Wednesday, February 4, 2026

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REPORT: Clinton Ambassador Spied for Cuba for Decades, Called America the ‘Enemy.’

Former U.S. diplomat Manuel Rocha, 73, confirmed his intention to plead guilty on Thursday to charges of acting as a secret agent for communist Cuba dating back several decades, in what prosecutors have called one of the most explicit betrayals in U.S. foreign service history. Rocha served as the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The charges, which relate to conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, could result in Rocha – who was born in Columbia – serving several years in prison. Rocha’s defense lawyer indicated that a sentence had been agreed upon with prosecutors, though the specifics were not revealed. Rocha is set to reappear in court on April 12.

Rocha became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1978 and began working for the State Department in 1981. It was in that year he began spying for Cuba. In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Rocha to the role of U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia. After leaving the foreign service in 2002, Rocha became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and took up a board seat at the University of Miami.

In conversations with an undercover FBI agent posing as Cuban intelligence operative “Miguel,” Rocha, who served as a U.S. diplomat for over two decades and held senior positions in Bolivia, Argentina, and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, referred to the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro as “Comandante,” referred to the U.S. as the “enemy,” and bragged about his role as a Cuban operative for over 40 years within U.S. foreign policy circles. These conversations, the complaint states, were secretly recorded. The FBI arrested Rocha at his home in Miami in December.

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
This story is so wild its incredible, especially as it takes place during a period of critical tensions approaching the tail end of the Cold War (and, of course, beyond)
This story is so wild its incredible, especially as it takes place during a period of critical tensions approaching the tail end of the Cold War (and, of course, beyond) show more
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Man Faces Charges for Doxing, Threatening FBI Agent and Family.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A man in Illinois has been charged with doxing and threatening a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent using information stolen from federal vehicles in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jose Alberto Ramirez, the FBI agent (Victim A), and anti-ICE agitators.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The threats originated from stolen documents in January; Ramirez is set to appear in federal court on Wednesday afternoon.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I know where your mom lives bro. And your dad. And your kids buddy. Get home safe and fast.” – Text message sent to the FBI agent.

🎯IMPACT: Ramirez faces federal charges for threatening an FBI agent and will appear for arraignment on Wednesday.

IN FULL

Jose Alberto Ramirez, an Illinois resident, has been charged with doxing and threatening a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent and his children after anti-ICE agitators stole documents from federal vehicles in Minneapolis last month. The documents contained personal information, including residential addresses, phone numbers, and emails, which were later posted on social media.

According to an affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Ramirez allegedly sent a series of profanity-laced text messages to the FBI agent’s work phone. One message read, “I know where your mom lives bro. And your dad. And your kids buddy. Get home safe and fast.” Another message threatened to firebomb an address associated with the agent.

The affidavit also linked Ramirez to an incident at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, where he was reported to police by his manager for threatening to shoot another employee. The phone number provided in that incident matched the one used to send the threatening messages to the FBI agent.

Ramirez, who will appear in court for arraignment late Wednesday afternoon, has a criminal history involving multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including domestic battery, burglary, and mob action.

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SCOTUS Allows Democrat-Drawn Districts Ahead of Midterms.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Supreme Court decided to allow California Democrats to proceed with new, gerrymandered maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: California Democrats, the state GOP, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Justice Elena Kagan, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Wednesday, impacting California and the U.S. as a whole.

🎯IMPACT: The decision allows Proposition 50 to move forward, potentially reducing Republican congressional seats in California from nine to four.

IN FULL

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to block California’s new congressional district map, allowing the state to proceed with new, gerrymandered boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The decision rejects an emergency request from California Republicans and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking to halt implementation of the plan, known as Proposition 50.

Proposition 50 dismantled California’s independent redistricting commission and granted the Democratic-controlled legislature authority to redraw congressional lines. Supporters said the measure was intended to counter Republican redistricting efforts in other states and better reflect demographic changes, while critics argued it was designed to boost Democrat power in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Under the new map, Republicans could lose as many as five congressional seats, reducing the number of GOP-held districts in California from nine to four. Republican officials and voters filed suit shortly after the ballot measure passed, claiming the new districts relied too heavily on racial considerations and violated the Constitution and federal voting laws.

