President Donald Trump’s Department of Education has launched “yet another investigation” into Fairfax County, Virginia, after police say that an adult illegal immigrant student allegedly groped a dozen minor girls at a high school he attended.

The Education Department announced Monday that it is opening the investigation following reports “from 12 high school girls who have credibly accused one male student — an illegal immigrant — of sexual assault.”

This comes after outraged Fairfax County parents expressed disgust, frustration and fear about Fairfax County High School’s handling of complaints alleging that 18-year-old illegal alien Israel Flores Ortiz groped several girls from behind on school grounds.

According to the department, this is the latest in a “long list of investigations” it has opened into schools in deep blue Northern Virginia.

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Flores Ortiz, 18, is facing 13 counts of assault and battery for allegedly inappropriately touching female classmates at a Fairfax County school. 

Fairfax police were alerted on March 5 by Fairfax High School about reports of multiple assaults on campus. An arrest warrant was issued, and Flores Ortiz turned himself in on March 7. He is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Flores Ortiz is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration in 2024. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainer has been filed for him by federal authorities and that he could face removal from the country.

Parent Stacy Langton told Fox News Digital last week that “it’s terrifying as a parent, because when I send my daughters to school, I think they’re safe in the care of the school.”

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“And in this case, they absolutely were not safe, and I don’t know what parent wouldn’t be completely distraught at the idea that their daughters could be getting sexually battered while they’re changing classes,” said Langton.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Public Schools confirmed the investigation, telling Fox News Digital that it “received the complaint yesterday and is reviewing it.” 

The spokesperson said that the school system is “prepared to fully cooperate with the U.S. Department of Education’s inquiry.”

“We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and are continuing to work closely with them as their investigation into this matter moves forward,” the spokesperson said, adding, “to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we cannot share additional details at this point.”

They said that “in addition to the law enforcement investigation, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid has requested that FCPS retain an independent outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter.”

The spokesperson shared that the firm McGuireWoods “will conduct this thorough, objective, and independent review.”

“The goal is clear: to establish a definitive understanding of what occurred, when it occurred, and confirm that all policies, procedures, and regulations were properly followed,” the spokesperson said, adding, “The safety of our students and staff remains a top priority.”

The system previously released a statement saying that it prioritizes the safety of students and staff.

“While Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is unable to comment on specifics due to federal and state privacy laws, we prioritize student and staff safety, and we fully investigate any time someone shares that an incident has occurred at school, or that they do not feel safe at school,” the district said at the time. 

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In addition to the Fairfax County incidents, the Department of Education said it is investigating several other incidents in Northern Virginia schools involving female students filing complaints about inappropriate conduct in female-only spaces by men allowed in under gender identity policies.

The department said that “Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology, race-based admissions systems, far-Left indoctrination, and unlawful discrimination has inflicted immeasurable harm on our students,” adding, “It must stop.” 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed new crime accountability laws Tuesday and ramped up his calls for judges to be held accountable for releasing criminals who commit further violent crimes, using the power of impeachment.

“We live in a time where some people just don’t get it, and that includes some of these judges who just don’t want to hold these people accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” DeSantis said at a news conference to announce the signing of Missy’s Law.

“Now that is not going to be a problem.”

DeSantis urged the Florida House to impeach Leon County Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper, who released a convicted sex offender on bond before sentencing, saying the decision helped lead to the later alleged murder of the man’s 5-year-old stepdaughter.

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“To my friends in the Florida House of Representatives, I don’t think what you’ve done is enough,” DeSantis said. “You have the power, and you have sufficient numbers in your chamber, to impeach this judge, Tiffany Baker-Carper.

“Until you start holding these judges accountable, they are going to continue to find ways to benefit the criminal element.”

Baker-Carper allowed Daniel Spencer to remain free after his conviction in an underage sex sting case. Spencer was later charged, along with Chloe Spencer, in the 2025 killing of his stepdaughter, Missy Mogle. The state is seeking the death penalty for both.

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“This is an outrage,” DeSantis said. “This should be such an easy call to make sure that this guy was put behind bars, and this judge refused to do it, knowing the risks. And the result has obviously been a tragedy.”

DeSantis noted the Florida State Legislature has more than the two-thirds majority needed to pass an impeachment of a judge.

“Honestly, I think some Democrats would vote to impeach, given what happened in this case,” he said.

