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Homeless Illegal Alien Charged in Charlotte Light Rail Stabbing After Two Prior Deportations
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Homeless Illegal Alien Charged in Charlotte Light Rail Stabbing After Two Prior Deportations

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A homeless illegal alien who had twice been deported from the United States was arrested after a stabbing on a Charlotte, North Carolina, light rail line.

The incident occurred while the city continues to deal with the recent murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed by a homeless man with a long criminal record.

According to a report from the New York Post, Oscar Solarzano was arrested on charges including first-degree attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury, breaking and entering, carrying a concealed weapon, and being intoxicated and disruptive.

He is being held without bond.

Police said Solarzano, 33, allegedly ran onto the Charlotte light rail on Friday evening and stabbed a man with a large knife.

Authorities said the Honduran illegal alien forced his way onto the train while intoxicated, started a fight with the victim, and then stabbed him, causing serious injuries.

ABC News reported that the victim was hospitalized at Novant Health Presbyterian Hospital in stable condition.

Court records list the victim’s address as a homeless shelter in Charlotte.

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin wrote on X that Solarzano had been deported from the United States twice before returning illegally.

“ICE lodged a detainer to ensure this criminal illegal is not released back into North Carolina neighborhoods. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the county will honor the detainer since they have a history of not cooperating with [ICE],” McLaughlin wrote.

McLaughlin stated that Solarzano was first deported by the Trump Administration, returned illegally in 2021, and was deported again.

“He entered the country illegally for a THIRD time at an unknown date and location,” she wrote.

DHS said Solarzano has an extensive criminal history in the United States, including arrests for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, destroying evidence, resisting arrest, using a false ID, and convictions for robbery and illegal re-entry.

The stabbing took place about four months after the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee killed in an unprovoked attack by a homeless man with a long record.

A GoFundMe page created by her family said she had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning,” and that “her life was cut short far too soon.”

Video from the scene shows the alleged attacker, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, stabbing Zarutska with a butcher knife after she sat down on a city bus. Brown, who has a lengthy criminal history, then left the bus as Zarutska bled to death.

Authorities said Brown had 14 criminal cases filed against him before the attack.

His record included a robbery with a deadly weapon conviction that resulted in a five-year prison sentence.

Brown was arrested at the scene and charged by North Carolina prosecutors with first-degree murder.

He is also facing a federal charge of causing death on a mass transportation system, which carries a possible life sentence or the death penalty.

In the aftermath of Zarutska’s murder, North Carolina lawmakers passed “Iryna’s Law,” which changed several of the city’s criminal justice policies, including measures related to cashless bail.

Dem Rep Grijalva Whines About the Consequences of Her Interfering with ICE Operations
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Dem Rep Grijalva Whines About the Consequences of Her Interfering with ICE Operations

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Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) appeared on MS Now on Saturday to describe what she said occurred during an encounter with ICE agents one day earlier.

Grijalva said she joined a group of protesters at a law enforcement operation on Friday, where she alleged she was shoved aside and pepper-sprayed after identifying herself as a member of Congress.

According to Grijalva, she approached agents to ask questions about the ongoing operation and was attempting to “understand what’s happening.”

She said the situation escalated when agents directed her to move away from the area.

Grijalva claimed one agent told her, “I don’t care who you are, you need to get out of the way.”

During her interview, hosted by Jen Psaki, Grijalva repeated her allegation that she and her staff were pushed and pepper-sprayed.

She then made a new claim, telling viewers that she was “shot at” during the encounter.

Psaki opened the segment by expressing concern for Grijalva and her staff.

“First of all, it’s great to see you. I’m happy to see that you’re okay. How are you? How are your staff doing?” Psaki asked.

Grijalva responded by describing the incident as “really scary, very jarring,” saying, “I mean, it’s one thing to hear about these things happening in communities. It’s another thing to have it happen directly to you.”

