Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Elon Musk’s Starship Has Exploded.

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WHAT HAPPENED: SpaceX’s Starship 36 exploded during a static fire test at Starbase, marking a significant setback for the program’s deep space ambitions.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: SpaceX, its Starbase test team, and local emergency officials in Texas.

📍WHEN & WHERE: June 2025 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas.

💬KEY QUOTE: “On Wednesday, June 18, at approximately 11 PM CT, the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase.” – SpaceX statement.

🎯IMPACT: The explosion complicates the timeline for future lunar and Mars missions and continues a string of recent test failures for the Starship program.

IN FULL

Last night, the SpaceX Starship 36 was preparing for its tenth test flight at Starbase when a major malfunction occurred, causing an explosion during the static test fire. Elon Musk’s space company posted about the incident on social media, saying it was a “major anomaly while on test stand at Starbase.”

Several live streams at Starbase captured the rocket’s alarming explosion. The footage shows a fireball erupting from the rocket’s base, lighting up the sky in a flash of white and orange. The flames engulfed the test stand and left secondary fires, destroying the spacecraft.

This spacecraft was intended for deep space missions, including trips to the moon and Mars. In a post by SpaceX on Musk’s X platform, it was described as “the world’s most powerful launch vehicle ever developed.”

The company said, “A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for. Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.”

This incident adds to the Starship program’s growing list of challenges and reputation for multiple setbacks. In May, Starship’s ninth test flight failed due to a propellant leak, causing the upper-stage vehicle to spin out of control and break apart during reentry into the atmosphere. Debris from that mission fell into the Indian Ocean. Earlier tests, including Flights 7 and 8, also ended in explosions.

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Biden Will Emerge for ‘Juneteenth’ Celebration.

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WHAT HAPPENED: Former President Joe Biden is set to attend a Juneteenth celebration in Galveston, Texas.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Joe Biden and attendees of the Juneteenth event at Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday at the Reedy Chapel AME Church in Galveston, Texas.

🎯IMPACT: The event marks a rare public appearance for Biden in 2025, following news he has been diagnosed with cancer and mounting evidence that former White House staff hid the octogenarian Democrat’s cognitive and physical decline from the public in office.

IN FULL

Former President Joe Biden will attend a Juneteenth celebration at the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Galveston, Texas, on Thursday, June 19. The church, the first and oldest operating AME church in Texas, holds historical significance, as it was allegedly one of the locations where the order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was delivered on June 19, 1865.

The Juneteenth event marks a rare public appearance for the 82-year-old Democrat, who was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer earlier this year. Additionally, evidence continues to mount that Biden’s White House staff worked to conceal the octogenarian Democrat’s cognitive and physical decline from the American public.

Notably, Biden signed legislation in 2021 establishing Juneteenth—once predominantly just a holiday in Texas—as a federal holiday. The holiday ostensibly marks the date when Major General Gordon Granger moved to enforce former President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in Texas upon the end of the American Civil War. Lincoln had actually signed the proclamation ending slavery two years earlier, and the order had already been enforced in other states as Union soldiers captured Confederate territory.

The church Biden will attend is, according to Galveston, Texas historians, the same church where Maj. Gen. Granger read and moved to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. However, there is actually scant evidence that Granger visited the church himself or even read Lincoln’s order aloud.

What is documented is that Union soldiers posted the proclamation at a number of public buildings around Galveston, including what is described as the “Negro Church on Broadway” which is believed to now be the Reedy Chapel AME Church.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Paxton Backs Former Deputy Aaron Reitz for Texas AG.

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❓What Happened: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton endorsed his former deputy, Aaron Reitz, to replace him in the AG role, praising his MAGA credentials. Reitz has resigned from Trump’s Justice Department to run.

👥 Who’s Involved: Ken Paxton, Aaron Reitz, President Donald J. Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, and Senator John Cornyn.

📍 Where & When: Endorsement announced on June 13, 2025, with Reitz’s campaign launch following.

💬 Key Quote: “Reitz was my ‘offensive coordinator’ directing actions on border security, immigration… I’m excited Aaron is in this race!” Paxton said.

⚠️ Impact: Reitz’s candidacy strengthens Trump’s America First agenda in Texas, advancing mass deportations and other MAGA priorities.

