‘Living laboratory’: Trump admin urged to look to South America for lessons on fighting migrant gangs
Following DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s visit to Chile and Peru in late July, an expert said the U.S. should ‘think of the region as a living laboratory.’
A former high-ranking Venezuelan military officer is urging the Trump administration, particularly Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, to look to South America for best strategies in fighting against the migrant gangs and cartels that flooded the U.S. under the Biden administration.
José Gustavo Arocha, a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan army and now national security expert at the Center for a Secure Free Society, told Fox News Digital that South American countries’ varied responses to organized crime groups hold the key to what the U.S. should do and not do.
He said the region especially teaches valuable lessons on how to respond to Tren de Aragua, also known by its acronym “TdA,” a brutal transnational criminal group with alleged ties to Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro. The gang’s name means “Train from Aragua,” indicating its origin as a prison gang in Venezuela’s Aragua region.
Following Noem’s visit to Chile and Peru in late July, Arocha said the U.S. should “think of the region as a living laboratory.”
In line with this laboratory analogy, Arocha said that while countries like Chile and Ecuador “grabbed the scalpel early; Colombia left the petri dish wide open.”
Overall, he said the lesson for Washington is “act fast, act in unison, or spend years mopping up a disaster.”
He said that Chile acted decisively to unite all aspects of government together to fight the migrant gangs spilling over its borders, fusing police, tax and customs intelligence with one another. This enabled the Chilean government to quickly identify hundreds of members of a Tren de Aragua offshoot gang known as the “Los Gallegos clique” and march them into prison.
“Chile turned intel into jail time,” explained Arocha. “Every migrant-shelter interview, every crypto-remittance slip, every fingerprint goes into one national fusion hub; detectives then launch ‘mega-operativos’ that knock out stash houses, mules, and shell companies in the same forty-eight-hour punch.”
“That stops the gang before it can splinter and re-spawn,” he said.
CINCINNATI – A previous felon and suspect in the viral downtown Cincinnati beating that reverberated nationwide is facing a new federal gun charge.
“A federal grand jury today indicted Montanez Merriweather, 34, with illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
“According to the indictment, on July 2, Merriweather illegally possessed a 9mm pistol. As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms,” the release from the attorney’s office said.
Merriweather is accused of partaking in the early morning July 26 beating that injured six. It occurred outside a popular nightclub in Cincinnati’s downtown business district.
Stemming from that incident, he was charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting. He is currently in state custody.
If convicted on the gun charge, Merriweather faces up to 15 years in prison.
“There is no place for violence in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Those who commit violent acts can expect to be scrutinized and they will be held accountable for violations of federal criminal law.”
Socialism, a disease with no cure; the worst disease known to man. Most people are born with it, inherited from theirmentally impaired parents who succumbed to the low life of Zombiemania who walk the streets with nowhere to go.
But, once again, the offshoot of this is DEI, another disease with no cure. To the uninitiated DEI stands for DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. In reality this acronym came into the mainstream due to those whose weak knees bent to the liberal hierarchy of Hollywood. It became the shibboleth of the LBGTQ+, the political Pervs and the BLM movement. The Biden administration fed the DEI train at warp speed, firing up those wanting their fair share from those who have it.
Their logic is convoluted to such a degree because here in America the FreeBee nation of nations, consisting of the leach, the couch potatoe, the slug, the welfare monger, the flunkie, are a dredge on society, blood suckers best describe them, cost the U.S. billions in annual support of their toxic life styles.
However the Trump administration is acting quicker than the Speed of Light in dismantling Bidens legacy.
China rams own warship while chasing Philippine vessel
1 day ago ShareSave
Kelly Ng
BBC News
A Chinese warship ploughed into its own coast guard vessel on Monday while the latter was chasing a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea, Manila said.
China confirmed that a confrontation took place and accused the Philippines of “forcibly intruding” into Chinese waters, but did not mention the collision.
The South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute between China, the Philippines and other countries.
PREVIOUSLY POSTED – SEE BELOW:
CHINA PLAYING WITH FIRE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
December 11, 2023
(UPDATE) A CHINA Coast Guard (CCG) ship rammed a Philippine boat that was delivering supplies to Filipino troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal Sunday morning.
