(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is carrying out his immigration crackdown nationwide, with nearly 1,000 arrests reported by ICE on Sunday alone.
The actions prompted a tense standoff between the U.S. and Colombia after Colombia’s president turned away deportation flights from the U.S. Trump then threatened tariffs as high as 25% against the South American nation, causing its leader to reverse course and accept deported migrants.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived for his first full day at the Pentagon after being narrowly confirmed by the Senate. Trump’s other Cabinet picks, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, will face confirmation hearings later this week.
Pete Hegseth arrives for 1st full day at Pentagon as defense secretary
Arriving for his first full day at the Pentagon as defense secretary, Pete Hegseth stopped to talk to reporters to lay out some of his priorities.
“It’s an honor to be here,” Hegseth said after being greeted by Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hegseth said that would include removing DEI efforts inside the Pentagon, reinstating service members discharged because of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and building an Iron Dome — though experts have said the latter may not be realistic for the U.S.
He also said the Pentagon would provide “whatever’s needed” at the southern border as Trump carries out his immigration crackdown.
Hegseth previously suggested the firing of Brown as well as other senior officers who were involved either in the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan or “woke” DEI initiatives.
Asked on Monday if he wants to fire Brown, Hegseth said: “I’m standing with him right now. Look forward to working with him.”
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was released early from prison after President Trump commuted his 18-year sentence. (ABC News)
(WASHINGTON) — Protesters endured freezing temperatures to attend a vigil outside the Washington, D.C., jail this week as the moment they waited years for arrived: alleged Jan. 6 rioters walking free after President Donald Trump issued sweeping pardons on his first day back in office on Monday.
Those demonstrators gathered each night in support of the incarcerated Jan. 6 defendants, talking on speakerphone and joining in song with people jailed just steps away.
On Jan. 6, 2021, the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a mob of Trump supporters two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. At the time, a joint session of Congress was counting the Electoral College votes to formalize Joe Biden’s victory. Trump pardoned around 1,500 people charged or convicted in crimes tied to the day’s events.
One of those pardoned was Pennsylvania resident Robert Morss, who was convicted of assaulting police officers on Jan. 6. Morss drove to the D.C. vigil after he was officially released early from his halfway house.
He was pressed by ABC News about whether there was any justification for hurting a police officer.
“I would say that the justification for defending yourself would have to be predicated on the threat level,” he said. “I would never say that there’s any justification for hurting a cop, I would never say there’s any justification for hurting anybody and we’re not the party that condones violence.”
Multiple accused rioters have put forward defenses that they were incited to violence by police, but none were successful in court. Approximately 140 police officers were injured that day, according to the Department of Justice.
The Washington, D.C., Police Union, which represents officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, expressed “dismay” over the pardons in a statement.
“As an organization that represents the interests of the 3,000 brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, our stance is clear — anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, without exception,” it said.
In an internal memo obtained by ABC News, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger praised officers in the wake of the pardons. Manger said that “when there is no price to pay for violence against law enforcement, it sends a message that politics matter more than our first responders.”
In addition to mentioning Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 rioters, he also cited former President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentence of Leonard Peltier, who was convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1975.
“Police willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities. When people attack law enforcement officers, the criminals should be met with consequences, condemnation and accountability,” Manger said in the memo.
While most Jan. 6 rioters were charged with nonviolent offenses, more than 250 were convicted of violent crimes, including assaulting police officers, according to an ABC News review of court records.
In the aftermath of the attack, both Republicans and Democrats condemned people responsible.
“The thugs who stormed the Capitol today and incited violence should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Every single one of them,” Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, wrote on X on Jan. 6, 2021.
However, after the pardons, Republican lawmakers largely defended Trump’s pardon powers and Scott sidestepped ABC News’ questions about whether the pardons should have applied to violent offenders.
“I haven’t gone into the detail,” he said.
Not every Jan. 6 defendant received a pardon — 14 had their sentences commuted instead.
All were members of militant groups the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers who were charged with sedition. Prosecutors said they tried to use the Capitol attack to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was released early from his 18-year prison sentence. He did not enter the Capitol on Jan. 6 and maintained that his group only intended to provide security and medical aid to those attending multiple pro-Trump demonstrations in the area, prosecutors said.
After his release, he came back to Washington, D.C., and told ABC News that people who committed acts of violence deserve a pardon and claimed that none of the Jan. 6 defendants received fair trials.
“They still have a right to a fair trial,” he said. “And if the jury pool is drawn up of the victims, the judges themselves said that all people who live in D.C. were victims of Jan. 6.”
Heather Shaner, a public defender who represented more than 40 nonviolent Jan. 6 defendants, had a different take.
