DHS arrests another student involved in Columbia university protests

(NEWARK, NJ) — A Pennsylvania man attempting to go through airport security was discovered to have been hiding a living turtle in his pants as he tried to sneak it onto the plane, authorities said.

The incident took place last Friday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey when a man from Pennsylvania was going through a body scan in the security area when an alarm was triggered “in the area of the man’s groin,” according to a statement from the Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday.

“A TSA officer administered a pat-down of the area of the man’s body where the alarm was triggered and in doing so, determined that there was something concealed in the area of the man’s groin,” TSA officials said regarding the incident. “When asked if there was something hidden in his pants, the man, a resident of East Stroudsburg, Pa., reached down the front of his pants and pulled out a live turtle that was wrapped in a small blue towel.”

The turtle was estimated to be approximately five inches in length and identified to be a red-ear slider turtle – one of the most popular breeds of pet turtle in the United States – by the man once he was caught by airport security.

“Port Authority Police questioned the man, took possession of the turtle and indicated that they would contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local animal control officials,” the TSA said.

The unnamed man missed his flight and was escorted out of the checkpoint by police.

Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey, said that this is the first time he has ever seen someone trying to smuggle a live animal down the front on their pants as they attempted to go through security.

“I commend our officer who conducted the pat-down in a very professional manner in an effort to resolve the alarm,” said Carter. “We have seen travelers try to conceal knives and other weapons on their person, in their shoes and in their luggage, however I believe this is the first time we have come across someone who was concealing a live animal down the front of his pants. As best as we could tell, the turtle was not harmed by the man’s actions.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Immigrant rights groups and immigration law experts are raising concerns after the Department of Homeland Security announced that it is creating an online database designed to keep track of migrants over the age of 14 who are living in the country illegally.

Migrants who are in the United States without authorization must register their information in a database that tracks them in an effort to “compel” self-deportation, the DHS said in a press release on Tuesday.
However, the registry had not been set up as of Wednesday. A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services webpage instructed migrants who are required to register to create an online account with the agency.

Vowing to “use every available tool to compel illegal aliens to self-deport,” a DHS statement said people who fail to register and submit fingerprints could face fines and imprisonment.

“President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [of Homeland Security Kristi] Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. “The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws—we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”

The DHS said it’s invoking a decades-old section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that requires registration from migrants over the age of 14 who are in the United States, who have not been fingerprinted or registered, and who have been in the country for more than 30 days.

“Historically, we know that we have to sit up and pay attention anytime a government says it’s going to set up a registry on the basis of national origin or race or religion or any other immutable characteristic, because dramatic losses of civil liberties and civil rights are sure to follow and potentially worse,” said Heidi Altman, vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center.

Following the 9/11 attack, President George W. Bush’s administration set up a system known as the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, which required registration from certain noncitizens — mostly from Muslim-majority countries and North Korea.

“Like the registry system that Trump is envisioning here, it was set up under a guise of national security or public safety concerns that, in the end, only served to eviscerate civil rights for the communities that were targeted and to separate communities,” Altman said. “There were about 83,000 people who were forced to register through NSEERS and many thousands of them were put in deportation proceedings.”

Parents and legal guardians of undocumented immigrants who are under 14 years of age and have not previously registered would also have to sign up to the database.

Under the Trump administration’s registry, immigrants over the age of 18 would be issued proof that they’ve registered that they “must carry and keep in their possession at all times,” the USCIS website said.

That requirement is stoking fears that this would be a new “show me your papers” type of law, said Michelle Lapointe, legal director for the American Immigration Council.

“There are some real civil liberties issues here,” Lapointe told ABC News. “It will end up ensnaring people based on law enforcement’s perceptions of their race and assumptions that law enforcement makes about people’s immigration status based on that.”

“So, there’s real opportunity for abuse, because this is essentially setting up a system where people have to produce their papers — show their papers to law enforcement to prove their status,” she continued.

Lapointe said that the DHS is also threatening jail time for failing to register, even though being in the country without authorization isn’t always punishable by imprisonment.

“An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” Tuesday’s press release said.

In many cases, being in the country without authorization is a civil offense and would typically be punishable by removal instead of incarceration.

As the Trump administration continues to ramp up its deportation efforts, Greg Chen, senior director of Government Relations for American Immigration Lawyers Association, said that few people may choose to register.