Based on monitoring by United States-based security expert Ray Powell, the incident involved the boat Unaiza May 1 and the CCG ship 21556.
It happened just hours after three vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and several Philippine fishing boats were subjected to “illegal and aggressive actions” by CCG and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) ships off Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea.
Philippine and Chinese vessels collide in contested waters
Powell said the Philippine Cost Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan were escorting the Unaiza May 1 and another boat, the Kalayaan, during the resupply mission.
The Philippine convoy faced a blockading force of 14 Chinese militia ships and two CCG vessels, said Powell.
10th December 2023
By George WrightBBC News
ReutersThe Philippines accused China of causing “severe damage” to the engine of one boat after using water cannon
A Philippine boat and Chinese ship have collided near a contested reef, in the latest territorial dispute between the two countries in the South China Sea.
The Philippines said China had “harassed, blocked, and executed dangerous manoeuvres”.
It comes a day after the Philippines accused China of using water cannons to obstruct three of its vessels.
The South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute between China, the Philippines and other countries.
The Philippines said on Sunday that China had targeted Philippine civilian supply vessels in the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, a flashpoint between the two countries.
One of two boats carrying provisions was “rammed” by a Chinese coast guard ship, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement.
It also accused China of causing “severe damage” to the engine of one boat after using water cannon.
But the China Coast Guard accused the Philippine boat of “deliberately colliding” with the Chinese vessel after “disregarding our multiple stern warnings”.
Separately, a convoy of civilian boats planning to deliver Christmas presents and provisions to Filipino fishermen and troops in the South China Sea aborted the trip due to “constant shadowing” by Chinese vessels, the organiser said.
0:24Watch: Chinese ships “fire water at Philippine vessels”
It comes after the Philippines accused China of using war cannons to obstruct three of its vessels on Saturday, in what it called “illegal and aggressive” actions. Beijing said it had used what it called “control measures” on ships that had intruded into its waters.
Friction between the two countries over competing sovereignty claims has increased since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became Philippine president last year.
Last month, the Philippines carried out two separate joint air and sea patrols with the US, and with Australia a few days earlier.
An international tribunal invalidated China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea in 2016, but Beijing does not recognise the ruling and has been building islands in the disputed waters in recent years.
The contested waters have also become a naval flashpoint for China-US relations, and in October US President Joe Biden warned that the US will defend the Philippines in case of any attack.
President Biden’s comments were made days after two collisions between Filipino and Chinese vessels in the waters.
Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei also claim parts of the sea.
In poker, a “Dead Man’s Hand” refers to a specific two-pair hand consisting of the black aces and black eights. It’s famously associated with the legendary gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok,
who was allegedly holding this hand when he was shot and killed while playing poker.
As the old saying goes, Shifty Schiff bit off more than he could chew.
A Democratic whistleblower told the FBI that Adam Schiff approved leaking classified information in order to discredit President Donald Trump, according to newly-released documents.
The documents, which were obtained by Just The News, were recently handed over to Congress by FBI Director Kash Patel.
The whistleblower reportedly worked for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee for over ten years, and reported Schiff’s alleged behavior to the FBI in 2017.
According to the report, the intelligence staffer called the leaking “treasonous” and “illegal,” in addition to being unethical. He was most recently interviewed by the FBI in 2023.
The staffer also said that he personally attended a meeting where Schiff greenlit the leak.
“When working in this capacity, [redacted staffer’s name] was called to an all-staff meeting by SCHIFF,” the documents state, per Just The News.
“In this meeting, SCHIFF stated the group would leak classified information which was derogatory to President of the United States DONALD J. TRUMP. SCHIFF stated the information would be used to indict President TRUMP.”
“[The whistleblower] stated this would be illegal and, upon hearing his concerns, unnamed members of the meeting reassured that they would not be caught leaking classified information,” the report added.
President Donald Trump has renewed his call for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to undergo a cognitive test.
“‘Congresswoman’ Jasmine Crockett is a Low (Very!!!) I.Q. Individual, much in the mold of the AOC Plus Three Gang of Country Destroying Morons – Only slightly dumber,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social on Monday.
