Traci Mumford

citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents.

Polls show that a majority of Americans believe ICE's tactics went too far.

Despite the dip in arrests, the number of people detained last month was still quadruple what it was in President Biden's last year in office.

The Trump administration has repeatedly said it's actively pursuing criminals, though more than 40 percent of those arrested last month had no criminal record.

The slight lull in arrests may also only be temporary.

On multiple occasions last year, the White House said it was narrowing its focus, only to ramp up operations again weeks later.

A new investigation from The Times has found that there's a lucrative industry emerging around trying to get pardons from President Trump.

Through interviews and a review of court filings and lobbying records, The Times learned that a growing number of people are promising to help wealthy offenders get convictions erased and prison time cut short.

In 2025 alone, lobbying firms disclosed receiving about eight times more money from clients trying to get clemency than the year before under Biden.

Ken Vogel covers the intersection of money and politics for The Times.

He says before Schwartz reported to jail, he paid almost a million dollars to two men who talked a big game about their ability to gain access to the president and win clemency.

That didn't seem to go anywhere, but he kept pushing.

Joseph Schwartz, the man who received the pardon, didn't respond to requests from the Times for comment.

In a statement, the White House press secretary dismissed the notion that lobbyists have influenced Trump's clemency decisions, saying anyone spending money to lobby for pardons is foolishly wasting their money, and the president doesn't even know who these so-called lobbyists are.

In Houston and New Orleans this weekend, the security lines at the city's airports stretched for hours, snarling people's plans and causing many to miss their flights, right as spring break travel is ramping up.

The airports are struggling with staffing amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.

Funding has lapsed for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA.

Agents are still required to work, but they only got about 30 percent of their pay last week and will miss their paychecks entirely next weekend unless funding's restored.

Congress is still at odds over that, with Democrats refusing to fund DHS without limits on immigration enforcement.

For now, the worst delays seem to have been contained to Houston and New Orleans, with other airports operating normally, but some airlines are warning passengers to show up three to four hours early.