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Trump energy czar says Iran conflict gas spike is ‘temporary blip’ as drilling push ramps up

Burgum noted that ‘consumers need to understand that it is not just federal action, but it’s state and local action that’s often driving up the cost’

By Peter Pinedo
Fox News

Published March 24, 2026 2:46pm EDT

Trump energy czar, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is confident U.S. energy will continue its record comeback despite the ongoing conflict in Iran.

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EXCLUSIVE: Despite the ongoing conflict in Iran, President Donald Trump’s “energy czar,” Doug Burgum, is confident the “temporary blip up” in gas and energy prices facing Americans will come back down very soon as the president’s “drill baby drill” agenda takes effect.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Burgum, who leads the Interior Department and chair of Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, said: “It’s all about supply.”

“You want prices to go down? Supply has got to go up,” he said. To this end, he said his agency approved a record 6,000-plus drilling permits on U.S. soil, reversing the Biden administration’s trend of increased regulation that he said had stunted the country’s energy independence.

“We have a temporary blip up now because of the conflict in the Middle East, but as you heard the news earlier this morning, energy prices dropped a lot today, and stock markets [are] up and energy prices down; those are all positive things for working Americans to have those two things happening simultaneously,” he said.

TRUMP’S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE

Despite criticism of the president’s actions on the global stage, Burgum said these moves, such as the military intervention in Venezuela and negotiations with leadership, are going to help reduce prices for Americans.

“What happened in Venezuela actually helps Americans a lot because now we’ve got Venezuelan oil flowing towards Gulf of America refineries in Louisiana and Texas,” he said.

Another major policy shift Burgum said he expects to make a big difference for Americans is the administration’s actions to “unleash Alaska.”

“The Biden administration had taken over 70 legal actions, executive orders from President Biden to regulatory actions, which were essentially sanctioning Alaska more than we sanctioned Iran during the last administration,” he explained.

Pressed on when Americans can expect to start seeing prices tick back down, Burgum said, “I think we started to see how they were happening and they happened quite effectively over the first year of the Trump administration.” He also pointed out that prices “vary a lot” depending on which state you live in and the extent of regulation and taxes placed on oil and gas production.

“Consumers need to understand that it is not just federal action, but it’s state and local action that’s often driving up the cost of your energy,” he said.”It’s not quite as simple as red state versus blue state. But if you take a look at gas prices before the war, red states were among all the lowest states in the country, blue states were among the highest in terms of that. And it was a reflection of the policies of those state legislatures and those governors that were driving energy prices up.”

US AND IRAN SEND CONFLICTING SIGNALS ON TALKS TO END THE WAR

As an example, he said that just a month ago, gas prices in Iowa were under $2 per gallon, while the price in California was $5.

“California imports 63 percent of its oil from foreign countries,” he explained, adding, “At the time of this breakout with Iran … California, by their own data, provided by the state of California, the number one country they were importing oil from in California was from Iraq.”

“They always brag about, ‘Oh, if we were a country, we’d have one of the world’s largest economies.’ And if they were a county, they would have designed for themselves one of the most energy-dependent and energy-expensive economies,” he said of California.

“They’re not saving the planet by using foreign oil in California when you could have been getting clean, reliable, affordable energy, say from the Permian Basin in Texas or New Mexico,” he continued. “When you think you’re saving the planet by blocking U.S. infrastructure, you artificially raise the prices.”

To push back on this, Burgum said that, authorized by Trump’s energy emergency declaration, Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently ordered California to reopen its Santa Ynez pipeline system to resume pumping domestic offshore oil. The order is being challenged by California in court; however, oil has already begun being pumped.

IRAN CHOKES STRAIT OF HORMUZ WITH REPORTED $2M TANKER TOLL, REGIME THREATENS GLOBAL OIL SUPPLY

He framed the administration’s “energy abundance” agenda as a move back to reality after four years of “climate fantasy” under former President Joe Biden. This move, he said, stands in stark opposition to policies still being pursued in blue states like California.