“Each of these political hacks should be forced to take a Cognitive Exam, much like the one I recently took while getting my ‘physical’ at our GREAT Washington, D.C., Military Hospital (WR!),” Trump said. “As the doctors said, ‘President Trump ACED it, something that is rarely seen!’ These Radical Left Lunatics would all fail this test in a spectacular show of stupidity and incompetence. TAKE THE TEST!!!
By now you have heard of Jasmine Crockett, a loose lip talking slut waging a firefight way down in the Heart of Texas. And of course who does not know the Ton of Mierda, the Gov of Illinois.
AWOL Dems’ flight from Texas may have been funded illegally by Beto O’Rourke nonprofit
Beto O’Rourke’s nonprofit Powered by People accused of ‘bribery’ for helping Dems stall legislative process
Following reports that former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s nonprofit Powered by People was helping fund Texas state Democrats’ exodus out of the state to halt Republican redistricting efforts, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Wednesday announced he would be launching an investigation into the matter.
Texas House Democrats fled the state this week in an attempt to stop Republican efforts to redraw the state’s congressional maps. As a result, Texas House Republicans authorized civil arrest warrants for the absent lawmakers for depriving the House chamber of its ability to conduct official business. Meanwhile, Governor Greg Abbott subsequently called on the Texas Department of Public Safety to help arrest them. The civil arrest warrants, however, are only enforceable within state lines, and it is unclear how they will be executed.
Meanwhile, amid the partisan battle, a report from The Texas Tribune on Tuesday claimed that O’Rourke’s nonprofit founded in 2019 called Powered by People was among one of the main groups funding air transport, lodging, logistical support, and helping with the $500-per-day fines for the absent state lawmakers, citing anonymous sources involved with the fundraising efforts.
According to Paxton, the financial assistance could amount to a violation of Texas bribery laws and potentially other laws governing campaign finance, “coercion of a public servant, and abuse of office.”
In response to the investigation, O’Rourke described Republicans in Texas as “thugs” attempting to “steal our country,” and accused Paxton of bribery himself. In 2023, the Texas state Senate acquitted Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment accusing Paxton of corruption and bribery.
“The guy impeached for bribery is going after the folks trying to stop the theft of five Congressional seats,” O’Rourke said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I encourage everyone to text FIGHT to 20377. Let’s stop these thugs before they steal our country.”
Last week, Pritzker appeared alongside Texas Democrats who fled their state in protest of the proposed new congressional maps, which Trump and Abbott have both boosted.
He’s the one who is attempting mid-decade here — at a time when, frankly, all of us are concerned about the future of democracy. He’s literally helping whittle it away and licking the boots of his leader, Donald Trump,” Pritzker added.
Pritzker also defended himself against allegations that Illinois’ congressional map is gerrymandered. Trump won 44% of the statewide vote in 2024 but Republicans hold only three of the state’s 17 House districts.
“We held public hearings, legislative hearings. People attended them. They spoke out. There was a map that was put out. There were actually changes made to the map. And a map was passed, and it was done at the end of the census, the decennial census. So that’s how it’s done in this country,” Pritzker said.
He went on to say, “This is — it’s cheating. Donald Trump is a cheater. He cheats on his wives, he cheats at golf, and now he’s trying to cheat the American people out of their votes.”
Democratic state legislators from Texas have been huddling in Illinois and other blue states after leaving the state to deny GOP leaders a quorum in the state House. Republicans have repeatedly attempted to move forward with their legislative plans, but have fallen short of the 100 people necessary for a quorum.
Abbott and his Republican allies late last month unveiled plans to draw new congressional district lines in the state that could guarantee their party up to five additional safe Republican seats in Congress. The process of redrawing district lines traditionally happens only once a decade, after the decennial census is conducted.
If you have been to the zoo of late you could not have missed the animals; seems like Noah unloaded the boat. Did you notice that the individual species are separated by fencing. Each category has its own domain. Zoo keepers don’t want one animal feasting on another. Can you imagine a tiger preying on a lemur or stork. Gone in a millisecond.
Back to the real world of the Human Specie. They act like animals too: killing, murdering, raping, destroying anything in sight. It goes without saying that most of them are of the DEMOCRATIC STRIPE. They believe that pillaging the country and its inhabitants are a God given right. And we would be remiss if the Pervy Judges, Prosecutors, Governors and Mayors were not thrown into Animal Category.
