Several New York officials arrested in protest at Manhattan ICE office

Several New York officials arrested in protest at Manhattan ICE office
Several New York officials arrested in protest at Manhattan ICE office
Comptroller Brad Lander joins 11 local elected officials inside lower Manhattan’s federal building, demanding access to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding area on the building’s 10th floor on September 18, 2025, in New York City. Members of the group were later arrested. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Several elected officials in New York were arrested Thursday during a protest at an immigration office in Manhattan, according to local media reports and the Department of Homeland Security. 

Among those arrested at 26 Federal Plaza — a government building that houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office — were New York City Comptroller Brad Lander who was arrested at the same location in June while accompanying people to immigration court visits. 

In a statement, DHS confirmed that a total of 71 people were arrested during the protest Thursday, including Lander, two New York state senators and nine New York State Assembly members. 

Lander posted on social media that he and other elected officials were demanding access to the facility’s 10th floor, which operates as a holding facility for detained migrants, “to conduct oversight of conditions in ICE’s de facto detention facility.”

In the statement, DHS said: “Brad Lander showed up to 26 Federal Plaza unannounced with agitators and media and proceeded to obstruct law enforcement and cause a scene. He yelled inside the building that he was ‘not leaving’ until detainees were ‘released.'”

New York ABC station WABC reported Lander and the other elected officials who were arrested would be given police summonses and then be released. 

Following the arrests Thursday, the building was later placed on a lockdown because of a bomb threat, DHS said.

The facility at 26 Federal Plaza has been the scene of numerous protests in recent months amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. 

Lander was arrested during a protest in June after being accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer. Lander denied the allegation and said he was not charged following the incident. 

Earlier this week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to improve conditions for detained migrants at the holding facility inside the building. 

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Dept. of Homeland Security enhances security for Charlie Kirk’s funeral

Dept. of Homeland Security enhances security for Charlie Kirk’s funeral
Dept. of Homeland Security enhances security for Charlie Kirk’s funeral
Items are displayed in the makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the headquarters of Turning Point USA on September 17, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security has designated the upcoming funeral and memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event, a DHS official told ABC News.

The funeral will have the same level of security as the Super Bowl or the Boston Marathon.

SEAR 1 events are “reserved for events of the highest national significance and enable the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event,” according to a DHS official.

President Donald Trump and other members of the cabinet are expected to attend the service at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, on Sunday.

William Mack, the Secret Service special agent in charge of the Phoenix field office, said in a statement that the Secret Service has been designated as the federal coordinator for the funeral.

“Our teams are already on the ground in Phoenix and Glendale, working side-by-side with state, local, and federal partners,” Mack said. “Together, we are fully committed to ensuring that these solemn events receive the comprehensive protection and support they require.”

Some of those local police officers include officers from the Glendale, Arizona, police department.

The department is navigating a heightened security threat amid expectations of a massive crowd at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday.

“We will not be surprised if more than 100,000 people show up,” said Jose Santiago, public information officer for the Glendale Police Department.

He says they expect people to travel in from across the country and begin lining up for the first-come, first-served service by 2 a.m. on Sunday, if not before. The parking lot opens at 7:00 a.m., local time. Camping in the area will not be allowed.

“Officers will be anywhere the eye can see, and in places it can’t,” said Santiago, referring to aircraft, many drones in the air and helicopters at the ready.

The Department of Public Safety and Secret Service will be running the show inside State Farm Stadium.

Derek Mayer, the former assistant special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Chicago field office, who oversaw large-scale events, told ABC News the designation allows for a “whole of government approach.”

“DHS regularly declares events around the nation as SEAR-level to ensure the safety of those in attendance,” Mayer, now the chief security officer and vice president of executive protection at P4 said.

“This designation allows for a ‘whole of government’ approach, which means many different local, state and federal agencies will supply resources and manpower to guarantee extra security measures are in place. With President Trump and many other high-profile individuals expected to attend, along with the amount of public attention focused on the funeral, it makes sense for DHS to declare this as a SEAR event,” Mayer added.

The funeral is open to the public, but those who plan to attend are asked to register with Turning Point USA.

