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Friday, February 20, 2026

Category: News
February 18, 2026
William Upton
1A
Immigration

Citizen Journo Says Billie Eilish Stunt Led to Lengthy Interrogation When Entering U.S.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Australian citizen journalist and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) critic Drew Pavlou is claiming that American music industry star Billie Eilish is responsible for his being denied entry to the United States.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Drew Pavlou, U.S. Customs officials, and music star Billie Eilish.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The denial of entry allegedly occurred last week, February 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I wouldn’t be banned from the United States but I would not be allowed to use an ESTA visa waiver again.” — Drew Pavlou

🎯IMPACT: Pavlou says he was told he was denied entry to the U.S. due to his social media posts about Eilish

IN FULL

Australian citizen journalist and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) critic Drew Pavlou is claiming that American music industry star Billie Eilish is responsible for his being denied entry to the United States. Pavlou, in an essay published Wednesday, states he planned to travel to the U.S. and test Eilish’s “theory of land ownership, which she stated at the Grammys to great applause, and take over her LA mansion with the help of Native Americans.”

“But, sadly, I was turned back at the border last weekend—my sacred and inalienable right to freedom of movement curtailed by border guards who were, I suspect, briefed about my arrival by Eilish’s team,” the Australian national claims. Pavlou says after his arrival at the airport in Los Angeles he was pulled out the customs inspection line and “taken aside to a screening room and made to wait without access to my phone for four hours. Then I was brought to a holding area, a liminal zone that they referred to as the ‘Upstairs’ unit.”

After several hours and a phone call to the Australian consulate, Pavlou says he was “called in for an interrogation at about 4 AM by Officer Martinez,” who “started his interrogation by asking me who Billie Eilish was.” The Australian anti-CCP activist goes on to allege that Martinez—presumably a U.S. customs official—stated he had reviewed “open-source information” detailing Pavlou’s planned stunt to “trespass” on Eilish’s property.

According to Pavlou, he downplayed his intended social media stunt, but the officer then shifted his line of inquiry—pressing him on his anti-CCP activism and commentary on China. “He wanted to know if I had ever attempted to blow up a Chinese government building. Whether I had previously attempted to assassinate Chinese government officials,” Pavlou stated.

Ultimately, Pavlou says he was told he was denied entry to the U.S. due to his social media posts about Eilish, alleging he was informed, “I wouldn’t be banned from the United States but I would not be allowed to use an ESTA visa waiver again.”

Image by crommelincklars.

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February 18, 2026
Media
Politics

FCC Targets ‘The View’ for Enforcement, Dismisses Colbert-Talarico Hoax.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating ABC’s The View for potential violations of the Equal Time Rule after featuring Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Texas State Representative James Talarico (D), ABC’s The View, and CBS’s Stephen Colbert.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The investigation was confirmed on Wednesday, February 18, 2026; the events involve ABC, CBS, and FCC guidance issued last month.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We’re taking a look at it.” — Brendan Carr

🎯IMPACT: The investigation will examine political bias in media, while raising questions about the application of the Equal Time Rule.

IN FULL

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr confirmed that the agency is investigating ABC’s The View for a potential violation of the Equal Time Rule after the show featured Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico. “We’re taking a look at it,” Carr said on Wednesday.

The Equal Time Rule requires broadcasters to provide airtime to rival candidates if requested. ABC has not commented. The View has previously hosted Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), one of Talarico’s primary opponents, as a guest. CBS’s Stephen Colbert also faced scrutiny after his show declined to air an interview with Talarico, citing legal guidance that it could trigger the FCC rule.

Carr criticized media coverage of the Colbert situation, calling it a “perfect encapsulation of why the American people have more trust in gas station sushi than they do in the national news media.” He noted that Colbert’s actions appeared to be a deliberate effort to raise money for Talarico and generate attention for his bid as early voting began, with the Texas Democrat’s campaign reporting $2.5 million raised since the Colbert interview was posted on YouTube.

In its guidance last month, the FCC clarified that talk shows cannot assume automatic exemption from the Equal Time Rule when featuring political candidates. Carr suggested that factors like a host’s political donations could be considered in determining whether a show’s coverage is partisan. Colbert and other hosts have been involved in fundraising for Democrat candidates.