Baker-Carper won her judicial seat Nov. 3, 2020, becoming the youngest woman and youngest Black candidate elected judge in Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit.

FAMILY DEMANDS FAR-LEFT PROSECUTOR BE OUSTED FROM OFFICE AFTER SISTER KILLED BY REPEAT OFFENDER

Missy’s Law’s requires judges keep defendants convicted of dangerous crimes in custody, pending sentencing.

“It’s a miscarriage of justice, a dereliction of judicial duty,” DeSantis said. “If we had this bill in place then, Missy would be alive today.”

DeSantis added that “the legislation’s great,” but the Florida State Legislature should be the next to take action to hold the judge accountable.

DISTURBING ADMISSIONS OF SERIAL CHILD MOLESTER APPROVED FOR RELEASE SPUR CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS TO ACT

“Some of these judges are going to find other ways to benefit the criminal element unless they know there’s going to be a really significant check and balance that’s going to be administered to them,” DeSantis said.

The Republican governor also signed House Bill 1159, which is aimed at strengthening protections for children and enhancing penalties for and expanding criminal offenses related to child sexual abuse material.

“Justice demands that those who victimize innocent people face swift and meaningful consequences,” DeSantis said. “Today, I signed two important bills to strengthen law and order in Florida by holding dangerous criminals and sex offenders accountable for their crimes. In Florida, we will always fight to protect our children and deliver justice for victims of crimes.”

Missy’s Law strengthens Florida’s pretrial detention system for specified dangerous crimes. Under the law, individuals found guilty of or entering a plea for a dangerous crime will be immediately remanded into custody and held without bond while awaiting sentencing. The legislation also expands the statutory list of dangerous crimes to include certain computer pornography and child exploitation offenses, ensuring individuals arrested for these crimes are not automatically released at their first appearance.

“Last year, we proposed Missy’s Law after the tragic murder of 5-year-old Missy Mogle at the hands of a convicted, abusive pedophile who was allowed to remain out on bond by Judge Tiffany Baker,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said. 

“Missy’s Law removes judicial discretion and ensures dangerous criminals are locked up after conviction. I am grateful to Governor DeSantis for signing this bill.”

A Rhode Island Democratic state representative is facing blowback on social media after claiming that a mural of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman whose brutal murder while riding a North Carolina sparked national outrage, doesn’t reflect the “values” of the city of Providence.

“Ultimately, we want to make sure that every community member who calls Providence home feels safe,” Rep. David Morales told local media about a mural of Zarutska facing calls to be removed from the exterior of an LGBTQ+ club in downtown Providence.

“We can both agree that this mural behind us does not reflect Providence’s values nor does it reflect the creativity that we would want to see in our city.”

The lawmaker’s comments immediately sparked negative reactions from conservatives on social media after they were posted by the conservative influencer account End Wokeness in a post that has been viewed over 1 million times. 

CHARLOTTE RAIL MURDER SUSPECT LINKED TO INMATE RELEASE APPROVED UNDER EX-DEM GOVERNOR, GOP ALLEGES

“What are his values?” Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on X.

“He cites people wanting to be ‘safe’ as a reason to destroy a mural on a private building meant to honor a murdered woman,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “You can’t imagine how crazy Democrats are in these blue bastions. You think what you see on MSNBC is nuts? It’s even worse in their bubble cities.”

“Honoring the memory of a Ukrainian immigrant who had her throat slit on public transportation by a repeat offender with 14 prior arrests doesn’t reflect Providence’s values????” Defending Education communications director Erika Sanzi posted on X.

“What ‘value’ does the mural not reflect?” Republican Rep. Chip Roy posted on X.

“Iryna’s death highlights the consequences of warped policies that keep violent criminals out of jail,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts posted on X. “Memorializing her reminds us that those policies create more victims and should be eliminated. Telling that those aren’t Rep. Morales’ ‘values.’”

“True,” Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz posted on X. “Dems would prefer a mural celebrating her murderer.”

“Providence had a George Floyd mural and nobody called it divisive,” GOP strategist and commentator Mehek Cooke posted on X. “Iryna got murdered by a man arrested over a dozen times, and a city couldn’t let her face stay on a wall because the donor list was inconvenient. We means-test grief now.”

CNN commentator Scott Jennings referred to Morales as a “deranged lunatic” in a post on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to Morales’s office for comment but did not receive a response.

