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(DILLEY, Texas.) — Last month, Kelly Ocampo believed she received good news: Her 21-year-old pregnant sister had finally been granted bond and was going to be released from the family immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas.

The letter she received from a lawyer to whom she had paid more than $3,000 was written on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement letterhead and stated that the ICE bond for Maria Alejandra Gomez-Quiroz was approved.

“This notice confirms that the immigration bond ordered by the Immigration Court has been successfully paid through an official payment method authorized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” the letter stated.

When Ocampo received the letter, her sister had been in detention for a few weeks. But now, a month after she believed the bond was approved, her sister — who is five months pregnant — is still in federal immigration custody.

“It was a scam,” Ocampo told ABC News.

Ocampo believes she was scammed by an individual posing as an immigration attorney, and said her sister has now been detained for over 40 days. Ocampo and her family spent all their savings on the alleged lawyer to try to get her sister released, she said.

ABC News reached out to the person Ocampo says claimed to be a lawyer, but did not receive a response.

Ocampo told ABC News that her sister and partner were fleeing violent guerrillas in Colombia and were planning on applying for asylum in the U.S.

Gomez-Quiroz was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol at the border in June.

She is one of at least 500 people detained at Dilley and one of four pregnant women being held there as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown, according to lawmakers.

Her detention comes as a federal district judge in California has ordered the appointment of a special master and independent monitor to examine “time in custody” at the Dilley facility to ensure that the government is complying with guidelines established in previous legal settlements.

Immigration lawyers have argued that the administration is detaining people longer than allowed by previous court settlements.

Immigrant advocacy groups have also said that arrests and detentions of pregnant women violate an ICE directive stating that the agency should not “detain, arrest, or continue to detain individuals known to be pregnant, postpartum, or nursing” except under exceptional circumstances.

ABC News previously reported on a different 21-year-old pregnant woman who has been detained at Dilly for more than 50 days with her 2-year-old son.

Immigrant advocates, medical professionals and lawmakers have previously raised concerns about conditions at the South Texas facility.

The order from the California judge also calls for the special master and independent monitor to monitor compliance with “adequate access to medical care” at Dilley.

DHS officials have previously disputed any allegations of substandard medical care at the detention facility.

A spokesperson for DHS said Gomez-Quiroz was convicted of illegal entry on July 6 and stated that she remains in ICE custody pending the outcome of her removal proceedings.

In response to concerns from Gomez-Quiroz’s family that she has been experiencing lower abdominal pain, a DHS spokesperson said, “It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment a person enters ICE custody.”

“She’s been very depressed,” Ocampo told ABC News. “My mom is desperate … this is a very hard situation.

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(NEW YORK) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a member of the San Diego Padres’ minor league coaching staff, according to his family and the agency.

Oswaldo Pirela, the team’s minor league catching coordinator who is based in Arizona, was detained Sunday morning at El Paso International Airport while he was traveling for work, his brother and mother told ABC News.

Pirela, 34, a married father of two daughters, entered the U.S. legally from Venezuela in 2014 and was allowed to remain in the country until 2018, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday. However, the agency alleged that he, “overstayed his welcome.”

“When approached by law enforcement officers, he was not in possession of legal documentation granting him status in the country. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and will receive due process,” DHS said in a statement.

Pirela’s family said in social media posts that he has done nothing wrong and is in the country legally.

“Oswaldo, like me and other members of our family, was directly affected by persecution from the Venezuelan regime. We came to the United States seeking safety through the legal process, applied for asylum through the proper channels, and have worked hard to build our lives and become contributing members of American society,” his brother, Jorge Pirela, said in an Instagram post on Monday.

The Padres said in a statement to ABC News Tuesday that it is aware of Pirela’s arrest.

“We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time,” the team said.

A LinkedIn profile for Pirela, confirmed by his brother, said he played for the Texas Rangers from July 2008 to November 2011. After arriving in America in 2014, he worked landscape management before returning to baseball as a coach.

He has been with the Padres since 2024, according to the LinkedIn profile.

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(WASHINGTON) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to compel the extradition of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged with assault over a nonfatal shooting and alleged false reporting during Operation Metro Surge. 

The ICE agent, Christian Castro, is accused of firing a gun at the front door of an occupied home in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, striking a Venezuelan man in the leg, then lying about the circumstances of the shooting, according to prosecutors.

Castro was charged in May with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. A Hennepin County District Court judge found probable cause for the charges and issued a nationwide warrant for Castro’s arrest, according to Ellison’s office.

On May 29, Texas Rangers located and arrested Castro, after which a Cameron County judge ordered him detained pending extradition proceedings, according to Ellison’s office.

Four days after Castro’s arrest, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sent Abbott an extradition request, but, according to Ellison’s office, the Texas governor has “withheld a rendition warrant” directing law enforcement to transfer Castro back to Minnesota for prosecution.

“Now, Governor Abbott is trying to shield Castro from being held accountable for these serious charges by refusing to extradite him to Minnesota,” Ellison said in a statement on Tuesday. “Abbott’s refusal to extradite Castro is unconstitutional and violates federal law and Texas law. I will not stand for that, so I’m taking Abbott to court. Christian Castro will stand trial in Minnesota.”