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“We’re focused on energy reality, which is all Americans deserve and need to have reliable, affordable, and secure energy,” he said. “We’re fighting for every citizen in the country, regardless of what state regime they’re under. Because like I said, every American, no matter where you live, deserves to have affordable, reliable, and nationally secure energy.”

Fox News Digital reached out to spokespeople for Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6391539431112
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US safety agency says tracking system failed at LaGuardia during jet collision

By Reuters
March 24, 2026 7:07 PM UTC Updated 43 mins ago

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Item 1 of 2 Personnel of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inspect the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet that collided with a ground vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, U.S., March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

[1/2]Personnel of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inspect the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet that collided with a ground vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, U.S., March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton [Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab]

NEW YORK/MONTREAL March 24 (Reuters) – The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that a system which ​would have allowed a New York airport controller to ‌track movement of aircraft and vehicles did not alert during a Sunday night fatal collision between an Air Canada (AC.TO), opens new tab commercial jet and a ​truck that killed two pilots.

The NTSB, an independent safety ​agency, is leading the investigation into the collision of ⁠the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 jet with a firetruck ​at LaGuardia Airport, which injured dozens of passengers. The flight, operated ​by regional partner Jazz Aviation, had 72 passengers and four crew.

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“ASDE-X did not generate an alert due to the close proximity of vehicles merging ​and unmerging near the runway, resulting in the inability to ​create a track of high confidence,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters ‌in ⁠New York.

ASDE-X, or the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model XS is a surveillance system designed to help reduce runway incursions that allows air traffic controllers to track surface movement of aircraft ​and vehicles.

Homendy also ​said the ⁠truck, which was crossing a LaGuardia Airport runway to assist a separate plane, did not have ​a transponder, unlike trucks at other airports in ​the ⁠United States.

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She said it is unclear if any technology would have prevented the incident since it happened so fast.

Homendy added there ⁠were two ​controllers working in the glass-enclosed section ​of the airport’s traffic control tower.

Reporting By David Shepardson in New York and ​Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis

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Senate Republicans move to reopen DHS with new plan, wait for Democratic buy-in

Scott says he is a ‘no’ on the deal, calling the plan to fund ICE through budget reconciliation ‘a pipe dream.’

By Alex Miller
Fox News

Published March 24, 2026 1:53pm EDT

Senate Republicans have landed on a funding framework for Homeland Security that they hope will end the shutdown.

Now, they just need Senate Democrats to agree.

The framework, which was developed over the weekend and finalized early this week, would reopen and fund most of the agency, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

It follows the first face-to-face meetings between Republicans and Democrats during the shutdown, as well as a last-minute meeting at the White House on Monday after President Donald Trump demanded that the GOP combine DHS funding with his prized Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

CORNYN TARGETS LAWMAKERS’ AIRPORT FAST PASS AS TSA LINES GROW DURING DHS SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the framework would fund most of DHS, except for roughly $5.5 billion designated for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Senate Democrats previously tried to fund everything except for ICE, but were blocked by Republicans who desired to reopen the entirety of DHS.

It also includes initial compromises from the original bill, such as millions for body-worn cameras, but not the stricter reforms Senate Democrats had demanded.

“If you’re not going to have funding, I don’t know how all of a sudden you can demand reforms,” Thune said.

“A lot of the reforms are contingent on funding for ICE. And now, since the ERO office is not going to be funded through ICE, Democrats have basically given up on reforms,” he continued. “I never thought that was serious.”

DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS

Still, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats must agree to the framework before Republicans can move forward.

Schumer said on the Senate floor that Republicans would “hopefully now come back to the table and get serious about reaching a solution to pay” Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers quickly, after Trump’s demands nearly derailed progress made over the past several days.

“We await a written proposal that we will review, because right now the situation in our airports is untenable,” Schumer said.

