(PASSAIC, N.J.) — Amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns across the United States, immigrant-rich communities have felt the impact of the administration’s policies.
In Passaic, New Jersey, hundreds of immigrant families and community members marched in protest of recent ICE raids and arrests, calling for statewide protection of immigrant rights last weekend.
About 10 miles away in West New York, New Jersey, Elio Barrera, owner of the Salvadorian restaurant La Pupusa Loca, said he is dealing with the fallout from a viral video that falsely claimed an ICE raid happened at a restaurant with their name. Barerra said that it “never happened.”
Barrera said the video garnered roughly 1.4 million views. While the video was removed from the social media platform, he said, “the damage was already done,” causing nearly an 80% drop in customer traffic to his own restaurant, instilling fear in the local immigrant community.
Barrera shared the deep sentimental value the restaurant holds, having taken his first steps there and witnessing generations of families gathering to share meals. His grandparents, who migrated from El Salvador, started the business in 1989, passing down their love for cooking and traditional recipes.
He expressed heartbreak over the impact of misinformation, emphasizing how the video has instilled unnecessary fear in patrons who once felt at home. The restaurant, usually vibrant and full on weekends, has seen a drastic decline in visitors, leading to cutbacks in staff hours and operations.
Barrera told ABC News, “I hope that people are more aware of social media, of what they see on the internet. I want people to not believe everything they see because in this case, I feel like we were all victims of a video like this. It definitely had an impact on everybody. It brought a lot of fear. It was very threatening to see how this video depicted a situation that never existed.”
Despite the challenges, Barrera remains determined to rebuild trust and encourage customers to return, assuring them a raid never happened at their location. He urges people to be more discerning about what they believe online.
He remains steadfast in his commitment to carrying on his grandparents’ legacy, ensuring the restaurant continues to serve as a welcoming space for the community.
“The U.S. […] is made up of migrants, and we all are hard workers,” said Barrera about the immigrant community. “We make so much of this country, and we’re all human. We all have rights.”
ABC News’ Abigail Bowen contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Males detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be housed in units in several federal prisons around the country, according to the memorandum of understanding between the Bureau of Prisons and ICE, obtained exclusively by ABC News.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities that will house ICE detainees are the Federal Detention Center, Miami; Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia; Federal Correctional Institution, Atlanta; and Federal Correctional Institution, Leavenworth in Kansas; and Federal Correctional Institution, Berlin in New Hampshire, according to the memorandum.
BOP will not house female ICE detainees.
“ICE shall only place detainees at institutions designated by the BOP and may not place detainees at institutions without specific authorization by BOP,” according to the agreement.
The agreement, signed on Feb. 6, said that ICE will have at least two officers at every BOP facility that holds ICE detainees and the BOP will have final say on who gets into the facility.
Detainees who are disruptive at facilities will be kicked out of BOP institutions, according to the agreement.
One source who ABC News spoke with said housing ICE detainees has not been BOP’s mission for some time, and suggested the staffing shortage might hinder the Bureau’s ability to care for ICE detainees.
Since his inauguration last month, President Donald Trump has been working to deliver on his campaign promise to crack down on immigration by targeting areas like birthright citizenship and refugee status.
The administration has even used Guantanamo Bay — the military base in Cuba — to house the influx of arrested migrants.
(MISSOURI) — Andrew Lester, the Kansas City man charged with shooting teenager Ralph Yarl in April 2023 after he knocked on the door of the wrong house, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault charges in a 10-minute Missouri court hearing on Friday.
The 86-year-old man had been facing charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of then-16-year-old Yarl, a Black honors student who mistakenly showed up at Lester’s door to pick up his twin brothers.
Second-degree assault, a Class D felony, carries with it the sentencing possibility of one to seven years in prison, Clay County Prosecutor Zach Thompson said at a press conference after Friday’s hearing. The sentencing hearing will happen on March 7, according to Thompson.
Lester, who is white, shot Yarl in the head and right arm, saying he believed someone was trying to break into his house, according to a probable cause statement obtained by ABC News. He initially pleaded not guilty in 2023 and was released on a $200,000 bond.
“Our office has maintained regular and respectful communication with Mr. Yarl and his family, and they support this resolution,” Thompson said Friday.
Thompson was told by a reporter at the news conference that Yarl’s family said they were not satisfied with the outcome of the plea deal, and the county prosecutor said he understood the frustration of the family.
“Based on our communications, both direct and written with Mr. Yarl and his family, we agreed that this would be a just resolution in the case,” Thompson said.
