Ted Hesson
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Articles by Ted Hesson
ICE failed to monitor detainee at risk of suicide who later killed himself
ICE failed to monitor detainee at risk of suicide who later killed himself (washingtonpost.com) ICE failed to monitor detainee at risk of suicide who later killed himself By Ted Hesson 2026102411010300 Chaofeng Ge had already attempted suicide before arriving at an immigration detention center in Pennsylvania on July 31, 2025.
ICE failed to monitor detainee at risk of suicide who later killed himself
U.S. Politics 18 hours ago Off the MAGA Rails Substack - Jay Kuo • 18h As time runs out on their hold on power, Trump’s lackeys are turning more brazen—and on each other.
Would-be voters in limbo as approvals of U.S. citizenship plunge by 72 percent
Would-be voters in limbo as approvals of U.S. citizenship plunge by 72 percent (washingtonpost.com) Would-be voters in limbo as approvals of U.S. citizenship plunge by 72 percent By Ted Hesson 2026102311510500 Magdalena Kluchko's quest for citizenship initially proceeded as she expected: She applied in September 2024, passed the English language and civics tests, and sat for her naturalization interview in July 2025. But then nothing happened.
Trump administration deported nearly 1 million through July, report finds
Trump administration deported nearly 1 million through July, report finds (washingtonpost.com) Trump administration deported nearly 1 million through July, report finds By Ted Hesson 2026102211010600 The Trump administration deported 980,000 migrants from the United States in the first 18 months of President Donald Trump's second term, according to an analysis released Thursday. Trump returned to office on Jan. 20, 2025, promising mass deportations of 1 million migrants a year.
Trump officials soften approach to key immigration policy ahead of midterms
NATION Some 100,000 Ukrainians were scheduled Monday to lose temporary protected status from deportation Lauren Kaori Gurley, Ted Hesson The Washington Post Oct. 19, 2026, 9:21 a.m. ET View Comments Since January 2025, the Trump administration has stripped immigrants from country after country of humanitarian protections: Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan. But in recent weeks, immigrants from a few nations appear to have escaped that fate.
Trump officials soften approach to key immigration policy ahead of midterms
Trump officials soften approach to key immigration policy ahead of midterms (washingtonpost.com) Trump officials soften approach to key immigration policy ahead of midterms By Lauren Kaori Gurley; Ted Hesson 2026101910010400 Since January 2025, the Trump administration has stripped immigrants from country after country of humanitarian protections: Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan. But in recent weeks, immigrants from a few nations appear to have escaped that fate.
Trump officials scrutinized Omar in 2019. They didn’t find citizenship issues.
Ted Hesson,Jeremy Roebuck,Perry Stein and Salvador Rizzo, (c) 2026 , The Washington Post Fri, October 16, 2026 at 8:03 PM UTC 9 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 22: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) arrives to a closed session before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees October 22, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Trump officials scrutinized Omar in 2019. They didn't find citizenship issues.
Seven years ago, a political appointee in the first Trump administration approached U.S. immigration authorities with a request that alarmed career staffers: Scrub the immigration records of Rep. Ilhan Omar, then a newly elected Democratic lawmaker from Minnesota, for evidence of fraud.
U.S. probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say
The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say
The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say
The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say
The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said.
US probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say
The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say
Jayapal Responds to Omar Raid With Reminder of $50,000 in Paper Bag for Trump Border Czar Progressive US Rep. Pramila Jayapal this week not only joined a growing chorus outraged by President Donald Trump's "rogue" Department of Homeland …
Rep. Omar Calls Search at D.C. Home Part of a Trump Intimidation Campaign
ALSO SEE: US Immigration Authorities Raid Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Home The search appears to be the type of action that law enforcement officials typically avoided so close to an election in the past. Federal authorities searched the D.C. home of Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday morning, three people familiar with the matter said, intensifying long-standing immigration-related accusations from Republicans regarding the nation’s first Somali American lawmaker.
Federal agents search Rep. Ilhan Omar's DC home
Federal authorities searched the D.C. home of Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday morning, three people familiar with the matter said, intensifying long-standing immigration-related accusations from Republicans regarding the nation's first Somali American lawmaker. Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, executed the search.