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Judge blocks administration from deporting unaccompanied minors to Guatemala

Judge blocks administration from deporting unaccompanied minors to Guatemala
Judge blocks administration from deporting unaccompanied minors to Guatemala
Eighty migrants from Guatemala are deported to their country with a United States military plane at the Fort Bliss facility in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 30, 2025. (Photo by Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from deporting unaccompanied minors to Guatemala, saying the government’s claims that it was simply reuniting children with their parents “crumbled like a house of cards.”

The move came 18 days after government officials put dozens of children on planes destined for their home country. An emergency order prevented the children from being removed. 

During the initial emergency hearing on Aug. 31, the government claimed the children were being reunited with their parents in coordination with the Guatemalan government. 

“But that explanation crumbled like a house of cards about a week later,” U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly wrote in Thursday’s ruling.

“There is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return,” wrote Judge Kelly. “To the contrary, the Guatemalan Attorney General reports that officials could not even track down parents for most of the children whom Defendants found eligible for their ‘reunification’ plan. And none of those that were located had asked for their children to come back to Guatemala.” 

The judge, a Trump appointee, noted the swift attempt by several government agencies to remove the children, who were in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

“Those agencies told the children’s caretakers, who were hearing about the plan for the first time, to have them ready for pickup in as little as two hours. The children were roused from their beds in the middle of the night and driven to an airport, where some were loaded onto planes,” Kelly wrote. 

Responding to the ruling, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, “This judge is blocking efforts to REUNIFY CHILDREN with their families. Now these children will have to go to shelters. All just to ‘get Trump.’ This is disgraceful and immoral.”

In his ruling, Kelly barred the administration from deporting any unaccompanied Guatemalan child who has not received a final order of removal or permission from the attorney general to voluntarily depart. Kelly says the government is blocked from deporting these children while the case continues. 

While Judge Kelly’s order only applies to Guatemalan children, attorneys for the minors had notified the court that other children from different countries could also be targeted for removal.

In one court filing, attorneys claimed a legal service provider in Illinois had been told by an Office of Refugee Resettlement official that “ICE may soon be taking into custody minors from the country of Honduras with the intent to repatriate them to their home country.”

Legal service providers also sounded the alarm about children from El Salvador being prepped for removal once their scheduled hearings were removed from the dockets, in a similar fashion to the Guatemalan children.

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Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika elected as new CEO for Turning Point USA after husband’s death

Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika elected as new CEO for Turning Point USA after husband’s death
Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika elected as new CEO for Turning Point USA after husband’s death
A photo of political media personality Charlie Kirk, his children and wife, Erika, is seen after an all-member memorial service in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall on Monday, September 15, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, was named the new CEO and chair of the board for Turning Point USA after her husband — the founder of the organization — was killed on Sept. 10, the board announced on Thursday.

“It was the honor of our lives to serve as board members at Charlie’s side. Charlie prepared all of us for a moment like this one. He worked tirelessly to ensure Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest tests. And now, it is our great pride to announce Erika Kirk as the new CEO and Chair of the Board for Turning Point USA,” the board announced in a letter shared on X on Thursday.

The board “unanimously elected” Erika Kirk, saying that “in prior discussions, Charlie expressed to multiple executives that this is what he wanted in the event of his death.”

Erika Kirk is scheduled to speak at her late husband’s memorial service on Sunday in Arizona alongside President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and others.

The conservative influencer was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

After a two-day manhunt, Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested for allegedly shooting Charlie Kirk and charged on Tuesday with a slew of offenses, including aggravated murder, with prosecutors announcing the intent to seek the death penalty.

He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious body injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of violent offense in the presence of a child, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced on Tuesday.

Robinson also made his first court appearance on Tuesday. His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

Before he turned himself in to authorities, Robinson’s parents asked him why he committed this crime, to which he allegedly said “there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate,” according to charging documents.

In her first public message since her husband’s death, Erika Kirk said “no one will ever forget my husband’s name.”

“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry,” Erika Kirk said Sept. 12.

ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.

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Erika Kirk elected as new CEO for Turning Point USA after husband’s death

Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika elected as new CEO for Turning Point USA after husband’s death
Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika elected as new CEO for Turning Point USA after husband’s death
A photo of political media personality Charlie Kirk, his children and wife, Erika, is seen after an all-member memorial service in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall on Monday, September 15, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Erika Kirk, the wife of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, was named the new CEO and chair of the board for Turning Point USA after her husband — the founder of the organization — was killed on Sept. 10, the board announced on Thursday.