Yarl survived the attack and has since graduated high school, but suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) after the shooting. Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, previously told ABC News that her son has struggled academically in ways he didn’t prior to the injury.
His family reacted to Friday’s hearing in a statement obtained by ABC News.
“While this marks a step toward accountability, true justice requires consequences that reflect the severity of his actions — anything less would be a failure to recognize the harm he has caused,” they wrote. “We remain hopeful that his sentencing will not be merely a slap on the wrist but a decision that upholds the seriousness of his crime.”
Lester’s attorney Steve Salmon previously argued that his client’s mental and physical capacity was a factor in the case, postponing the initial trial date from Oct. 7 to Feb. 18. Salmon said the retired air mechanic had heart and memory issues, a broken hip and had lost over 50 pounds. In November, the judge ruled that Lester was fit to stand trial after reviewing the results of a mental exam.
Yarl’s family filed a civil lawsuit against Lester and the Highland Acres homeowners association nearly a year after the shooting occurred, claiming little progress has been made in the case and the association failed to administer aid after shots were fired.
ABC News contributor Joanne Haner contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The federal judge who oversaw Donald Trump’s election interference case will hear arguments Friday over tech billionaire Elon Musk’s authority to run the Department of Government Efficiency.
Fourteen states filed a federal lawsuit Thursday alleging that Musk’s “expansive authority” is in violation of the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which calls for anyone deemed a “principal officer” of the U.S. government to be formally nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
“[T]he President does not have the constitutional authority to unilaterally dismantle the government. Nor could he delegate such expansive authority to an unelected, unconfirmed individual,” the lawsuit says.
The 14 states filed a motion Friday seeking a temporary restraining order to block Musk and DOGE from continuing to overhaul and cut the federal government.
The motion asks U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to immediately block Musk from altering the funding for any agency, from placing any employees on leave, from canceling any government contracts, from accessing any sensitive data, and from “asserting control over” any agency.
Chutkan oversaw the 2023 criminal case that charged Trump with undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election in an effort to remain in power. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the case was dismissed following Trump’s reelection in November due to a longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.
DOGE, led by Musk as the centerpiece of Trump’s campaign promise to trim the federal government, has found itself in the crosshairs of multiple federal lawsuits, which allege that it has improperly accessed sensitive records and is unlawfully gutting government agencies. Federal judges have temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive data at the Treasury Department, while the Department of Education recently reached an agreement to limit DOGE’s access to student loan records.
In their motion Friday, the 14 states allege that Musk has already “cut billions of dollars from agency budgets, fired agency personnel, and that he has moved to, in his words, ‘delete’ entire agencies. He has canceled government contracts, announced plans to sell government property, and promised to withdraw a multitude of regulations across different agencies. He has installed his own teams into agencies and given them access to the agencies’ most sensitive data.”
“In other words, an individual accountable only to the President — if he answers to anyone at all — is exercising apparently limitless power within the Executive Branch. Mr. Musk’s conduct has wreaked havoc on the federal government and caused mass chaos and confusion for state and local governments, federal employees, the American public, and people around the world who depend on the United States for leadership and support,” the filing says.
(WASHINGTON) — There’s no indication the U.S. Army Black Hawk crew could tell there was an impending collision before its devastating crash with an American Airlines plane in Washington, D.C., National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy said Friday as the agency continues to investigate the cause of the accident.
The helicopter crew may have had bad information on the altitude from their altimeter, as the pilots had differing altitudes in the seconds before the crash, the NTSB said.
One helicopter pilot thought they were at 300 feet and the other thought they were at 200 feet. The NTSB is not prepared to say exactly how high the helicopter was at impact, the NTSB said.
“We are looking at the possibility of there may be bad data,” Homendy said.
The transmission from the tower that instructed the helicopter to go behind the plane may not have been heard by the crew because the pilot may have keyed her radio at the same second and stepped on the transmission from ATC, the NTSB added.
The Black Hawk crew was likely wearing night vision goggles throughout the flight, Homendy said.
The Black Hawk was conducting an annual training flight and night vision goggle check ride for one of the pilots at the time of the crash, Homendy said. This is a practical exam that a pilot must pass to be qualified to perform specific duties, she said.
On the evening of Jan. 29, the American Airlines regional jet was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk, sending both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River.
No one survived.
Sixty-four people were on board the plane, which departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were on the helicopter.