Trump Officials Block Microsoft’s Access To Program For Employee Green Cards
- ADVERTISEMENT - The Trump administration is suspending Microsoft’s access to a program that allows skilled foreign workers to apply for permanent residency in the United States, saying the company is under investigation for its hiring practices. Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella speaks at the company’s annual developer conference in Seattle, Washington, U.S., May 21, 2024.
ICE shooting stirs fresh clash between Trump officials and New York City
ICE shooting stirs fresh clash between Trump officials and New York City (washingtonpost.com) ICE shooting stirs fresh clash between Trump officials and New York City By Tim Craig; David Nakamura; Silvia Foster-Frau; Ted Hesson 2026100914320400 NEW YORK — People were walking on the sidewalks, children had gotten out of school and the streets were filled with cars when two men in jeans and sweatshirts rushed toward a gray Honda with their guns drawn. Moments later, gunfire pierced the air.
Family accuses ICE of ‘executing’ immigrant whose sons are now in foster care
Family accuses ICE of ‘executing’ immigrant whose sons are now in foster care (washingtonpost.com) Family accuses ICE of ‘executing’ immigrant whose sons are now in foster care By Ted Hesson 2026100817210400 The family of a Mexican immigrant shot and killed during the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge in Chicago last year filed a wrongful-death claim Thursday accusing a federal immigration officer of "effectively executing" him at close range.
Trump officials block Microsoft's access to program for employee green cards
The Trump administration is suspending Microsoft's access to a program that allows skilled foreign workers to apply for permanent residency in the United States, saying the company is under investigation for its hiring practices. In a social media post, Vice President JD Vance said Microsoft would be blocked from using a Labor Department program that allows employers to sponsor skilled workers on H-1B visas for permanent residency, also known as green cards.
In run-up to election, ICE is asking detainees if they voted illegally
In run-up to election, ICE is asking detainees if they voted illegally (washingtonpost.com) In run-up to election, ICE is asking detainees if they voted illegally By Ted Hesson 2026100618310600 Federal immigration officers are now asking immigrants they arrest if they have ever voted illegally and whether they did so by mail or in person as part of a pre-election push to root out alleged voter fraud.
ICE plans push for 5,000 new hires in coming months
ICE plans push for 5,000 new hires in coming months (washingtonpost.com) ICE plans push for 5,000 new hires in coming months By Ted Hesson 2026092921530600 The Trump administration is planning a hiring push to bring on 5,000 new employees at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the coming months, two former officials and a person familiar with the matter said.
Immigrant shot by ICE in Austin is charged with assault
The Justice Department filed assault charges Tuesday against a Venezuelan immigrant shot by a federal immigration officer in Austin. An unsealed affidavit said the man, Wilber Garcés Pérez, struck a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in the torso with his vehicle’s side-view mirror as he fled the scene of a traffic stop Sept. 20. He then led that officer and another on what was described as a high-speed pursuit.
Immigrant shot by ICE in Austin is charged with assault
The Justice Department filed assault charges Tuesday against a Venezuelan immigrant shot by a federal immigration officer in Austin. An unsealed affidavit said the man, Wilber Garcés Pérez, struck a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in the torso with his vehicle's side-view mirror as he fled the scene of a traffic stop Sept. 20. He then led that officer and another on what was described as a high-speed pursuit.
Immigrant shot by ICE in Austin is charged with assault
Immigrant shot by ICE in Austin is charged with assault (washingtonpost.com) Immigrant shot by ICE in Austin is charged with assault By Ted Hesson; David Nakamura 2026092915520500 The Justice Department filed assault charges Tuesday against a Venezuelan immigrant shot by a federal immigration officer in Austin.
Asylum seekers thought they had a haven in the U.S. Then Trump returned.
Asylum seekers thought they had a haven in the U.S. Then Trump returned. (washingtonpost.com) Asylum seekers thought they had a haven in the U.S. Then Trump returned. By Ted Hesson 2026092413280500 Grace Calero's neck and back were still throbbing with pain when a Florida sheriff's deputy entered the hospital room where she was recovering from a harrowing car crash along with her teenage daughter. Immigration officials needed to ask her a few questions, he said.
ICE is quietly firing new hires. For one recruit, it was devastating. Original
Joseph Moore had dreamed of a life in law enforcement since he was a teenager. "Policing is in my blood," he wrote a Pennsylvania town's supervisors in 2020. "There is no other career for me." But the Marine reservist struggled to advance his career, according to employment records included in federal court filings. Two law enforcement agencies fired him, and others rejected him altogether before he landed a policing job in a small city with little room to move up.