Morales responded to Musk on X in a post clarifying what his “values” are. 

“Not to exploit the death of a refugee to push an agenda centered around fear and division,” Morales wrote. “My values, like many of our neighbors in Providence, is to protect our immigrant neighbors from ICE’s state-sanctioned violence and supporting our refugee neighbors with authentic care.”

CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS

The mayor of Providence, Democrat Brett P. Smiley, has also spoken out against the mural.

“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like this across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Smiley said. “I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than further divides us.”

Zarutska, a 23-year-old refugee who fled her country after the Russian invasion, was brutally stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack while riding the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte, N.C., last year. 

The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, is charged with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death, which is a capital offense under federal law.

Records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction show Brown has a prior criminal history, including convictions for larceny, breaking and entering and armed robbery. He served five years in prison starting in 2015.

Zarutska’s death prompted questions about soft on crime policies adopted by many Democratic-run cities. President Donald Trump spotlighted the killing during his State of the Union address last month. 

“Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster, who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no-cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body,” Trump said.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

A former San Francisco official who oversaw a multimillion-dollar initiative that aimed to shift funding from law enforcement into Black communities after George Floyd’s death is accused of funneling taxpayer money to a nonprofit she was tied to for personal gain.

Sheryl Davis, 57, the former executive director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission who led the city’s Dream Keeper Initiative, is accused of directing more than $4.5 million in program funds to a nonprofit she previously ran while maintaining financial ties to it, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Davis used public funds for personal benefit, while a city audit flagged spending on a 30-night luxury hotel stay, hundreds of sports tickets and lavishly catered events.

MASSACHUSETTS AUDITOR TAKES TRANSPARENCY FIGHT TO HIGH COURT AFTER ALLEGED $12M FRAUD UNCOVERED

Dream Keeper was described as a $120 million investment in San Francisco’s Black communities following Floyd’s death, with officials initially seeking to redirect funding away from law enforcement.

Prosecutors alleged Davis remained connected to the nonprofit’s finances even after taking her city role, including serving as a signatory on its bank account and helping steer how the money was spent.

Authorities said Davis directed millions in city funds to the nonprofit, Collective Impact, while maintaining personal and financial ties to the organization and its leadership.

The district attorney’s office also alleges Davis approved more than $3.5 million in city funds to another organization that later paid her son nearly $140,000, with the money deposited into an account she jointly controlled.

Davis and James Spingola, 65, a nonprofit executive and former head of Collective Impact with whom she had a personal relationship, were arrested Monday and charged in connection with the case, according to prosecutors.

“Davis and Spingola’s finances were completely intertwined, suggesting a deep personal relationship in which the financial benefits to Spingola resulted in a benefit to Davis,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said, adding that the pair lived together, shared bank accounts and traveled together.

WATCH: San Francisco DA announces charges against ex-Human Rights Commission leader accused of funneling city funds to nonprofit

“We did find that a portion of this money was spent in a manner that was self-dealing and was for her benefit,” Jenkins said at a news conference.

The charges follow a September city audit that found public funds paid for a 30-night stay at a luxury San Francisco hotel, more than 500 San Francisco Giants tickets, and over $350,000 in catering and events. The audit also flagged 700-plus gift cards worth a total of more than $20,000 and at least $75,000 spent promoting Davis’ personal brand, including her book and podcast.

Davis also allegedly arranged the sale of 1,500 copies of her children’s book, “Free to Sing,” and used public funds to promote her personal projects, according to the New York Post.

The audit found the department under Davis engaged in a “pattern and practice” of bypassing safeguards and abusing public funds.

CONVICTED MINNESOTA FRAUDSTER ALLEGES WALZ, ELLISON WERE AWARE OF WIDESPREAD FRAUD

According to prosecutors, Davis faces 13 felony counts of financial conflict of interest in government contracts, as well as additional felony charges including misappropriation of public funds and perjury.

Spingola faces felony charges tied to aiding and abetting the alleged conflicts of interest involving city contracts connected to the nonprofit.

An affidavit filed in the case described what prosecutors called a “pervasive pattern of self-dealing” tied to Davis’ role overseeing tens of millions of dollars in public funding.

The Dream Keeper Initiative has faced scrutiny over how funds were allocated and tracked, with critics raising concerns about transparency and oversight.

Defense attorneys pushed back on the allegations.

