Cartels issuing bounties up to $50,000 for hits on ICE, CBP agents: DHS
An officer wearing an ICE badge in Broadview, Ill., Sept. 26, 2025. Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images “
(WASHINGTON) — There is credible intelligence that members of Mexican drug cartels have offered a “tiered” bounty system for hits against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Two weeks ago, the Justice Department charged a member of the Chicago-based Latin Kings with putting a bounty on Greg Bovino, the CBP Commander overseeing the surge operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland.
Drug cartels have “disseminated a structured bounty program to incentivize violence against federal personnel,” according to a press release from DHS.
The federal agency alleges cartels are offering $2,000 for intelligence gathering and doxing of agents, $5,000–$10,000 for kidnapping or non-lethal assaults on standard ICE/CBP officers and up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.
Gangs like the Latin Kings have also deployed “spotters” armed with firearms and radio communications to provide the real-time movements of CBP and ICE agents, according to DHS.
“These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law, they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a press release.
“Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress,” Noem added. “We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice.”
The DHS report comes amid a legal battle surrounding the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago, in part, as protection for immigration enforcement officers and facilities.
Last week, District Judge April Perry temporarily blocked the deployment of troops from any U.S. state into Illinois, a ruling that will be in effect for 14 days.
In the decision, Perry determined that there is “no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion in Illinois” and no evidence that the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the U.S.
She said that the deployment of the national guard to Illinois “is likely to lead to civil unrest” requiring a response from local and state law enforcement.
Referencing what she called the “provocative nature of ICE enforcement activity” in Illinois, she said, “I find allowing the national guard to deploy will only add fuel to the fire that they started.”
The DOJ appealed the ruling, but it was rejected by a federal appeals court.
(WASHINGTON) — Federal prosecutors investigating former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly making false statements to Congress determined that a central witness in their probe would prove “problematic” and likely prevent them from establishing their case to a jury, sources familiar with their findings told ABC News.
Daniel Richman — a law professor who prosecutors allege Comey authorized to leak information to the press — told investigators that the former FBI director instructed him not to engage with the media on at least two occasions and unequivocally said Comey never authorized him to provide information to a reporter anonymously ahead of the 2016 election, the sources said.
Comey, who was indicted last month on charges of making a false statement and obstruction related to 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, is due to appear in a Virginia courtroom for the first time for his arraignment Wednesday — but Justice Department officials have privately expressed that the case could quickly unravel under the scrutiny of a federal judge and defense lawyers.
According to prosecutors who investigated the circumstances surrounding Comey’s 2020 testimony for two months, using Richman’s testimony to prove that Comey knowingly provided false statements to Congress would result in “likely insurmountable problems” for the prosecution.
Investigators detailed those conclusions in a lengthy memo last month recommending that the office not move forward in charging Comey, according to sources familiar with the memo’s contents.
Lindsey Halligan, a Trump loyalist hand-picked to replace the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who resisted bringing prosecutions against Trump’s political foes, still moved forward in presenting the case before a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, and secured two out of three counts she sought against Comey over his 2020 congressional testimony.
During grand jury proceedings, prosecutors have no obligation to present evidence favorable to a defendant — but such evidence must be handed over to the defendant before trial.
Halligan’s deputy raised similar concerns about the case the same week the former White House aide-turned-prosecutor asked a grand jury to indict Comey, bolstering the conclusion that no single piece of evidence could demonstrate that Comey lied to Congress and warning against relying on Richman, who she described to colleagues as a hostile witness, sources said.
Prosecutors further expressed concerns about the department’s ability to take the case to trial quickly due to problems identifying all the relevant materials that would need to be handed over to Comey’s lawyers, sources said. They also raised alarms over the potential for Comey’s defense to cite the statute of limitations for the case, which derives from testimony in 2017 and was only reinforced by Comey during his 2020 testimony in response to a question from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
Comey, who is expected to plead not guilty to the charges, denies wrongdoing and has argued that he is being targeted for political reasons. His indictment came just days after Trump’s unprecedented demand that his Justice Department act “now” to bring cases against the former FBI director and others.
“Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and Leticia??” Trump wrote in a social media post last month, directly addressing Attorney General Pam Bondi and referring to California Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Halligan alleges that Comey intentionally misled Congress in 2017 and 2020 when he testified that he never authorized another person at the FBI to provide information to the media anonymously. The allegation is that Comey authorized Richman to speak to the press anonymously, contradicting his testimony.
Trump later accused Comey of breaking the law by sharing his memos, arguing they contained classified information, though Richman later told ABC News in a statement that none of the documents had any classification markings.
When prosecutors met with Richman in September, he told them that he never served as an anonymous source for Comey or acted at Comey’s direction while he was FBI director, sources familiar with his interview told ABC News. In at least two cases when Richman asked if he should speak with the press, Comey advised him not to do so, sources said.
Investigators who reviewed material from Comey’s emails, including his correspondence with Richman, could not identify an instance when Comey approved leaking material to a reporter anonymously, sources told ABC News.
