Spencer Lindquist

Daily Wire reporter Spencer Lindquist has the story. The Trump administration will enforce a 1996 law that allows it to fine illegal aliens $998 every day that they stay in the United States past the date that they are ordered to be removed from the country.

The administration plans to enforce the law retroactively for up to five years, meaning that illegal aliens could be charged over $1 million each for remaining in the country illegally. The government could even seize and sell off the property of illegal aliens who are unable to pay the fine.

That financial penalty could be imposed on the roughly 1.4 million illegal aliens who currently have active removal orders. These fines could be levied by either Customs and Border Protection or the Department of Justice's Civil Asset Forfeiture Division.

Malay cited profound differences with the UN agency, particularly over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokesman for Malay said the WHO guidelines led to the largest shutdown in history and accused the organization of lacking independence due to political influence. Malay's move mirrors that of President Trump, who began withdrawing the United States from the WHO last month.

The organization has not yet responded.

In a stunning move, Donald Trump has agreed to pause looming tariffs on Mexico and Canada following a series of concessions from the leaders of both countries.

Here to explain the new agreement between Border Patrol and Texas and give us the latest on a rash of protests is Daily Wire investigative reporter Spencer Lindquist. Hey, Spencer. So first, tell us about this new National Guard memo.

— And a controversial international agency is effectively shut down after claims of fraud and insubordination.

And what about other law enforcement officers? Police along the border have expressed frustration for some time now with their inability to enforce the law. Can they also be deputized in the same way?

Now, as we noted at the top, all of these immigration actions have sparked some pretty major protests in big cities. What's going on in L.A. and Atlanta?

And we'll certainly be tracking that and those deportation operations as well. Spencer, thanks so much for reporting. Thank you for having me. The U.S. Agency for International Development was closed on Monday as Elon Musk and his Doge agents audit the bureau. The interruptions at USAID have drawn outcry from Democrats who say the agency is under illegal attacks from the Trump team.

Thanks for having me on. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news you need to know

This is a major step in his effort to secure the border. The declaration allows the executive branch to take some immediate action by enabling Trump to use the military, including both the armed forces and the National Guard, and they'll be able to construct physical barriers and repel migrant invasions. Trump previewed some of his immigration actions in his inaugural address yesterday.

Right. Some of these actions reinstate policies that Trump rolled out during his first administration, but others are completely new. Just like you heard there in his inaugural address, he will reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy from his first term. He'll also resume the construction of the border wall. In another big move, Trump brought an end to the CBP One app.

That's the controversial app that allowed migrants to remotely schedule their asylum applications and then easily enter the United States. In total, about one million migrants were allowed into the country under Biden through this program. And more than a quarter million of those are believed to have been inadmissible migrants that should have never been allowed in.

So that program is now already gone under Trump.

Right. Some of these executive orders are much more wide-reaching and have the potential to totally transform the state of play on this issue. The new White House will attempt to end birthright citizenship for illegal aliens, and that's an effort that's likely to be challenged in court. If it's successful, it alters the incentive structure behind illegal immigration.

When I was on the border, ranchers and law enforcement told me stories of pregnant women who illegally entered the country and gave birth less than a mile into the United States, just so that their children would become American citizens. Trump is also designating cartels as terrorist organizations.

The White House officials say that much of the folks will be on Trendy Aragua, the violent Venezuelan gang that infamously took over apartment buildings in Colorado under the Biden administration.

That's right. Homan talked to Daily Wire's new White House correspondent, Mary Margaret Olihan. Here's what he had to say.

It isn't just Trump who will be focusing on immigration, however. We exclusively reported last week that the Judiciary Committee's first hearing of the year will take place on January 22nd, and it'll be titled Restoring Immigration Enforcement in America.

It'll focus on the Biden administration's failures on the border and the steps the Trump administration and the legislature can take to secure it.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced today that they have extradited Francisco Javier Roman Bardalas, who they believe to be a key leader of MS-13, from Mexico.