She added, “I really did go, you know, with the assumption that I’m just trying to understand what’s happening. And so I went up, I introduced myself, I let them know who I was. One agent said, ‘I don’t care who you are, you need to get out of the way.’”

Grijalva continued, “We were pushed. We were shot at. And it’s really scary. It was very frightening and very jarring.”

Federal officials disputed her description of events.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin publicly challenged the accuracy of Grijalva’s statements after the congresswoman claimed she had been attacked by ICE personnel.

Video of the incident shows that nonlethal projectiles were used during the operation.

The footage does not show Grijalva being pepper-sprayed in the face.

Instead, the recording indicates she approached agents, refused commands to move back, and remained close to the line of officers.

A pepper ball was fired at the ground near her while she continued advancing toward agents.

The video also shows the crowd shouting and moving toward ICE personnel as officers attempted to clear the area.

Grijalva was among those in close proximity to agents at the time the nonlethal round impacted the ground.

ICE agents had been carrying out an enforcement action when protesters gathered around the scene.

The agency uses pepper ball launchers as a crowd-management tool, and officials said the device deployed in this instance was not directed at Grijalva but toward the ground to create distance between officers and demonstrators.

Austrian Climber Charged After Girlfriend Freezes Near Summit in Deadly Ascent
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Austrian Climber Charged After Girlfriend Freezes Near Summit in Deadly Ascent

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Kerstin Gutner, 33, has been identified as the woman who died near the summit of Grossglockner mountain in Austria on Jan. 19 during a night ascent with her boyfriend, experienced mountaineer Thomas Plamberger.

Gutner died less than 150 feet from the summit after the pair attempted the climb in winter conditions that reached -4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to reports.

Gutner, a Salzburg native, had described herself on social media as a “winter child” and a “mountain person.”

Authorities said she was an inexperienced climber compared to Plamberger, 39, who had planned the high-altitude excursion.

Prosecutors in Innsbruck announced negligent homicide charges against Plamberger, outlining a series of decisions they say contributed to Gutner’s death during the overnight climb that spanned more than 12,000 feet.

“At approximately 2:00 a.m., the defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 meters below the summit cross of the Grossglockner. The woman froze to death. Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

According to prosecutors and local reporting from Heute, the pair were stranded beginning at 8:50 p.m. but Plamberger did not make an emergency call when a police helicopter passed nearby at 10:50 p.m.

Webcam images later showed the couple’s camp near the peak where Gutner was eventually found dead.

Authorities said Plamberger contacted Alpine Police officers at 1:35 a.m. before placing his phone on silent.

Prosecutors allege that approximately half an hour later he left Gutner on the mountain and did not cover her with available emergency blankets.

A trail camera captured him descending the route alone at 2:30 a.m., with Gutner still near the summit area.

At 3:30 a.m., he reached out to emergency services again, according to the report.

Plamberger’s attorney, Kurt Jelinek, said his client maintains his innocence, calling the events “a tragic, fateful accident,” according to The Daily Mail’s reporting on the case.

Tributes were posted on a memorial page for Gutner.

“Rest in heavenly peace,” one commenter wrote.

Another message read, “Behind the tears of grief lies the smile of remembrance.”

A third tribute said, “Deeply saddened to learn of this death, I wish to express my condolences. Impossible to find the right words.”

Authorities confirmed that Plamberger was formally charged on Thursday.

His trial is expected to begin in February.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

JD Vance Drops the Mic on Student During Turning Point Immigration Debate
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JD Vance Drops the Mic on Student During Turning Point Immigration Debate

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Vice President J.D. Vance outlined his view that the United States must set immigration levels based on current national needs rather than on past practices or historical sentiment.

Speaking during a public exchange, Vance said he believes the country can both respect immigrants who entered legally and contributed to the nation while still reducing future immigration levels to protect the interests of American citizens.

“Okay, so again, I’m gonna finish answering the question, and then if you know, if I’ve answered all nine of your questions in less than 15 minutes, then we can keep on going. We got to have a little fun, right?” Vance said as he opened his remarks.