The Justice Department joined the legal challenge, arguing that California lawmakers improperly used race as a tool to achieve partisan goals. A three-judge federal district court panel rejected those claims in January. Following that ruling, opponents of the map asked the Supreme Court to intervene. The application was initially submitted to Justice Elena Kagan and then referred to the full Court, which denied the request for an injunction without issuing a written opinion.

California officials argued that blocking the map so close to the 2026 election cycle would disrupt candidate filings, campaign planning, and voter outreach already underway. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and other Democrats praised the Court’s decision.

The ruling comes amid heightened national disputes over redistricting. In a separate case, the Supreme Court recently allowed Texas to use a Republican-drawn congressional map that could add several GOP seats, despite lower court claims that the plan discriminated against minority voters.

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Dems Release Their DHS Funding Demands, Including Gutting Immigration Enforcement.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Democrats outlined demands for changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations as Congress works to avoid a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and other Democrats; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); and the Trump administration.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February 4, 2026, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “When Americans see the pictures of these goons beating people, pushing people, and even shooting and killing people, they say this is not America… It is reminiscent of dictatorship.” — Chuck Schumer

🎯IMPACT: The debate over DHS funding and changes could lead to a shutdown, affecting sub-agencies such as FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard.

IN FULL

Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill released their list of demands for changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in exchange for the passage of long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had their budgets largely appropriated in separate legislation over the summer, other DHS agencies like FEMA and the TSA remain unfunded for the fiscal year.

The looming DHS shutdown, set for February 13, is the result of Democrats demanding that the department’s budget be stripped from a package of appropriations bills adopted by Congress on Tuesday. By forcing the removal of DHS funding—replacing it with a two-week continuing resolution—the Democrats caused a brief government shutdown over the weekend but dropped their opposition to the larger appropriations package.

Democrats are now holding up a full-year appropriations bill until Republicans agree to their proposed immigration enforcement changes, which include mandatory body cameras, prohibiting immigration officers from wearing masks, tightening restrictions around warrants, and ending so-called “roving” patrols.

“When Americans see the pictures of these goons beating people, pushing people, and even shooting and killing people, they say this is not America,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said at a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, joined by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and a number of House and Senate Democrats. Schumer added, “It is reminiscent of dictatorship.”

The Democrat demands have already sparked opposition from Republicans. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has already declared that requiring judicial warrants, rather than administrative warrants, for immigration enforcement actions is dead on arrival. “That is a road that we cannot or should not go down,” Johnson said.

Image by Adrian Hon.

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Attempted Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Receives Life Sentence.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Ryan Routh, who attempted to assassinate President Donald J. Trump just before the 2024 election, has received a life sentence in prison.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ryan Routh, President Trump, and Judge Aileen Cannon.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Florida.

🎯IMPACT: A federal jury in Florida found Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump last September, prompting Routh to try to kill himself by stabbing a pen into his neck as the verdict was being announced.

IN FULL

Ryan Routh, who attempted to assassinate President Donald J. Trump just before the 2024 election, has received a life sentence in prison. A federal jury in Florida found Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump last September, prompting Routh to try to kill himself by stabbing a pen into his neck as the verdict was being announced.

Notably, early on in his trial, Routh fired his defense attorneys and represented himself—resulting in a number of bizarre incidents and behavior by the would-be assassin. He attempted to argue that he committed no crime as he never fired a shot. However, his rambling, 42-minute closing argument, which featured references to Ukraine, was shut down by Judge Aileen Cannon for being off-topic.

Before attempting to kill then-candidate Trump, Routh ran the International Volunteer Center in Ukraine and spent a great deal of time in Kiev over the past several years. Additionally, he appears to have been deeply involved with efforts to send Afghanistan military veterans, who fled the country after the Taliban retook power, to Ukraine to bolster the Eastern European nation’s efforts to halt the Russian invasion.

The National Pulse reported in September of 2024 that Routh had offered a $150,000 bounty to “whomever can complete the job” of assassinating President Trump, a task which he eventually took up himself as the President played a round of golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Routh was also hit with numerous state criminal charges in Florida, including an attempted felony murder charge for causing severe injuries to a six-year-old girl during his failed escape in the wake of the attempted assassination. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) has also charged Routh with first-degree attempted murder and a terrorism offense.