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February 18, 2026
Crime
News

Alleged Epstein Co-Conspirator Les Wexner Tells Congress He Was ‘Naïve, Foolish, and Gullible.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Billionaire Les Wexner testified before the House Oversight Committee, claiming he was “duped by a world-class con man” and had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes despite being implicated as an alleged co-conspirator.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Les Wexner, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Ohio State University, and members of the House Oversight Committee.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Wexner’s testimony occurred on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in Ohio during a closed-door deposition.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I was naïve, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man.” – Les Wexner

🎯IMPACT: The deposition adds to ongoing scrutiny over Epstein’s network and the release of over three million pages of files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

IN FULL

Alleged Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator and billionaire retail magnate Les Wexner testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Wednesday in a special, behind-closed-doors hearing held in Ohio. Wexner, who hired Epstein to manage his wealth in the mid-1980s, stated, “I was naïve, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man.”

Wexner, who founded the clothing retailer The Limited and Bath & Body Works, while also acquiring brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, and La Senza, claimed he had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities, despite being implicated in alleged sex trafficking by documents found in the recently released Epstein Files. Wexner, 88, explained he severed ties with Epstein nearly two decades ago following Epstein’s 2006 arrest. He emphasized, “I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide.”

An influential figure in both Ohio and national U.S. politics, especially regarding U.S. support for Israel, Wexner has been embroiled in a number of serious controversies and scandals over the decades. Some in Columbus, Ohio, maintain—despite only tenuous evidence—that the retail billionaire was involved in the March 6, 1985, assassination of Arthur L. Shapiro, an attorney with Schwartz Shapiro Kelm & Warren who represented Wexner’s The Limited retail conglomerate. While Shapiros’s mafia-style murder remains unsolved, local police dismissed Wexner as a suspect—instead pointing the finger at the attorney’s business associate Berry Kessler.

Meanwhile, Wexner became a central figure in the Ohio State University wrestler abuse scandal in late 2019. The athletes who alleged abuse at the hands of the team doctor decades prior demanded the school also address its financial ties to Wexner—one of the university’s biggest donors—due to the billionaire’s ties to Epstein.

The House Oversight deposition follows the release of over three million pages of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with Wexner’s name appearing over 4,000 times in the files. Wexner is alleged to have ignored complaints by his company’s executives in the mid-1990s that Epstein was using his ties to the retail mogul to pose as a Victoria’s Secret recruiter to gain access to young women aspiring to become fashion models.

Actress Alicia Arden alleged in a police report filed in Los Angeles in 1997 that Epstein had sexually assaulted her while posing as a recruiter for the Wexner-owned lingerie company. Meanwhile, another Epstein accuser, Maria Farmer, filed a police report in 1996, which alleges that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sexually assaulted her at Wexner’s Ohio estate, where she worked as an artist-in-residence.

Wexner publicly severed his ties to Epstein over a year after charges were filed against the pedophile financier in 2006. However, a 2019 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document listed Wexner as one of Epstein’s “10 co-conspirators.”

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February 18, 2026
Jack Montgomery
News

Trump Countersignals His Own State Dept AGAIN on ‘Big Mistake’ Diego Garcia Deal.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. President Donald J. Trump issued a statement opposing the decision by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to transfer the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands), which hosts a strategic British-American military base, to Mauritius—contradicting the U.S. State Department, which said on Tuesday that the U.S. supports the transfer.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. President Donald J. Trump, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and the State Department.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February 18, 2026, concerning the Chagos Islands, in particular Diego Garcia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!” – Donald J. Trump

🎯IMPACT: The statement highlights strain between the White House and State Department officials on foreign policy, as well as the British government.

IN FULL

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has reiterated his strong opposition to British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to transfer the British Indian Ocean Territory, or Chagos Islands, to Mauritius, an ally of China. The Chagos Islands include Diego Garcia, which hosts a strategic British-American military base, which Starmer intends to lease back from Mauritius at considerable expense. Notably, Trump’s belief that the security provided by such a lease is too “tenuous” directly contradicts the U.S. State Department, which claimed on Tuesday that “The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago.”

Following reporting by The National Pulse on the State Department statement, President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease with whoever it is that is ‘claiming’ Right, Title, and Interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean.”

“Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before… Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease. This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally,” Trump continued, adding: “We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!”

Subsequently, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump’s post is the official U.S. position on the Chagos deal, implicitly rebuking the State Department.

Even if Mauritius honoured the Diego Garcia lease, it could undermine the base by leasing one of the other Chagos Islands nearby to China or another U.S. adversary. Trump’s reference to “Wokeism” motivating the transfer may be connected to the fact that Starmer’s negotiator, Attorney General Richard Hermer, despises the “racist” British Empire, of which Chagos is a remnant.

An ideological commitment to “anti-imperialism” by Starmer and his officials is one of the only explanations for the lopsided terms of the Chagos deal, which will see Britain transfer sovereignty of the islands to a foreign state and pay for the privilege. Mauritius is over a thousand miles from Chagos, and the islands have no Mauritian population. The Chagossians, displaced when the Diego Garcia base was established, are near-universally opposed to the islands being transferred to Mauritius.

