(WASHINGTON) — The FBI is planning to reallocate potentially thousands of agents away from immigration enforcement to focus on cyber threats and counterterrorism efforts, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News Tuesday.
The shift in resources was prompted in part by the U.S. strikes in Iran over the weekend, the sources said.
The FBI has discussed shifting at least a couple thousand agents away from immigration work to help protect against threats from foreign adversaries, especially Iran, said the sources.
“The FBI does not comment on specific operational adjustments or personnel decisions,” an FBI official told ABC News. “However, we continuously assess and realign our resources to respond to the most pressing threats to our national security and to ensure the safety of the American people.”
Since the FBI started assigning agents to work on immigration enforcement in support of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, agents in the field had been expressing concerns that fewer resources were being dedicated to counterterrorism and cyber threats, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
ABC News previously reported that several months ago, the FBI directed agents from around the country — many of whom were working on counterterrorism and cyber issues — to focus instead on helping the Department of Homeland Security conduct immigration enforcement operations.
A man in Washington state was rescued after falling from a tree and spending four to five days in the woods, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office
(POULSBO, Wash.) — A Washington state man who was “stuck in the woods for days” after falling from a tree was rescued and is now recovering, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.
The man was found on Saturday in Poulsbo, Washington — located in the Puget Sound region — after someone nearby called 911 when they heard a “voice in the woods calling for help,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
When a deputy arrived on the scene, he could hear a “faint, distressful voice” of a man saying “he had fallen from a tree,” the sheriff’s office said.
Officials and canines began a search and rescue operation, and after “combing through the area,” they were able to locate the man at approximately 7 a.m. on Saturday, the sheriff’s office said.
Once rescued, the man told authorities he had been lost for four to five days “while trying to take a shortcut through the woods,” officials said.
He was taken to St. Michael’s Medical Center for evaluation and treatment, officials said.
(NEW YORK) — The Fourth of July holiday is fast approaching — and it’s going to be a busy one.
A record high of 72.2 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the July Fourth holiday period (from June 28 to July 6), according to AAA. This is 1.7 million more people than last year and 7 million more than in 2019, according to AAA.
Here’s what you need to know before you to head to the airport or hit the highway:
Air travel
AAA anticipates a record 5.84 million passengers will fly domestically over the holiday — a 1.4% jump from last year.
Domestic airfare is averaging $260 round trip — the lowest price in four years, according to Hopper. International airfare is down, as well, with round trip tickets to Europe averaging $840.
Thursday, July 3, will be the busiest day to leave for the holiday, according to Hopper and Expedia. Tuesday, July 8, will be the least busy and most affordable day to fly home, Expedia found.
United Airlines said it projects Friday, June 27, and Thursday, July 3, to be its busiest days with about 580,000 passengers each day.
Expedia said its most popular destinations are Las Vegas; New York City; Miami; Orlando, Florida; and Cancun, Mexico. Los Angeles and Seattle are also top cities, according to Hopper.
Road travel
This year is expected to be the busiest Independence Day ever on the roads. AAA projects 61.6 million people will travel by car — a 2.2% increase from last year.
But good news for drivers: Summer gas prices are the lowest they’ve been since 2021, according to AAA.
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Marshals in Florida have led a missing child operation this month that “resulted in the recovery or safe location of 60 critically missing children,” across the state, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Florida — working with a number of law enforcement partners — launched Operation DRAGON EYE, a two-week initiative geared to “recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth” that the U.S. Marshals are calling “the most successful missing child operation in USMS history,” according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday.
“This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities,” officials said in their announcement of the results of the operation. “DRAGON EYE resulted in eight arrests, including charges of human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference.”
Authorities said that Operation DRAGON EYE was the product of a “multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, and non-governmental organizations.”
The USMS defines “critically missing” children as those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence, authorities said, and recovered children were provided with medical resources, nourishment, social services and child advocates.
Officials working on Operation DRAGON EYE said they are proud of this operation’s achievements which located children across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties in Florida.
“I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States,” said William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida. “The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized.”