He then explained that honoring prior lawful immigration does not obligate the country to accept unlimited numbers going forward.

“So here, here’s, here’s the thing. I can believe that the United States should, should lower its levels of immigration in the future, while also respecting that there are people who have come here through immigration, Pat lawful immigration pathways that have contributed to the country,” he said.

Vance argued that contributions from past immigrants cannot serve as a mandate for future admissions on a massive scale.

“But just because one person or 10 people or 100 people came in legally and contributed to the United States of America, does that mean that we’re thereby committed to let in a million or 10 million or 100 million people a year in the future? No, that’s not right,” he said.

He stressed that immigration policy must be flexible and updated to reflect present-day realities rather than bound to what may have worked decades ago.

“We cannot have I’ll go and finish. We cannot have an immigration policy where what was good for the country 50 or 60 years ago binds the country inevitably for the future,” Vance said.

Vance added that global demand to enter the United States far exceeds what the country can reasonably accept.

“There’s too many people who want to come to the United States of America,” he said.

He concluded by highlighting his constitutional responsibility: “And my job as vice president is not to look out for the interest of the whole world. It’s to look out for the people of the United States now.”

WATCH:

‘Open Cover Up’: Biden’s FBI Was Not Incompetent, They Were ‘Competent at Corruption’
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‘Open Cover Up’: Biden’s FBI Was Not Incompetent, They Were ‘Competent at Corruption’

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Mike Benz delivered a detailed allegation that the FBI’s handling of the January 6 pipe bomb investigation amounted not to bureaucratic failure but to an intentional obstruction of justice.

Benz said early public reactions framing the matter as incompetence under the Biden-Harris administration misrepresent what he believes occurred.

“The point I’m getting at is what little I checked in on Twitter today. I was frustrated that one of the early evolving narratives here is FBI incompetence under the Biden administration. There’s no f**king way it’s incompetence. It was an open cover up,” he said.

Benz argued that “They gave us fake, doctored footage, and they hid the evidence, and they pulled people off the case. That is not incompetence. That was competence at corruption.”

Benz said the actions he described meet the definition of obstruction of justice.

“What you have here is a crime. You have federal law enforcement officers obstructing justice by destroying an investigation of criminal wrongdoing. We should not be talking about this as though the FBI was incompetent this whole time. We should be talking about this, like the FBI committed a f**king crime of obstructing justice,” he said.

According to Benz, accountability should come through prosecution: “The FBI agents who are a part of this should not be disciplined for incompetence. They should be prosecuted for obstruction.”

Benz also discussed the reported role of Dan Bongino, saying, “Dan Bongino, who took lead on this, as it’s reported, is the f **king man for cracking this and won’t go over the way to the evidence.”

He argued that the contrast lies not between competence and incompetence but between investigation and cover-up.

“The mirror here is not Kash and Dan’s competence to Biden’s incompetence. It’s Kash and Dan’s competence. Biden’s corruption and obstruction and cover up,” he said.

Benz rejected the idea that differences in FBI performance reflected improvements or regressions under shifting administrations.

“I don’t like this emerging dichotomy of this FBI is so much more competent than the last one. No, no, no, no, no, no. They were competent at very different things. Our FBI was competent at cracking the case. Theirs was competent at corrupting it and obstructing it, to kill it and cover it up. One is law enforcement, the other one is law breaking.”

A central element of Benz’s argument involved chain-of-custody questions surrounding security camera footage from the DNC.

He said the relevant evidence must exist in federal records.

“What was the name of the FBI agent, or agents who physically seized the security cameras from the DNC building the day of the incident,” he asked.

Benz said proper documentation is required: “Those names will be in a file chain of custody with the evidence mandatory under law.”

He raised a series of questions about what federal officers did with the material, whether it went to forensic analysis, whether it was stored, and whether any third-party contractors handled digital processing.