“It was the honor of our lives to serve as board members at Charlie’s side. Charlie prepared all of us for a moment like this one. He worked tirelessly to ensure Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest tests. And now, it is our great pride to announce Erika Kirk as the new CEO and Chair of the Board for Turning Point USA,” the board announced in a letter shared on X on Thursday.

ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.

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Military helicopter crashes near base in Washington state, official says

Military helicopter crashes near base in Washington state, official says
Military helicopter crashes near base in Washington state, official says
Cars sit at the Madigan Gate at the Joint Base Lewis McChord March 12, 2012 in Fort Lewis, Washington. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

(THURSTON COUNTY, Wash.) — A military helicopter on a routine training flight crashed late Wednesday in a rural area near Joint Base Lewis–McChord in Washington state, officials said.

“This remains a developing situation, and no additional details are available at this time,” Scot Keith, a JBLM garrison public affairs officer, told ABC News.

The helicopter crashed at about 9 p.m. local time, Keith said.

A U.S. Army spokesperson said the helicopter was on a “routine training flight,” with air traffic controllers losing touch with the aircraft, indicating that something may have gone wrong.

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said officials have been able to locate the crash site but have been “unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire and is starting to overheat their footwear.”

Initial reports said the crash may have occurred near Summit Lake, the sheriff’s office said.

“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area, and we are working closely with JBLM to deploy any resources needed to assist,” the base’s public affairs office said in a social media post.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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Los Angeles home where D4vd has stayed searched after body of teen found in singer’s Tesla: Sources

Los Angeles home where D4vd has stayed searched after body of teen found in singer’s Tesla: Sources
Los Angeles home where D4vd has stayed searched after body of teen found in singer’s Tesla: Sources
Police sources say a decomposing body was located in a Tesla in a tow yard in Hollywood, California, Sept. 8, 2025. KABC

(LOS ANGELES) — A Los Angeles home where D4vd had been living was searched overnight, law enforcement sources told ABC News on Thursday, as authorities investigate the death of a teenage girl whose body was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to the 20-year-old singer. 

A search warrant was executed at a home in Hollywood Hills that the singer does not own but had been staying at, the sources said.

The development came after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner on Wednesday identified the female body discovered last week in the trunk of a towed Tesla registered to the singer as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas. The teen, from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, was reported missing last year, investigators confirmed to ABC News.

The body was discovered in the trunk of the Tesla on Sept. 8, two days after it had been towed from a Los Angeles street, police sources said.

The circumstances of how she died and ended up in the front trunk are unclear, investigators told ABC News.

The cause of death is still being determined. 

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division is leading the death investigation. The case is not a homicide investigation because authorities do not yet know how she died, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The case relies on the medical examiner determining a cause of death, which is proving difficult, the sources said.

No arrests have been made.

The Los Angeles Police Department told ABC News on Thursday that they are following up on leads in the case as they try to move the investigation forward. 

Police responded to an impound lot in Hollywood on Sept. 8 “for a foul odor coming from a vehicle,” Los Angeles police said.

Authorities located a body in the front trunk of the Tesla that was in a state of decomposition, LAPD sources said.

The victim was about 5-foot-1 with wavy black hair and was wearing a tube top, black leggings, a yellow metal bracelet and metal stud earrings, according to the medical examiner. She also had a tattoo on her right index finger that said “Shhh…”

The vehicle is registered to David Anthony Burke, known professionally as D4vd, according to a senior LAPD source. It is one of several vehicles owned by the singer, with many different people using any of the vehicles at any given time, the source added.

ABC News reached out to his representative and lawyer for comment but did not receive a response.

D4vd, who first went viral on TikTok, where he has 3.8 million followers, released his debut album in April. The singer, known for his indie, R&B and alt-pop sound, has been on tour since August. The tour’s stop in Seattle on Wednesday was canceled, with shows next set for San Francisco on Friday and Los Angeles on Saturday.