Said Callahan Walsh, Executive Director, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: “The success of Operation DRAGON EYE is a testament to what’s possible when agencies unite with a shared mission to protect children,” “We’re proud to have supported the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners in Florida to recover these missing children and provide critical support to those who need it most. NCMEC is honored to stand alongside these teams and will continue working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood.”
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — A Tennessee man is facing federal charges after allegedly brandishing a firearm at protesters earlier this month, with prosecutors expressing concerns about his “desire to commit an act of mass violence,” according to court documents.
Elijah Millar, 19, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was charged Friday with unlawful possession of a firearm, the Justice Department announced. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 if convicted.
According to prosecutors, Millar, dressed in all-black clothing and wearing a mask, confronted demonstrators at a “No Kings” protest near Nashville’s Bicentennial Mall on June 14.
Witnesses reported that Millar spat at protesters, yelled at them, and brandished a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol before being apprehended by Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officers, the DOJ said.
Just three days after being released on bond, Millar was arrested again when Murfreesboro Police Department officers discovered another loaded 9mm firearm in his waistband, authorities said.
Court documents said Millar was previously subject to a 2023 emergency conservatorship order in Rutherford County, Tennessee, which prohibited him from possessing firearms after finding he was “at risk of substantial harm to his health, safety, and welfare.”
A subsequent order in September 2024 designated him as a “disabled person needing care” and further restricted his access to firearms.
“The right to peaceably protest government action is guaranteed by the First Amendment and cannot be infringed upon by armed individuals whose actions put people in danger,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire.
On Sunday, prosecutors urged the court to keep Millar in custody, citing social media posts and online activity that suggested “a desire to commit an act of mass violence.”
The incident comes amid heightened tensions at “No Kings” protests nationwide. In a separate incident on the same day in Utah, a protest turned deadly when a safety volunteer accidentally shot and killed a demonstrator while responding to another armed individual who allegedly approached the crowd with a rifle.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Nashville Field Office, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and the Murfreesboro Police Department.
ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A dangerous heat wave has set in, leaving nearly 150 million people from Texas to Maine under heat alerts on Monday.
In some regions of the country, including the Northeast, thermometers are expected to rise this week to the highest temperatures in more than decade.
Nearly 50 cities could see daily high temperature records broken, including New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
“This level of HeatRisk is known for being rare and/or long duration with little to no overnight relief, and affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said in an advisory issued Monday morning.
A heat wave is a continuous period of abnormally hot weather, generally lasting over two days, according to the NWS.
However, the definition of a heat wave varies by region. In the Midwest and the Northeast, a heat wave is defined as three or more consecutive days of at least 90 degrees.
On Monday, the heat index, a measurement of what the sweltering weather feels like as opposed to the actual temperature reading, is forecast to soar above 100 degrees for much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as in the Midwest from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Memphis, Tenn.
Philadelphia is forecast to reach a high of 100 degrees on Monday, a temperature the city hasn’t seen since July 2012.
In anticipation of the first heat wave of the season, Philadelphia city officials declared a heat health emergency that began at noon on Sunday and will stay in place until at least 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson, Philadelphia’s health commissioner, said a heat health emergency is declared when the temperature gets high enough to increase “the risk of getting sick or dying from the heat” — especially for elderly people, individuals with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women.
“The best way to protect our loved ones is to make sure they can get into air conditioning during the hottest part of the day,” Raval-Nelson said in a statement.
Philadelphia is opening more than 40 cooling centers across the city to help people beat the heat.
In New York City, the temperature surpassed 90 degrees by 11 a.m. and expected to rise to the mid-90s to upper 90s on Monday afternoon and reach the upper 90s on Tuesday.
The last time New York City hit 100 degrees was in July 2012.
“Extreme heat will not just be uncomfortable and oppressive for New Yorkers this coming week, it will be brutal and it will be dangerous,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
On Tuesday, temperatures across the Northeast and Midwest are expected to be slightly higher than on Monday, and the heat index will make cities like Syracuse, New York, and Burlington, Vermont, feel over 100 degrees.