At the news conference, Homendy commended Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for taking immediate action to restrict helicopter traffic around Reagan airport in the wake of the crash. It’s “too early to say” whether that restriction should be permanent, she said.
Homendy also stressed the safety of U.S. air travel.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that would strip schools of federal aid if they mandate COVID vaccines, a pool report said — a largely symbolic move considering that no states currently require them.
The order applies to students and not to teachers or staff.
In a fact sheet provided to reporters, the White House said the order was necessary because COVID vaccine mandates were “threatening educational opportunities for students.”
“Parents are being forced into a difficult position: comply with a controversial mandate or risk their child’s educational future,” the White House wrote.
Some states and cities had proposed COVID vaccine mandates after the pandemic, including California, but quickly dropped them due to pushback from parents.
Trump’s directive also calls on Health an Humans Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the incoming Education secretary to “provide a plan to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates” and report back on the compliance of schools.
One open question is whether the new administration could opt to go beyond COVID vaccines and put pressure on schools to drop requirements for other vaccines.
Currently, all 50 states mandate that students receive certain vaccinations, including to prevent the measles. Many states, however, offer religious exemptions.
Trump campaigned on ending all vaccine and mask mandates.
“I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate,” Trump declared last August.
According to a White House fact sheet, the order also applies to education service agencies, state education agencies, and local education agencies.
(LOS ANGELES) — A 23-year-old college student was found murdered at her off-campus apartment in a “senseless and violent act,” authorities said, who are now seeking to identify a person of interest in the homicide.
Menghan Zhuang, who also went by Emily King, was discovered unresponsive by her roommate at their Santa Clarita apartment the evening of Feb. 4, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Her roommate called 911 and first responders found Zhuang suffering from multiple injuries to her upper body, according to Lt. Michael Modica, who did not disclose the nature of her injuries amid the investigation. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities are now seeking the public’s help in identifying a person of interest in the case. Investigators learned that Zhuang had a “male companion” at her apartment the night of Feb. 3 who was then captured on video exiting from her second-story bedroom window the following afternoon, on the day she was discovered deceased, Modica said.
“It is clear this was not a random act of violence and Zhuang somehow knew the person of interest, evident by bringing that person into her apartment,” Modica said during a press briefing Thursday.
The sheriff’s department released photos of the suspect from the video of him leaving the apartment at the Vistas condominium complex in Newhall. He was described as a man in his 20s, wearing a black shirt and black pants, who appears to be of Asian descent, authorities said.
Modica stressed that Zhuang’s roommate is not a suspect in the homicide.
“I want to make it clear that her roommate is helping us in this case,” he said.
Zhuang was a senior undergraduate at the California Institute of the Arts, studying art, the school said.
“Our community is devastated by this loss, and our heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends, classmates and teachers,” CalArts said in a statement on Friday.
CalArts is cooperating in the investigation and “were instrumental” in getting investigators in contact with the family of Zhuang, a Chinese national, Modica said.
Her family has requested privacy at this time, said CalArts, which is working with her family to plan an event in honor of Zhuang and to share her art.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a $20,000 reward for information in the case during its Feb. 18 meeting, which would retroactively go into effect on Feb. 13, Modica said.
“We hope people will have the courage to come forward and help investigators identify the individual responsible for this senseless and violent act and help bring justice and a sense of closure to the family,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department at 323-890-5500 or Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
ABC News’ Jennifer Watts and Alex Stone contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in Manhattan on Friday will consider whether to continue blocking Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment systems as part of the Trump’s administration’s efforts to cut federal spending.
The attorneys general of 19 states have argued that allowing Musk’s associates to access the payment system would be a “huge cybersecurity risk” and potentially allow the Trump administration to unlawfully “block federal funds from reaching beneficiaries who do not align with the President’s political agenda.”
“All of the States’ residents whose [personal identifiable information] and sensitive financial information is stored in the payment files that reside within the payment systems are at risk of having that information compromised and used against them,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit comes as Musk’s cost-cutting troops have gained access to at least 16 federal agencies, with Trump recently signing an executive order giving DOGE additional authority to help carry out massive layoffs across the government as part of his campaign pledge to trim the federal bureaucracy.
The lawsuit — filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and 18 other state attorneys general — raised particular concern about unvetted DOGE employees accessing sensitive government records including social security numbers, bank information, and federal tax returns. According to the lawsuit, Musk being able to access the Bureau of Fiscal Services — which serves as the country’s checkbook by dispersing trillions in funding — could allow Musk to cut off government spending from the source.