Notably, Attorney General Hermer worked alongside Philippe Sands, a British lawyer helping Mauritius advance its claims to Chagos, for ten years, with Sands also being a personal friend of Starmer, hinting at possible collusion in arranging the islands’ surrender on terms unfavorable to Britain.

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February 18, 2026
News

Florida House Approves Bill to Rename Airport After Trump.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Florida House passed a bill to rename Palm Beach County International Airport after President Donald J. Trump.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Florida state lawmakers, state Rep. John Snyder (R), Governor Ron DeSantis (R), and President Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The bill passed Tuesday afternoon in Florida’s state House.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Forty years ago, Donald Trump came to Palm Beach County when it was a sleepy little beach town and he bought a defunct property that today serves as the winter White House as a symbol of the power of the United States, which has made Palm Beach one of the most desirable and important locations in the world,” said state Rep. Snyder.

🎯IMPACT: If both chambers pass the legislation and Governor Ron DeSantis signs it into law, the change would take effect at a projected cost of up to $5.5 million.

IN FULL

The Florida House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a proposal to rename Palm Beach County International Airport in honor of President Donald J. Trump, advancing the measure on an 81–30 vote. A companion bill is now moving through the Florida Senate. If both chambers pass the legislation and Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signs it into law, the change would take effect at a projected cost of up to $5.5 million.

Supporters argue the renaming recognizes Trump’s long-standing ties to Palm Beach, where his Mar-a-Lago resort is located. Republican state Rep. John Snyder defended the measure, saying: “Forty years ago, Donald Trump came to Palm Beach County when it was a sleepy little beach town and he bought a defunct property that today serves as the winter White House as a symbol of the power of the United States, which has made Palm Beach one of the most desirable and important locations in the world.”

The proposal reflects Trump’s continued influence in Florida politics and a broader trend of attaching his name to prominent institutions and initiatives. In December 2025, the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted unanimously to rename the venue the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

Around the same time, Trump unveiled plans for a new “Golden Fleet” of naval vessels, including a proposed line of “Trump-class battleships,” which he said would showcase American strength and revitalize domestic shipbuilding.

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February 18, 2026
Immigration

Trump Admin Audit Finds 20% of Commercial Driver’s Licenses Issued to Foreigners Were Unlawful.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) audit has revealed that nearly 20 percent of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses issued to foreigners in Illinois were unlawful.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D), Director of Driver Services Kevin Duesterhaus, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Findings were detailed in a letter sent Tuesday to Illinois officials.

🎯IMPACT: Illinois was given 30 days to revoke the unlawfully issued licenses or risk losing $128 million in federal highway funding.

IN FULL

A new U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) audit has found that nearly 20 percent of Illinois’ non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) were issued unlawfully. The audit, which reviewed 150 sampled non-domiciled CDLs, found that 29 were unlawful, according to a letter from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent on Tuesday to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Driver Services Director Kevin Duesterhaus.

Concerningly, Illinois informed the USDOT that it has issued 10,088 non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) or CDLs which currently remain unexpired—suggesting a sizable portion of the documents issued were to illegal immigrants or individuals otherwise legally barred from holding the license. Further, the USDOT audit found that a number of the unlawfully issued CDLs were given to illegal immigrants or individuals whose legal status had otherwise expired.

Illinois has been given 30 days to comply with federal CDL regulations and must revoke the unlawfully issued licenses. According to the USDOT, failure to bring itself into compliance could result in the state losing $128 million in federal highway funding.

The National Pulse reported in November last year that California was forced to revoke 17,000 CDLs issued to illegal immigrants who the state now acknowledges remained in the U.S. after their legal status expired. Meanwhile, in December 2025, a USDOT audit found that nearly half of CDLs in New York State were unlawfully issued.

Image by Timothy Holdiness.

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February 18, 2026
Jack Montgomery
News
UK

Trump State Dept Endorses Deal That Trump Just Labeled ‘Act of Great Stupidity.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. State Department has endorsed the British government’s moves to surrender the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands) to Mauritius, an ally of China, despite President Donald J. Trump previously calling it an “act of great stupidity” and the fact that it hosts a major British-American base.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and representatives from the U.S. interagency, along with Mauritius.

📍WHEN & WHERE: February 2026, U.S.-Mauritius talks set to take place in Port Louis, Mauritius.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago.”  – U.S. State Department

🎯IMPACT: Britain will pay Mauritius large sums of money in order to continue leasing Diego Garcia, the Chagos island that hosts the British-American base, which it currently owns outright for free. However, Mauritius may undermine the base by leasing a neighboring island to China or altering the terms of the deal once its sovereignty is established.

