Trump administration issues directive requiring green card applicants to apply outside the US
The U.S. Department Of Homeland Security logo is displayed at a Citizenship and Immigration Services office on January 16, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Friday issued a sweeping policy directive requiring most temporary visa holders and humanitarian parolees living in the U.S. to return to their home countries to apply for and complete their green card applications.
“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson Zach Kahler said in a statement. “From now on, an alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Flowers and candles are seen outside the mosque as hundreds of community members gather at Lindbergh Park beside the Islamic Center of San Diego during a vigil following the deadly mosque shooting, in San Diego, California, United States, on May 19, 2026. (Photo by Michael Ho Wai Lee/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(SAN DIEGO) –The family of Caleb Vasquez, one of the teenage suspects involved in the deadly Monday shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, has released a statement saying they are “deeply sorry for the pain and devastation caused” and that their son’s alleged actions “do not reflect the values we raised our family with or the beliefs we hold in our hearts.”
Three people were murdered before the two suspects, aged 17 and 18, took their own lives and were found dead in a vehicle nearby, officials said
“Over the last several days, our family has been trying to process the horrific actions carried out by our son against the Islamic Center San Diego Community,” read a statement released on Thursday from Colin Rudolph, the attorney for the Vazquez family, and obtained by ABC News’ San Diego affiliate KGTV. “We want to begin by acknowledging that nothing we say or do could ever repair the damage his actions have caused. We are completely heartbroken and devastated by what has happened. We condemn these hateful and violent actions entirely.”
“As much as we mourn the child we raised and love, we mourn even more deeply for the innocent lives of Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad,” the statement continued. “We honor and thank them for their heroic actions that day, which prevented the loss of even more innocent lives. Our hearts and prayers are with each of their families during this unimaginably tragic time.”
Abdullah, who was a security guard, Kaziha and Awad were killed in the shooting on Monday, authorities said, with investigators saying they are currently considering the incident as a hate crime.
Abdullah has been hailed as a hero for stymying the suspects, who were just 15 feet from 140 children. Kaziha, a community elder, was the first person to call 911 and Awad rushed from across the street where he lives to help when he heard the shooting, community members and advocates said.
The two suspects, aged 17 and 18, were found dead in a vehicle nearby, police said. Authorities are investigating two teenagers, Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez, as the suspected attackers in the shooting.
Investigators are examining a lengthy document circulating online that is comprised of two hate-filled essays totaling 75 pages allegedly written by the suspected shooters, sources told ABC News.
Both essays promote white nationalism and express a hatred for immigrants, racial minorities and others, as well as anger toward women who prefer taller men, according to sources. Vazquez allegedly writes he is an “accelerationist” in his essay, echoing nihilistic rhetoric, sources said.
It’s unclear when the essays were actually written — a section intended to identify the “targets” is left blank, sources said.
Police are investigating how the suspects obtained firearms in the shooting, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said Tuesday. The guns belonged to the parents of one of the suspects, he said, but did not confirm if the guns were safely locked up or stored.
During searches of two residences associated with the suspects, authorities seized “numerous pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, tactical gear, as well as electronics,” Mark Remily, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office, said.
An ABC News graphic shows the forecast on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — As deadly flooding hits the South, the Midwest is bracing for a severe weather outbreak on Wednesday, which may include intense tornadoes, destructive winds and very large hail.
Deadly flash flood threat continues in the South A woman in Bandera County, northwest of San Antonio, Texas, called 911 on Monday morning, saying her car was being swept away into a creek by floodwaters, the county’s sheriff’s office said on social media.
Within moments, the call dropped, the office said, and hours later the woman was found dead in the vehicle “several miles downstream” of its initial entry point, the sheriff’s office said. The woman was not immediately identified.
In San Antonio, Houston and Waco there were stalled vehicles due to high waters on roads. In Shreveport, Louisiana, there were water rescues and water entering buildings.
In St. Martin, Mississippi, ramps to I-10 and I-110 were closed due to high waters. South of there, at Kessler Air Force Base, several roads became impassible.
More than 17 million Americans remain on Tuesday under a flood watch from Texas to Mississippi.
Heavy rainfall may lead to localized significant flash flooding from Corpus Christi to Houston to Lafayette and Alexandria, Louisiana, and McComb, Mississippi. A level 3 of 4 threat for flash flooding is in place there.
The greatest risk is likely along a frontal boundary laid over central Louisiana and into southeast Mississippi — rainfall may be heavy for a few hours in this area on Tuesday and could lead to significant flooding.
Rains closer to the coast are going to be more difficult to sustain but there is certainly enough ingredients there that if they get going, localized instances of significant flash flooding are possible.
Tomorrow, the level 3 of 4 flood threat is for Houston, Beaumont, Lake Charles, and Lafayette.
On Thursday, the level 3 of 4 flood threat moves to Baton Rouge through Jackson, MS, Montgomery, AL and Birmingham, AL.
This heavier rain for Wednesday and Thursday will come from a developing tropical low over the western Gulf.
The National Hurricane Center gives it a 60% chance of formation into a tropical storm later on Tuesday or on Wednesday. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Arthur, the first of the season.
Severe weather outbreak in the Midwest on Wednesday
About 40 million Americans are in the storm zone where a severe weather outbreak is expected on Wednesday
The greatest likelihood for a destructive outbreak is in Illinois and Indiana, and possible for parts of Missouri, Iowa and Ohio, too.
A level 4 of 5 moderate risk for destructive storms is in place for central Illinois and northern Indiana on Wednesday. This includes Springfield, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign and Bloomington, Illinois, along with Rensselaer, Indiana.
Large and long-lived tornadoes are possible, along with destructive wind gusts up to 80 mph, and hail up to the size of baseballs.
The level 3 of 4 risk includes Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Fort Wayne.
Former NBA player Damon Jones departs after his arraignment hearing at U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on November 24, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges he tipped off sports bettors about an injured LeBron James and used his own celebrity to lure high rollers to rigged poker games.
Jones, 49, is the first defendant in either case to plead guilty following the arrests of nearly three dozen people at the start of the pro basketball season.
Jones, who wore a black suit and black shirt, entered his guilty pleas during back-to-back hearings Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” Jones said during the hearing before Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