Roman Bardalas was previously placed on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list, and he stands accused of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, of a narco-terrorism conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy, and alien smuggling conspiracy. The announcement comes about a month after the Trump administration named MS-13 a foreign terror organization.

Patel touted his extradition as a major victory for the country's top law enforcement agency and said that Roman Bardalas will now face American justice.

Daily Wire reporter Spencer Lindquist has the details. A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration from revoking legal status for over 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Judge Indira Talwani ruled that migrants who entered legally under the program must receive individualized reviews, not blanket removals.

The Biden administration launched the initiative in 2023 to reduce illegal border crossings and enhance vetting. The Trump administration tried to end the program via executive orders, giving enrollees until April 24th to leave. But advocates sued. Talwani claims the government's actions undermine the rule of law.

A sixth staffer tied to the same floor of a Massachusetts hospital has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Officials at Mass General Brigham's Newton Wellesley Hospital say extensive testing found no environmental risks, but the Massachusetts Nurses Association is pushing back and calling the investigation insufficient. The affected staff worked in the labor and delivery unit.

All tumors reported so far are benign, but fears are mounting as more workers report serious health issues.

Here with the details is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. So Cabot, Hegseth has become the cabinet pick, arguably drawing the most attention now from Democrats and the legacy media. What's the latest in this saga?

Right. So tell us about some of these accusations.

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, December 5th, and this is Morning Wire. The Supreme Court appears to side with Tennessee in a landmark case weighing whether or not states can ban transgender procedures for minors.

So we have anonymous accusations, but on the record, refutations.

But now Hegseth's own mother has been dragged into this saga. What is she saying?

Now, amid all of this media whirlwind, though, there are reports that President Trump is considering a replacement. What do we know about that?

Pete Hegseth refuses to back down in his bid for defense secretary, despite legacy media attacks on his personal history.

Yep, sounds like it could go either way at this point. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

The Supreme Court heard two and a half hours of oral arguments on Wednesday in the U.S. v. Scrimetti dealing with Tennessee's law banning transgender procedures for children.

Here to discuss is Daily Wire investigative reporter Spencer Lindquist. So Spencer, what is the evidence that DEI is getting phased out?

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

Now, you also have a new report out in The Daily Wire suggesting that the incoming Trump administration could pressure more organizations to drop DEI. What leverage would Trump have to make that happen?

Now, are there specific companies that are currently under scrutiny or that you anticipate will be?

Well, even just making a few high-profile examples could go a long way. Spencer, thanks for reporting.

The legislation, which was drafted by Colony Ridge's defense lawyer and a powerful lobbying group, exempts residential real estate developers from some key mortgage origination laws, weakening state oversight and shifting accountabilities to the loan originators rather than the developments.

Emails obtained by the Daily Wire show coordination between the Texas Land Developers Association and the lawyer currently defending Colony Ridge against the Department of Justice. The bill is being pushed by lawmakers who've received substantial donations from those with a financial stake in the bill's passage.

Critics say that it opens the door to predatory practices, especially in developments like Colony Ridge, that targets illegal aliens with high-interest land deals.

Catholic Migration Services was set to receive nearly $300,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to provide naturalization services for migrants. The grant, which was approved by the Biden administration shortly after the 2024 election, has now been frozen by the Trump administration.

The nonprofit organization provides a range of services beyond naturalization assistance and even provides legal aid to illegal aliens who have been given orders of removal from the United States. Catholic Migration Services is one of the many religiously affiliated groups that has had its funding frozen by the administration over its role in facilitating mass migration.

The president signed an order late Wednesday to ensure that, quote, taxpayer resources are used to protect the interests of American citizens, not illegal aliens. The order directs all federal departments and agencies to end any programs that provide any financial benefits to those illegally in the country.

It also bars the use of any taxpayer money to support so-called sanctuary policies, and it designates criminal organizations such as MS-13 and Trendy Aragua as terrorist organizations.

Good morning, Georgia. So that's right. There was a week-long raid here in Nashville, Tennessee that started on May 3rd. And we just learned that agents captured nearly 200 illegal aliens, many of whom had been convicted of criminal offenses.