IN FULL

The U.S. State Department has endorsed the British government’s moves to surrender the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands) to Mauritius, an ally of China, despite President Donald J. Trump previously calling it an “act of great stupidity.” One of the islands, Diego Garcia, hosts a strategic British-American military base, and even though the British government intends to pay Mauritius huge sums to continue leasing it, it could be undermined if Mauritius leases a neighboring island to China or otherwise alters the deal once sovereignty is established.

“The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago,” the State Department said in a statement, announcing that “From February 23–25, the United States and Mauritius will hold discussions in Port Louis led by the Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, with participation from across the U.S. interagency.”

Last month, President Donald J. Trump said that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer “giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY,” as well as an “act of total weakness” that would embolden Russia and China. Longtime Trump ally and Reform Party leader Nigel Farage had lobbied the America First leader extensively on Chagos.

The circumstances surrounding the Chagos transfer are bizarre, with Britain effectively paying a country allied to an adversary nation to take its sovereign territory. Notably, Prime Minister Starmer’s negotiator on Chagos, Attorney General Richard Hermer, hates the British Empire and supports reparations, and worked alongside Philippe Sands, a British lawyer assisting Mauritius in its claims, for ten years. Sands is also a personal friend of Starmer.

Mauritius is more than 1,000 miles from Chagos, and has no Mauritian population, with the Chagossians—removed from the islands decades ago to make way for the Diego Garcia base—being near-universally opposed to the islands’ transfer to Mauritius.

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February 17, 2026
Health
News

America’s Northern Neighbor is Blowing Nearly A Billion Dollars a Year on Migrant Healthcare.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Canadians will spend approaching $1 billion on health-care premiums for asylum seekers this year, including those with rejected claims.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, asylum claimants, and the Conservative Party.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Across 2026, Canada.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Rejected asylum claimants are now receiving better health care than many Canadians who have paid into a system their entire life.” – Conservative lawmakers Dan Mazier and Michelle Rempel Garner.

🎯IMPACT: The cost of the Interim Federal Health Program is projected to reach $1.5 billion by 2029, with Canadians spending $6.2 billion by 2030.

IN FULL

Canada’s Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), which provides health coverage to asylum seekers, is projected to cost approximately $750 million this year, up sharply from about $158 million six years ago. According to a recent report by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, annual costs could rise to roughly $1.125 billion by 2029, with total spending on healthcare for refugees and refugee claimants expected to reach $4.65 billion by 2030.

The report, requested by the opposition Conservative Party, notes that the IFHP is available not only to active asylum claimants but also, in some cases, to migrants whose claims have been rejected but who remain in Canada. The program covers services such as dental care, vision care, and prescription medications—benefits that exceed what many Canadians receive through provincial health plans.

Conservatives Dan Mazier and Michelle Rempel Garner said the disparity is troubling at a time when millions of Canadians report difficulty accessing primary care. They argue that with long wait times and ongoing doctor shortages, the federal government should prioritize improving access for citizens.

“Rejected asylum claimants are now receiving better health care than many Canadians who have paid into a system their entire life,” the two politicians said.

Liberal Party Prime Minister Mark Carney‘s government has announced reforms to the Interim Federal Health Program set to take effect May 1. Under the changes, asylum claimants will supposedly be required to pay a portion of prescription drug and supplemental health costs. Even with those adjustments, the overall scope of coverage will remain broader than what many Canadians receive without private insurance.

Debate over migrant healthcare spending is not limited to Canada. In the United States and Britain, the cost of providing housing, medical care, and other support services to asylum seekers has become a contentious political issue. Reports in both countries have highlighted taxpayer-funded accommodations and access to publicly financed healthcare for migrants, amid strained public systems and long wait times for citizens.

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February 17, 2026
Crime
News

Leftist Political Aide Arrested After Antifa Murder of Right-Wing Activist.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Four suspects, including a parliamentary assistant, were arrested in connection with the killing of conservative Catholic student Quentin Déranque in Lyon.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Quentin Déranque, suspects tied to Antifa’s Jeune Garde, and MP Raphaël Arnault’s assistant Jacques-Élie Favrot.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred last Thursday during a protest in Lyon; arrests were made on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Jean-Luc Mélenchon bears immense moral and political responsibility: his complicity with ultra-leftist groups… has opened the doors of the National Assembly to presumed murderers.” – Jordan Bardella

🎯IMPACT: The killing has intensified scrutiny of far-left groups and prompted calls to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization.