Benz also questioned whether the DNC retained copies and said lawmakers should obtain them.

“Subpoena the DNC for their copies of the footage and cross match it against what the FBI showed us, and get the chain of custody and interrogate every single officer who touched it along those links,” he said.

Benz tied these concerns to the handling of cell phone data.

He noted that investigators in other cases used cell phone pings to identify suspects, but that officials said the January 6 pipe bomb investigation was hindered because “the cell data was corrupted.” He said the explanation unraveled once Republicans gained control of the House.

Benz said, “Finally, the cell carriers, late in the game, like 2024 got back to the Republican controlled House of Representatives. It said, actually, the FBI is either lying or something happened to the tapes after we gave it to them, because when we gave the data to the FBI, it wasn’t corrupted.”

He said this raised two possibilities: “Either the FBI deliberately corrupted the cell data or accidentally did so.”

Benz pressed further on identifying individuals involved.

“What was the name of the FBI agent coordinating with the cell phone carrier? Carriers for the cell phone data. What was his or her name?” he asked.

Benz said the names of agents who handled subpoenas, received data, and maintained records should be retrievable.

He said gaps in those records would themselves suggest violations. “If there’s not a hard record, there’s a violation of federal records law,” he said.

He concluded by outlining the potential criminal exposure he believes may exist.

“You’ve got a crime there. You got a crime of perjury, or a crime of obstruction or crime of tampering with evidence, or a crime of failure to adhere to Bell records laws,” Benz said.

He argued that matching evidence, identifying agents, and pinpointing when data or footage changed could show “who sabotaged this, to cover this up, to protect the narrative that this was some white supremacist MAGA supporter.”

WATCH:

‘Bullsh*t’: Musk Blasts EU After 0 Million Fine, Trump Officials Rally Behind Him
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‘Bullsh*t’: Musk Blasts EU After $140 Million Fine, Trump Officials Rally Behind Him

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Elon Musk and multiple Trump administration officials sharply criticized the European Union after the European Commission announced a $140 million fine against X on Friday.

The commission said the penalty was issued for “non-compliance with transparency obligations” under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Musk responded throughout the weekend on the platform, calling the action an attack on sovereignty and free speech.

“The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday.

He added the hashtag “AbolishTheEU.”

The European Commission said the fine stemmed from what it described as “deceptive” design of the platform’s blue checkmark system, a “lack of transparency of its advertising repository,” and X’s “failure to provide access to public data for researchers.”

The commission’s announcement was posted directly on X.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reacted to the fine by calling it an “abomination” and urged President Donald Trump to impose sanctions “until this travesty is reversed.”

Musk replied that “The ‘EU’ imposed this crazy fine not just on X, but also on me personally, which is even more insane!”

He added, “Therefore, it would seem appropriate to apply our response not just to the EU, but also to the individuals who took this action against me.”

In another post, he called the penalty “bullsh*t.”

Musk also wrote, “I love Europe, but not the bureaucratic monster that is the EU.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the fine “isn’t just an attack on X, it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.”

Before the fine was issued, Vice President JD Vance said, “The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage.”

The DSA, adopted in 2022, was designed to regulate online platforms, restrict illegal or harmful content, and address the spread of disinformation.

Its enforcement has drawn criticism from the Trump administration as U.S. officials have emphasized global free speech protections and argued that the law imposes burdens on American companies.

At a Friday briefing, Thomas Reigner, spokesperson for Tech Sovereignty, Defense, Space and Research at the commission, rejected the suggestion that the fine was connected to content regulation.

“Today’s decision has nothing to do with content moderation,” Reigner said.

“It’s about transparency provisions for citizens here in the European Union.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed concerns raised by other U.S. officials.

“The Digital Services Act is designed to stifle free speech and American tech companies,” Lutnick wrote on X.

“We have made our position clear to our counterparts in Europe.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., added, “Foreign bureaucrats have zero right to tell Americans what they can and can’t say.”