In a court order last weekend, a federal judge in New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration from allowing individuals associated with DOGE to access the Treasury department records and payment systems.
“The Court’s firm assessment is that, for the reasons stated by the States, they will face irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief. That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking,” U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote, prompting a Mush to blast the judge and Vice President JD Vance to question the legality of the order.
While the Trump administration challenged the temporary order, U.S. District Judge Jeanette Vargas — a Biden-nominated judge who will hear the case going forward — reiterated that there was “sound factual basis” for the temporary restraining order when it was imposed late last week.
Judge Vargas will consider granting a preliminary injunction to block DOGE’s access to the systems at Friday’s hearing.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin have signed onto the lawsuit.
Brandon assists Janice with daily exercises, as well as helps her move around the house. ABC News
(CHICAGO) — Janice Will was diagnosed in 2012 with Parkinson’s, a condition that causes parts of the brain to deteriorate, causing tremors and balance problems.
“When she broke her femur and it was close to the artery…it could have been lights out,” Brandon Will, Janice’s son, said about his mother.
Brandon, who lives with his mother near Chicago, Illinois, soon realized his mom needed 24/7 access to care.
Since then, Janice, who is now 73, has seen the emotional, physical and financial strain of needing care and spoke to ABC News about often feeling like a burden to her son.
“He likes to tell me I’m not a burden, but I feel like a burden because he would have been on a career in New York…he sort of edited his dream to be different, by including me.”
Brandon, 42, reminds his mom that she is not weighing him down, telling her, “Parkinson’s is the burden. It’s one we share.”
“I think people get to these points where there is an illness or something that comes earlier than you’d expect. You realize how many systems aren’t in place,” Brandon told ABC News.
Janice and Brandon’s story mirrors the struggles many Americans are forced to reckon with when a loved one falls ill.
In the U.S., 48 million people have taken on the role of becoming a caregiver to a family member — with little to no financial help, according to Susan Reinhard, formerly the senior vice president of AARP’s Public Policy Institute and chief strategist for the organization.
“There are 48 million family caregivers who are unpaid. And if you did have to pay them, it would be $600 billion. I keep emphasizing the billion dollars because it’s quite amazing. It’s more than all out-of-pocket spending in the United States on health care,” Reinhard told ABC News.
Reinhard said that caregivers need support to avoid a financial crisis, saying the services many seek are provided through the state and federal program called Medicaid, but access and resources vary state by state.
And while help is out there, Brandon and his mom could only access the Medicaid benefits they needed in Illinois, moving from Michigan to be able to do so.
In Illinois, Brandon applied through Medicaid to get paid as a familial caregiver. However, he only gets paid for 19 hours a week, even though he provides around-the-clock care for his mom.
“I’ll hand her her clothes in the morning, help her pick out an outfit…just ‘cause she can’t, at this point, stand in front of the closet.”
His hourly rate is less than the state’s minimum wage.
Brandon and Janice are still researching and applying for as many benefits as they can to stay afloat. They are currently using the Meals on Wheels program in their area and are looking for a part-time caregiver so Brandon can focus on his career outside of care work.
However, he says the state and federal program is already stretched thin. “There’s like 20,000 people on the list in Illinois who are like us, who qualify for a home health aide. And they just aren’t available.”
In January, Brandon and Janice Will hosted an open mic, sharing stories through the viewpoints of those living with caregiving, disability, illness and aging.Now, Brandon Will has concerns following the Trump administration’s executive orders to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
“With these orders to kind of remove all the DEIA. This administration, they added the A to the end of it that was never there and it’s for accessibility,” Brandon told ABC News. Brandon said his and his mother’s fears spurred him to start the open mic reading series.
“I think anybody who is dealing with disability or aging or caregiving knows that like willpower only gets you so far. You know, like you need it. It’s crucial. But, you know, you can’t really get anywhere without a community,” Brandon said.
To caregivers — even minimal resources can be crucial while juggling two or more jobs. An AARP report highlighted that 60% of family caregivers are working jobs in addition to being caregivers; 40% are men, but, at 60%, it is mainly women taking on this role. And on top of having a job and doing care work, 30% of those caregivers take care of their own children, too.
People like Ty Lewis.
In an apartment complex just outside of Los Angeles, Lewis, 45, and her husband are caring for Ty’s mother, Gertrude Jordan.