Of the 196 illegal aliens detained by ICE, 95 had prior criminal convictions or pending charges, and 31 had illegally reentered the United States after being removed.

Nashville's Democrat Mayor Freddie O'Connell said the ISIS immigration raids caused, quote, deep community harms and said that he was heartbroken over the federal law enforcement agency's actions.

He also announced the creation of a Belonging Fund, a joint project between the city of Nashville and a local foundation to provide support to illegal aliens. The fund supports organizations that assist illegal aliens with child care, transportation, and food needs. Here's O'Connell discussing that fund.

And the mayor also signed an executive order requiring city employees and police to report any communications with ICE to the mayor's office. But Nashville legal director Wally Dietz admitted that there's nothing the city government can do to prevent ICE from carrying out enforcement operations in Nashville.

Yeah, that's right. So Trisha McLaughlin is the assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, and she called O'Connell a, quote, pro-open borders politician who would rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens. O'Connell was also slammed by ICE acting director Todd Lyons, who said that the Nashville mayor should be thanking federal law enforcement for protecting the city.

So these are some bad characters, Georgia. We obtained exclusive information on the criminal records of some of the people arrested here in Nashville. One of those men is a 60-year-old Iraqi national who was convicted of rape and failed to register as a sex offender. Another is a 33-year-old from El Salvador who's affiliated with MS-13.

And that violent game was recently designated a foreign terror organization. The government of El Salvador also suspects that man of committing aggravated murder.

Then there's a Haitian male convicted of possessing meth with the intent to distribute, a Salvadoran convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to manufacture and sell the drug, and a Guatemalan national with a conviction for aggravated assault.

Absolutely. As we reported here, the Newark mayor recently got himself arrested along with some other Democrat lawmakers after trespassing at an ICE facility. On a federal level, we've seen Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and even House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both ratcheting up their rhetoric against ICE in recent days.

So Democrats are very much up in arms and attempting to defend illegal aliens.

So Chicago residents were clearly outraged at the mayor over both his handling of immigration, but also the city's consideration of that new property tax hike. The city of Chicago said that as of April of this year, it had accepted 39,000 migrants. And that figure meant that it had taken in more migrants than almost any other city in America, behind just New York and Denver.

And of course, that came with a very hefty price tag. So some of these residents were clearly upset with how Mayor Johnson has handled the influx. Here's what one Chicago resident had to say to the mayor at a recent city hall meeting.

Another Chicago resident, a woman who had immigrated to the United States, also criticized the mayor's handling of the migrant influx, saying, quote, These people came with a wide door open, and they feel entitled to many things that nobody has. There are U.S. citizens suffering from poverty. There are U.S. citizens on public aid.

And these people are here just enjoying the benefits, becoming delinquents, and they have no consequences.

Well, it's a lot. It comes with more than a half a billion dollar price tag, in fact. So in August of 2022, Chicago started a program called the New Arrivals Mission, and it provides shelter and services for migrants. Altogether, that program supplied food, temporary emergency shelter, urgent medical care, education, vaccines, and case management and resettlement support to those migrants.

That program has gone on to cost about $575 million since 2022. That system is now being phased out in part because of that strain that it's put on the city's budget. Johnson said in October that the move is, quote, in line with the sharp decline in migration to Chicago and our current budget realities.

But he also added that the city is, quote, shifting to a more cost-effective, equitable, and strategic approach that addresses homelessness for all who need support in the city of Chicago. So we'll have to see if those moves actually help the city's bottom line.

The Darien Gap in Panama has long been a big indicator of the flow of illegal aliens into the U.S. Before and after photos of parts of the region show areas once filled with tents and families now stand deserted. Images show that only a handful of migrants remain, and they're being watched closely by police.

The change follows the Trump administration's intensified crackdown on illegal immigration, paired with Panama's own tough stance under President Molino. The once treacherous passage is now, officials say, effectively shut down.

Yeah, and you said that your area didn't burn down.