Federal Communication Commission Chair Brendan Carr criticized the commission’s decision as well.

“Once again, Europe is fining a successful U.S. tech company for being a successful U.S. tech company,” Carr said.

“Europe is taxing Americans to subsidize a continent held back by Europe’s own suffocating regulations.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also weighed in, saying, “America is done looking the other way while foreign governments seek to censor our people and bully our companies.”

The European Commission elaborated on its position in a press release, stating, “X’s use of the ‘blue checkmark’ for ‘verified accounts’ deceives users. On X, anyone can pay to obtain the ‘verified’ status without the company meaningfully verifying who is behind the account, making it difficult for users to judge the authenticity of accounts and content they engage with. This deception exposes users to scams, including impersonation frauds, as well as other forms of manipulation by malicious actors.”

The commission also said, “X’s advertisement repository fails to meet the transparency and accessibility requirements of the DSA. Accessible and searchable ad repositories are critical for researchers and civil society to detect scams, hybrid threat campaigns, coordinated information operations and fake advertisements.”

GOP Challenger Addresses Walz’s ‘Elephant in the Room’ in Massive Minnesota Fraud Scandal
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GOP Challenger Addresses Walz’s ‘Elephant in the Room’ in Massive Minnesota Fraud Scandal

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Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen spoke to Fox News Digital as Minneapolis confronts what prosecutors have called the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.

The controversy centers on allegations that the nonprofit Feeding Our Future and its associates defrauded federal child-nutrition programs of hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID-19 aid.

Jensen said he believes Gov. Tim Walz is directly responsible for the failures that allowed the scheme to grow and suggested that a “cover up” that is “worse than Watergate” may be involved.

Jensen said the size of the scandal in Minneapolis raises questions about Walz’s leadership.

“In Minnesota, I don’t think that there’s any way to cut it other than to say the buck has to stop somewhere,” he told Fox News Digital.

“And it’s always been that the buck stops at the governor’s desk. Arguably, the governor is the CEO of the state of Minnesota and the business of the government. And Tim Walz has been derelict in doing his duties, and he’s absolutely corrupted common sense.”

Jensen pointed to what he described as a timeline that contradicts Walz’s account of when the state identified concerns surrounding Feeding Our Future.

He said the Minnesota Department of Education knew there were problems in 2020 but did not refer the matter to the FBI until 2021.

“And yet they’ve made claims that as soon as they learned about it, they got the FBI involved,” Jensen said.

“That’s not true. Their timeline’s a year off.”

According to Jensen, the delay reflects a broader pattern of deflection by the governor’s office.

“At the end of the day, he’s demonstrated a very skilled approach to deflecting, so that he’s not being honest,” he said.

He cited moments following the first indictments in 2022 when Walz pointed to district court judge John Guthman as the reason the state continued payments linked to the program.

Guthman later issued what outlets described as a “rare public rebuke” and said Walz had made “inaccurate statements.”

Jensen said the governor then shifted blame again.

“When Judge Guthman did that, then you saw Tim Walz and Keith Ellison try for someone else they could blame it on,” he told Fox News Digital.

“So they blamed it on the FBI and said, ‘Well, the FBI told us we had to keep paying because we’re not supposed to interfere with their investigation.’ And the FBI said, ‘We didn’t make you continue fraudulent payments to the Feeding Our Future agency.’”

Jensen said the “elephant in the room” is whether new information will emerge about the extent of the “cover up.”

He said the possibility of “something more nefarious” has raised further concerns.

“Is there literally sequestration of funds that at some point in time could be paid back to people when things have calmed down? Is there some pay-to-play scheme that we haven’t yet been informed about?” he said.

He added that such questions could lead to discussions about “a need for criminal prosecution to take place of some Minnesota elected officials.”

