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Category: Immigration
August 25, 2025
William Upton
Health
Immigration

First Human New World Screwworm Infection in U.S. Confirmed.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The first human case of a New World screwworm parasitic infection in the United States was confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Maryland Department of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the American cattle industry, and an infected person in Maryland.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The infection was confirmed in Maryland on Sunday, August 24, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low.” — HHS spokesman Andrew G. Nixon

🎯IMPACT: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that an outbreak of the New World screwworm in Texas could cost the cattle industry $1.8 billion.

IN FULL

The first human case of a New World screwworm parasitic infection in the United States was confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Sunday. According to the department, the infection is travel-related, with the patient having recently visited an area of El Salvador currently experiencing an outbreak of the flesh-eating parasites.

Notably, the incident is being investigated by the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The patient’s immigration status is not yet known.

Despite the case of human infection, HHS is emphasizing that the direct threat posed to humans by the New World screwworm is minimal. “The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low,” says HHS spokesman Andrew G. Nixon.

However, the parasite does pose a serious threat to the U.S. cattle industry, with bovines serving as a prime vector for the flesh-eating maggots. The National Pulse reported last week that the Trump administration is set to construct a $750 million factory in southern Texas to breed thousands of sterile flies in an effort to combat the New World screwworm.

While sterile fly swarms produced in Panama had kept the parasitic insect isolated to South America, it is believed that the mass surge of illegal immigrants northward during the former Biden government allowed the New World screwworm to breach the Panamanian countermeasures. This has resulted in infections being reported among livestock in Mexico, with significant concern that the parasites could devastate the U.S. beef industry as well.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that an outbreak of the New World screwworm in Texas could cost the cattle industry $1.8 billion. A broader outbreak across the southern U.S. would be economically devastating.

Image by CSIRO.

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August 25, 2025
Breaking
Immigration

Trump Is Sending Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia after his release from jail in Tennessee.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, ICE law enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, and U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Garcia was released on Friday in Tennessee and detained by ICE in Baltimore on Monday.

💬KEY QUOTE: “President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer.” – DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

🎯IMPACT: Garcia faces deportation to a third-party country.

IN FULL

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia after his release from jail in Tennessee. Garcia had been ordered to report to ICE in Baltimore, Maryland, on Monday.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem stated, “Today, ICE law enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and are processing him for deportation. President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer.”

DHS has indicated that they intent to deport the Salvadoran to Uganda, which recently agreed to take migrants that the U.S. cannot immediately remove to their home countries.

The alleged MS-13 gang member was released from custody in Tennessee on Friday. The release followed the expiration of a judge’s 30-day pause on his case, which involves allegations of human trafficking and abuse.

U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw upheld Garcia’s release last month, ruling there was insufficient evidence to confirm his membership in the MS-13 gang. However, two other judges had previously accepted evidence that Garcia was indeed a member of the violent criminal organization.

Earlier this year, Garcia was deported to El Salvador as part of a group of gang members, but was later extradited back to the U.S. to face criminal charges.

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August 22, 2025
Crime
Immigration

Judge Frees Kilmar Abrego Garcia, ICE Vows to Deport Him.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from custody in Tennessee.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, his attorney Sean Hecker, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Released on Friday in Tennessee; previously deported to El Salvador and later detained in Maryland and Tennessee.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Today, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free.” – Sean Hecker

🎯IMPACT: ICE officials plan to re-arrest him and begin deportation proceedings after his release from U.S. Marshals’ custody.

IN FULL

Alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from custody in Tennessee on Friday. The release followed the expiration of a judge’s 30-day pause on his case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Tennessee had ordered his release from a jail near Nashville, where he had been held since June after returning from El Salvador.

“Today, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free,” his attorney, Sean Hecker, said. Abrego Garcia had been deported to El Salvador earlier this year after being identified as a member of MS-13 by the Trump administration. Hecker claimed that the deportation and subsequent imprisonment were part of a “vindictive attack” and praised the courts for providing “meaningful due process.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, however, have indicated that they plan to re-arrest Abrego Garcia and begin deportation proceedings once he is no longer in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. The case has drawn significant political and media attention, including sympathetic support from U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and other Democratic members of Congress, as well as misleading stories from The Atlantic and POLITICO, which described the illegal immigrant as a “Maryland father.”