Key Senate Republicans who were at the White House on Monday or have been involved in negotiations huddled in Thune’s office to discuss the framework. They said Republicans had sent the legislative text to Democrats for review.

“We’re ready to go,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said. “The Democrats need to join us now. We bent over backwards negotiating with them. We talked to the White House and folks on our side, and they need to stop moving the goalposts.”

It also appears the White House is on board with the framework. A White House official told Fox News Digital, “Conversations are ongoing, but this deal seems to be acceptable.”

MULLIN CONFIRMED AS DHS CHIEF AS LAWMAKERS NEAR SOLUTION ON SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

Another part of the framework would fund immigration enforcement — and include portions of the SAVE America Act — through budget reconciliation. That party-line process nearly divided Republicans last year when they passed Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

Not all Republicans support the plan as it stands, meaning Thune will need as many Senate Democrats as possible to reopen the agency.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he was a “no” on the deal, arguing the framework “doesn’t make any sense to me.”

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“And this idea that it will get funded through a reconciliation package is a pipe dream. We’re not going to get a reconciliation package done,” Scott said.

“Look at the last one — the only reason it got done is because of the tax cuts. There are no tax cuts in this, there’s no pressure,” he continued.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6391534926112

Trump to host King Charles, Dutch royals in separate visits

Updated on: March 24, 2026 / 12:29 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— It’s not a palace, but next month the White House is set to be overrun by royals.

In separate visits, President Trump is planning to host monarchs from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands next month. King Charles III is set to visit sometime in April, a source told CBS News, but there were no further details about the visit. Mr. Trump visited London last September for a state visit, and attended a lavish state dinner hosted by Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle outside London that was also attended by Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

During a separate visit in June to the Netherlands, the president stayed with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima at Huis ten Bosch Palace, a royal residence in The Hague. Next month, the Dutch royal couple is scheduled to stay overnight at the White House when they visit Washington. Their trip includes stops in Philadelphia and Miami, according to the Dutch National Information Service, or RVD, which added the main purpose of the working visit is to “underline economic relations.”

An overnight stay at the White House is rare for world leaders, who normally stay across the street at Blair House, which was purchased by the U.S. government during World War II.

The visits come ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by colonies originally settled by former Dutch and British citizens. Yet the visits coincide with an increasingly fraught relationship for Mr. Trump with European leaders, some of whom are especially opposed to war with Iran and his attempts to take over Greenland.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that he understood the Iran strikes were launched without Europe’s knowledge due to “security and safety.”

“It is only logical that European countries needed a couple of weeks to come together,” Rutte said Sunday. “But at this moment, the good news is this, that since Thursday, 22 countries, most of them NATO, but also Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain, the UAE, have come together to basically answer three questions, what do we need? When do we need it? And where do we need it? These three questions are now worked through to answer the president’s call, to make sure that we secure the free sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The ongoing war with Iran has led to the Strait of Hormuz being effectively closed, causing energy prices to surge worldwide. Europe’s energy costs have not yet recovered from the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

While Mr. Trump’s rhetoric has lately cooled regarding Greenland, the semi-autonomous island territory controlled by Denmark, there are no indications that he plans on back off his demands that NATO boost defense operations in the Arctic region. Earlier this year, the Netherlands expressed support for Denmark regarding Greenland, stressing Greenland’s right to decide its own future.

As for the U.K., Mr. Trump earlier this month called British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “no Winston Churchill” over Starmer’s refusal to join the Iranian war.

Gabrielle Ake contributed to this report.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin sworn in as new DHS secretary, replacing Noem | Fox News

By Charles Creitz | Fox News
Published March 24, 2026 2:24pm EDT | Updated March 24, 2026 3:17pm EDT

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., was sworn in as the U.S.’ ninth secretary of Homeland Security on Tuesday, with President Donald Trump in attendance.