“As an attorney, I think they have been handled with excruciating fairness. And my clients feel the same way, by the way,” she told ABC News. “They got a public defender. They were given all the evidence against them. And they got what they considered fair pleas and fair sentences.”
Jason Riddle, who was sentenced to 90 days in prison after pleading guilty to illegally protesting in the Capitol and raiding a liquor cabinet, echoed that sentiment. He wants nothing to do with a Trump pardon, even though he got one.
“Because I did it, I’m guilty of the crime,” he told ABC News.
The New Hampshire man called Jan. 6 “the biggest display of disrespect you ever saw in your life,” acknowledging that he raided a liquor cabinet and noting that people were defacing the walls of the Capitol.
“And like, Trump called that a ‘beautiful day.’ Trump said that was ‘a day of love,'” he told ABC News.
ABC News’ Alex Mallin and Diana Paulson contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Following a tense standoff between the nations’ respective presidents, an agreement was reached on Sunday night regarding the return of repatriating citizens to Colombia from the United States.
Conflict ensued earlier in the day after Colombian President Gustavo Petro blocked two U.S. military flights carrying undocumented immigrants from entering the country.
In a retaliatory response, U.S. President Donald Trump posted threats against Colombia on his social media platform, alleging that Petro’s decision “has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States.”
Trump said in the post that he ordered his administration to place an emergency 25% tariff on goods coming into the United States from Colombia, and he threatened to raise it in a week to 50%. Additionally, he said that his administration would issue a travel ban and immediately revoke the visas of Colombian government officials — and those of all of the country’s allies and supporters. Trump further threatened to issue visa sanctions on all party members, family members and supporters of the Colombian government. Finally, he said that he would also enhance Customs and Border Protection Inspections of all Colombian nationals and Colombian cargo.
Trump said he would use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to fully impose the aforementioned treasury, banking and financial sanctions.
“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump said in his post. “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!” No evidence has been produced to show that Colombia forced anyone into the U.S.
The Colombia Foreign Ministry confirmed to ABC News that two U.S. military aircraft had been blocked from landing in Colombia on Sunday. It was not immediately clear if all 160 passengers aboard the flights were Colombian citizens.
“A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that every human being deserves,” Petro said in a statement posted on X on Sunday. It included a video of Brazilian deportees handcuffed after landing in Brazil.
The Foreign Ministry of Brazil also issued a statement Sunday asking the United States to clarify the “degrading treatment” of the deportees.
Petro had issued an early-morning statement on X saying that he objected to U.S. military repatriation planes landing in Colombia — although, the country would accept civilian planes repatriating citizens, he added.
But a U.S. defense official told ABC News that the two U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft had been granted diplomatic clearances. Then, when the planes were already heading south, Colombia notified the U.S. that they would not be allowed to land, the defense official said.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday afternoon, Petro offered to send his presidential plane to bring deportees to Colombia in a “dignified” manner.
Mexico has also denied U.S. military repatriation flights from landing there, a U.S. official familiar with the situation told ABC News, while explaining that such flights are not being prepared until after all diplomatic clearances have been finalized.
Like Colombia, Mexico does not have a problem with contracted civilian aircraft carrying out the flights, the official said, and those are what the Department of Homeland Security typically uses.
Discussions are ongoing, the official added.
In an interview on Sunday with Martha Raddatz — ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent and a co-anchor of “This Week” — Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, discussed what would happen to countries that won’t take the undocumented immigrants back.
“Oh, they’ll take them back,” Homan said. “We got President Trump coming to power. President Trump puts America first. Mexico didn’t want the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program under the first administration. They did it. They didn’t want to put military on the southern border. They did it.”
But if countries didn’t comply, “then we’ll place them in a third safe country,” he added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a statement on X on Sunday afternoon, saying, “President Trump has made it clear that under his administration, America will no longer be lied to nor taken advantage of.”
“It is the responsibility of each nation to take back their citizens who are illegally present in the United States in a serious and expeditious manner,” Rubio wrote. “Colombian President Petro had authorized flights and provided all needed authorizations and then canceled his authorization when the planes were in the air. As demonstrated by today’s actions, we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security.”
Later in the evening, the U.S. Department of State added a post saying that Rubio “immediately ordered a suspension of visa issuance at the U.S. Embassy Bogota consular section” and is now “authorizing travel sanctions on individuals and their families, who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations.”
Tariffs are a tax on imports that U.S. companies pay to import their goods, and the higher costs are largely passed on to consumers.
Trump leveraging a tariff of 25% to 50% could have a serious impact on Colombia’s economy because the U.S. is Colombia’s largest trading partner. According to the U.S. State Department, the United States accounts for 34% of Colombia’s total trade.