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Top Mamdani Aide Ali Najmi Linked to Law Firm Accused of Major Fraud.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: A close ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), Ali Najmi, who serves as chairman of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, is linked to a law firm accused of engaging in a massive insurance fraud scheme.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ali Najmi, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Liakas Law, PC, alongside critics like Tom Stebbins of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Najmi joined Liakas Law in October 2025, just before Mamdani’s election. The federal lawsuit against the firm was filed last week in Brooklyn.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The last thing they [New Yorkers] need is a Shelly Silver part two.” – Tom Stebbins

🎯IMPACT: Ethical concerns and potential conflicts of interest arise as Najmi holds sway over judicial nominees while connected to a law firm accused of fraud.

IN FULL

Ali Najmi, a key political ally to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) and chairman of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, is under scrutiny for his connection to Liakas Law, PC. The Manhattan-based personal injury firm is accused in a federal lawsuit of running a “fraudulent enterprise” targeting immigrants and vulnerable individuals through sham lawsuits and inflated medical bills.

Najmi, who joined Liakas Law as “Special Counsel” in October 2025, has denied involvement in the allegations, stating, “I am not associated with the frivolous litigation attack against the firm which started long before I joined.” However, critics, including Tom Stebbins of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest given Najmi’s dual roles with the city government and the firm.

“The last thing they New Yorkers need is a Shelly Silver part two,” Stebbins said, adding, “The potential conflicts of interest here are innumerable.” Sheldon Silver, the former New York Assembly speaker, faced corruption charges for his “Of Counsel” position at a law firm while steering judicial appointments and blocking tort reform.

The lawsuit against Liakas Law, filed in Brooklyn federal court last week, alleges that the firm recruited plaintiffs, including illegal immigrants, to fake accidents and injuries. The suit also claims the firm used falsified medical documentation to inflate claims, with examples of plaintiffs exaggerating injuries while later being photographed engaging in physical activities.

One plaintiff, who claimed he was unable to put on underwear without assistance, was reportedly seen celebrating at a bar and playing soccer shortly after his testimony. In addition to the fraud allegations, Liakas Law is facing a federal False Claims Act lawsuit for unlawfully obtaining $1.09 million in PPP loans, with damages potentially reaching $3.29 million.

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Trump Admin Pulls 23% of Feds in Minnesota as Focus Shifts After Protests.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it will begin a partial drawdown of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Minnesota.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: White House Border Czar Tom Homan, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), ICE, CBP, illegal immigrants, and anti-ICE agitators.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I keep hearing it and hearing it and hearing it—we are not surrendering the President’s mission on a mass deportation operation. If you are in the country illegally, if we find you, we’ll deport you.” — Tom Homan

🎯IMPACT: An estimated 2,000 agents will remain in the state to conduct ongoing immigration enforcement operations, with Homan stressing that the drawdown is only possible if Minnesota Democrats follow through with their commitment to honor ICE detainers.

IN FULL

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it will begin a partial drawdown of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Minnesota. White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced the move during a press conference in Minneapolis, stating that “effective immediately,” around 700 federal law enforcement officers will be returned to their regions of jurisdiction, though an estimated 2,000 agents will remain in the state to conduct ongoing immigration enforcement operations. Importantly, Homan stressed the drawdown is only possible if Minnesota Democrats follow through with their commitment to honor ICE detainers.

“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets,” Homan said, adding: “Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, and as a result of the need of less law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I am announcing effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people.”


President Trump’s border czar, who was deployed to Minnesota late last month to reach an accord with Governor Tim Walz (D) and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) on cooperating with ICE detainers and lowering tensions in the state, emphasized that the mass deportations will continue. “I keep hearing it and hearing it and hearing it—we are not surrendering the President’s mission on a mass deportation operation. If you are in the country illegally, if we find you, we’ll deport you,” Homan insisted.

Early in January, the Trump administration was forced to surge hundreds of CBP agents and other federal law enforcement to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area amid growing violent anti-ICE protests and widespread interference in immigration enforcement operations by leftist agitators. Two anti-ICE activists were fatally shot amid attempts to interfere with and resist ICE and CBP agents, which caused the leftist demonstrations to become increasingly aggressive and hostile.