Richman, a longtime friend of Comey, has previously acknowledged his role as an intermediary between Comey and reporters after Comey was fired from his role as FBI director, including leaking memos written by Comey about his interactions with Trump following his termination.
Federal prosecutors have focused their inquiry on Comey’s actions as FBI director — including the alleged leak of information about the Trump and Clinton campaigns ahead of the 2016 election — to find evidence that Comey intentionally mislead Congress.
As ABC News previously reported, career prosecutors in the office not only determined that the vast amount of evidence they collected in their investigation would be insufficient to convince a jury to convict him at a trial, but would also fail to meet a lower standard of reaching probable cause to even bring a case.
ICE officers clash with demonstrators outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility using smoke gas and plastic bullets to disperse crowds protesting against deportations in Broadview, Illinois, United States on September 19, 2025. Several hundred protesters had gathered near the Broadview ICE center, chanting against immigration enforcement policies. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(OREGON) — An Oregon firefighter is back home after spending nearly a month in immigration detention following his arrest while battling an active blaze, his legal team confirmed on Thursday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Rigoberto Hernandez, 23, from the Northwest ICE Processing Center following intervention from immigration attorneys and a federal lawsuit, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
Hernandez was detained on Aug. 27 while working to contain the Bear Gulch Fire, documents show. Border Patrol agents, working alongside Bureau of Land Management officers, conducted immigration checks within a restricted emergency zone, his attorneys said.
Legal representatives at the Innovation Law Lab claim federal agents held Hernandez alone for more than 48 hours after he exercised his constitutional right to remain silent during questioning.
The young firefighter’s detention sparked backlash from immigration advocacy groups and his legal team, who say they argued that such enforcement actions at disaster sites violate long-standing federal policies.
Hernandez’s legal team says he has deep roots in the United States, where he has lived since 4 years old, growing up between Oregon, Washington and California.
Despite initiating the immigration process in 2018 through a U-visa application, he remains caught in extensive government processing delays, his legal team said.
On Sept. 23, immigration officials dropped their case against Hernandez, according to court records. However, the federal officials can still reopen the case in the future if they choose to do so.
The case has raised questions about immigration enforcement practices during emergency response situations. Advocacy groups argue that such arrests could deter qualified individuals from participating in critical emergency services.
Hernandez’s attorneys at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Innovation Law Lab said they have secured his release after filing emergency legal motions in federal court. A petition for habeas corpus remains pending.
ABC News has reached out to immigration officials for a comment.
The U.S. Capitol is surrounded by colorful leaves on trees during a warm, fall day on November 7, 2023 in Washington DC. Kevin Carter/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The latest fall season outlook by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is out, and it’s calling for balmy and possibly hot conditions for much of the country in the fall.
The seasonal outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center forecasts whether parts of the country will be above, below or near average for parts of the country for the meteorological fall — September through November.
NOAA’s outlook puts much of the country with a higher chance of a warmer fall than normal, with the highest chance of warmer-than-average temperatures in the Southwest and New England. This means that most of the country will likely be milder than what is usually expected from September to November.
However, this outlook doesn’t forecast variations that happen over days, weeks, or over one month but rather what the overall average would likely look like.
September in a particular region could feature typical fall conditions, but October and November could end up well above normal, swaying the three-month average to above normal for the entire season. What the outlook means for a specific local area depends on the typical climate around it.
For example, average high temperatures for Phoenix, one of the hottest cities in the country, range from 104 degrees at the beginning of fall to 70 degrees towards the end of fall. New York City ranges from 76 degrees at the start of fall to 54 degrees through November.
While the seasonal outlook highlights what is likely for the fall and where abnormal warmth is likely, it doesn’t tell where any extreme heat would be or for how long it would be. It also doesn’t tell where any drastic cooldowns would be or for how long, if there are any.
What previous falls have taught us
According to the Environmental Protection Agency and NOAA, falls in the Contiguous United States have been getting warmer since the early 1900s, with the last few falls being warmer than the 30-year average.
A warmer fall has more impacts than just keeping the warmer weather and holding off on the winter jackets. According to Climate Central, warmer falls can prolong potentially dangerous summer-like heat and increase the demand and cost of cooling during warmer fall days.
The extended warmth affects the fall foliage — a natural spectacle that dazzles the country every fall and boosts local tourism. According to Columbia University, warmer falls can delay the start of changing leaves, shorten the fall foliage season overall, and reduce the vibrancy and color quality of fall foliage.
Why so warm?
A big part of what forecasters look for when predicting the temperature, and even their seasonal precipitation outlook, are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean. The most influential one that forecasters look at is the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The ENSO is a natural variation of warmer, neutral and cooler waters along the equatorial waters of the eastern Pacific.
This natural variation is one of the biggest driving forces of large-scale weather patterns over the Pacific Ocean, and eventually over North America.
Forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center are expecting the ENSO to shift from a neutral pattern to a cooler pattern, or La Nina, by November. This would likely put the U.S. in a dominant weather pattern for much of the fall that sees the southern half of the country experience drier and warmer weather, while the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley will get wetter-than-normal conditions.