IN FULL:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has endorsed his former deputy, Aaron Reitz, to take over the position in 2026. Reitz has stepped down from the position of United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the Trump Justice Department to run for Texas Attorney General, which Paxton is leaving to bid for a U.S. Senate seat.

“Aaron & I have fought many battles together,” Paxton said of Reitz, who worked as his Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy from 2020 to 2023. “Reitz was my ‘offensive coordinator’ directing actions on border security, immigration, Big Tech, energy, pro-life, Bill of Rights, & election integrity,” Paxton explained.

“I agree with President Trump: Reitz is a ‘true MAGA attorney’ & ‘warrior for our Constitution’ [and] I’m excited Aaron is in this race!”

Reitz, who has also worked as chief of staff to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, is an Afghanistan veteran and remains a serving member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, where he holds the rank of Major. If elected as Texas Attorney General, he has pledged to “accelerate the mass deportation of illegal aliens, defend the Second Amendment, protect the unborn, secure our elections, and take on leftist DAs who refuse to prosecute criminals.”

Meanwhile, Paxton’s Senate run depends on a successful primary challenge against incumbent Republican-in-name-only John Cornyn, who opposed Trump’s decision to run in 2024 and refused to challenge the lawfare prosecutions leveled against him by the Biden Justice Department and state Democrats. Cornyn also previously opposed Trump’s border wall and has been counter-signaling his second-term tariff policies.

WATCH:

Image via Aaron Reitz.

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Texas Accuses Dozens of Noncitizens of Voting in 2024 Election.

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What Happened: Texas has referred dozens of noncitizens for prosecution, alleging they voted illegally in the 2024 presidential elections.

👥 Who’s Involved: Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 33 noncitizens.

📍 Where & When: Secretary of State Nelson announced the referrals on June 5.

💬 Key Quote: “Texas continues to monitor voter rolls. Whenever we find noncitizen voters we refer them for criminal investigation. To be clear, only legal citizens can vote.” — Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott.

⚠️ Impact: The referrals come thanks to President Donald J. Trump’s administration giving Texas access to a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) database, which former President Joe Biden refused.

IN FULL:

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has said that at least 33 noncitizens voted in last year’s presidential election, and they have been referred to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. Should the noncitizens be found to have voted illegally, they could face serious penalties, including prison for voter fraud.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott commented on the issue on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Texas continues to monitor voter rolls. Whenever we find noncitizen voters we refer them for criminal investigation. To be clear, only legal citizens can vote.”

The move comes after Texas officials were granted the ability to look at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s (USCIS) Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Database. Secretary Nelson labelled access to SAVE, “a game-changer.”

States were granted access by President Donald J. Trump earlier this year through an executive order after former President Joe Biden had refused to let them access it last year. Governor Abbott has also worked to strengthen election integrity in Texas by signing a bill last month that will allow Texans to add citizenship requirements for voting to the Texas constitution.

Last year, Texas dropped over a million ineligible voters from its voter rolls, thousands of whom were illegal aliens, alongside hundreds of thousands of dead people.

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Texas FINALLY Halts Tuition for Illegals.

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What Happened: Texas has decided to end in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants.

👥 Who’s Involved: Texas state officials, Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Department of Justice, and the Trump administration.

📍 Where & When: Texas, lawsuit filed on Wednesday.

💬 Key Quote: President Donald J. Trump issued orders to prevent “benefits or preferential treatments” for illegal immigrants.

⚠️ Impact: The decision could affect undocumented students and out-of-state American students seeking more favorable tuition policies.

IN FULL:

Texas has agreed to halt its policy of offering in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants following a legal challenge from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The federal lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, alleges that the practice unfairly discriminates against out-of-state American students by granting financial advantages to illegals.

The lawsuit challenges a long-standing Texas education policy, claiming it violates federal law by prioritizing illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens from other states. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in response, filed a joint motion with the Trump administration to formally end the law.

This move aligns with broader efforts by the Trump administration to tighten immigration policies and prevent benefits for those residing in the country unlawfully. President Trump has issued two executive orders aimed at curbing preferential treatment for illegal immigrants, emphasizing the importance of fairness in public resource allocation.

The decision could have wide-ranging implications for both illegal alien students who have relied on in-state tuition rates and out-of-state American students who have contested the policy as discriminatory.

Further legal proceedings are expected as the case develops.

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Democrat Criticized for Using ‘Ortiz’ Name to Woo Hispanic Voters.

