BOSTON — ICE isn’t doing itself any favors.

Videos shared via social media in recent months showing ICE agents dragging people from cars, smashing car windows, and deploying tear gas in residential neighborhoods only serve to bolster the progressive narrative that immigration law is superfluous and upholding it an act of tyranny.

Lost in the mix are the arrests and deportations of criminals, such as Abdulkadir Sharif Abdi, a criminal illegal immigrant from Somalia, known current member of Vice Lord Nation. He has been convicted of fraud, receiving stolen property, receiving a stolen vehicle, vehicle theft, and multiple probation violations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Then there’s Sahal Osman Shidane, a criminal illegal immigrant from Somalia, convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a minor aged 13-15. And Rudy Arendondo Jarillo, a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, convicted of felony smuggling aliens. There were more caught in a recent sweep of Minneapolis, and others charged with similar crimes nabbed around the country, including Massachusetts.

It’s crucial to get pedophiles, gang members, human traffickers and other criminals off the street, and that part of the ICE equation benefits our communities. But the strong-arm scenarios played out in dozens of phone videos gone viral overshadow these laudable efforts.

People remember the woman dragged from her car by masked federal agents earlier this fall and detained after a traffic accident. The woman, Dayanne Figueroa, is a U.S. citizen.

U.S. Immigration has deported people in the country illegally for decades, but it never looked like this. Under Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama, immigration officials targeted worksites, whether in raids or auditing companies’ records for illegal workers.

President Joe Biden upended efforts to keep the border secure by rolling out the welcome mat, and we are paying the price today. But the guns-drawn, tear-gas-throwing, aggressive arrests are a shock to the system, no matter who you voted for.

Earlier this year, Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-IL, wrote to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on recent changes to ICE’s hiring practices: “… Scores of masked and unidentified federal agents have already conducted unlawful arrests — including of U.S. citizens — and engaged in excessive force without clear cause.

Whether it is an officer mishandling a gun and pointing it at bystanders or federal agents arresting U.S. citizen children in the dead of night, these mishaps have terrible consequences on immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.”

Durbin added that ICE has made changes in age requirements for new recruits. Previously, one had to be at least 21 years old and no older than 37 or 40, depending on the position. DHS announced that applicants can now apply at the age of 18 and there is no age cap.

“ICE also removed its Spanish-language requirement — shortening the training program by five weeks — and is pursuing additional ways to expedite training.”

The agency is setting itself up to fail, each video fueling the “ICE is bad” mantra and ultimately making our streets less safe.

ICE needs to cool down the incendiary players and return to its law enforcement message.

— The Boston Herald

By ALEXA ST. JOHN

DETROIT (AP) — Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are suing President Donald Trump’s administration for what they say is the unlawful withholding of over $2 billion dollars in funding for two electric vehicle charging programs, according to a federal lawsuit announced Tuesday.

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The lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is the latest legal battle that several states are pursuing over funding for EV charging infrastructure that they say was obligated to them by Congress under former President Joe Biden, but that the Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration are “impounding.”

“The Trump Administration’s illegal attempt to stop funding for electric vehicle infrastructure must come to an end,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a release. “This is just another reckless attempt that will stall the fight against air pollution and climate change, slow innovation, thwart green job creation, and leave communities without access to clean, affordable transportation.”

The Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The Trump administration in February ordered states to halt spending money for EV charging that was allocated in the bipartisan infrastructure law passed under the previous administration.

Several states filed a lawsuit in May against the administration for withholding the funding from the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program for a nationwide charging buildout. A federal judge later ordered the administration to release much of the funding for chargers in more than a dozen states.

Tuesday’s separate lawsuit addresses the withholding of funding obligations for two other programs: $1.8 billion for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant program, as well as about $350 million in Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator money.

Tuesday’s lawsuit is led by attorneys general from California and Colorado, joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, and the governor of Pennsylvania.

The Trump administration has been hostile to EVs and has dismantled several policies friendly to cleaner cars and trucks that were put in place under Biden, in favor of policies that instead align with Trump’s oil and gas industry agenda.

Once in office a second time, President Trump immediately ordered an end to what he has called Biden’s “EV mandate.” While Biden targeted for half of new vehicle sales in the U.S. to be electric by 2030, policies did not force American consumers to buy or automakers to sell electric vehicles.

Biden did set stringent tailpipe emissions and fuel economy rules in an effort to encourage more widespread EV uptake, as the auto industry would have had to meet both sets of requirements with a greater number of EVs in their sales mix.

Under the Biden administration, consumers could also receive up to $7,500 in tax incentives off the price of an EV purchase.

The Trump administration has proposed rolling back both tailpipe rules and the gas mileage standards, cut the fines to automakers for not meeting those standards, and eliminated the EV credits.

Trump has also repeated incorrect information about the status of the federal charging programs; without all of the funds available, only a fraction of what was obligated has been spent so far.

“We had to have an electric car within a very short period of time, even though there was no way of charging them and lots of other things,” Trump said in a Dec. 3 press conference about the proposed weakened fuel economy rules. “In certain parts of the Midwest, they spent — to build nine chargers they spent $8 billion. So, that wasn’t working out too well.”

The lawsuit comes amid those regulatory changes and as the pace of EV sales have slowed in the U.S. as mainstream buyers remain concerned about both charging availability and the price of the vehicles.

New EVs transacted for an average of $58,638 last month, compared with $49,814 for a new vehicle overall, according to auto buying resource Kelley Blue Book.

Automakers, meanwhile, have responded to consumers accordingly.

Earlier this week, Ford Motor Co. announced it was pivoting away from its once-ambitious, multi-billion dollar electrification strategy in lieu of more hybrid-electric and more fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles.