Abrego Garcia was initially returned to the U.S. from El Salvador on human trafficking charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop. He was later detained in Tennessee after being indicted on human smuggling charges. His lawyers hired a firm with court-approved pre-trial transportation experience to bring him back to Maryland after his release.

Barack Obama-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis ordered that ICE must provide 72 hours of notice before initiating removal efforts.

Image by Victoria Pickering.

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August 22, 2025
Immigration

Trump Targets Comprehensive Review of All 55 MILLION Visa Holders.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration has announced plans to review the status of all 55 million foreign nationals in the U.S. holding valid visas, initiating a “continuous vetting” process aimed at identifying security threats and individuals supporting terrorism.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Trump administration.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced on Thursday, August 21, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance.” – Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

🎯IMPACT: The new policy will include a “continuous vetting” process for all 55 million foreign nationals who hold valid visas in the United States.

IN FULL

The Trump administration says it will soon implement a “continuous vetting” process for all foreign nationals in the U.S. holding valid visas. The policy, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aims to identify legal immigrants who pose security risks or are involved in activities such as supporting terrorism.

“Things like any indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organization” will serve as cause for visa revocation under the new policy, according to the State Department. The agency added: “We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance.”

The State Department highlighted that since the beginning of Trump’s second term, it has revoked more than twice as many visas, including nearly four times as many student visas, compared to the same period last year. The administration has also targeted visa applicants for potential ties to anti-American or terrorist groups, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) monitoring foreign nationals participating in campus protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Secretary Rubio has also announced additional measures, including a halt on worker visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, citing concerns over road safety and the impact on American truckers. “Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers,” Rubio wrote on X, adding that the move was necessary to protect American lives and livelihoods.

This follows the killing of three people by an illegal immigrant truck driver in Florida.

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August 22, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Immigration
UK

Britain Set for Nationwide Anti-Migration Protests This Weekend.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Multiple anti-migration protests are expected across Britain this weekend, as police also have to contend with the notoriously violent Afro-Caribbean Notting Hill Carnival in London.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Anti-migration protesters, British police, Reform Party leader Nigel Farage, the Labour Party government, and asylum seekers living in taxpayer-funded hotels.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The protests are scheduled to take place this weekend across Britain.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Our streets are becoming more dangerous, yet this disaster only gets worse. The public are right to be very angry with this government.” – Nigel Farage.

🎯IMPACT: The timing of the protests alongside the Notting Hill Carnival could stretch British police resources to their limit.

IN FULL

The United Kingdom is heading for a turbulent weekend, with demonstrations against mass migration set in numerous cities, including Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Leeds, and Perth. Anti-mass migration demonstrators and far-left pro-migration activists are expected to face off over the government’s ongoing use of taxpayer-funded hotels to house poorly vetted asylum seekers,  putting public safety at risk.

The wave of protests stems from a High Court injunction halting the use of a hotel in Epping Forest, England, to house migrants, which had also attracted protests after residents were accused of sexually assaulting local children. Further legal challenges against migrant hotels are now expected elsewhere in the country, as the government mounts its own legal efforts to overturn the Epping ruling.

The number of asylum seekers housed in hotels is estimated at over 32,000, an increase of eight percent during Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s first year in office. “New figures out today show record numbers claiming asylum under Labour. Our streets are becoming more dangerous, yet this disaster only gets worse,” commented Reform Party leader Nigel Farage, adding: “The public are right to be very angry with this government.”

Notably, the protests are expected to coincide with London’s Notting Hill Carnival, a massive annual cultural event drawing over a million attendees. While championed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and other diversity advocates, the Afro-Caribbean carnival always places significant pressure on police force. Last year’s carnival was marked by serious safety concerns: ten people were stabbed, two of them fatally, with police making at least 349 arrests during the event for offences ranging from drug possession to assaults on emergency workers. Sixty-one police officers were also assaulted.

The combined polcing demands of the protests, counter-protests, and carnival are raising concerns that law enforcement may struggle to maintain order this weekend.

Image by Bob Bob.