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What Happened: Gina Jones, a Democrat running for Mayor of San Antonio, is being accused of using her mother’s maiden name, Ortiz, to appeal to Hispanic voters. Jones’s mother is of Filipino origin, and her father is white.

👥 Who’s Involved: Gina Jones, her Republican opponent Rolando Pablos, and campaign representatives on both sides.

📍 Where & When: San Antonio, Texas, during the mayoral race leading up to the June 7, 2025, election.

💬 Key Quote: “Gina Jones was Gina Jones until she wasn’t,” said Rolando Pablos in a campaign ad.

⚠️ Impact: The controversy has intensified the race, with Republicans alleging pandering and Democrats calling the criticisms racist.

IN FULL:

San Antonio’s mayoral race has taken a contentious turn as Reupublican candidate Rolando Pablos is accusing his Democratic rival, Gina Jones, of using her mother’s maiden name, Ortiz, to appeal to the city’s Hispanic voters. Jones, who is of Filipino descent, began using the name in 2017 during her first congressional campaign, a move seen by many as politically motivated and an inappropriate attempt to appeal to racial affinity with a key voting demographic.

Pablos, born in Mexico and a former Texas Secretary of State, is currently airing a campaign ad ahead of the June 7 mayoral election, stating, “Gina Jones was Gina Jones until she wasn’t,” accusing Jones of adopting the Ortiz name strategically to garner Hispanic support. San Antonio, the seventh-largest city in the U.S., is home to nearly one million Hispanic residents, making the demographic a significant voting bloc.

Jones’s campaign has pushed back, asserting that “Ortiz” is her legal middle name and reflects her heritage. Campaign consultant Mary Kate Hull explained, “It’s tradition for Filipino children to take their mother’s maiden name as their middle name.” Hull also noted that Ortiz Jones has embraced her heritage more as an adult.

Despite the Jones campaign’s claims, her high school yearbook lists her name as Gina Maria Jones, as does the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where she served as a national security fellow from 2016 to 2017. Pablos’ campaign says Jones is just pandering, stating, “At home in Washington, D.C., she goes by Gina Jones. While pandering for votes in Texas, she’s Gina Ortiz Jones.”

Notably, Jones herself claims the allegations that she changed her middle name to Ortiz to appeal to Hispanic voters are motivated by racism. “Do you not think it’s racist?” she has said in response to the Pablos campaign’s claims. Jordan Abelson, Jones’ campaign manager, goes further, arguing: “Antagonizing someone on their race is the definition of racism.”

Jones has twice run unsuccessfully for Congress, losing races to Will Hurd in 2018 and Tony Gonzales in 2020.

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Illegals Charged After Death of 18-Year-Old Air Force Recruit Ava Moore.

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What Happened: An 18-year-old U.S. Air Force recruit, Ava Moore, was killed by a jet ski on Grapevine Lake, Texas, over Memorial Day weekend.

👥 Who’s Involved: Venezuelan nationals Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 22, and Maikel Coello Perozo, 21, both in the U.S. illegally, are facing charges related to the killing.

📍 Where & When: Grapevine Lake, Texas; May 25, 2023.

💬 Key Quote: “This criminal alien and her boyfriend will account for the tragic accident that ended the life of a young woman who exhibited enormous potential,” said Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Dallas Acting Field Office Director Josh Johnson.

⚠️ Impact: The case highlights ongoing concerns about illegal immigration and public safety. Notably, Gonzalez appears to have attempted to flee the scene after the fatal collision.

IN FULL:

Two Venezuelan nationals, both in the U.S. illegally, are now facing criminal charges following the death of 18-year-old Ava Moore, a U.S. Air Force recruit, in a jet ski collision on Grapevine Lake, Texas, over Memorial Day weekend.

Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 22, was arrested on May 27 and charged with second-degree felony manslaughter. Authorities allege that Gonzalez was operating the jet ski that struck Moore as she kayaked near Oak Grove Park on May 25. Witnesses reported that the jet ski was being driven recklessly along the shoreline before the crash.

After the collision, Gonzalez allegedly fled the scene in a vehicle driven by 21-year-old Maikel Coello Perozo, who is now charged with hindering apprehension. The pair were apprehended following a standoff at a residence in the Dallas area.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Gonzalez entered the U.S. illegally on September 28, 2022, but was released the same day with a Notice to Appear. Coello reportedly entered the country illegally in January 2023 but was also released pending an immigration hearing.