“I don’t think many people are going to come forward and register, because they’re going to be too afraid that if they register, they’re simply going to be deported rapidly, given the aggressive mass deportation plan that administration is setting up,” Chen said.

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(LOS ANGELES) — The multiple wildfires raging in California are being described by eyewitnesses as “apocalyptic.” While the cost in human suffering is immeasurable, it may take weeks or longer for the true economic toll to be realized.

AccuWeather estimated $52 billion to $57 billion in damage as of Wednesday afternoon, but state officials warned that the number is expected to rise as the unprecedented fires put thousands more homes at risk.

The five wildfires tearing through the County of Los Angeles hit many California homeowners who were already struggling to find a company willing to insure their properties. At least 10 major insurers have either left or reduced coverage in California in the past four years. During that time, the number of homeowners signing up for the state’s insurer of last resort has doubled, officials said.

In the past two years, insurers including Allstate, American National, The Hartford and State Farm stopped issuing new fire policies for California homeowners. In some instances, residents said, the insurers would not renew existing policies because of the ongoing risk of damage from wildfires.

“The scenes from the area are heartbreaking, and our thoughts are on the individuals and communities impacted, as well as those that remain under threat,” State Farm said in a statement to ABC News. “We want our customers to know that, when it is safe to do so, they can and should file a claim.​ Agents can also help and, if needed, give customers more time to pay their premium. Our teams are standing by to assist.”

Allstate stopped issuing new homeowner policies in the state in 2022 and said last year that it would reverse its decision if it was allowed to account for the costs of reinsurance when setting rates.

The Hartford stopped writing new homeowners policies in the state on Feb. 1, 2024. American National stopped offering policies in the state on Feb. 29, 2024. Those companies did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the fires or on coverage going forward.

Just days before the first wildfire broke out Tuesday in LA’s affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the California Department of Insurance unveiled new regulations that would soon require insurers to increase home coverage in areas prone to wildfires. The policy would not be retroactive and would only apply to new policies going forward.

Part of a home insurance reform package, the regulations will also allow insurers to charge homeowners higher premiums to protect themselves from catastrophic wildfire claims, the documents said. It will be the first time in the state’s history that insurers can include the cost of reinsurance in their premiums, though it is a common practice in other states.

Critics of the rule say it could hike insurance premiums by 40% and doesn’t require new policies to be written at a fast enough pace.

The new rules are set to take effect at the end of January following a 30-day review period; but for many Californians, that regulation will come too late. 

One example is the Levin family.

The fast-moving wildfires threatened Lynn Levin Guzman’s childhood home in Eaton, California. The 62-year-old emergency room nurse said, in a post on TikTok, that she snuck back to an evacuation zone to attempt to protect the home by spraying it with water from a hose because her parents’ fire insurance was cancelled.

“They’re 90 years old. They’ve lived in this house for 75 years, and they’ve had the same insurance,” Guzman told ABC7 Eyewitness news, “and the insurance people decided to cancel their fire insurance.”

“So, thank you California insurance companies for supporting residents who pay taxes and love California,” she said.

“And they wonder why people are leaving California,” she added.

An apparent lack of viable insurance options has a growing number of California homeowners flocking to the FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort. Meant to be a stopgap rather than a permanent replacement, it does not offer comprehensive policies. According to state officials, the number of policies under the FAIR Plan has more than doubled from 2020 to 2024 to 452,000.

President-elect Donald Trump called out the insurance industry on Truth Social on Wednesday, posting, “The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country. In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe.”

President Joe Biden also on Wednesday approved a major disaster declaration for California, making federal funds available for those who’ve lost property. That assistance includes low-cost loans to cover some uninsured property losses, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The FAIR Plan predicts that it will be able to pay out.

“We are aware of misinformation being posted online regarding the FAIR Plan’s ability to pay claims,” FAIR Plan spokesperson Hilary McLean said in a statement.

“It is too early to provide loss estimates as claims are just beginning to be submitted and processed,” McLean wrote, noting that the plan is prepared for this kind of a disaster and has payment mechanisms, including reinsurance, to cover claims.

State officials say they are considering passing a temporary year-long moratorium on non-renewals in areas recently burned.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a statement, “Insurance companies are pledging their commitment to California, and we will hold them accountable for the promises they have made.”

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