Right after the fire broke out, there was all this coverage of the past comments from the current fire department chief about equity, about the gender balance of the fire department. I'm sure that's what was on your mind when you were thinking about the condo. What is the sex of the firefighter in that area?

Could you speak a little bit about those concerns, those equity concerns, the prevalence that they have in the fire department and the public response, the backlash to those comments?

Adam, so thanks for sitting down with us to talk about these fires. You know, there's a wide range of different topics on the policy level that we definitely like to discuss. But I think first off, I just wanted to hear a bit about your experience with the fires. I know that you evacuated and you've got a condo that you've been concerned about.

Yeah, and that constituency, I mean, especially post-2020, DEI woke, generally speaking, as a broad term. That was all the rage. There was an institutional takeover. It spanned government. It spanned media. It spanned corporate America. Do you think that that— group of people, the Palisades, Santa Monica, if we look at that almost as an interest group in and of itself, right?

Do you think that'll be powerful enough for government leaders to say, you know what, we're actually going to pull back on the red tape, we're going to pull back on the regulations, we're going to pull back on these overly burdensome permitting processes? Do you think that's going to be sufficient, or do you think they... are still going to have these policies that are going to push people out.

If you could just walk us through what it's been like personally so far.

didn't come from that world so they didn't really experience it but i think now they're getting a little bit of a front row seat to it and so i hope sort of globally it is impactful and then just last question in the couple minutes more that we have could you just tell us a story of you said your background is in construction you tried to have your background be in firefighting right you you tried to go into firefighting as a career could you tell us a story of your attempt to get into firefighting and and what exactly occurred there

He wasn't lying.

Well, great. Thank you very much. Appreciate you taking the time and telling us your story and your thoughts.

Vitold Surinsky, the president emeritus of the American Federation of Government Employees Social Security Council, received his salary under a policy called official time. That allows union officials to receive government salaries while working solely on union activities.

In 2018, Sirinsky was actually banned from Social Security offices amidst allegations that he sent a sexually explicit photo to an agency employee. Despite retiring, he remains a powerful force in union leadership, strategizing against efforts to reform the federal workforce. The case has reignited calls to eliminate taxpayer-funded union time, with lawmakers arguing some misuse of public funds.

Donald Trump's Office of Personnel Management is now demanding that agencies report how so-called official time is being used.

The passport and maybe the... Like a Mexican passport and a Mexican driver's license.

In the video, saleswoman Sandy Moreno goes on to say they also don't check whether potential buyers are in the country illegally.

They need to live here?

So if they're undocumented?

You don't check that?

This comes just one week after state and federal law enforcement raided the area, resulting in the arrests of 118 illegal aliens. Colony Ridge, which is estimated to currently house 75,000 to 100,000 people, is projected to grow to 250,000 people within a decade.

The development also faces lawsuits from the Texas Attorney General and federal agencies over alleged predatory sales tactics targeting Hispanic buyers. Promotional materials and social media campaigns specifically encourage foreign buyers to, quote, "...own land in the United States."

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans support deporting illegal aliens with criminal records, according to a recent poll, highlighting the strong backing for one of President Trump's key policies. Majorities also favored deporting recent illegal entrants and all illegal immigrants, reflecting widespread support for stricter immigration enforcement.

Earlier polls show similar approval for tougher measures, like building the border wall and penalizing businesses that hire illegal workers. As Trump prepares to take office, immigration reform is set to dominate the House's agenda. We spoke to Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, just a day before the inauguration.

The order requires federal agencies to reflect biological sex and bans gender marker changes on passports and IDs. It also directs agencies like the State Department and Homeland Security to use immutable sex designations and aims to block taxpayer-funded gender transition treatments for federal prisoners while increasing privacy protections in women's spaces like prisons and shelters.

Finally, it ends the forced use of preferred pronouns, including in the workplace and schools. Alliance Defending Freedom President Kristen Wagner spoke to us about the orders.