ABC News reached out to the Texas governor’s office for comment on the Minnesota lawsuit but has not yet received a response.

The lawsuit also alleges that Manuel Trevino — the sheriff of Cameron County, Texas, who is named as a defendant in the federal complaint — has failed to make Castro available for extradition.

Ellison’s office said the attorney general will also be requesting a temporary restraining order “barring the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office from releasing Castro.”

The Cameron County sheriff declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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(WASHINGTON) — A power failure aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer operating in the South China Sea last month left the ship’s crew without potable water, hot food, working toilets or air conditioning for four days.

The outage stemmed from an engineering failure aboard the USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a 7th Fleet spokesperson, said in a statement to ABC News.

The incident adds to concerns about the strain on the Navy as it juggles the Iran war and an expanding slate of global commitments.

The Benfold, a 30-year-old ship, was sailing with the George Washington carrier strike group on July 24 when an issue with the ship’s generators caused a complete loss of power aboard the destroyer, according to Comer.

The George Washington strike group is slated to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, where the carrier and its crew have faced an extended deployment supporting the Iran war.

“There were no injuries to the crew, who demonstrated resilience, grit, professionalism, and unwavering steadiness in their response,” Comer said of the power failure on the Benfold.

It’s unclear why the incident wasn’t disclosed by the sea service at the time.

ABC News reached out to the Navy for more information about the circumstances surrounding the power outage.

The Benfold was towed by contracted tugboats to Subic Bay in the Philippines, arriving July 28, where Navy maintenance specialists met the ship to begin repairs. Sailors were provided food and moved into contracted lodging ashore beginning the following day, Comer said.

Power was restored July 30, and repairs were completed on Aug. 7; the Benfold departed Subic Bay a day later, Comer added.

It’s unclear whether the Benfold returned to its home port of Japan or continued to sail with the Washington. 

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(NEW YORK) — Charges were announced Monday against 14 people in connection with an alleged cocaine-trafficking operation involving students associated with two Penn State fraternities, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office said.

Thirteen current or former students, as well as a student’s father, face felony or misdemeanor charges, according to a press release. At least four defendants are current students, the attorney general’s office said.

“This was a coordinated and highly profitable drug-trafficking crew revolving around two senior members of the fraternities, other fraternity brothers, and pledges,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “In fact, according to the evidence uncovered, cutting and packaging cocaine was, for some pledges, an indoctrination into the fraternities.”

Penn State officials placed the Delta Upsilon fraternity on an interim suspension, the school said in a statement. The other fraternity, Sigma Chi, where members were allegedly involved, is not recognized as an official fraternity at the school, the statement said.

The allegations stem from 2023 and 2024, Penn State said, adding that both fraternities operate off campus.

The investigation, which the attorney general dubbed “Operation Drugs Unlimited,” found that two members of the group — Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson — were alleged to have been the main suppliers to the group, roles that included “making regular trips to Philadelphia and New York for large quantities of cocaine,” officials said.

“The cocaine was then cut and packaged — primarily at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses — and distributed mainly to Penn State University students,” according to the attorney general’s office.

Officials said they tracked how the cocaine was allegedly obtained, packaged and sold, saying, “Most of the payments were made in cash or via payment apps.”

Abbatiello and Robinson, along with two others, Mohammed Hurabi and Lars Zeepvat, face charges including felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and related offenses, the office said. Another person, Robert Zanolla, faces charges of felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility, as well as related misdemeanors, the office said.

The eight remaining student-age defendants face misdemeanor counts of possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, the office said.

“Paul Robinson is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension for taking steps to conceal evidence, including a safe containing drugs and cash, and obstructing the investigation,” the release said, identifying him as the father of one of the students.

The charges were announced by Sunday’s office in cooperation with the State College Police Department and the 54th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.

“We are horrified by these serious allegations against current and former students,” said Andrea Dowhower, Penn State’s vice president for Student Affairs, in a statement.

Dowhower added, “Criminal activity, including hazing, such as this has no place at our institution, and we will cooperate with law enforcement in any way we can. We will continue to enhance our efforts around health and safety and hazing educational efforts for all our organizations.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice has asked an appeals court to reinstate the criminal human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

In May, a federal judge granted Abrego Garcia’s motion to dismiss the case, finding that the federal government failed to rebut Abrego Garcia’s “presumption of vindictiveness.”

“Because the presumption of vindictiveness remains unrebutted, the indictment must be dismissed,” U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw wrote in May.

In a brief filed Monday, attorneys for the DOJ urged an appellate court to overturn Judge Crenshaw’s May ruling, arguing that the decision to indict Abrego Garcia was supported by “legitimate reasons.”

“The decision to seek an indictment against Abrego Garcia for human smuggling was made by career prosecutors based on the evidence, the law, and their firm belief that there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Abrego Garcia had committed the offenses charged,” the DOJ said in a press release. “The indictment and prosecution of Abrego Garcia in the Middle District of Tennessee was not vindictive, and the evidence before the district court established that it was not.”

Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported in March of last year to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison — despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to a fear of persecution — after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which he denies.

He was brought back to the U.S. last June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, after which U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis released him from ICE detention while he awaited trial.

In May, Judge Crenshaw highlighted the involvement of high-ranking DOJ officials in the case, pointing to public statements made by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to conclude that the government could not justify its sudden shift from wanting to deport Abrego Garcia to prosecuting him.

In its filing Monday, the DOJ argued that Blanche’s public comments in an interview regarding the deportation case “do not reflect a vindictive motive.”

“At a minimum, nothing in his interview supports an inference that the United States pursued charges ‘solely’ to retaliate against Abrego for his civil suit,” the DOJ argued. “The district court’s contrary reasoning — which did not even address the full quotation — is illogical and clearly erroneous.”

The criminal charges in Tennessee stem from a 2022 traffic stop disclosed in an April 2025 press release issued by the Department of Homeland Security, which touted a “bombshell investigative report” alleging that Abrego Garcia was a suspected human trafficker. He was not charged or arrested during the traffic stop, which lasted for more than an hour. 

“Instead of investigating the November 2022 traffic stop to identify who was responsible for the human smuggling, Blanche started the investigation to implicate Abrego,” Judge Crenshaw wrote in May. “He did so to justify the Executive Branch’s decision to remove him to El Salvador.”

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(NEW YORK) — A judge in New York on Monday gave prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office until Oct. 9 to respond to Luigi Mangione’s motion to dismiss his state murder indictment, effectively meaning that Mangione’s state murder trial — which had been set to begin on Sept. 8 — is adjourned.

On Friday, Mangione pleaded guilty to both federal stalking counts in his federal case and admitted to shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

Immediately following Mangione’s guilty plea, his attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges he’s facing in state court under New York’s double jeopardy law.

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

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(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Monday declined a request from President Donald Trump to reconsider its rejection of his appeal in the 2023 E. Jean Carroll case.

The decision means it’s the end of the line for Trump’s bid to overturn a $5 million jury award to Carroll, which the writer’s representatives said was paid in July.

The Court did not explain its decision and there were no noted dissents. No request for a rehearing has been granted since the 1960s. 

A jury determined in 2023 that Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store in the 1990s, and that he defamed her in a 2022 social media post by calling her allegations “a Hoax and a lie” and saying “This woman is not my type!”

In 2024, following a separate trial, Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million in damages to Carroll for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her allegations of sexual abuse.

Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, is continuing to appeal that judgment with a petition to the justices currently pending. They are expected to decide later this year whether or not to take up the case.

In his appeal, Trump alleges that his 2019 comments about Carroll — which were later found to be defamatory — were “official” statements as president and therefore immune from use in a legal case against him.

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(LOS ANGELES) — The fight over Nick Reiner’s trust fund is expected to play out Monday in probate court in Los Angeles, with the 32-year-old looking to access money from the fund for his defense.

Nick Reiner is accused of fatally stabbing his parents, renowned director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner, in the family’s home in December.

An indictment unsealed last week charges Nick Reiner with two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait, according to prosecutors. He also faces a special allegation that he used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife. The 32-year-old pleaded not guilty and has been appointed a public defender.

Nick Reiner is now looking to access more than $500,000 he says he’s owed from a trust fund, saying he wants to use that money for his legal defense.

A financial steward for the trust fund argues that a piece of California law known as the “slayer statute” prevents a person from receiving trust fund money from a person they intentionally killed.

The steward said Nick Reiner is innocent until proven guilty, and if he’s found not guilty, he would get the money. However, if the funds were given to Nick Reiner now and he were later found guilty, there would be no way of getting the money back.

Nick Reiner remains held on no bond and is next due in court on Sept. 15 for a pretrial hearing. No trial date has been set.

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(NEW YORK) — A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Indonesia just hours after a more powerful magnitude 7.7 quake struck off the coast of the eastern part of the country, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

At least 47 people have been killed, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), with the earthquakes knocking down some buildings and leading hundreds to evacuate amid fears of a tsunami, officials said.

At least six others were injured and two more are missing, according to the Associated Press.

More than 300 houses were destroyed or damaged, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency.

More than 100 public facilities have also been destroyed or damaged, including 87 educational facilities, 18 health facilities, six offices and five places of worship.

Emergency crews, including members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, were conducting evacuations and assessing damage.

The agency said the earthquake, which struck shortly before 5 a.m. local time, was strongly felt across the province of East Nusa Tenggara.

The quake initially triggered fears of a tsunami, and a warning from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, issuing alerts to stay away from beaches and calls for people to evacuate. However, those warnings later expired, according to the Associated Press.

Before then, about 2,000 residents in the Nagekeo Regency on the Flores island “carried out self-evacuation as a precautionary measure after the earthquake and due to the early warning of a tsunami,” the disaster management agency said.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located about 60 kilometers north-northwest of Ende in Indonesia’s Flores region at a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to USGS.

There were a number of strong aftershocks reported nearby, including a 6.1 quake and a 5.9 quake also north of Ende, according to the USGS. 

Photos from the area showed damage to buildings. 

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