“This case has all of the hallmarks of public corruption, but none of that holds water,” Davis’ attorney, Tony Brass, said, per KTVU, adding that she disclosed potential conflicts and sought oversight from the city.

Brass said Davis attempted to distance herself from contract decisions and requested additional financial supervision and audits that were not provided.

Spingola’s attorney, Randall Knox, said he had not yet reviewed the evidence and emphasized his client is presumed innocent.

“I’ve not seen the evidence against him yet. He is presumed to be innocent under the law. I don’t want to try this case in the press,” Knox said.

Confrontational and expletive-laden social media posts by a Republican candidate for Arkansas secretary of state are in the campaign spotlight in a GOP nomination runoff election in the solidly red state.

U.S. Army veteran Bryan Norris is facing off against state Sen. Kim Hammer in Tuesday’s ballot box battle for the Republican nomination in the race to succeed Secretary of State Cole Jester.

Both candidates for the top elections job in Arkansas have spotlighted their support for President Donald Trump but have offered different plans for implementing the president’s push to overhaul voting.

Hammer enjoys the backing of top Arkansas Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General Tim Griffin and Jester.

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The current secretary of state, in endorsing Hammer, called on Norris to drop out of the race over his controversial past social media posts.

Among those posts is one responding to Cotton where Norris, pointing to the senator, wrote, “With all due respect, and from one combat veteran to another … F— You Tom!”

CLICK HERE FOR POLITICAL COVERAGE FROM FOX NEWS 

Asked about the profane comment, Norris told the Camden News it stemmed from long-standing frustrations he had with the senator after he retired from the Army.

In an interview with KATV, Norris acknowledged using “some salty language from time to time” but pledged, “you’re never going to hear me talk or speak that way again.”

Norris, who is running as an outsider and is backed by far-right Trump allies, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and Hammer were the top two vote-getters in Arkansas’ March 3 GOP secretary of state primary. Because no candidate topped 50%, Norris and Hammer advanced to the runoff election.

The winner will face off in November’s general election against Democrat Kelly Grappe, who ran unopposed for her nomination.

The eventual Republican nominee will be considered the clear frontrunner for the general election in Arkansas, where no Democrat has won statewide since 2010.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Three internal medicine residency programs are being accused of favoring foreign-trained doctors over American-trained doctors, with more than 90% of the most recent cohort of residents across the three programs coming from overseas, according to a civil rights complaint.

Medical watchdog Do No Harm filed a complaint Tuesday with the Department of Health and Human Services against healthcare providers Corewell Health, Texas Tech University and HCA Healthcare, raising concerns over the demographics of their internal medicine residency programs.

The complaint alleges that the three residency programs are discriminating against American-trained doctors and violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Affordable Care Act.

“National origin discrimination is both unlawful and inconsistent with the broader American commitment to equal treatment,” Do No Harm’s Chief Medical Officer Kurt Miceli, MD said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “When residency programs favor foreign-trained physicians over American-trained doctors, they effectively prevent qualified Americans from accessing valuable, competitive, and prestigious learning opportunities.”

OVER 100 CALIFORNIA COLLEGES ACCUSED OF DISCRIMINATING AGAINST US-BORN STUDENTS IN NEW DOJ COMPLAINT

The complaint revealed that at the internal medicine program at Corewell Health in Dearborn, Michigan, just one of the 33 residents attended an American medical school. In fact, 84% of those residents earned their medical degrees in just a handful of countries abroad: nine trained in Sudan, eight in Pakistan, and four in Jordan, with others coming from places such as Palestine, Bahrain, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The current director of the program attended medical school in Lebanon.

At Texas Tech University, 95% of the 39 internal medicine residents were also trained at foreign medical schools. Similar to Corewell, these doctors hail from a concentrated set of countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Eight trained in Pakistan, five from Bangladesh, two each from Egypt, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, and others from Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Syria. Both directors of the residency program attended medical school in Iraq, according to Do No Harm. 

The internal medicine program at HCA Healthcare’s Brandon Hospital in Tampa does not have a single doctor who graduated from an American school in its most recent cohort, the complaint stated. Of its 58 total residents, 70% graduated from foreign medical schools, with a majority of them from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The HCA Brandon program is led by Mohammad Said Saad, who completed his medical education in Egypt, and Syed Zaidi, who trained in Pakistan, Do No Harm said. 