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FLASHBACK: Kassam Warned Trump, Charlie Kirk About Peter Mandelson, Now Focus of Epstein Files.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, warned President Donald J. Trump and the late Charlie Kirk against Lord Peter Mandelson—now facing a criminal investigation following fresh revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files—before his appointment as British ambassador to the United States.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Raheem Kassam, Peter Mandelson, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and President Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Kassam issued his warning on The Charlie Kirk Show in January 2025, over a year before the new Epstein scandal broke in February 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “[T]he idea that Keir Starmer, the current Prime Minister, would shove somebody like Lord Mandelson into the embassy in D.C. and expect him to be taken seriously is a great affront to President Trump, it’s a great affront to the American public and what they voted for,” Kassam told Kirk.

🎯IMPACT: Mandelson resigned from political roles, and investigations are underway into potential misconduct.

IN FULL

Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, warned the U.S. against Lord Peter Mandelson, now facing a criminal investigation due to newly-released Jeffrey Epstein files showing him leaking confidential information to the pedophile financier, in January 2025, over a year before the current scandal. Speaking to the late Charlie Kirk on his show, Kassam said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s move to appoint Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S., despite an already extensive history of scandal in Britain, was a “great affront to President Trump [and] the American public and what they voted for.”

Kassam highlighted Mandelson’s past, including his involvement in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and his already well-known connections to Epstein, as reasons for concern. Mandelson had also publicly attacked President Trump on numerous occasions, calling the America First leader a “danger to the world” and “little short of a white nationalist and a racist.” Kassam noted Britain’s pattern of appointing ambassadors hostile to Trump and argued that the Trump administration should reject Mandelson’s diplomatic credentials.

Kassam’s warnings were validated in recent days when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released more Epstein-related documents, revealing that Mandelson’s ties to the sex trafficker were much more sinister than previously suspected, including payments and the leaking of sensitive information during the financial crisis, when Mandelson was the British government’s Business Secretary. Mandelson has since been referred to the Metropolitan Police for investigation and is set to resign from the House of Lords, and may be stripped of his title, awarded by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, altogether.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed regret over Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador, which was already terminated after a previous Epstein release showed him offering support and advice to the sex trafficker following his 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution. Notably, however, Starmer appointed Mandelson despite having prior warning that he was a potential security risk, and his friendship with Epstein being public knowledge.

Mandelson is also linked to the recently assassinated Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, through the now-former Prince Andrew, another Epstein associate, and his former boss, Tony Blair, who courted the Gaddafi regime. Kassam was early to sound the alarm over the Gaddafis ties to the British establishment, too, playing a large role in exposing the links between the Gaddafi Foundation and the London School of Economics (LSE), led by Blair acolyte Sir Howard Davies, in the 2000s.

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Trump’s D.C. Crackdown Has Slashed Crime, 80% Drop in Homicides.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Crime in Washington, D.C. has seen a dramatic decrease in early 2026, with homicides dropping 80 percent, robberies down 58 percent, and overall crime down by 26 percent compared to the same period in 2025.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Trump administration, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and federal law enforcement agencies have contributed to these results through targeted interventions.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The data reflects crime statistics in Washington, D.C. for the early weeks of 2026, compared to the same period in 2025.

🎯IMPACT: The significant decline in crime demonstrates the effectiveness of the President’s law and order policies, offering a model for other cities to follow.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, is bearing significant fruit. Data from the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) show that, year-to-date, homicides are down 80 percent, robberies are down 58 percent, burglaries are down 58 percent, car thefts are down 57 percent, and crime across the board is down 26 percent when compared to the same time last year.

In the first month of 2026, Washington, D.C. saw only two homicides—over the same period in 2025, the city had already racked up ten murders. Meanwhile, robberies fell from 158 in the first month of 2025 to just 67 in the first month of 2026. Motor vehicle thefts, one of the most common crimes in the capital city, sat at 381 in January of last year but fell to 162 in the first month of 2026. Overall, the total crime count for D.C. slid from 1,880 incidents in the first month of last year to 1,385 this past month.

