United States Border Patrol

Opposition from private landowners in Texas' Big Bend region continues to slow the Trump administration's $46 billion border wall project, part of a plan to build barriers from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. The administration aims to spend $7.5 billion fortifying roughly 500 miles through Big Bend despite historically low illegal crossings there and natural barriers like cliffs and desert terrain. CBP says it has built over 260 miles of new barrier nationwide since Trump returned to office, but a federal judge recently paused Big Bend construction after landowners sued, arguing Homeland Security exceeded its authority by waiving environmental and other protections; the government has asked the judge to lift the order while it appeals.

Many landowners are refusing to let surveyors onto their property, protesting at county meetings, pressuring local officials not to assist contractors, and preparing for eminent domain fights; the Justice Department says about 70 disputes have been referred for legal action nationwide, with 50 resolved and none going to trial, while CBP says it has reached agreements with dozens of other Big Bend landowners. Opposition spans party lines, with Republican ranchers, a county sheriff and Trump voters questioning the project's necessity. Critics frame the dispute as a broader test of federal power over private property, while CBP maintains the infrastructure is needed to prevent a shift in illegal crossings to the area.

A federal judge has temporarily halted construction of the Trump administration's border wall in Texas' Big Bend region, a win for landowners who have resisted the $46 billion national project. Plaintiffs argued the administration bypassed regulations in pushing forward; the government has asked the judge to set aside her order while it appeals. Customs and Border Protection says it has built more than 260 miles of barrier under the second Trump administration and plans to spend $7.5 billion fortifying roughly 500 miles of border in Big Bend, where construction began in September.

Ranchers and other property owners have refused survey access, protested at county meetings, lobbied officials against aiding contractors, and are preparing for eminent domain fights. Opposition spans party lines, including a Republican sheriff and Trump voters who say rugged terrain and low crossing numbers make the wall unnecessary there. CBP says it continues pursuing voluntary agreements and will compensate landowners regardless of how access is obtained, while also retaining eminent domain attorneys in anticipation of disputes. The standoff has become a broader test of federal authority over private land.

A Minneapolis teacher, Quentin Williams, has filed a federal tort claim against the U.S. government after immigration agents detained him outside Roosevelt High School on Jan. 7, hours after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good elsewhere. Surveillance video shows Williams tackled by an agent, who put a knee to his back, before he was handcuffed and taken to the Whipple Federal Building. He was held for roughly four hours and released without charges; agents reportedly confiscated his belongings, including a necklace containing his mother's ashes.

Weeks later, Attorney General Pam Bondi and other government accounts publicized Williams' mugshot, labeling him a "violent, anti-ICE anarchist." Attorneys from the MacArthur Justice Center filed the claim Tuesday, a precursor to a possible civil lawsuit, arguing the government exploited Williams' image and identity before abandoning the narrative. They are seeking accountability and a correction of the record. The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have not responded to requests for comment. The incident adds to scrutiny of ICE conduct during enforcement operations involving former Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has directed the Michigan State Police to conduct an independent review of a vehicle pursuit involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement that ended in a fatal crash in Grand Rapids. Mario David Coronado-Juarez, in his mid-30s, died Sunday morning after his vehicle struck a tree near Century Avenue SW and McKendrick Street and caught fire while fleeing an attempted ICE stop, reportedly traveling over 100 mph. DHS said ICE agents tried to confirm his identity before he fled at high speed, and that officers discontinued pursuit before discovering the crash and attempting to render aid, noting agents were about a half-mile away when it occurred.

Grand Rapids Police Chief Joseph Trigg and Mayor David LaGrand have also called for an independent state investigation to run alongside the department's own probe. LaGrand blamed ICE's enforcement tactics, calling them a pattern of "intimidation, harassment, and killing," and urged federal reforms including body cameras and civilian oversight. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Hillary Scholten, both Michigan Democrats, have demanded answers from ICE, while DHS disputed claims that agents caused the crash. Coronado-Juarez, previously deported in 2021 and wanted in Guatemala for alcohol-related driving offenses, was married with three young children and served as his family's breadwinner. The case adds to mounting scrutiny of ICE enforcement following other high-profile incidents this year.