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“Indeed, these programs reveal a consistent pattern,” the complaint read. “Each has excluded practically all American-trained physicians from their residencies. Each has filled their cohorts almost exclusively with residents trained in a small set of foreign countries. And each is headed-up by directors that mirror the residents they choose: foreign-trained physicians educated in the small set of foreign countries from which these residencies fill their ranks.”

The complaint also calls on HHS to refer the matter to the Justice Department.

“It is deeply concerning that these programs appear to be discriminating against graduates of U.S. medical schools,” Miceli said. “Medical institutions and their directors should be hiring residents based on their ability to deliver high quality patient care, not on national origin.”

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Manhattan Institute senior fellow Ilya Shapiro suggested that in addition to being in violation of civil rights law, the medical programs could likely be in violation of immigration law.

“That kind of disproportionate hiring pattern definitely raises an inference that the programs are violating the law, so HHS should indeed investigate,” Shapiro said. “In addition to the civil rights laws, there may be a violation of immigration law as well, because visas can only be granted if no qualified American can be found for the job or, in the medical context, to serve areas with a lack of doctors (not the case for internal-medicine residencies).”

Cato Institute senior legal fellow Dan Greenberg agreed that the high number of foreign doctors in the programs appears “unusual” but said its possible it could be “explained without resorting to national-origin discrimination.”

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He suggested two possible “innocent explanation[s]” for why these medical residency programs predominantly consist of foreign-born doctors.

“It is possible that the set of applicants from other countries to these particular programs are generally more qualified than the set of applicants from the USA. That is, perhaps the set of foreign-born applicants generally had higher board scores, more positive recommendations, or superior clinical experience before residency acceptances/rejections were made,” Greenberg said.

He also suggested that non-US students might also have a “disproportionate interest” in internal medicine.

“The big question is if the complainants can show that comparable/roughly equal applicants were passed over in favor of foreign-born applicants, but just to figure out whether that is true — and what a comparable or roughly equal native-born applicant would look like — will require a fair amount of research into how each applicant is measured,” Greenberg said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Corewell Health, Texas Tech University and HCA Healthcare for comment.

A Minnesota man was sentenced on Monday to more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to creating fake invoices to a nonprofit that falsely claimed it served 1.5 million meals to children in need within seven months.

Abdul Abubakar Ali, of St. Paul, Minn., was one of nearly 100 defendants charged in the “Feeding Our Future” fraud scheme, which the Department of Justice (DOJ) claims exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ali pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, but he was initially charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the DOJ.

The nonprofit, Youth Inventors Lab, allegedly acted as a shell company to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent reimbursement claims for meals that were never served, FOX9 Minneapolis reported.

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According to his guilty plea, Ali submitted fake invoices for technology services from his company, Bilterms Solutions, to Youth Inventors Lab. 

The Justice Department claimed the Youth Inventors Lab received more than $3 million in reimbursements, of which Ali personally pocketed at least $129,000.

During his sentencing hearing Monday, Ali apologized for his role in the scheme, telling U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel he would be “sorry for the rest of his life.”

“Your honor, I just want to say I’m sorry to everyone that my actions have hurt,” Ali said, according to local reports. “This was a mistake. I will try to correct it for the rest of my life. It’s not something that’s in the past. I’ve let down a lot of people. I promise I will attempt to fix it for the rest of my life. So, I’m sorry.”

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While the recommended sentence for Ali’s crimes is about three years, the court noted Ali had already paid $90,000 of the $122,000 of ordered restitution, and was one of the first people to plead guilty.

Despite his cooperation, Brasel, an appointee of President Donald Trump, denied Ali’s request for probation, sentencing him to one year and one day in prison.

“This is part of a very large fraud scheme, the largest in the District of Minnesota and one of the largest ever in the country. And you stand responsible for that, and for that reason, I just can’t see, despite your cooperation, a noncustodial sentence here,” Brasel reportedly said.

COMER CLAIMS WHISTLEBLOWERS WARNED WALZ FOR YEARS ABOUT MINNESOTA FRAUD AND WERE TOLD TO ‘STAND DOWN’

“Let me also add, aggravating factors of not just the money, but the fact that the public trust in government programs has been so substantially undermined and continues to be so,” she continued. “We are still having a conversation in this state about the structure of government programs, given the fraud you participated in, and the impact and ripples of that scheme just keep going on and on and on, and you are one reason for it.”

Right-wing users on X expressed outrage over the sentencing decision.