Mullin, 48, is a former mixed martial arts champion and plumbing business owner who will replace outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem, a South Dakota Republican recently picked to lead the Shield of the Americas security initiative announced by Trump earlier this month.

Mullin will take the reins of DHS at a time of increased turmoil and congressional scrutiny at the agency, where Democrats continue to withhold funding for TSA and other subagencies in hopes of forcing changes to immigration enforcement operations at ICE and CBP.

Mullin was sworn in by Attorney General Pam Bondi as Trump introduced the Oklahoman as a “man who’s going to do a phenomenal job for a country.”

40+ HOUSE REPUBLICANS RALLY BEHIND MARKWAYNE MULLIN FOR DHS, CALL IT A ‘CRITICAL MOMENT’ FOR BORDER SECURITY

Secretary Markwayne Mullin takes the oath of office for the Department of Homeland Security.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“I tell you, your family has to be very proud. You have to be very proud. Everybody wanted this job. I said, there’s one man for this job and I have no doubt he’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said.

After Bondi administered his oath, Mullin approached the microphone and said it was the most nervous he’s ever been.

“It just seems surreal being in the Oval Office and having the president of the United States speak so highly of me and then recognize my family and know my family by name. It’s humbling,” he said.

“And, I never take it for granted — but I’ve made this very clear that I don’t care what color your state is. I don’t care if you’re red or you’re blue. At the end of the day, my job is to be secretary of Homeland [Security] and to protect everybody the same. And we will do that. I’ll fight every single day.”

Mullin said that prior to his swearing-in, he visited with DHS employees including some working without pay due to a Democrat-forced partial shutdown of the agency.

“If you need anything to know their dedication to show up and still protect the homeland that you and I enjoy and the freedoms that we’re that we’re experiencing, they’re working with for free because of political politics. That’s all I need to know. I told … I’ll be fighting 365 days beside you. No one’s going to outwork me. And I’m not going to let any of them outwork me. The president is entrusting me with this, and failure’s not an option.”

The Mullin family looks on as Secretary Markwayne Mullin is sworn in at the White House.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

He narrowly made it through the nomination process after clashing with Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., as the two continue to feud over Mullin’s response to an incident in which Paul’s neighbor blindsided him in his yard, fracturing his ribs.

Mullin needed a Democratic ally to get his nomination out of committee after Paul’s no vote. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who formerly exchanged endorsements with socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, has become somewhat of a political maverick and provided the necessary vote to advance the nomination to the full Senate.

There, he garnered support from another Democrat, New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who said in a statement that he doesn’t believe Mullin will be “bullied” or allow himself to “take orders from Stephen Miller” at the White House.

“This is going to surprise some people, but I consider Markwayne Mullin a friend. We have a very honest and constructive working relationship. We have authored legislation together, such as the Tribal Buffalo Management Act, and we crafted the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill together this year,” Heinrich said.

Secretary Markwayne Mullin shakes hands with President Donald Trump, left, after his swearing in.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“We often disagree and when we do, we work to find whatever common ground we share.”

In turn, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was tasked with naming Mullin’s replacement, which was subject to a unique Sooner State law that requires the nominee to pledge not to run for a full term in the Senate come November.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS ‘NO ONE’ CHANGING TRUMP ENFORCEMENT AGENDA IN RESPONSE TO ANGEL MOM APPEAL TO MULLIN

Stitt named natgas magnate Alan Armstrong, chief executive of the Williams Companies, whose nomination was criticized by some on the right given the mogul’s past donations to then-Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., a vocal Trump critic.

“He’s a strong business leader who understands the power of free markets and limited government. He spent his career fighting for Oklahoma’s energy industry and providing affordable, reliable energy to all of America,” Stitt said of Armstrong on Tuesday.

Mullin succeeds Noem, who herself succeeded controversial Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom Trump blamed for the open border crisis.

