(The Center Square) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-District of Columbia agents arrested 189 illegal foreign nationals and served notices of inspection to 187 local businesses during an enhanced targeted enforcement operation focused on finding “criminal alien offenders” illegally living in the Washington, D.C. area.

“The District of Columbia is exponentially safer today because of countless hours of investigative work and dedication to duty displayed by ICE Washington, D.C. and our law enforcement partners,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott said.

The ICE operation was part of ongoing Trump administration efforts to target the most violent offenders and with removal orders from federal immigration judges.

The multi-agency operation focused on finding “the most dangerous alien offenders in some of the most crime-infested neighborhoods in the city of Washington, D.C.,” Hott said. “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid. I commend the efforts of everyone involved, as all were truly committed to the success of this operation.”

Agencies involved in the four-day operation included ICE-ERO, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Virginia Department of Corrections, FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.

They focused on targeting “criminal alien offenders including members of transnational criminal organizations known to operate in and around Washington, D.C.,” including MS-13, Tren de Aragua and 18th Street Gang, ICE announced Tuesday. TdA and MS-13 were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the Trump administration in February.

“The success of this enhanced operation highlights the resolve of ICE and our federal partners in keeping our country safe from criminal alien offenders,” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck said. “Many of the aliens arrested have egregious criminal histories to include violent crimes against residents of our Washington, D.C. communities.”

Many arrests were made after local jurisdictions and so-called sanctuary cities refused to honor immigration detainers and released illegal foreign nationals onto the streets, ICE said.

After District of Columbia officials implemented a wide range of so-called sanctuary policies and as the border crisis worsened, the mayor declared a public emergency in 2022. Her repeated requests for assistance from the National Guard were rejected by the Biden administration, The Center Square reported.

Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to implement consequences for local jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement, including losing federal funding, The Center Square reported.

In addition to finding and arresting criminal offenders at large, ICE also served 187 notices of inspection to Washington, D.C.-area businesses to ensure they comply with federal immigration and employment law.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and this administration’s focus on law and order, these arrests represent a major step forward in making Washington, D.C., safer for legal citizens and their families,” U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr. said. “These arrests make clear that violating our nation’s immigration laws will not be ignored.”

Examples of violent offenders arrested are all men illegally in the country. They either illegally reentered after previously being deported or illegally entered as a gotaway, those who illegally enter between ports of entry, don’t make asylum or other immigration claims and evade capture.

They include a 47-year-old Guatemala national with a criminal history of drug possession, illegal reentry, aggravated assault, trespassing, disorderly conduct and sexual assault. His current criminal charges include “unlawful reentry of a previously deported alien, lewd acts, sex abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon,” among others. He also appears to have gang-affiliated tattoos on his arms, leg and chest, according to images posted by ICE.

Others were charged with “alien present without admission or parole,” meaning they illegally entered as a gotaway. They include a 25-year-old Guatemala national with a criminal history of “threat to kidnap, attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, threats to bodily harm and simple assault;” a 30-year-old Salvadoran national with a criminal history of driving while intoxicated, brandishing a machete and unauthorized use of a vehicle; a 36-year-old Mexican national with a criminal history of larceny, indecent exposure, theft and possession of a prohibited weapon-knife, among others.

Under the Biden administration, more than two million gotaways were reported, the most in U.S. history, The Center Square exclusively reported.

(The Center Square) – The Texas House has passed two bills related to gender and biological sex.

One, the Women’s Bill of Rights, codifies sex-based terms. The other requires insurance companies to provide coverage for those experiencing adverse effects from gender transition surgeries. Both passed along party lines with strong Democrat opposition.

State Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, filed HB 229, the Women’s Bill of Rights, which “defines what a woman is, recognizing biological reality,” she said. With its passage, “Texas is protecting safety, privacy, & rights of women & girls across our state.”

The bill is expected to pass the Texas Senate and be signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.

It amends state government code to define the following terms:

• “boy” means a child of the male sex;
• “father” means a parent of the male sex;
• “female” and “woman” mean an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova;
• “girl” means a child of the female sex;
• “male” and “man” mean an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova of a female;
• “mother” means a parent of the female sex; and
• “sex” means an individual’s biological sex, either male or female.

The bill establishes that males and females “possess unique immutable biological differences that manifest prior to birth and increase as individuals age and experience puberty; biological differences between the sexes mean that only females are able to get pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed children and that males are, on average, bigger, stronger, and faster than females; biological differences between the sexes leave females more physically vulnerable than males to specific forms of violence, including sexual violence; females have historically suffered discrimination in education, athletics, and employment; biological differences between the sexes are enduring and may, in some circumstances, warrant the creation of separate social, educational, athletic, or other spaces in order to ensure individuals’ safety and allow members of each sex to succeed and thrive.”