Nighttime temperatures are expected to provide little relief and could be particularly dangerous for people without air conditioning. Overnight temperatures are forecast to be hovering near 80 degrees.
The heat wave is expected to subside on Wednesday, but it will take until Thursday for much of the eastern United States to see real relief from the extreme temperatures.
Elsewhere across the country, the cold front that will help break the heat wave will move through the upper Midwest, producing severe thunderstorms from Kansas to Michigan. The primary risks for the Midwest will be damaging winds, hail, flash flooding and the possibility of tornadoes.
Multiple ambulances and police cars on the scene of a shooting at CrossPointe Community Church on June 22, 2025 in Wayne, Michigan. Police report that a shooting suspect was shot dead by a security guard after opening fire at the church leaving one person injured. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images)
(WAYNE, Mich.) — An alleged active shooter intent on attacking a Michigan church on Sunday was shot and killed by a security guard who “prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” police said.
The shooting unfolded around 11:15 a.m. local time at the CrossPointe Community Church in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, according to the Wayne Police Department.
“We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said during a press conference on Sunday.
The gunman was identified as Brian Anthony Browning, 31, from Romulus, Michigan. His motivations are unknown, according to police, though officials said he appeared to be suffering from a mental health crisis.
Browning had no criminal history. His mother is a member of the church and the suspect attended two or three services over the course of the last year, police said.
Police said the suspect exited his Nissan truck wearing a tactical vest, armed with a long gun and a handgun, when he approached the church building and began firing his weapon. Several staff members from the church approached the gunman, police said, adding that a parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly.
At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing fatal wounds. One staff member, a member of the security team, was shot once in the leg by the suspect. They underwent a successful surgery and are expected to recover, police said.
The church staff members do not wish to be identified, police said.
At this point, the Wayne Police Department is still investigating this incident, with the assistance of multiple local, state and federal partners.
A bomb-sniffing dog was brought to the scene by the Michigan State Police and a police bomb squad was also brought to the scene, according to officials, but there was no immediate confirmation from police that explosives were involved in the incident.
“Our leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a statement.
The church shooting came during a heightened threat environment across the country following the U.S. attack overnight in Iran that destroyed or severely degraded three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to White House officials.
Police said, “There is no evidence to believe that this act of violence has any connection with the conflict in the Middle East.”
Acknowledging the heightened threat environment, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that “it is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict.”
“The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crime,” Noem said.
The attack in Wayne came in the wake of a public bulletin the Department of Homeland Security issued after the U.S. strikes in Iran, warning that “low-level cyber attacks” against U.S. targets “are likely” and that extremists inside the U.S. would be more likely to turn to violence if Iranian leadership calls for such retaliation.
The bulletin further urges the public to report any suspicious activity.
It was not immediately known if the church attack has any connection to the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The attack occurred about a half-hour after Sunday-morning services at CrossPointe Community Church started, according to police.
Officers arriving at the scene quickly evacuated the church after learning that a security guard stopped the attack by shooting and killing the suspect, according to police.
The suspect’s name was not immediately released. The security guard was also not immediately identified by authorities.
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas, Mariama Jalloh, Victoria Arancio and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil landed at Newark Airport on Saturday, one day after a federal judge ordered his release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.
Despite being held in detention for over three months, Khalil vowed to continue advocating for Palestinian rights.
“Even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine,” he said.
Khalil also thanked those who have supported him during his months-long detention.
“Thank you so much for everything, not only for today, just for every day. Your words of support, your messages, have kept me going,” Khalil said.
Khalil, a green card holder who is married to an American citizen, has been held in a Louisiana detention facility since he was arrested by ICE agents in New York City in March. His son was born while he was in custody.
The ruling came at the same time an immigration judge in Jena, Louisiana, denied Khalil’s request for asylum and ordered him to remain detained — but U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz’s order supersedes that.
When asked Saturday what his message to the Trump administration was, Khalil answered, “The fact that all these attempts to suppress pro-Palestine voices have failed now — My existence is a message. The Palestinian existence is a message to this administration.”