“Stole millions from a program meant to feed children and got one year,” one user wrote. “Meanwhile, people go to jail longer for drug possession. This is the Minnesota fraud that Tuberville was talking about. The system is broken and the sentence proves it.”

Other users said the outcome failed to rebuild confidence in the legal system, noting “a slap on the wrist isn’t justice.”

While tens of thousands of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees are struggling to make ends meet, some members of Congress appear to be going about their business as usual during the record-breaking government shutdown.

Instead of staying in Washington to resolve the funding stalemate, both chambers commenced a two-week Easter recess over the weekend, a move that is expected to prolong the record-breaking 46-day shutdown until mid-April.

In the meantime, some lawmakers have been spotted on vacation, posing for selfies on congressionally sponsored trips and socializing in ritzy casino bars. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sparked controversy after being spotted by TMZ at Disney World over the weekend. 

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The South Carolina lawmaker was captured holding a “Little Mermaid”-themed bubble wand retailing for $40. Eyewitnesses told TMZ that Graham was holding the toy for a child while she went to the bathroom.

The influential Republican senator was also seen waiting in line with a family to ride Space Mountain and dining at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. 

Graham blamed Democrats for the ongoing shutdown in a statement to TMZ, adding that he had repeatedly voted for DHS spending bills filibustered by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“I was invited to a meeting in South Florida on Friday with Trump official Steve Witkoff and others to talk about the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel,” Graham told the outlet. “I went to Orlando to meet friends after. I’m already back in South Carolina.”

“I voted 7 times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat,” he added.

TMZ’s reporting came after the outlet asked for Americans to send tips about lawmakers on vacation or engaging in leisure during the planned recess period. 

The pictures have sparked outrage, partly because lawmakers — who earn a base salary of $174,000 per year — are still receiving their paychecks, though members can elect to defer their salary until the shutdown ends.

In sharp contrast, certain individuals employed by the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are not expected to receive salaries until DHS funding is restored.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Trump wants lawmakers to cancel the recess and “to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security entirely.”

The embattled Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce began to receive back pay on Monday after reporting to work without pay during the first six weeks of the shutdown, following an executive order from President Donald Trump. More than 500 TSA agents quit during the funding lapse, according to senior DHS officials.

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Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., have called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to cancel recess and call senators back to Washington. However, neither lawmaker was present during the Senate’s pro forma session on Monday. 

Some lawmakers have defended the planned recess, despite the 46-day shutdown having no clear end in sight.

“You know very well that we’re not off,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told reporters Monday. “We’re working every day in our home states. For most of us, this is when we have time to go up and down our state and to meet with our constituents and listen to their concerns.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the influential House Oversight Committee, was spotted at a casino bar by TMZ over the weekend at the luxurious Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort.

Garcia’s Vegas visit came after he voted against a two-month DHS funding extension late Friday. The California Democrat had previously voted against a full-year DHS spending bill three times, citing his opposition to funding Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown efforts absent reforms.

“Actually, I don’t mind what TMZ is doing here,” Garcia wrote on X following the images’ circulation. “Like the story says my dad has lived in Vegas for 15 years and I had just finished lunch with him. I try to see him whenever I can.”

“And like I said a few days ago, Speaker Mike Johnson should have never sent us all home,” Garcia added. 

Additionally, Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., is planning to co-host a watch party for the premiere of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” TMZ reported.

The offices of Graham, Garcia and Magaziner did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Some lawmakers are also participating in congressionally sponsored trips abroad during the DHS funding lapse.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., John Curtis, R-Utah, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., traveled to Taiwan as part of a congressional delegation to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan ties.

The group was seen smiling while taking photos with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and other Taiwanese officials on Monday, according to images released on social media by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday it is slackening restrictions on asylum applications set in place after an Afghan asylee allegedly murdered one West Virginia National Guardsman and gravely wounded another in Washington last fall.

The November incident near Farragut Square led President Donald Trump to crack down on allowing asylum seekers into the country, and the administration hammered more lax Biden-era policies that allowed Afghans such as the suspect into the country.

A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the stringent screening process itself will not change, nor will restrictions on emigrants from a list of “high-risk” countries.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, maximum screening and vetting for all aliens continues unabated,” the spokesperson said.

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“USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) has lifted the adjudicative hold for thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non-high-risk countries. This move allows resources to focus on continued rigorous national security and public safety vetting for higher-risk cases.”