The bill analysis points out that “inconsistencies in court rulings and policy initiatives” about sex-based definitions have led to “endangerment of single-sex spaces and resources, necessitating clarification of certain terms.” It also clarifies that when defining biological sex, “‘equal’ does not mean ‘same’ or ‘identical’ and separate is not inherently unequal.” It also cites legitimate reasons to distinguish between two biological sexes including athletics, prisons and correctional facilities, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, locker rooms, restrooms, among others.

When discussing the need to pass it on the House floor, Troxclair said, “For generations, our laws have recognized that women are distinct from men. This distinction is not just scientific. It’s legal, practical, and critical to protecting the rights, safety, and opportunities of women and girls across the state.

“We’re a state that believes in truth, and we’re a state that honors the hard-won achievements of women … but if we can no longer define what a woman is, we cannot defend what women have won. We cannot protect what we cannot define.”

The 58 Democrats who voted against defining what a woman is were: Allen; Anchía; Bernal; Bhojani; Bowers; Bryant; Bucy; Campos; Canales; Cole; Collier; Cortez; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dutton; Gámez; Garcia Hernandez; Garcia, J.; Garcia, L.; Gervin-Hawkins; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Hernandez; Hinojosa; Howard; Johnson; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; Lalani; Longoria; Lopez, R.; Manuel; Martinez Fischer; Meza; Moody; Morales Shaw; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Muñoz; Ordaz; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Plesa; Raymond; Reynolds; Rodríguez Ramos; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Talarico; Thompson; Turner; Vo; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wu; Zwiener.

The second bill that passed the House along party lines was SB 1257, filed by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, after passing the Texas Senate last month.

It requires health insurance companies to provide coverage for individuals dealing with adverse effects from gender transition procedures or who decide to “detransition.” State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, filed companion legislation, HB 778.

The bill is a “necessary and urgent legislative measure that seeks to ensure equitable healthcare coverage for individuals who have undergone gender transition procedures,” the bill analysis explains. Currently, health benefit plans in Texas provide extensive coverage for gender transition treatments, including surgeries, hormone therapies, and other medical interventions, but don’t provide coverage for adverse effects, medical complications, function recovery and reconstruction procedures resulting from the treatments. The bill fixes “a critical gap” by mandating that health insurance plans that provide transition-related coverage includes coverage for “follow-up care, adverse effect management, and potential reconstruction treatments.”

A “growing number of individuals who experience complications or regret their transition, … require extensive medical care to manage or reverse the effects of previous treatments” but are frequently denied insurance coverage, the analysis explains. As a result, they face “insurmountable out-of-pocket expenses, … significant health risks, including hormone imbalances, surgical complications, and psychological distress.”

The bill heads to the governor for his signature.

(The Center Square) − Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order on Monday that attempts to shield the state’s colleges and universities from penalties if they directly facilitate compensation to student-athletes for their name, image, and likeness rights, a move that places Louisiana among the growing list of states taking unilateral action amid national uncertainty over how NIL should be regulated.

The order, effective immediately, comes as the NCAA awaits court approval of a $2.75 billion federal settlement in In re College Athlete NIL Litigation, which would allow schools to directly compensate athletes for NIL-related activities.

In the meantime, a patchwork of state laws and a lack of federal guidance have left schools navigating a legal gray area.

“Louisiana is proud to be home to student-athletes who consistently compete and win at the highest levels of college athletics,” Landry said in a statement. “As national policies and developments continue to reshape the landscape of college sports, this executive order is about fairness — for our Louisiana students, our schools, and our athletes.”

The order protects Louisiana colleges from “adverse action” by the NCAA, athletic conferences or other governing bodies if they facilitate or offer NIL compensation. However, it also prohibits the use of state-allocated funds for such payments.

The move won praise from higher education athletic leaders.

“This will afford all higher education institutions in the state of Louisiana the ability to remain nimble and at the forefront of the ever-changing college athletics landscape,” said LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward.

Southern University’s athletic director, Roman Banks, echoed the sentiment. “I want to thank Governor Landry for the leadership he has demonstrated… by providing stability in the current landscape of collegiate sports.”

The executive order will remain in place until either federal NIL legislation is enacted or the proposed NIL settlement becomes effective.

Landry’s action follows a broader push in the state to support student-athletes in the NIL space. A bill pre-filed for the 2025 legislative session — House Bill 166, sponsored by Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-East Baton Rouge — would exempt NIL income from state taxes for student-athletes enrolled in Louisiana colleges, beginning in 2026.

“We want to try to level the playing field and keep our best and brightest in our state,” McMakin said in an earlier interview, noting that other Southern states like Alabama, Texas and Georgia are advancing similar tax incentives.

Under his proposal, athletes could deduct NIL income from state taxes, provided the money isn’t tied to endorsements involving alcohol, tobacco, gambling or other restricted categories.