Federal investigations around the scandal have widened. The Small Business Administration announced it is investigating a network of Somali groups in Minnesota that it says are tied to the fraud case.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has said that “because of Governor Walz’s negligence, criminals — including Somali terrorists — stole nearly $1 billion from the program while children suffered.” He is leading a probe into Walz’s role in the Feeding Our Future case.

President Donald Trump recently announced new actions targeting fraud schemes in Minnesota.

He called the state a “hub of money laundering activity” and said this was a factor in his decision to end deportation protections for hundreds of Somali migrants.

Senior administration officials said new investigations include a Treasury Department probe into allegations that taxpayer money was diverted to al-Shabaab, according to Secretary Scott Bessent.

Jensen said the evolving investigation has raised comparisons.

“With where it’s gone from the beginning to now, recognizing that there’s been an interest in covering this up, for many people it has some of the haunting reminders of Watergate,” he said.

“And yet, in this way, this time, it could even be worse, because it’s possible that there’s something far more nefarious than simply covering something up. It could be a pay to play scheme that involves elected officials.”

Fox News Digital asked Jensen about Walz’s legacy after two terms in office.

“Tim Walz’ legacy right now would be fraud at an unprecedented level, and I think from his policies, I think people would say he seemed to worship the ground that AOC and Bernie Sanders walked on,” Jensen said.

“He went from someone who many people who knew him earlier in life thought of as a moderate person to a person who was literally living on the five-yard line of the hard left part of the Democratic field.”

WATCH:

Trump Lauded by FIFA for “Uniting People” as World Cup Preparations Advance
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Trump Lauded by FIFA for “Uniting People” as World Cup Preparations Advance

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FIFA awarded President Donald Trump a newly established peace prize during the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, D.C., marking the first time the international soccer organization has issued such an honor.

The event took place at the Kennedy Center, where FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented the award, titled the “FIFA Peace Prize: Football Unites the World.”

Infantino addressed Trump directly while presenting the honor.

“You can always count, Mr President, on my support and the entire football community … to help you make peace … all over the world,” he said.

The prize was announced in early November, shortly after Trump was not selected for the Nobel Peace Prize.

This year’s Nobel went to Venezuelan democracy advocate Maria Corina Machado.

Prior to that decision, Infantino had suggested on Instagram that Trump was deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize following the Israel-Gaza ceasefire agreement.

FIFA did not release information regarding how the new award was created, who was considered for it, or what criteria guided the selection.

According to officials within the organization, the matter was not brought before the FIFA Council, which typically evaluates significant proposals or reforms within FIFA’s structure.

Infantino described the purpose of the prize as recognizing “individuals who unite people” and “bring hope for future generations.”

His public support for Trump has become more visible as preparations continue for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Trump has also spoken positively about the FIFA president, referring to Infantino as “a great leader in sports and a great gentleman.”

The announcement drew attention beyond the sports world.

Human Rights Watch sent a letter to FIFA asking for clarification on the creation of the award.

The organization asked what formal criteria would be used to evaluate future nominees and who would serve as decision-makers in selecting recipients, according to reporting from the Independent.

Supreme Court to Review Landmark Case on Citizenship for Children of Illegal Aliens
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Supreme Court to Review Landmark Case on Citizenship for Children of Illegal Aliens

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The Supreme Court announced Friday that it will hear arguments on President Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens born in the United States.

The Court agreed to review a Justice Department appeal after lower courts blocked the directive earlier this year.

Trump issued the executive order in January, directing federal agencies to halt “the awarding of birthright citizenship to the children of illegal migrants.”

The order instructed federal agencies not to recognize citizenship for children born on U.S. soil if neither parent is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident.

According to the Guardian, the Supreme Court said it “would take up a justice department appeal of a lower court’s ruling that blocked Trump’s executive order.”

The Court’s announcement noted that it would consider the appeal related to the class-action case challenging the policy.

The lower court ruling held that the order violated the 14th Amendment and an existing federal statute that codifies birthright citizenship.

The injunction was issued on behalf of parents and children whose citizenship status would be affected by the executive order.