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Other top names who have held the role include its inaugural secretary, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, nominated by President George W. Bush in the wake of 9/11. Ridge has since broken with the mainstream “MAGA” GOP in his support for Trump.

Former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, former Air Force general counsel Jeh Johnson, Gen. John Kelly (Ret.), and former Deputy Trump White House chief of staff Kirstjen Nielsen also prominently served.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

Minnesota officials sue federal government over Renee Good, Alex Pretti investigations

2026-03-24 / 3:38 PM EDT / CBS News

Minnesota state and county officials sued the federal government Tuesday, alleging they are being blocked from investigating the shootings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis by federal agents.

In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty and Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans alleged that the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have blocked state investigators from accessing the evidence they need in order to investigate the three shootings.

The lawsuit names the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who presided over the immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year.

Spokespeople for DHS and the Justice Department could not be immediately reached for comment.

Good and Pretti were both fatally shot by federal agents employed by DHS earlier this year as part of an immigration operation known as Operation Metro Surge. Sosa-Celis was wounded in a shooting by a federal agent during the same operation.

The lawsuit lays out in detail the ways in which the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, or BCA, was blocked at every turn from accessing evidence in each of those three cases.

When the FBI first started to investigate the shooting of Good, the bureau initially agreed to share evidence and cooperate with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as part of its parallel investigation into whether her killing was legally justified.

In an abrupt shift from historical practice, however, the FBI reversed course the same day — blocking BCA investigators from sitting in on key witness interviews or accessing evidence collected at the scene.

The probe was later shut down, and multiple federal prosecutors resigned in protest, after they were pressured to cease investigating Good’s death as a civil rights case and were ordered to investigate Good’s wife and treat it like a case of an assault on a federal officer, CBS News previously reported.

To this day, state and county officials alleged in the lawsuit, Good’s car is sitting in shrink-wrap inside an FBI storage facility in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and has

Exclusive: Trump’s approval hits new 36%low as fuel prices surge amid Iran war, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

2026-03-24T17:12:52.365Z / Reuters

By Jason Lange and Bo Erickson

March 24, 2026 5:12 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Trump’s approval falls to 36% amid rising fuel prices
• One in four approve of Trump’s handling of cost of living
• 35% approve of U.S. strikes on Iran, down from 37%

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge ​in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The four-day poll, completed on Monday, showed 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s ‌job performance, down from 40% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

Americans’ views on Trump soured significantly with regard to his stewardship over the economy and the cost of living, as gasoline prices have surged since the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28. Just 25% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, an issue that was at the center of his 2024 presidential election campaign.

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Only 29% of the ​country approves of Trump’s economic stewardship, the lowest rating in either of Trump’s presidential administrations and lower than any economic approval rating of his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden. Voters’ worries ​about the economy and specifically the rising cost of living were a significant factor in Biden’s loss and Trump campaigned on a promise to create a ⁠vibrant economy.

Analysts said the poll points to a president facing significant public opposition.

“It’s important that people know that the president feels their pain and that help is on the way,” said Amanda Makki, a ​Republican political strategist and lawyer.

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WAR CONCERNS WEIGH

Trump’s standing within his Republican Party remains mostly strong. Only about one in five Republicans said they disapprove of his overall performance in the White House, little ​changed from about one in seven last week. But the share of Republicans who disapprove of his handling of the cost of living rose to 34% from 27% last week.

Trump’s overall approval rating was 47% in the first days of his presidency and since last summer had largely held around 40%. It remains above his first administration’s low point of 33%, and a touch higher than Biden’s low of 35%.

The war in Iran could be changing that ​for a president who took office promising to avoid

Venezuelan man deported to CECOT prison sues U.S. for $1.3 million – CBS News

Updated on: March 24, 2026 / 2:52 PM EDT / CBS News

A Venezuelan man who was deported from the U.S. and detained in the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador last year has become the first known ex-prisoner to sue the U.S. for damages, filing a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday seeking at least $1.3 million in compensation.