IN FULL

French authorities have arrested four people in connection with the death of 23-year-old student Quentin Déranque, who died after suffering severe brain injuries last week in Lyon. According to local reporting, those detained on Tuesday include Jacques-Élie Favrot, a parliamentary assistant to radical leftist legislator Raphaël Arnault, and Adrian Besseyre, a former intern for Arnault.

Déranque was providing informal protection for a protest organized by the right-wing feminist group Collectif Némésis outside Sciences Po Lyon, where a lecture by far-left Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rima Hassan of La France Insoumise (France Unbowed/LFI) was taking place. The French press has previously indicated that six suspects identified by investigators are affiliated with the Jeune Garde, an Antifa-linked gang in Lyon that Arnault helped found before his election. Although the French government moved to ban Jeune Garde last year for inciting violence, questions remain about whether the cell truly disbanded or continues to operate.

The case has triggered fierce political condemnation. National Rally president Jordan Bardella said: “A parliamentary assistant to the LFI MP Raphaël Arnault is among those arrested in the investigation into the death of Quentin. Jean-Luc Mélenchon bears immense moral and political responsibility: his complicity with ultra-leftist groups, which he himself describes as ‘young comrades,’ has opened the doors of the National Assembly to presumed murderers.” Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that “the Young Guard kills, and La France Insoumise should condemn it.”

Footage circulating online has also shown some on the left allegedly celebrating the fatal attack, with one individual shouting: “I’m in favour of Quentin’s death!” Figures such as Marine Le Pen have renewed calls to formally classify Antifa as a terrorist organization.

In recent years, Antifa-linked actors have been involved in high-profile violent confrontations in Europe and the United States. A violent transgender Antifa radical in Hungary was sentenced to eight years in prison earlier this year for hammer attacks on people perceived as right-wing that took place in 2023. Meanwhile, President Donald J. Trump, last November, declared several European Antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations.

In the United States, the Trump administration designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization in September 2025, characterizing the movement as a “militarist, anarchist enterprise” that uses violence and intimidation to pursue political goals, and calling for federal resources to counter its activities. So far, very few European governments have pushed for similar designations.

Image by Oompje.

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February 17, 2026
Crime
News

New Trump Task Force Captures 500 in War on ‘ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.’

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump’s new Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) conducted a January “surge” operation, resulting in over 500 arrests and significant seizures of narcotics and weapons.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: HSTF, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), state and local law enforcement agencies, and federal departments, including the Coast Guard and Border Patrol.

📍WHEN & WHERE: January 2026, spanning locations across the U.S., including border towns and cities such as San Diego, Miami, and Las Cruces.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The President’s Homeland Security Task Forces are a landmark achievement that highlight what the federal government can achieve with a leader like President Trump who is willing to slash red tape, increase coordination, and put the safety of the American people first.” – White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson

🎯IMPACT: The operation led to 507 arrests, 16 indictments, the seizure of over 1,100 pounds of narcotics, and the identification of 257 victims, including 27 children.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump’s new Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) conducted a nationwide enforcement surge in January that resulted in more than 500 arrests, according to the White House. The task forces were established under Trump’s day-one executive order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” and combine resources from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and state and local law enforcement agencies.

At the HSTF’s launch in October, Trump said, “It should now be clear to the entire world that the cartels are the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.” Since its creation, the task force has also partnered with agencies such as the IRS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said, “The President’s Homeland Security Task Forces are a landmark achievement that highlight what the federal government can achieve with a leader like President Trump who is willing to slash red tape, increase coordination, and put the safety of the American people first.” She added that the January operation made “tremendous progress toward getting criminals off the streets and protecting victims,” in keeping with Trump’s pledge to “Make America Safe Again.”

The operation targeted criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and cross-border smuggling networks, with a particular emphasis on crimes involving children. Authorities arrested 507 individuals during the surge. Of those, 231 face federal charges and 276 face state charges, and officials secured 16 federal indictments.

Law enforcement officers seized 1,109 pounds of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, and confiscated six weapons caches. In one case, the Coast Guard’s San Juan station worked with the task force to apprehend a suspected smuggler near Puerto Rico and seized 10 bales of cocaine valued at an estimated $5 million. Officials also reported that identified victims received approximately $491,000 in restitution.

The enforcement actions took place across the Lower 48 states, including cities such as Atlantic City, San Diego, Raleigh, and Miami, as well as border communities including San Ysidro, Nogales, and Laredo. Agencies involved ranged from local departments such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Police Department in Virginia to federal partners, including the United States Coast Guard.

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