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Burning Man homicide investigation: Officials find alleged murder weapon as search for suspect continues

Burning Man homicide investigation: Officials find alleged murder weapon as search for suspect continues
Burning Man homicide investigation: Officials find alleged murder weapon as search for suspect continues
Sunset at the Burning Man festival on Sunday, September 3, 2023. Kathy Baird/The Washington Post via Getty Images

(PERSHING COUNTY, Nev.) — Nearly three weeks after a Burning Man attendee was found dead in a pool of blood at the annual event in Nevada, officials said they have located what is believed to be the murder weapon, according to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office.

Vadim Kruglov, 37, from Russia, was found dead at the event on Aug. 30 at approximately 9:14 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

On Wednesday, officials said they are in possession of a knife they believe was the murder weapon used to kill Kruglov.

The fatal injury appears to have been caused by a single stab wound to the victim’s neck using the alleged weapon, officials said.

Efforts are still underway to identify the suspect, with officials saying they have received hundreds of tips since the start of the investigation.

The night Kruglov’s body was found, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy was alerted by another participant that there was a man “lying in a pool of blood,” with officials “immediately” responding to the campsite.

Once at the scene, officials found a “single white adult male lying on the ground, obviously deceased,” according to authorities.

Officials said they interviewed “several participants in the immediate area.”

On Sept. 3, officials identified the victim as Kruglov and notified his family in Russia.

One of Kruglov’s friends, Sofia, said this was his first time attending the event, according to a statement from Burning Man.

“We want Vadim to be remembered as the talented, bright, and inspiring human being that he was. Let his memory remain as a creator, a dreamer, and a man who gave love,” his friend said, according to a statement from Burning Man.

Burning Man said in a statement they are “cooperating with law enforcement” and that the event — in collaboration with Secret Witness of Northern Nevada — is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest for Kruglov’s murder.

Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen told ABC News earlier this month the investigation is made more difficult by the fact that Black Rock City, Nevada — where the event is held — is a temporary city that disappears once attendees have left.

Because Kruglov’s death happened in such a remote location in the desert, cellphone service is nonexistent in most areas, so video and surveillance evidence is not as available as it would be elsewhere, officials said.

Along with Kruglov’s murder, officials said Wednesday there were 44 arrests at this year’s Burning Man, ranging from possession of a controlled substance and assault with a deadly weapon to domestic battery, sexual assault and burglary.

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Visitor dies after becoming unresponsive on roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe

Visitor dies after becoming unresponsive on roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe
Visitor dies after becoming unresponsive on roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe
Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(ORLANDO, Fla.) — A visitor at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park in Florida became unresponsive in the middle of a roller coaster ride and later died at the hospital, park officials said.

The incident took place on Wednesday night when the person, whose name hasn’t been released, was riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at the Universal Orlando Resorts park and became unresponsive in the middle of the ride, according to a statement from Universal Orlando Resorts.

The person was taken to the hospital when the ride stopped and was later declared dead, park officials said.

“We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones,” said Universal Orlando Resorts. “We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation.”

As a precaution, Stardust Racers will remain closed while the investigation, which is being conducted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, is underway, park officials said.

The sheriff’s office has not commented on the investigation.

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Officers involved in shooting in Pennsylvania, officials say

Officers involved in shooting in Pennsylvania, officials say
Officers involved in shooting in Pennsylvania, officials say

(YORK COUNTY, Pa.) — A shooting involving police officers has occurred in southern Pennsylvania, state officials said Wednesday.

“Please send prayers to the officers and those involved in the shooting in York County,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said on social media. “As we learn more, follow all guidance from police and stay away from the area.”

Two people are being treated at Wellspan York Hospital in connection with the incident, a hospital spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. It is unclear how many people total may have been injured, or the seriousness of the injuries.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he has been “briefed on the situation involving law enforcement in York County” and was on his way to the scene in North Codorus Township.

The state’s attorney general, Dave Sunday, said he is also en route to the area amid the “ongoing situation.”

All schools in the Spring Grove Area School District are sheltering in place “due to an officer-involved incident in our area,” the school district said in a statement while stressing the situation does not involve any of its schools or students.

“Local authorities have advised us to hold students and staff in our buildings as a precaution while several area roads are closed,” the district said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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