“Whether you are a citizen, an immigrant, anyone on this land, you’re not illegal,” he said. “That doesn’t make you less of a human. And this is what the administration is trying to do to dehumanize me, to dehumanize the immigrants, to dehumanize anyone who actually does not agree with what the administration is doing.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez welcomed Khalil home to New York, at a press conference Saturday.
“Mahmoud Khalil was imprisoned for 104 days by this administration, by the Trump administration, with no grounds and for political reasons, because Mahmoud Khalil is an advocate for Palestinian human rights. He has been accused baselessly of horrific allegations simply because the Trump administration and our overall establishment disagrees with his political speech,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“The Trump administration knows that they are waging a losing legal battle,” she said. “They are violating the law, and they know that they are violating the law, and they are trying to use these one-off examples to intimidate everyone else from not going to school, from not using their speech, et cetera. And so we hope we’ve seen that a judge has tossed out their actions, not just once, but twice, and we hope to continue to advocate for the administration to follow the law, frankly.”
Trump administration officials have said Khalil was detained for his purported support of Hamas — a claim his legal team has disputed. A memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Khalil’s presence in the U.S. “would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.”
The decision to release Khalil was sharply criticized by the administration.
“An immigration judge, not a district judge, has the authority to decide if Mr. Khalil should be released or detained,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement posted online. “On the same day an immigration judge denied Khalil bond and ordered him removed, one rogue district judge ordered him released.”
(ENDERLIN, ND) — At least three people were killed in North Dakota after severe weather swept across the region overnight, authorities said.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said it was dispatched to rural Enderlin, North Dakota, for tornado damage at a residence at approximately 11:40 p.m. local time on Friday night.
Once deputies arrived on the scene, the Enderlin Fire Department let them know that storm chasers had located two deceased people as a result of the tornado, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
“Shortly after learning of this, the Enderlin Fire Department was dispatched to another location, and a third deceased person was found as a result of the tornado,” officials said. “Deputies found extensive damage to the area and began conducting well-being checks on people with several partner agencies.”
Law enforcement, the Enderlin Fire Department, and other first responders will continue searching the area and checking on residents, the sheriff’s department said.
“The storm was still active when they responded, and was very dangerous,” Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner told reporters Saturday, according to ABC affiliate WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota. “And to come across the scene … people that they’re familiar with is a difficult situation.”
A long-lived destructive thunderstorm event, known as a “derecho” had slammed an area more than 300 miles long with wind gusts between 70 and up to 106 mph.
Nine tornadoes were reported with these strong thunderstorms in eastern North Dakota, and greater than baseball-sized hail was also seen from eastern Montana to northwestern Minnesota.
Heavy rain from the storm complex also produced spotty flash flooding, which prompted multiple water rescues in Fargo.
(NEW YORK) — The Justice Department and attorneys for President Donald Trump on Friday asked a federal appeals court in New York to delay oral arguments scheduled for next week in Trump’s appeal of his $83 million defamation case.
Trump is appealing a 2024 verdict ordering him to pay former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll $83 million for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her accusation that he sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied all allegations.
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s attempt to have the government substitute for him as a party in the case — and his attorneys now argue that they should be allowed to appeal before oral arguments take place on June 24.
“The United States and President Trump are entitled to immediate review of the panel’s erroneous Westfall Act decision by this Court en banc and, if necessary, by the Supreme Court,” a joint filing from Trump and the Justice Department said Friday.
DOJ lawyers say that since some of Trump’s alleged conduct in the case fell within the scope of his role as president, the Justice Department should be able to defend him in court.
“The Attorney General certified that President Trump was acting within the scope of his federal office or employment at the time of his 2017 statements, made from the White House, out of which Plaintiff-Appellee’s claims arose. As a result, the United States should have been substituted as a defendant in place of President Trump,” they argued in Friday’s filing.
The 2nd Circuit last week upheld a separate, $5 million damage award to Carroll that Trump must pay.