In an interview with CBS News, Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, 28, described the months he spent at the prison as “total hell.”

The Venezuelan man said he and his fellow detainees were constantly beaten and mistreated by prison guards. He recounted having to drink the same water he and other prisoners bathed in. Prison guards also told him he would be there for 90 years, he said.

“There came a point when I thought about hanging myself with the sheet they gave us,” Leon Rengel told CBS News in Spanish.

Leon Rengel was one of several hundred Venezuelan men deported by the U.S. to El Salvador, where they were held incommunicado in CECOT for roughly four months. They were freed in a prisoner swap in July 2025.

A report by researchers at Human Rights Watch found the CECOT prisoners endured months of physical and psychological abuse, including some cases of sexual assault. It determined that their time in CECOT amounted to “arbitrary detention” and “torture” under international law.

Leon Rengel’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asks the court to award him at least $1.3 million for what his lawyers say was false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

“For four months, Plaintiff languished in CECOT, during which time he was beaten by guards, subjected to inhumane and overcrowded conditions as well as extreme psychological trauma, denied adequate medical care, and held without contact with his family or any legal counsel,” the first-of-its-kind lawsuit said.

The League of United Latin American Citizens and Democracy Defenders Fund helped Leon Rengel file the lawsuit, which follows an administrative complaint filed on his behalf with the Department of Homeland Security last year. The claims have been filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

“What happened to Adrián Rengel is government-sanctioned torture and a failure to recognize his humanity because he happened to be an immigrant,” said Juan Proaño, the chief executive officer at LULAC. “He deserves his day in court.”

“I’ve never been a gang member”

The Trump administration deported Leon Rengel and more than 200 other Venezuelan men to El Salvador in March 2025, part of a series of removals that garnered global attention and sparked a legal battle in the U.S.

The U.S. deported some of the men with little to no due process under a 1798 wartime law known as the Alien Enemies Act, accusing the men of being violent, dangerous criminals and members of the Tren de Aragua gang. The legality of the administration’s use of the wartime powers to summarily expel the deportees continues to be litigated in federal court.

Despite the administration’s claims, a “60 Minutes” and CBS News investigation found many of the Venezuelan deportees did not have any criminal record, and that the majority did not have charges or convictions for violent offenses. The men have also denied having gang ties.

Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel in an undated photo. Courtesy of Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel

After traversing the Darién Gap and several Latin American countries, Leon Rengel said he used a Biden administration program for asylum-seekers, called CBP One, to enter the U.S. in 2023 at an official entry point, with the government’s permission.

Leon Rengel was arrested once in the U.S. after a traffic stop and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia in Texas, documents show. Leon Rengel said the car where the material was found was not his. He said he paid a small fine.

Beyond that misdemeanor, Leon Rengel’s lawyers said he has no criminal history, and that he was deported despite having an active immigration case and lacking a deportation order. Justice Department records reviewed by CBS News do not list a deportation order for Leon Rengel and show he had an immigration court hearing scheduled for April 2028.

Leon Rengel said he was identified as a Tren de Aragua gang member because of a tattoo on his left hand of a lion with a hair clipper on its mouth. He said he has cut hair in the U.S. and Venezuela, and denies having any gang ties. Other former CECOT prisoners have similarly said they were accused of gang membership because of their tattoos.

“I’ve never been a gang member, nor a member of a criminal group,” Leon Rengel said. “Never.”

In a statement to CBS News, DHS maintained that Leon Rengel has links to Tren de Aragua. But the agency declined to share evidence to support its claim, saying doing so would “undermine” national security.

“This illegal alien was deemed a public safety threat as a confirmed associate of the Tren De Aragua gang and processed for removal from the U.S.,” DHS said.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., recently ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of the Venezuelan men deported under the Alien Enemies Act, starting with those in third countries like Colombia, so they can be given the due process he found they were denied in the U.S. That order is now under appeal after being challenged by the Justice Department.