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August 22, 2025
Crime
Immigration

Rubio Halts Truck Driver Visas After Illegal Kills Three.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a pause on worker visas for commercial drivers after an illegal immigrant trucker allegedly caused a fatal crash in Florida.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Marco Rubio, Harjinder Singh, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The crash occurred in Fort Pierce, Florida. Singh was extradited from California; investigations span multiple states.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.” – Marco Rubio

🎯IMPACT: The move highlights concerns over public safety and the legality of commercial driver licensing for foreign workers.

IN FULL

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that foreign worker visas for commercial drivers would be paused “effective immediately.” The move follows a deadly incident where an illegal immigrant truck driver engaged in an unlawful U-turn, causing a crash that killed three people in Florida. Rubio cited public safety concerns as the primary reason for the decision.

“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” the Secretary of State wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) late Thursday.

The fatal crash involved Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant driving a commercial truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce. Authorities say Singh attempted a U-turn in an unauthorized area, causing the trailer to jackknife and collide with a minivan, killing all three passengers inside. Investigations revealed that Singh had not passed English or road tests before obtaining a commercial driver’s license, answering only two of 12 questions correctly in an English Language Proficiency test, and misidentifying three of four road traffic signs.

Singh was granted a full-term commercial driver’s license in Washington in July 2023, despite not being legally eligible. He also held a limited-term commercial driver’s license in California in 2024.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have since engaged in a dispute over Singh’s licensing, with Newsom’s office falsely claiming Singh obtained a work permit during President Donald J. Trump‘s first term. However, DHS has clarified that Singh was denied in September 2020 under Trump but granted a permit in June 2021 under the Biden government.

“Three innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine,” commented DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, adding: “How many more innocent people must die before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public?

Singh has been extradited to Florida from California and faces three counts of vehicular homicide.

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August 21, 2025
Immigration
News

Trump Has Sealed a Deal to Mass Deport Migrants to This African Country:

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump secured a deportation deal with Uganda, allowing the U.S. to send illegal immigrants to the East African nation.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the U.S. State Department, and Ugandan officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The agreement was confirmed by Uganda on Thursday, with similar deals involving other nations taking place over the past year.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The U.S. State Department continues to work with international partners to manage illegal immigration.” – U.S. State Department.

🎯IMPACT: The deal is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand deportations and manage migration more effectively.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has finalized a significant new immigration agreement with Uganda, allowing the United States to deport certain illegal aliens to the East African nation. Under this arrangement, third-country nationals who are denied asylum in the U.S. but cannot be easily returned to their countries of origin can be resettled in Uganda instead.

Uganda currently accommodates nearly two million refugees, mainly from neighboring conflict zones such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its government has described the deal with the U.S. as “a temporary arrangement with conditions, including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted,” per Foreign Affairs Ministry official Vincent Bagiire Waiswa.

Comparable arrangements have already been made with countries like Honduras, Paraguay, and Rwanda. Panama and Costa Rica have also joined similar efforts, accepting migrants from Africa and Asia. Several highly violent migrants have already been deported to the small African kingdom of Swaziland, or Eswatini, pending final removal to their countries of origin. President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has also made a deal with the U.S. to host criminal migrants at his CECOT super-prison.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal government’s authority to deport migrants to third countries without requiring hearings about potential risks they may face upon relocation.

Since President Trump began his second term, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has seen a sharp rise in enforcement actions. ICE arrests have doubled, and for several months running, deportations have topped 10,000 per month.

Image by B722N.

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August 21, 2025
Immigration
Lawfare

Trump Can Deport 60,000 Migrants After Court Victory.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, President Donald J. Trump, District Judge Trina Thompson, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Wednesday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, overturning a lower court order from the Northern District of California.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—temporary,” said DHS Secretary Noem.

🎯IMPACT: TPS protections for Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Nepalese migrants will now be revoked, affecting over 60,000.

IN FULL

A federal appeals court has upheld the Trump administration’s authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, reversing a lower court decision that had halted the administration’s attempt to cancel their protections and work permits.

The ruling came from a unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, consisting of Circuit Judges Michael Hawkins, Consuelo Callahan, and Eric Miller. Previously, Joe Biden-appointed Northern District of California Judge Trina Thompson had blocked the administration’s efforts, bizarrely alleging that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision was “motivated by racial animus” and a “discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population.”