The National Pulse reported last month that crime on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metro and bus system hit an over two-decade low last year as the National Guard presence has bolstered the city’s police department. Overall, crime on Metrobuses fell 37 percent, while Metrorail saw a 34 percent decline, and crime in Metro parking facilities fell 40 percent.

Notably, the success of the crackdown has resulted in an extension of the National Guard deployment as the city continues to refocus its police force on neighborhoods that have long needed a more substantial law enforcement presence. The plummeting crime rate has also all but ended resistance to the Guard deployment, which city officials initially opposed.

The Trump administration’s public safety efforts in D.C. come in direct response to a surge in lawlessness under former President Joe Biden.

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War Department Warns of ‘Extraordinary Measures’ if Dems Try to Seize Historic Military College.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of War says it may have to resort to  “extraordinary measures” if Virginia Democrats pass a bill to place the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) fully under state control.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Pentagon, Virginia Democrats, and VMI leadership.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Proposed legislation pending in Virginia, with the Pentagon issuing its warning late Tuesday, February 3.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

🎯IMPACT: The proposed bills could end VMI’s current governance and funding, raising concerns about military readiness and state investment.

IN FULL

The U.S. Department of War says it may have to resort to “extraordinary measures” if Democrats in Virginia’s General Assembly pass a bill to bring the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) fully under state government control. House Bill 1374, proposed by Virginia Democrats, would dissolve VMI’s Board of Visitors and place the institution entirely under state governance.

“The Department of War is monitoring Virginia House Bill 1374, focused on the governance of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), with significant concern,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He continued, “For generations, the unique military environment at VMI has made the Institute a vital source of commissioned officers for the Armed Forces.”

Parnell further emphasized that “the stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest and any action that could disrupt the ecosystem requires our full attention. DoW reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI and our commitment to the cadets and midshipmen currently training there remains steadfast.”

VMI has long been a political target for Virginia Democrats who have worked for decades to find ways to defund or close the storied military college. In addition to HB 1374, Virginia Democrats introduced House Bill 1377, which would establish a task force to determine whether VMI should continue receiving state funding. The bill follows a 2021 task force initiated by then-Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), which accused VMI of widespread discrimination. If the new task force concludes that VMI has not adequately addressed these claims, the commonwealth could cut its funding entirely.

Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer (D), who sponsored HB 1377, argued that the state should not fund an institution “incapable of separating itself from a Lost Cause ideology that promotes White supremacy.”

VMI, which received 27.5 percent of its funding from Virginia in the last academic year, has a historical association with the Confederacy, having produced many of its generals during the Civil War.

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ICE Catches Illegal Who Was Recruited by Police and Issued a Firearm.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a New Orleans Police Department recruit from Cameroon who was issued a firearm despite an being subject to an active deportation order.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Larry Temah, a 46-year-old recruit, ICE, and the New Orleans Police Department.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Temah was arrested on January 28, just one week before his scheduled graduation from the New Orleans Police Academy.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him a firearm — what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges?” – Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary.

🎯IMPACT: The case highlights ongoing concerns over sanctuary city policies and enforcement of immigration laws.

IN FULL

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Larry Temah, a 46-year-old recruit with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) from Cameroon, on January 28, 2026—just one week before his scheduled graduation from the police academy. Temah had been issued a firearm despite being subject to an active deportation order.

Temah entered the U.S. legally in 2015 on a visitor visa and received conditional residency in 2016 after marrying a U.S. citizen. However, his application for permanent residency was denied in 2022 due to fraud, per ICE. He failed to appear in immigration court three times, leading an immigration judge to order his removal in absentia. ICE also stated that he lacked valid work authorization.

Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from possessing firearms, yet the NOPD recruited Temah and provided him with a gun. “This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him a firearm—what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges?” said Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary. She added that it is a felony for illegal aliens to possess firearms.

An NOPD spokesman disputed ICE’s claims, claiming the department verified Temah’s employment eligibility through ICE’s E-Verify system before hiring him. The spokesman stated: “New Orleans is not a sanctuary city, and NOPD does not control jail operations or detainer decisions, which fall under the Sheriff’s Office.” They denied that the department knowingly violated any laws.

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