ICE is quietly firing new hires. For one recruit, it was devastating.
Joseph Moore killed himself after learning ICE was going to fire him. Investigators had identified issues in his past that ex-officials say should have blocked his hiring. Joseph Moore had dreamed of a life in law enforcement since he was a teenager. “Policing is in my blood,” he wrote a … The Washington Post - Alex Horton, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Maria Sacchetti, Ted Hesson • 29m Read more on washingtonpost.com Philadelphia Philadelphia County Delaware Valley (Pa.) Southeastern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Protected status expires for Salvadorans shielded from deportation for decades
Scores of immigrants from El Salvador who have been shielded from deportation for decades because of ongoing violence and natural disasters in their homeland could now face removal from the United States after their benefits expire Wednesday. Salvadorans were the first immigrant group granted temporary protected status (TPS), initially in 1990 to those fleeing the country’s civil war and again in 2001 after two massive earthquakes.
Top AI leaders unite to warn the technology is advancing too fast
FILE - Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic, attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File) Three of the nation’s leading artificial intelligence executives endorsed slowing down the blistering pace of technological advancement, revealing the growing unease with its potential dangers at the industry’s very highest levels.
Top AI leaders unite to warn the technology is advancing too fast
Three of the nation's leading artificial intelligence executives endorsed slowing down the blistering pace of technological advancement, revealing the growing unease with its potential dangers at the industry's very highest levels. The call was first made in an essay Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei posted online Saturday.
Anthropic CEO calls for the AI industry to slow down
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for artificial intelligence companies to slow the pace of development on Saturday as concerns mounted over risks associated with the technology. In an essay published online, Amodei said he was worried about the ability to control self-improving AI models. He also cited alarm over a recent incident where AI agents acted independently to conduct cybersecurity attacks “We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models,” Amodei wrote.
Top AI leaders unite to warn the technology is advancing too fast
Top AI leaders unite to warn the technology is advancing too fast (washingtonpost.com) Top AI leaders unite to warn the technology is advancing too fast By Ted Hesson; Ian Duncan; Gerrit De Vynck 2026091216560300 Three of the nation's leading artificial intelligence executives endorsed slowing down the blistering pace of technological advancement, revealing the growing unease with its potential dangers at the industry's very highest levels.
Biden Imposes Sweeping Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border
From a Reuters Article By Ted Hesson and Mica Rosenberg Migrants caught crossing illegally could be quickly deported or turned back to Mexico under the measure, which will take effect just after midnight. There will be exceptions for unaccompanied children, people who face serious medical or safety threats and victims of trafficking, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
New rule would require some visa holders to leave U.S. immediately after losing job
New rule would require some visa holders to leave U.S. immediately after losing job (washingtonpost.com) New rule would require some visa holders to leave U.S. immediately after losing job By Ted Hesson 2026091015460400 The Trump administration wants to eliminate a 60-day grace period that allows skilled foreign workers to remain in the United States after losing a job and instead require them to leave immediately.
Protected status expires for Salvadorans shielded from deportation for decades Original
Protected status expires for Salvadorans shielded from deportation for decades (washingtonpost.com) Protected status expires for Salvadorans shielded from deportation for decades By Ted Hesson; Arelis R. Hernández 2026090909011100 Scores of immigrants from El Salvador who have been shielded from deportation for decades because of ongoing violence and natural disasters in their homeland could now face removal from the United States after their benefits expire Wednesday.
Rare charges against ICE agent highlight DOJ’s broader retreat from shooting probes
Rare charges against ICE agent highlight DOJ’s broader retreat from shooting probes (washingtonpost.com) Rare charges against ICE agent highlight DOJ’s broader retreat from shooting probes By Jeremy Roebuck; Silvia Foster-Frau; Ted Hesson 2026090809011100 The Justice Department took an unprecedented step last week, more than a year into the Trump administration's nationwide immigration enforcement crackdown: charging an officer deployed as part of that mission with a felony.
Plane carrying DHS Secretary Mullin makes emergency landing after engine failure
Plane carrying DHS Secretary Mullin makes emergency landing after engine failure (washingtonpost.com) Plane carrying DHS Secretary Mullin makes emergency landing after engine failure By Amy B Wang; Liam Scott; Ted Hesson 2026090219590200 A U.S. Coast Guard plane carrying Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing outside Washington on Wednesday after reporting that one of its engines had failed. "We just lost our right engine.