In the spring, Honda Motor Co. also said it would take a significant step back from its EV efforts.

Still, EVs are gaining traction in other areas around the world.

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Police arrested a man in Canada on Tuesday who is accused of killing the mother of his children at her St. Paul apartment.

Shaniya D. Thompson (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

Wesley B. Koboi, of St. Paul, was charged with the murder of 29-year-old Shaniya D. Thompson and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Toronto police took Koboi, 33, into custody without incident at a Toronto airport Tuesday morning, according to a St. Paul police spokesperson.

St. Paul officers responded to a 911 call Friday and found Thompson shot in her apartment in the 500 block of Broadway Street, near downtown and close to Interstates 94/35E and East Seventh Street. Preliminary evidence indicated she was shot Thursday.

Investigators learned through federal law enforcement officers that Koboi crossed the border into Canada on foot at the Sarnia Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron, Mich., just before midnight Friday, according to a criminal complaint. He had booked a flight to Mexico.

Thompson was a “devoted mother” of five children who “witnessed the unthinkable,” her sister wrote on a GoFundMe (gofund.me/213476308) for her funeral expenses and support her children.

Thompson’s father told an investigator he learned Koboi went to Thompson’s apartment for a child’s birthday. Koboi told the children to leave the living room and go into their bedroom. They then heard a scream and a loud “thud,” according to the criminal complaint.

Koboi told the children they were going to leave, and drove them to Grand Rapids, Mich., where his mother lives. Koboi’s mother reported that her son and the children arrived at her house Friday morning. He departed soon after, leaving the children with her.

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The orders do not make any immediate changes to state gun control policy and come after months of frustration for the governor, who has been pushing for new gun laws.

Walz had pledged to take significant action on guns following the August shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, but so far, state leaders have failed to reach any deal.

Walz and almost all Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers support a ban on so-called assault weapons. But with no Republican support and DFL holdouts, prospects of such bills passing remain uncertain.

“I do not have the capacity as governor to issue an executive order to get rid of those, but what I do have the ability to do is to start to move in a direction,” the governor said at a news conference at the state Capitol with gun control advocates and other DFL elected officials.

“These actions today don’t limit your freedoms at all,” Walz said later in his remarks. “Being shot dead in your school certainly does.”

In the face of what DFLers called Republican “stalling” and “stonewalling” on guns, Walz’s orders on guns work within his limited powers as governor.

They direct new insurance data collection, the creation of a “statewide safety council,” and the expansion of education on extreme risk protection orders and safe gun storage.

GOP: Some DFLers also oppose new gun control

Republicans pointed out Tuesday that some DFL lawmakers also are holdouts on new gun control.

Even though the GOP is tied with the DFL in the House, gun bills still wouldn’t pass in the Senate, where the DFL has a one-seat majority. Some DFL senators from rural districts have resisted gun control bills.

“Once the Governor saw that even his own legislators weren’t on board with his gun bans, he pivoted to political rallies and insulting Republicans for suggesting bipartisan ways to keep students safe,” House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in a statement. “Now, he’s pushing an advisory council and PSA campaigns for laws we already have.”

Republicans have backed boosting funding for school security and mental health services rather than new gun restrictions as ways to prevent future violence.

What do the orders do?

The statewide safety council will be tasked with developing a “blueprint” for preventing mass violence, domestic terrorism and politically motivated attacks. It’ll have members from law enforcement, education, mental health and community organizations.

A separate executive order directs data collection and new education initiatives.

Insurance companies will have to provide the state data related to “firearm-related claims,” something the governor’s office says would help its efforts to understand the social and financial impacts of guns in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce would collect the data, which would be used in future efforts to push for new gun control and “hold gun manufacturers accountable,” said Walz, who told insurance companies to “get your lawyers” if they do not want to provide information.

Insurance group waits for more information from state

The Insurance Federation of Minnesota, which represents about 50 insurance companies, said it’s still waiting for more information from the state.

“The Insurance Federation of Minnesota was not contacted in advance of today’s announcement by the Walz administration and will review the data call once issued by the Department of Commerce,” the group said in a statement.

On the education side, the Department of Public Safety will do more to spread the word about the state’s extreme risk protection orders or “red flag” law, which allows a court to remove firearm rights from people deemed a serious risk to themselves or others.

The Department of Education and local schools will work to provide safe gun storage education, gun locks, and gun safes to families with the aim of reducing injuries and deaths.

Kristen Neville, a parent of children at Annunciation School in Minneapolis, where a shooting claimed the lives of an 8- and 10-year-old and injured 30 others, calls for stronger gun control measures during a news conference at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. She is flanked by Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, left, and Gov. Tim Walz. (Alex Derosier / Pioneer Press)

Kristen Neville, a parent of children at Annunciation School in Minneapolis, said she welcomed the new measures.

“Protecting Minnesotans from gun violence is not about blame. It’s about responsibility. It’s about making sure families, schools and communities have the tools and resources they need before tragedy happens, as well as the support they need afterward,” she said. “We are encouraged by the focus of today’s executive actions.”

Gun rights advocates were skeptical of the impact of Walz’s order.

“What we got today were low-impact orders that serve more as political cover than meaningful policy,” said Bryan Strawser, chair of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. “It’s a distraction from the fact that the governor couldn’t build support for his agenda within his own party.”

While the Gun Owners Caucus was dismissive of the overall effects of the executive orders, the group raised concerns about the advisory council.

“Like similar advisory panels in the past, it appears designed to deliver predetermined recommendations aligned with the Governor’s policy goals rather than to provide balanced input or genuine stakeholder engagement,” the group said in a news release.

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