Jordan, 80, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nearly 10 years ago, a disease 6.9 million Americans are living with. Lewis explained watching her mom’s slow progression throughout the years has been hard. “As a woman, it kind of shakes you. It does something to you because it’s just like … that’s your mom, the woman that gave birth to you.”
Lewis told ABC News her mom still receives a pension of $66,000 annually from her years of teaching –but it’s not enough. Her care each month costs more than $6,000.
“Last year was $90,000,” Lewis said about the annual cost of her mother’s care in 2023. “She only made $66,000. She doesn’t have it. Her savings are depleted. Currently, we are not getting any support because they keep saying my mom makes too much money. Just recently, my mom’s balance was $3.14.”
The financial strain cuts deep into both families. But it’s not just about the money. Each caregiver acknowledged the emotional and physical challenges they face daily — adding to the difficulties of the job.
“Caregiving has shifted things in me. Because it’s not really happening in everyone’s home or you don’t see it, people really don’t understand the magnitude of what’s coming,” Lewis told ABC News.
In December, Lewis went to Capitol Hill to advocate for the Older Americans Act (OAA), which targets older adults who are in greatest need by improving support for family caregivers and direct care workers and expands healthy aging programs. The Senate passed reauthorization for OAA in December and the bill is currently pending in the House.
Lewis also is pushing for care givers to be able to qualify for Medicaid. “I want it to look the same from state to state for every caregiver,” Lewis told ABC News.
AARP’s Reinhard warned Americans, saying, “If we do not help family caregivers, if they can no longer do what they’re doing, then we’re going to have a huge cost problem. There is definitely a care crisis in America right now.”
Taking each day in stride, Lewis hopes to spread awareness on the struggles caregivers face daily, documenting her journey with her mother by posting clips on social media.
“I want people to know that they can find joy in the journey. That’s my whole mission. And so, while it is hard, I want to show people that it’s hard, but it’s doable. It’s hard, but it’s beautiful.”
(LOS ANGELES) — One of the strongest storms of the season slammed fire-ravaged Los Angeles with heavy rain on Thursday, sending streams of mud and debris across roadways and sweeping a fire department vehicle off a Malibu road into the ocean, authorities said.
A member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was inside the vehicle when it was swept off the road by a large debris flow and into the ocean, according to the department.
“Fortunately, the member was able to exit his vehicle and reach safety with minor injuries. He was transported to a local hospital as a precaution,” spokesperson Erik Scott said.
In the Southern California city of San Juan Capistrano, two people were rescued early Friday after getting trapped in the fast-moving San Juan Creek, the Orange County Fire Authority said. They were holding onto trees and bushes to try to avoid getting swept away, the fire authority said.
“One of the victims, who had been dragged downstream by the swift current, jumped into the arms of the helicopter rescuer,” the fire authority said.
The atmospheric river dumped 6.34 inches of rain in Los Angeles County, prompting mudslides in the burn scar areas from last month’s devastating Palisades Fire, Los Angeles ABC station KABC reported.
Videos captured by KABC showed bulldozers pushing streams of muddy sludge out of the roads and firefighters trudging through nearly waist-deep swamps of water and mud.
The storm also brought a line of severe thunderstorms with 70 mph wind gusts to Los Angeles County, and a possible tornado hit a mobile home park near Oxnard, California, about 60 miles from LA.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the city prepared for the storm by clearing catch basins of fire debris, offering residents over 6,500 sandbags, setting up over 7,500 feet of concrete barriers, and having systems in place to capture polluted runoff.
Sheriff’s deputies helped residents prepare with sandbags and passed out mud and debris safety tips, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our homeless outreach teams … are actively notifying individuals living in flood-prone areas like the LA River, Coyote Creek and other key waterways, urging them to relocate.”
Evacuation warnings were announced for parts of fire burn zones, including areas impacted by the Palisades Fire, and an evacuation order was issued for parts of Sierra Madre affected by the Eaton Fire, according to KABC.
All Malibu schools were closed Thursday and Friday, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
The sheriff urged residents to prepare in the event they needed to evacuate.
“Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed numerous, numerous instances in the past of swift-water rescues where people were caught in dangerous, fast-moving water, and obviously, we want to prevent that,” he said.
“Nothing that you have back home is worth your life. If you decide to stay in your property in an evacuated area, debris from the burn scar areas and storm may impede roads, and we may not be able to reach you,” he warned.
Before pummeling LA, the storm first hit Northern California, bringing rain and flash flooding to the San Francisco Bay area.
Further north, the same storm system brought whiteout conditions and car crashes to Interstate 84 in Oregon.