White South Africans could get $4,500 in aid if they come to U.S. as refugees
White South Africans could get $4,500 in aid if they come to U.S. as refugees (washingtonpost.com) White South Africans could get $4,500 in aid if they come to U.S. as refugees By Ted Hesson 2026082812010100 White South Africans who come to the United States as refugees could get up to $4,500 per person in initial federal support beginning Oct. 1, nearly double the current amount, four people familiar with the change in policy told The Washington Post.
State Dept. pauses immigrant visa appointments worldwide, says staff need training
The Trump administration has temporarily paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide, saying it needs time to train all consular staff on screening applicants who might become dependent on public benefits. Appointments for visa services at U.S. embassies were being “adjusted” because of the “global training initiative” launched this month, the State Department said in a statement. It did not say when the appointments would resume.
State Department pauses immigrant visa appointments worldwide, says staff need training
The Trump administration has temporarily paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide, saying it needs time to train all consular staff on screening applicants who might become dependent on public benefits. Appointments for visa services at U.S. embassies were being “adjusted” because of the “global training initiative” launched this month, the State Department said in a statement. It did not say when the appointments would resume.
State Dept. pauses immigrant visa appointments worldwide, says staff need training
NATION Aoife Walsh, Ted Hesson The Washington Post Aug. 26, 2026, 10:41 a.m. ET View Comments The Trump administration has temporarily paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide, saying it needs time to train all consular staff on screening applicants who might become dependent on public benefits. Appointments for visa services at U.S. embassies were being “adjusted” because of the “global training initiative” launched this month, the State Department said in a statement.
State Dept. pauses immigrant visa appointments worldwide, says staff need training
The Trump administration has temporarily paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide, saying it needs time to train all consular staff on screening applicants who might become dependent on public benefits.
Immigration officers are being diverted to Trump's voter-fraud effort
Hundreds of federal immigration officers responsible for vetting the applications of people seeking a legal status in the United States are being reassigned to search for potential voter fraud, three former officials told The Washington Post.
Trump administration proposes $103,000 fee for H-1B visas after legal setback
The Trump administration plans to charge employers seeking skilled foreign workers through the H-1B visa program a $103,265 fee, a proposed regulation posted on Monday says. Revenue from the fee would be used to run the legal immigration system, the document says, including funding for federal immigration courts and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
San Diego Padres minor league staffer arrested by federal immigration agents
A minor league staffer for the San Diego Padres was arrested by federal border agents at the El Paso International Airport on Sunday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said. Oswaldo Pirela, a Venezuelan citizen and catching coordinator in the Padres organization, entered the U.S. legally in 2014 and was granted the ability to remain through early 2018, a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
Law firm with Trump ties won’t seek $150M contract to represent migrant kids
Law firm with Trump ties won’t seek $150M contract to represent migrant kids (washingtonpost.com) Law firm with Trump ties won’t seek $150M contract to represent migrant kids By Ted Hesson 2026081220460300 A small Texas-based law firm has withdrawn from consideration for a $150 million federal contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children, it said.
Ex-ICE agent’s group awarded $158 million to represent migrant children
The Trump administration has awarded a $158 million contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children to a nonprofit group founded by a former immigration agent who inspired the film Sound of Freedom, a federal contracting database shows. A notice of the award to the Minneapolis-based group Our Rescue, which combats child trafficking, was posted online late Friday.
Ex-ICE agent's group awarded $158 million to represent migrant children
The Trump administration has awarded a $158 million contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children to a nonprofit group founded by a former immigration agent who inspired the film “Sound of Freedom,” a federal contracting database shows. A notice of the award to the Minneapolis-based group Our Rescue, which combats child trafficking, was posted online late Friday.
Ex-ICE agent’s group awarded $158 million to represent migrant children
Ex-ICE agent’s group awarded $158 million to represent migrant children (washingtonpost.com) Ex-ICE agent’s group awarded $158 million to represent migrant children By Ted Hesson; Liam Bowman 2026081115140300 The Trump administration has awarded a $158 million contract to represent unaccompanied migrant children to a nonprofit group founded by a former immigration agent who inspired the film "Sound of Freedom," a federal contracting database shows.
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