Some of the 39 countries the administration deemed lacking in the provision of adequate screening and vetting information to U.S. officials still include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Niger, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Sierra Leone; the latter being where two different migrants named Jalloh, accused of recent violent crimes in Virginia, hailed from.

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“Since taking office, President Trump has prioritized national security and public safety by implementing a series of executive orders and proclamations that mandate strict screening and vetting of foreign nationals seeking entry or immigration benefits,” USCIS said in a statement.

The agency said that security gaps in applications for naturalization or permanent residency exposed serious public safety risks and endangered the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.

“[A]pplications were approved and individuals were naturalized who should not have been,” the agency said.

The latest move is expected to have limited impact on the situation, according to The Hill newspaper, but will still ease the overall restrictive environment.

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a New York City Council member and her sister, a top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, accepted bribes or kickbacks tied to city funding steered to a migrant shelter provider, according to a search warrant obtained by The Associated Press.

The March 19 warrant seeks evidence of possible criminal conduct involving Councilmember Farah Louis, a Brooklyn Democrat; her sister, Debbie Louis, Hochul’s assistant secretary for New York City intergovernmental affairs; and Edu Hermelyn, husband of Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.

A spokesperson for Hochul said Debbie Louis was placed on leave last week after the governor became aware of the federal corruption probe. Someone answering a phone number associated with Louis ended the call when asked by the AP about the investigation, and the AP reported messages left for Farah Louis and Hermelyn were not returned.

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According to the warrant, investigators are examining whether the three received benefits in exchange for actions taken on behalf of BHRAGS Home Care Inc., a Brooklyn nonprofit that historically provided in-home care for sick and elderly clients.

As New York City’s migrant influx intensified in 2022, BHRAGS broadened its work to include emergency shelter operations for asylum seekers and other homeless services. Since then, public records show the group has been awarded more than a dozen contracts worth upward of $200 million from the city’s Department of Homeless Services.

“This is political persecution driven by the far-right, targeting immigrants and the leaders who stand with them,” a political insider tied to Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn told the New York Post on Monday. “There are no charges at this time, and the facts will ultimately lead to this case being dropped on its merits.”

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An attorney for BHRAGS executive director Roberto Samedy declined to comment to the AP.

The warrant also seeks records of money transfers and communications involving Edouardo St. Fort, a former New York Police Department sergeant who retired in 2023. That same year, records indicate his firm, Fort NYC Security, secured a $3 million contract from the Department of Homeless Services. AP calls and emails seeking comment from St. Fort were not returned.

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The warrant’s existence does not mean charges are imminent. It indicates only that federal investigators convinced a judge they had sufficient grounds to search for and seize potential evidence.

The probe lands amid broader scrutiny over how New York City awarded emergency shelter contracts during the migrant crisis, when the arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers strained the city’s shelter system and prompted officials under then-Mayor Eric Adams to rapidly expand housing capacity through outside providers.

Some of those arrangements have drawn criticism from watchdogs and political opponents, who questioned the speed, scale and oversight of the contracting process.

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The figures named in the warrant are all connected to Brooklyn’s Democratic political establishment, which has been rocked by a series of ethics controversies in recent years.

Hermelyn, who once served as a senior adviser to Adams, stepped down after questions were raised about whether his role as a Brooklyn district leader conflicted with rules barring certain dual government positions. He also went on to advise former Gov. Andrew Cuomo during Cuomo’s unsuccessful mayoral campaign.

The Trump administration, led by fraud investigation czar VP JD Vance, has prioritized federal law enforcement investigations nationwide.

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Just this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s Treasury Department announced it is offering whistleblowers a major financial incentive to help expose fraud, directing would-be tipsters to the Treasury.gov website, telling Fox News on Monday that the administration has already received more than 700 leads.

Treasury’s whistleblower page says eligible tipsters can receive between 10% and 30% of monetary sanctions collected for successful actions.

While Minnesota fraud among the state’s Somali community has made headlines thus far thanks to independent journalist Nick Shirley’s reporting, Bessent actually praised that state for having some level of transparency that is not permitted in California or New York.

“That’s why that young man, Nick Shirley, was able to go to see the scams, because it was: This is the name of the facility; this is the address; this is how much money they got,” Bessent said. “Oh look, it’s an empty storefront. There’s no one here. New York, California are hiding it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.