Austin city leaders and other elected officials are calling for an independent investigation after an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan man Sunday afternoon during a vehicle pursuit while he was making a DoorDash delivery. The man, identified by his attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch as 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, says ICE officers sideswiped his car twice without warning before he was shot in the back of the neck. He was released from a hospital into ICE custody with the bullet still lodged near his spine, held at the Pearsall detention center without pain medication, and briefly returned to the hospital Monday night after complaints of untreated pain. DHS says he had a final order of removal after entering under a Biden-era asylum program later ended by Trump; his attorneys say the order stemmed from a missed hearing notice sent to an old address. Federal sources say ICE had been conducting targeted enforcement using license plate checks when they identified his vehicle.

Austin officials say the city's own EMS was requested by Austin Police, not ICE, though bystander video shows an ICE agent also asking whether an ambulance was en route; federal sources say the agent has been placed on administrative leave, standard practice in such incidents. Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI are leading the probe, with Austin Police and Texas Rangers investigating separately. Mayor Kirk Watson, Police Chief Lisa Davis, DA Jose Garza, and Congressman Greg Casar are demanding transparency and local involvement, noting this is one of at least 28 such shootings by federal immigration agents since 2024.

ICE agent Christian Castro, 52, was arrested by Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents in downtown Minneapolis and booked into the Hennepin County Jail on a state warrant, despite an arrangement to surrender at his attorney's office. He faces four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime, and is due in federal court Friday on a separate federal indictment for making false statements to an FBI agent.

The charges stem from a January 14 shooting during ICE's Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, when agents shot three people; U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti died in separate incidents amid related protests. Castro allegedly shot and wounded Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, after a car chase and foot pursuit, firing through a door despite two children being inside. Homeland Security initially called it a defensive shot but later cited "untruthful statements" by officers; charges against Sosa-Celis were dropped.

Castro spent 90 days jailed in Texas while Minnesota sought extradition, which Governor Greg Abbott refused, prompting a lawsuit from Minnesota officials. He was released after a federal judge declined to force extradition, then indicted federally before returning to Minneapolis. DHS has suspended him.

Former CBP sector chief Greg Bovino, who led aggressive federal immigration operations in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans, and Minneapolis last year, defended the Twin Cities operation at a New York Young Republicans event in Manhattan, claiming CBP had used a "light touch" that allowed "lawlessness" to fester. Minneapolis' Operation Metro Surge ended after ICE officer Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good and CBP officers killed Alex Pretti. Bovino now says the Minneapolis operation was "an ICE mission, not Border Patrol," despite DHS and Minnesota's Attorney General previously identifying him as commanding operations there.

Bovino was removed from Minneapolis after backlash, including from Sen. Rand Paul, over his refusal to investigate the shootings. He has continued espousing far-right rhetoric, including calls for "remigration" and deportation of "100 million" people, and has courted ties to European far-right parties. His tactics — including federalizing the California National Guard and using tear gas despite court restrictions — drew Supreme Court scrutiny and widespread protest, though his high-profile urban operations have since ended.

Key West's tourism-dependent economy is losing workers after the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for roughly 330,000 Haitians, a change the Supreme Court allowed to take effect on July 27. Florida has the nation's largest Haitian population, but Key West is especially exposed: a small, isolated island connected to the mainland by a single highway, where immigrants can't easily avoid Border Patrol. Local officials and business owners estimate thousands of Haitians live in and around the city of 25,000, filling hotel, restaurant, and rideshare jobs. Since TPS ended, immigration detentions in the Lower Keys have risen sharply, including arrests of workers with valid permits. Restaurant and hotel owners, including some Trump supporters, say staff shortages are forcing reduced hours and owners to cover shifts themselves, warning of a looming labor crunch as fall tourism season approaches. Immigrant advocates report growing fear among residents, with many avoiding public spaces and transportation. The Department of Homeland Security defended ending TPS, calling it an overused "de facto amnesty" program.