In July Judge Joseph LaPlante of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, appointed by former President George W. Bush, granted a classwide preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the order.

The report stated that the lawsuit was “linked to George and Alex Soros’s Open Society Foundations.”

The Heir: Inside the (Not So) Secret Network of Alex Soros

In a separate case, Judge Leo Sorokin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled that an earlier nationwide injunction against the executive order would remain in place.

The Center for Immigration Studies released analyses in 2019 estimating that 39,000 births each year occur to foreign nationals on long-term temporary visas, including foreign students and guest workers.

CIS also estimated an additional 33,000 births annually to tourists and nearly 300,000 births each year to illegal immigrants.

Breitbart News reported that approximately 400,000 “anchor babies” were born in 2024 to illegal aliens, tourists, and foreign visa holders.

The report noted that these births were counted across multiple immigration categories, contributing to ongoing national debate over the interpretation of birthright citizenship.

PBS reported in an update that “The case will be argued in the spring,” and that the Supreme Court is expected to issue a “definitive ruling” by early summer 2026.

The upcoming arguments will mark one of the most significant legal tests of the administration’s authority to redefine federal policy on citizenship.

The Court will determine whether the executive order can move forward or whether existing constitutional and statutory interpretations governing birthright citizenship will stand.

CDC Panel Votes to End Mandatory Hepatitis B Shots for Newborns After Risks Reevaluated
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CDC Panel Votes to End Mandatory Hepatitis B Shots for Newborns After Risks Reevaluated

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8–3 on Friday to end the longstanding practice of administering hepatitis B vaccines to newborns in the United States.

The recommendation would reverse a policy in place since 1991, under which infants receive three doses beginning at birth, followed by shots between 1 and 3 months and again between 6 and 15 months.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can lead to serious liver damage.

It can be transmitted from mother to child during delivery.

Federal health data shows that all expectant mothers are screened for hepatitis B upon admission for childbirth.

The National Institutes of Health reports that the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B among pregnant women in the United States is between 0.7% and 0.9%, which amounts to approximately 17,000 cases each year out of roughly 3.7 million annual births.

Department of Health and Human Services guidelines outline when additional testing or caution is required during delivery, including cases where women were not previously tested, have a recent history of injection drug use, have had multiple recent sexual partners, have a hepatitis B–positive sexual partner, have had recent evaluations for sexually transmitted diseases, or show clinical signs of hepatitis.

Supporters of ending universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth said infants can receive the vaccine immediately if the mother tests positive at delivery.

Opponents of the change stated their concerns during the meeting. Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the only current member who has served on ACIP in previous years, said, “Do no harm is a moral imperative. We are doing harm by changing this wording.”

Committee members debated multiple issues connected to the recommendation, including concerns raised about the total number of vaccines children receive in their first months of life.

By 18 months of age, a child may receive 26 vaccine doses under current schedules, not including influenza or COVID vaccinations.

Other members discussed earlier efforts to reduce hepatitis B transmission by vaccinating all newborns, an approach similar to current strategies for human papillomavirus vaccination.

The committee noted that the original risk-based approach used in the 1980s for hepatitis B had limited success.

Questions were also raised regarding vaccine costs.

Public pricing varies, with CDC contracts for programs such as Vaccines for Children estimating prices between $13 and $25 per dose.

Private-sector prices typically range between $40 and $110 per dose without insurance.

Averaging these figures places an estimated cost at around $30 per dose.

Under the three-dose infant schedule, the estimated cost of vaccinating the approximately 17,000 infants at risk for hepatitis B transmission would total about $1.5 million, whereas vaccinating all 3.7 million newborns would exceed $333 million annually.

The meeting also included discussion on how mandatory vaccination policies are evaluated within the public health system and how safety concerns are addressed.

Some panelists objected to how critics of the previous policy were characterized during the debate.

With the vote concluded, the committee’s recommendation will now be sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for final review and action.


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