TPS was granted to Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and to Nepalese migrants following a 2015 earthquake. Earlier this year, Secretary Noem announced the termination of TPS for these groups, arguing that the program was meant to be temporary and that the countries had sufficiently recovered from these disasters.

TPS protections for Nepalese migrants ended on August 5, while those for Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants are scheduled to expire in September. Noem also introduced incentives, including plane tickets and a $1,000 “exit bonus,” for migrants who choose to leave voluntarily.

DHS data indicates that about 51,000 Hondurans, 7,200 Nepalis, and 2,900 Nicaraguans are currently enrolled in TPS without permanent green-card status. This ruling underscores the temporary nature of TPS and signals a significant change in immigration policy.

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August 21, 2025
Immigration

The U.S. Immigrant Population Has Declined for the First Time in DECADES.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. immigrant population appears to have decreased by 1.4 million people in the first six months of 2025, according to Pew Research Center.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Pew Research Center, President Donald J. Trump, and the former Biden government.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Data from January to June 2025, across the United States.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change,” said Jeffrey Passel, Pew Research Center’s senior demographer.

🎯IMPACT: Immigration policy changes and enforcement measures appear to have contributed to the decline, with potential positive effects on America’s demographic stability and social cohesion.

IN FULL

The United States’ immigrant population dropped from 53.3 million in January 2025 to 51.9 million by June, marking the first significant decline since the 1960s. This data comes from the Pew Research Center, which noted that the reduction is reflected in the labor force, where over 750,000 workers were lost since January.

Jeffrey Passel, Pew’s senior demographer, highlighted the significance of this shift, stressing: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change.” Under the former Biden government, foreign workers outpaced native-born Americans in terms of post-pandemic recovery in the U.S. labor market. While the decline in immigrant labor could result in some short-term economic turbulence, most labor economists expect the number of native-born American workers to increase, especially as those who stopped looking for work altogether re-enter the workforce pool.

Notably, the decline is attributed to immigration enforcement policies implemented by President Donald J. Trump, including heightened arrests, detentions, and visa scrutiny. These measures aim to reverse the mass immigration policies implemented by former President Joe Biden, which saw American-born labor replaced with cheap, foreign workers and an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration.

The data also found that the illegal immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023—though others estimate it could have reached higher than 20 million—but has now begun to decline. This group includes individuals without legal status and those with temporary deportation protections, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Despite the overall decline in immigrants, the United States remains home to more foreigners than any other nation—although countries like Canada and the United Arabe Emirates (UAE) have higher proportions of migrants in their populations. Pew reported that the share of immigrants in the U.S. population fell slightly from 15.8 percent in January to 15.4 percent in June.

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August 21, 2025
Health
Immigration

Trump Admin Moves to Stop Medicaid Going to Migrants.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration announced stricter oversight on noncitizens receiving Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The oversight program was launched in recent months, with new rules implemented under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law on July 4.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

🎯IMPACT: The program aims to ensure Medicaid serves only those who are eligible, but state resistance and lawsuits may complicate enforcement.

IN FULL

The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to limit noncitizens’ access to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits, per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CMS has introduced an oversight initiative that supplies states with reports identifying Medicaid enrollees absent from federal databases.

“We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law,” confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 1.4 million current Medicaid enrollees fail to meet citizenship or immigration status criteria. States must now examine these federal reports, resolve immigration status inconsistencies, and uphold noncitizen eligibility restrictions. However, Democrat-run states like California, Oregon, and Colorado have broadened Medicaid access to include illegal immigrants regardless.

The Trump-championed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted on July 4, imposes stricter Medicaid eligibility rules, including work requirements for able-bodied adults, regular eligibility checks, and heightened restrictions on noncitizens. CMS administrator Mehmet Oz stressed, “Every dollar misspent is a dollar taken away from an eligible, vulnerable individual in need of Medicaid.”

Since June, the health department has shared Medicaid enrollment data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting a lawsuit from 20 states, including California and New York, in July. Last week, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction, halting data sharing in those states. Judge Vince Chhabria wrote, “Using CMS data for immigration enforcement threatens to significantly disrupt the operation of Medicaid—a program that Congress has deemed critical for the provision of health coverage to the nation’s most vulnerable residents.”

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