But that could also hurt American consumers: The U.S. imported $17.5 billion dollars’ worth of goods from Colombia in 2024, according to Moody’s Analytics.
Notably, Colombia is a top supplier of crude oil to the U.S.
Petro responded to Trump’s threatened sanctions late Sunday, saying in a post on X that Colombia will impose reciprocal 50% tariffs on U.S. goods.
“I’m told that you impose a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor to enter the United States, and I do the same,” Petro said in the impassioned post.
Later that evening, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson threatened in a post on X that Congress is “fully prepared” to pass sanctions and “other measures” against Colombia.
The White House issued a statement shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday saying that Colombia had agreed to all of Trump’s terms, “including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay.”
The statement also said that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act that Trump had drafted would not go into effect unless Colombia failed to honor the agreement with the U.S.
“The visa sanctions issued by the State Department and enhanced inspections from Customs and Border Protection will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned,” it said.
Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia acknowledged the statement shortly afterward in a video posted to X, stating that Colombia would accept repatriates who are transported back with dignity. He also confirmed that Petro would be sending his presidential plane to retrieve those citizens who had been on the rebuffed military planes, but didn’t specify when that would occur.
The foreign affairs minister said that a high-level diplomatic meeting between the U.S. and Colombia would take place in a matter of days.
“Colombia ratifies that it will maintain diplomatic channels of dialogue to guarantee the rights, national interest and dignity of our citizens,” he said in the video.
ABC News’ Luis Martinez, Selina Wang, Hannah Demissie and Nate Luna contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Many residents of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon are expected to return to their homes in the coming days and weeks, with most of the fighting in both areas paused under Israeli ceasefire agreements with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Under Israel’s multi-phased deal with Hamas, some hostages held in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have started to be released. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to continue amid the first phase of the deal, which was slated to last about six weeks.
Threats to ceasefire will ‘bear the full cost,’ Israeli minister says
Katz Israel, the Israeli defense minister, said on Monday that his country would “firmly” enforce the ceasefires that have paused fighting in Gaza.
“Anyone who violates the rules or threatens IDF forces will bear the full cost,” he said in Hebrew on social media. “We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”
Tens of thousands trek into northern Gaza
Tens of thousands of people were marching and driving on Monday back to northern Gaza, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year.
Long lines of Palestinians — some singing, others smiling and some kneeling to kiss the soil as they stepped into the northern part of the strip — were seen making their way home.
Those returning home were moving along two main routes.
Many of those who were were walking home were moving along al-Rashid Street, a path expected to be taken by about 300,000 people.
Many of those who were driving north were doing so along Salah al-Din Road.
A line of cars could be seen stretching for about 8 miles on Monday morning, as they waited for permission to cross into the northern part of Gaza.
-ABC News’ Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller, Nasser Atta and Samayeh Malekian
1 dead, 4 injured after IDF fired at ‘dozens of suspects’ in central Gaza
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its team evacuated one person who was killed, and four people who were injured, after an attack by Israeli snipers near the Wadi Gaza Bridge on Sunday.
Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops fired “warning shots” at “several gatherings of dozens of suspects” who the IDF said posed a threat to them.
Additionally, a rocket was destroyed by Israeli troops in southern Gaza, according to the IDF’s statement.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had introductory call with Israel’s Netanyahu
Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an introductory call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from a U.S. senior defense official.
“Both leaders discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats,” according to the statement.
Hegseth, who won Senate confirmation after being selected by President Donald Trump for the role, stressed to Netanyahu that the U.S. is “fully committed” to ensuring that Israel “has the capabilities it needs to defend itself,” according to the statement.
Additionally, the defense official said that “both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extended to Feb. 18
The White House announced Sunday that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended until Feb.18.
Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after Oct. 7, 2023.
(NEW YORK) — Mayor Eric Adams of New York City will limit his public schedule this week, as he undergoes “routine” medical tests during a series of doctors’ appointments, an aide said.
“Over the last few days, Mayor Adams hasn’t been feeling his best,” Fabien Levy, the mayor’s spokesperson, said on social media late Sunday.
Levy asked for privacy for the mayor’s personal matters. Adams’ office “will continue to communicate in the unlikely event he is unable to fully discharge his duties on any particular day,” Levy said.
“New Yorkers can rest assured that their local government will continue to deliver for them every day as our committed workforce at City Hall, and more than 300,000 employees at dozens of city agencies, continue to show up on the most important issues,” Levy said.
Adams, 64, is expected to stand trial on federal corruption charges in April.
He was indicted in September and charged with five criminal counts, including wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of contribution from a foreign national. He pleaded not guilty.
Adams meet with President-elect Donald Trump prior to his inauguration earlier this month, according to his office.