“This criminal alien and her boyfriend will account for the tragic accident that ended the life of a young woman who exhibited enormous potential,” stated Josh Johnson, acting Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Dallas.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R), who has taken state-level measures to crack down on illegal immigration and those in the country unlawfully who commit violent crimes, wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) following the fatal crash: “Welcome to Texas. Here’s your death penalty.”

The U.S. Air Force Academy remembered Moore as a driven individual with leadership potential. “Her constant happiness and attitude helped her squadron get through the challenges of the Prep School,” said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, Superintendent of the Academy.

Moore had been visiting her family in North Texas for the holiday weekend when she was killed.

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Trump’s Campaign Chief and RNC COO is Now Working for RINO John Cornyn to Defeat Ken Paxton.

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What Happened: In an effort to keep President Donald J. Trump out of the 2026 U.S. Senate primary in Texas, a SuperPAC backing incumbent Senator John Cornyn has hired former Trump campaign chief and Republican National Committee (RNC) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor.

👥 Who’s Involved: Chris LaCivita, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), and President Trump.

📍 Where & When: LaCivita’s hiring was quietly announced late last week, though The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief, Raheem Kassam, first scooped the move on March 5, 2025.

⚠️ Impact: The Cornyn campaign appears to hope that LaCivita will keep President Trump from backing Paxton’s primary challenge and potentially turn the incumbent U.S. Senator’s prospects for re-election around. However, polling has consistently shown Cornyn to be running behind Paxton by double-digits, suggesting that the Texas Attorney General is on course to defeat the Republican-in-name-only incumbent even without an endorsement from the White House.

IN FULL:

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is bringing on board Chris LaCivita, a controversial campaign aide to President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 campaign, hoping to keep the President out of what is shaping up to be a contentious and expensive U.S. Senate primary. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), an America First conservative and Trump ally, is challenging Cornyn for the U.S. Senate seat. He has been hammering the Senator for his voting record, failure to support Trump, and resistance to the America First agenda.

The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassas reported in early March that LaCivita was poised to join the Cornyn campaign, despite Axios erroneously claiming the scoop just last week.

LaCivita is being tapped as a senior advisor for Texans for a Conservative Majority, a SuperPAC backing Cornyn’s re-election efforts. However, the long-time Republican political establishment operative continues to be viewed with skepticism—if not outright hostility—by many Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters over his efforts to sideline some of President Trump’s most loyal and ardent allies. The National Pulse has extensively covered LaCivita’s efforts to undermine MAGA and MAGA-adjacent efforts during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Notably, LaCivita was one of the primary instigators in attacking Project 2025, a move that led to a slow hiring process for the incoming Trump administration. The ramifications are still playing out across key departmental roles.

As co-campaign manager during the 2024 race, LaCivita pushed the Trump campaign to cave to a Democrat campaign to demonize Project 2025. At the time, it was reported that LaCivita had also led efforts to force out Project 2025 director Paul Dans at the Heritage Foundation in what was little more than a turf war over management of the second Trump administration.

In another disturbing instance during the 2024 campaign, LaCivita backed the takeover of America PAC by former DeSantis campaign operatives, who had been accused of running the Florida governor’s primary bid into the ground. This came after LaCivita attempted to install attorney Charlie Spies—a man with ties to Jeb Bush—as chief counsel at the Republican National Committee (RNC). Spies was fired from the RNC after just two months on the orders of President Trump.

Additionally, LaCivita has been accused of being behind numerous campaign leaks. The National Pulse reported in November 2024 that the co-campaign manager was behind leaks to The Atlantic‘s Tim Alberta, attempting to blame young staffer Alex Breusewitz for comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s late-campaign Puerto Rico garbage joke at Madison Square Garden.

There are also allegations that LaCivita diverted millions of campaign dollars to vendors that were overcharging for their services. Even more troubling, when campaign staff began to blow the whistle on the overcharges, at least one came forward and alleged that a campaign conference room had been bugged to allow senior staff to spy on their colleagues.

Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, LaCivita began working with Albania’s Sali Berisha, an opposition leader against Prime Minister Edi Rama. Under U.S. sanctions, Berisha launched a failed bid for Prime Minister and lost the May 11, 2025, election to Rama. Five days before the election, the Trump administration lifted the sanctions.

Polling data consistently shows Paxton has a significant lead over Cornyn in the Texas Republican primary.