Day in and day out, we find someone, somewhere in our glorious country being murdered in cold blood, raped, robbed and beaten without any provocation. Many believe that the city streets aren’t safe anymore. And, although crime rates are heading south, our Capitol City, Washington D.C. has seen a plethora of killings, robberies and muggings of late.
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is activating National Guard troops and is taking over the Metropolitan Police Department to tackle crime in Washington, after beefing up federal law enforcement presence in the nation’s capital Saturday.
“I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC,” Trump told reporters at a Monday press conference. “And they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly.”
Geert Wilders tells Netanyahu ‘millions of people in Europe support him’ during phone call.
The support from “millions” of Europeans comes despite “criticism from weak politicians and biased media,” right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
AUGUST 10, 2025 14:25
Dutch politician Geert Wilders spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling him that “there are millions and millions of people in Europe supporting him and his brave actions to free both Israel and Gaza from the terrorists of Hamas,” Wilders confirmed on his personal X/Twitter on Sunday.
This support comes despite “criticism from weak politicians and biased media,” Wilders claimed.
Netanyahu’s “fight is our fight since we cherish life and freedom while they love death and destruction,” Wilders added, concluding by writing Am Israel Chai.
Previous statements by Wilders
Last Sunday, the right-wing Dutch politician posted his support for the hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip, saying that “victims don’t hold hostages. Savages do.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned state Democrats that the threat of arrest upon returning to Texas will last “for literally years” on Sunday.
Abbott made the statement during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. He argued it is within his authority to keep the Texas legislature in a special session indefinitely, extending the penalties for Democrats who fled the state.
“I’m authorized to call a special session every 30 days. It lasts 30 days. And as soon as this one is over, I’m gonna call another one, then another one, then another, then another one,” Abbott said.
“If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested and taken to the Capitol. If they want to evade that arrest, they’re gonna have to stay outside of the state of Texas for literally years,” he added.
The warning comes as Abbott is seeking to remove delinquent Democrats from office, arguing they have abdicated their roles under the state constitution.
“We have a situation where lawmakers are violating the law in Article 3 of the Texas Constitution where they are required to act on bills. Because they’re violating that constitutional mandate, that means they are not fulfilling their oath of office, and they can be removed from office in this legal action that I’m taking,” he said.
The Pervs have high tailed out of Texas, hopefully never to be seen again. A redistricting plan set this off. The governor has proposed that five, maybe more, Republican districts can be created in the behomoth state. To accomplish this the State Legislature needs a Quorum. So, instead of allowing a vote, these liberal miscreants have left the state. By not participating in Democracy, they are subject to fines of $500 per day. But Low and Behold, they have a Sugar Daddy, in the name of Beto O’Rourke. However his efforts to pay the daily tab have been squished by the court.
In a recent political move, some Texas Democrats left the state to disrupt a Republican-led redistricting effort. This action, which involved flying to Washington D.C., is intended to prevent the state legislature from forming new congressional districts, as they are hoping to deny the quorum needed to conduct business. The legislators face potential fines for their absence, with estimates reaching nearly $400,000 for the initial departure and potentially exceeding $3.2 million if they remain absent for subsequent sessions.
Infamous Democratic donor George Soros and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke are responsible for two major funding groups behind the Texas Democrats fleeing the state to prevent the GOP from voting on a new congressional map.
Powered by People (PBP), founded by O’Rourke, has played a major role in supporting the roughly 50 Democrats who departed for New York and Illinois, paying for airfare, lodging, and helping with the $500-per-day fines the lawmakers face for skipping legislative session, the Texas Tribune reported. Meanwhile, the Soros-backed Texas Majority PAC has reportedly been working with national fundraising groups to secure additional funds for the last-ditch delaying tactic.
PBP is actively soliciting donations on its website to support the Democratic effort, promising potential donors that “100% of your donation will go to supporting Texas Democrats in their fight against Trump’s power grab.”
Who is Quornelius Radford? What we know about the Fort Stewart shooting suspect. The soldier accused of shooting five other service members at Fort Stewart today is a 28-year-old who has been assigned to the Georgia base for around three years, officials said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that he is praying for the victims of the shooting at Fort Stewart today and that “swift justice be brought to the perpetrator.”
ReutersThe Philippines accused China of causing “severe damage” to the engine of one boat after using water cannon