I've decided to cancel my trip. The reelection bid for New York Mayor Eric Adams took a massive hit after being denied millions in public matching funds. The campaign finance board denied Adams over $4 million in matching funds. The board flagged irregularities in Adams' past and current campaigns, citing concerns over straw donations and questionable contributions.

This comes as the campaign has been under investigation for alleged corruption and collusion with foreign governments. Adams' campaign still has over $3 million on hand, but the loss of public funds adds pressure as challengers line up for the crowded Democratic primary. Trump referenced Adams today, suggesting he'd consider granting him a pardon.

CNN is facing massive backlash after allegedly helping to free a prisoner with a dark past during a segment. Daily Wire reporter Mairead Elordi has the details.

At least three people are dead and several others injured following a shooting at a Wisconsin Christian school. Daily Wire reporter Spencer Lindquist has more.

I've spent today driving through some of the areas affected by the Palisades fire, and it's difficult to put the destruction into words. I started in Santa Monica and took the Pacific Coast Highway headed north. And from there, we found some Malibu landmarks, a popular restaurant and a wine bar that had both been completely decimated by the fire.

And it's an area that you think would be safe from fires. You could throw a baseball and hit the Pacific. But even there, the destruction is beyond words. And then you go up into the hills overlooking the coast, and there's an entire neighborhood that's almost totally destroyed.

You've got the Santa Monica Mountains, which border Malibu, and now all this brush, all these root systems that were holding together these hills have been completely scorched off the face of those mountains. So it opens the area up to a risk of really major mudslides.

U.S. District Court Judge Theodore Chuang ruled that the Trump administration's shutdown of USAID is unconstitutional and issued a decision last month preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting illegal aliens at certain places of worship.

Chuang, an Obama appointee, has a history of involvement in Democratic politics, donating nearly $5,000 to Democrats and previously serving as the vice president of one Maryland Democratic organization.

So Colony Ridge is a 60 square mile development that is set to reach a population of a quarter million people. That's larger than Scottsdale, Arizona, Knoxville, Tennessee, or Boise, Idaho. And the marketing and financial schemes at Colony Ridge are specifically designed to attract illegal aliens. We've seen illegal alien drug runners, suspected murderers, and cartel members.

Just last night, there were these raids at Colony Ridge. and it resulted in a manhunt for a confirmed MS-13 member who'd been deported from the United States on seven different occasions. He's connected to a fatal stabbing.

These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that this financial and marketing scheme from Colony Ridge has rolled out the red carpet for, and it's forced an American community to deal with the consequences of higher crime, a flood of drugs, and an unrecognizable community,

Absolutely. There's a reason why so many of the illegal aliens caught at Colony Ridge have been previously deported. It's because they don't want to be deported again, and they've come under the understanding that Colony Ridge is a place where they can evade law enforcement. It's a place where illegal aliens have the red carpet rolled out for them again.

And what we've seen actually is that we had a recent Daily Wire investigation where a different Texas developer in a leaked email that we obtained defended Colony Ridge and said that these businesses, Colony Ridge and others like it, would go under, they'd go out of business if they were forced to examine the creditworthiness of buyers and if they had to check for social security numbers of these buyers.

So this is a business model that is built on selling out American land parcel by parcel, plat by plat, property by property to illegal aliens.

Absolutely not. You're right. We reported on this beginning in September of 2023. I was actually in a helicopter surveying this development and its rapid growth. And we've been reporting on it since. And a couple of things changed. First off, there has been completely, it's impossible to ignore the level of crime and the level of disorder in this area.

And the Daily Wire has continuously put a spotlight on it. There's also one very simple change. The Trump administration entered office and just seven days afterwards there were some deportation raids in Colony Ridge and then of course we've seen what we saw yesterday where these deportation raids have been ramped up to become significantly larger.

So there is finally some action taken on this but the reality is that for far too long there has been an unholy alliance between the corporate interests that profit off of mass immigration and politicians that when they don't have the spotlight on them have been willing to look the other way. That consensus is over.

We have brought a ton of light and transparency to this issue, and action is finally being taken.

Thank you very much, Ben.