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Texas Doctors Face $250k Fines for Changing Sex of Patients.

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What Happened: Texas has passed a bill that would criminalize healthcare providers changing the biological sex of patients and threaten them with fines of up to $250,000.

👥 Who’s Involved: Texas House of Representatives, Texas doctors, Republican representative Greg Bonnen.

📍 Where & When: The bill was passed in Austin, Texas, on May 22.

💬 Key Quote: “[B]iological sex and medical records is an issue of accuracy, and impacting safe medical care in an acute situation, an emergency could lead to a misdiagnosis.” — Republican state Representative Greg Bonnen.

⚠️ Impact: The bill will force healthcare providers to provide accurate biological medical data regarding sex, potentially saving money and lives.

IN FULL:

The Texas House of Representatives has passed a new bill that could see doctors fined up to $250,000 if they change their patients’ recorded sex on medical records, specifically demanding that healthcare workers use the biological sex assigned at their patients’ birth.

The bill also has an exemption stating that it will not ban gender identity information from being included in health records. This would mean that while someone may state they identify as female, they would still be listed as male if their biological sex is male.

Republican state Representative Greg Bonnen sponsored the bill and stated, “Listen, biological sex and medical records is an issue of accuracy, and impacting safe medical care in an acute situation, an emergency could lead to a misdiagnosis.”

He added, “The whole point of the section of the bill is to ensure the physicians always know the true biological sex from birth, and the language is carefully crafted to allow for exceptions based on other medical conditions.”

The new bill comes after President Donald J. Trump recognized only two biological sexes via an executive order at the start of his term in January. The order also banned the use of federal funds to promote gender ideology. Trump signed another executive order in early February prohibiting biological men from women’s sports.

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Migrant Crime

Biden Judge Halts Trump Plan to Deport Criminal Illegals to South Sudan.

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What Happened: A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration violated his order to provide “meaningful” due process to a group of illegal immigrants facing deportation. In the decision, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy also suggested that Trump immigration officials could have committed criminal contempt by moving forward with the deportation flight.

👥 Who’s Involved: Illegal immigrants from Burma, Vietnam, Mexico, Cuba, and Laos; U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy; and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

📍 Where & When: The illegal immigrants were allegedly flown from Texas earlier this week; Judge Murphy issued his ruling on Wednesday, May 21, after ordering DHS to maintain custody of the deportees late on Tuesday.

💬 Key Quote: “A local judge in Massachusetts is trying to force the United States to bring back these uniquely barbaric monsters who present a clear and present threat to the safety of the American people and American victims,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said before the ruling on Wednesday.

⚠️ Impact: The ruling marks the latest interference by the U.S. federal courts in President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to deport dangerous illegal immigrants from the United States, some with removal orders dating back decades.

IN FULL:

A federal judge has intervened after reports surfaced that at least a dozen criminal illegal aliens, including migrants from Burma, Vietnam, and Mexico, were deported to South Sudan earlier this week. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy on Wednesday blocked the deportations and ordered the return of the illegal immigrants to the United States. In a previous ruling in April, the Joe Biden appointee ordered the Trump administration to ensure illegal immigrants slated for deportations to third countries received “meaningful” due process, but declined to provide detailed instructions as to what that would entail.

Late Tuesday, Judge Murphy issued an order instructing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain custody of the deportees, who were alleged to be on a plane sitting on a South Sudanese runway. The directive, according to the federal district court judge, was to give him time to determine whether the removals were unlawful—a determination he made just several hours later.

While Judge Murphy acknowledged his April ruling did not provide details regarding what he expected in terms of due process for the deportees, he insisted the 12-hour notice given by U.S. immigration officials was “obviously insufficient.” Likewise, attorneys representing the illegal immigrants argued that immigration authorities violated the April ruling, contending that they were not given an adequate opportunity to contest deportation to third countries where their clients had no ties and could face safety concerns.

On Wednesday, before the court hearing, DHS officials confirmed that a flight carrying at least eight individuals departed from Texas. However, DHS declined to confirm whether South Sudan was the final destination. A list released by the department identified the passengers as having criminal records and included illegal immigrants from Cuba, Laos, and Mexico.

“A local judge in Massachusetts is trying to force the United States to bring back these uniquely barbaric monsters who present a clear and present threat to the safety of the American people and American victims,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said before the ruling.

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