal aliens who barricaded themselves in a house after fleeing a traffic stop.

In what was supposed to take 30 minutes from where we started, we made it to the scene in less than 20 minutes thanks to the flashing lights and sirens. By the time we arrived, other members of the task force, which included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol, and Diplomatic Security Service, were ordering the suspects to come out of the house. Fort Lauderdale police were also on standby.

Another FHP trooper told them in Spanish they had until the count of five to come out or else the door was going to be busted down. Right before ICE agents broke down the door, the two suspects came out and were quickly taken into custody.

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I was embedded with FHP last week as they worked with federal immigration agents, which is possible thanks to ICE’s 287(g) program. The 287(g) agreements allow trained local law enforcement to carry out certain federal immigration-related enforcement.

By the end of the three-day operation, FHP and its federal partners made 171 arrests. Unlike sanctuary cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, or Los Angeles, the cooperation between the feds and state did not have unrest or riots in response to the operation.

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Florida, as usual, has taken the lead and has the most 287(g) agreements in the country after Governor Ron DeSantis pushed for a bill that mandated law enforcement agencies in the state participate in the initiative. The reason was so that all localities do more than just allowing ICE access to county jails. DeSantis signed the bill into law last year.

In the time since then, Florida law enforcement have arrested more than 20,000 illegal aliens. FHP accounts for nearly 9,000 of those arrests. At the start of the week’s operation, 1,567 of them had criminal histories beyond being in the U.S. illegally.

The way it works is troopers who are accredited through 287(g) initiate traffic stops after obtaining probable cause. Reasons for stops range from speeding, improper placement of registration tags, reckless driving, or not wearing seatbelts.

If people do not run after coming to a stop (several bailouts took place during the week), it does not take long to determine the driver or passengers need to have their legal status checked. The driver often does not have a driver’s license, does not speak any English, or presents a passport from a foreign country. ICE or Border Patrol agents then check the person’s information to see if they have any pending immigration proceedings or have some form of legal status.

Arrests take place if it is determined they are in the country illegally or can have a court appearance to determine their legal status at a closer date.

At no point did I witness racial profiling. In fact, Investigator Valenzuela pulled over many vehicles for blatant reckless driving, a south Florida staple, and the drivers were U.S. citizens.

Criminal histories discovered during last week’s operation included:

• MS-13 gang member with a final order of removal

• Aggravated child abuse

• Battery

• Burglary

• Possession and Conspiracy to Sell Heroin

• Firearm and Drug Trafficking

• Illegal Possession of a Firearm

“There are some really bad people being taken into custody,” FHP Captain Ryan Martina told me at the end of the three-day operation. “What people have to realize is bad people have jobs too. Murderers have jobs too. Murderers work in landscaping. Rapists have jobs and bad people have to drive.”

As previously stated, there was no major incident of unrest or violence from the general public. However, it does not mean there are no obstacles FHP has to deal with…

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