But Leon Rengel, now back in Venezuela, said he’s not interested in returning to the U.S., given his experiences in immigration custody there. Instead, he said he’s focused on clearing his name.

He said his deportation and detention were violations of his “human rights.”

“We went to the United States, a country where all laws are followed, and they were obligated to follow the legal process,” he added.

TSA callouts hit Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans hardest, 450 officers have quit nationwide

More than 3,200 TSA workers called out from their Monday shifts, Department of Homeland Security says

By Eric Mack
Fox News

Published March 24, 2026 2:33pm EDT

Travelers across the nation are enduring hours-long waits at TSA checkpoints due to the partial government shutdown. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., discusses the legislative gridlock, Schumer’s blame and his proposal to withhold senators’ pay.

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As the Senate weighs the new paths forward to end the 38-day government shutdown Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security is blasting Democrats for “the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk.”

The first spring travel weekend airport chaos has subsided in the Transportation Security Administration lines at some of the major hubs of Atlanta, House and New Orleans, but acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News that more than 3,200 TSA workers called out from their Monday shifts and more than 450 TSA officers have outright quit their jobs.

“Day 38 of the Democrats’ shutdown: American travelers are facing hours-long waits at airports across the country and more than 450 TSA officers quit and thousands have called out sick from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent,” Bis said in a statement.

Notably, President Donald Trump’s move to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the hardest-hit airports has been given credit to alleviating some of the TSA security delays that reached a reported high of nine hours in Atlanta.

DELTA SUSPENDS VIP SERVICES FOR CONGRESS MEMBERS AMID DHS SHUTDOWN, TSA DELAYS

Atlanta airport security lines were among the longest in the nation at the busiest airline hub in the world.(Fox 5 Atlanta)

Fox News reporting on site noted security lines were minimal Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, widely known as the busiest airport in the world. Also, video on social media hailed ICE agents in Houston passing out water to travelers waiting in still-long lines there.

“While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted,” Bis’ statement added.

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“This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions.”

Some critics note Tuesday’s lighter security lines were due to lighter weekday travel versus the first Sunday of spring, famously a busy travel time due to spring break.

Sunday’s TSA officer callout rate peaked Sunday at its highest rate of the shutdown (11.6% nationwide), according to DHS data shared with Fox News.

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But callout rates are not equal nationwide, with Houston, Atlanta and New Orleans topping the DHS charts among the top 10 major airport callout rates.

1. HOU 40.3% (Houston)
2. ATL 37.4% (Atlanta)
3. IAH 36.1% (Houston)
4. MSY 34.9% (New Orleans)
5. JFK 33.7% (New York City)
6. BWI 30.4% (Baltimore)
7. PIT 27.5% (Pittsburgh
8. LGA 20.3% (New York City)
9. PHL 19.7% (Philadelphia)
10. PHX 19.3% (Phoenix)

The DHS funding remains under the pressure of a Democrat-forced government shutdown, the second in this fiscal year. Democrats have made Trump the most shutdown president of all time.

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Trump has sent ICE officers to distressed airports, while negotiating a potential deal to fund DHS — even if it leaves out ICE funding as it is currently being weighed on Capitol Hill.

Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore weighs in on Trump administration’s ICE deployment: ‘There is a much larger plan that is happening.’ | CNN Politics

Published 1:58 PM EDT, Tue March 24, 2026 / CNN

Maryland Governor Wes Moore says he thinks that the Trump administration’s use of ICE in neighborhoods and airports is part of something bigger. “I think it is impossible to not look at that this is all happening at a time where we’re pushing for this SAVE America Act, which is essentially a voter suppression law. That we are watching the Voting Rights Act under attack. That we are watching the president moving and trying to do redistricting… This is a much larger plan about how do you hold onto power, and using military and law enforcement personnel to try and do so,” Moore said.