“President Trump and I had a productive conversation about New York’s needs and what’s best for our city, and how the federal government can play a more helpful role in improving the lives of New Yorkers,” Adams said in a statement.
Adams said he and Trump “did not discuss my legal case.”
ABC News’ Claire Brinberg contributed to this report.
(SEOUL) — The final four minutes of flight recordings before a Jeju Air flight crashed into an embankment at the end of a runway in South Korea are missing, a preliminary report into the investigation of the crash that left 179 people dead said.
Recordings from both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder are missing, according to the report released Monday.
The crash occurred at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024. There were a total of 175 passengers and six crew members aboard the Boeing 737, which had taken off from Bangkok, Thailand.
There were two survivors of the crash, both crew members, one man and one woman, according to officials at the time.
The preliminary report into the deadly crash was released on Monday by the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board.
Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder recordings from the flight stopped minutes before the airplane hit the concrete structure, or embankment, at the end of the runway at the Muan International Airport, according to the report.
The last four minutes and seven seconds of the recordings before the plane crashed are missing, the preliminary report stated.
Right before the end of the recording, the air traffic control tower advised the airplane to be “cautious of bird activity” at 08:57:50, the preliminary report says.
The CVR and FDR recordings stopped at 08:58:50. The airplane hit the embankment at 09:02:57, the report says.
The pilots of the Jeju Air flight identified a group of birds while approaching the runway and “during a go-around” and feathers and bird blood stains were found on both of the engines of the plane, the preliminary report said.
“Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) will tear down the engines, examine components in depth, analyze CVR/FDR and ATC data, and investigate the embankment, localizers, and bird strike evidence. These all-out investigation activities aim to determine the accurate cause of the accident,” the preliminary report said.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
(PHILADELPHIA) — Shortly after the Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC championship game and their ticket to the Super Bowl on Sunday night, a car plowed into a crowd of revelers in Philadelphia.
Three people were left injured by the crash in the Spring Garden neighborhood, though none of the injuries was life-threatening, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
They were part of a large crowd that took to the streets after the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC championship game, sending them on to the Super Bowl.
The accident took place at approximately 9:30 p.m. near Center City, one of Philadelphia’s most storied neighborhoods and home to such historic attractions as the Liberty Bell.
Police said in a post on X that the incident did not appear to be intentional.
A person inside the vehicle was taken into custody for questioning, according to the PPD.
(NEW YORK) — Tax filing season kicked off on Monday as the U.S. Internal Revenue Service began accepting completed tax forms.
Americans can file anytime before April 15. The IRS said earlier this month that it expects more than 140 million individual tax returns to be filed by that deadline.
Refunds are typically sent within 21 days, the agency says. For paper returns, the IRS says turnaround time can last more than four weeks.
The IRS is expanding a system that allows taxpayers to file directly with the agency, bypassing intermediary firms that often charge fees.
The initiative, Direct File, will be made available to taxpayers in 25 states, more than doubling from 12 states last year, the IRS said.
States newly offering Direct File include Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
For the first time, the Direct File program will feature a “data-import tool” that allows tax filers to automatically enter information available in their IRS account, the agency said. Direct File works on mobile phones, laptops, tablets or desktop computers, the IRS said.
Up to one in three Americans waits until the last minute to file their taxes, according to a 2021 survey by IPX 1031. That amounts to tens of millions of people.
Taxpayers can typically file an extension that lasts six months, meaning those who obtain an extension will be allowed to submit their tax forms without penalty until Oct. 15.
If a filer forgoes an extension and files late, the person risks additional fees for the tardy submission. The penalty amounts to 5% of the taxes owed for each month that the filing is late, up to a maximum of 25%.
Under such circumstances, the IRS mails a letter or notice alerting the filer of a late fee.
(GAZA CITY) — Alma Ja’arour is not like most children her age. Instead of talking about school and friends, her days are filled with memories of the family she lost and the uncertainty of her future after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on Jan. 15.
Alma, who is 12 years old, is the sole survivor of her family after her home was bombed in December 2023 in Gaza City.
Soon, she will return — not to the home she once knew, but to a graveyard where her parents and siblings rest.
“My mother, father, and brothers are all buried in one grave in our home in Gaza City,” she told ABC News. “I want to see them, say goodbye. But what will I do after that? There is no home to return to, no one waiting for me.”
After 15 months of living in displacement camps because of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Alma and others like her will be allowed to return to northern Gaza on Saturday.
But for Alma, returning without her family is difficult, she told ABC News.
Alma’s story is one of countless others unfolding across Gaza, where children like her face unimaginable challenges. The ongoing conflict has left over 17,000 children separated from their parents, according to UNICEF.
Amid the challenges Alma has faced, she has one wish.
“I want to make my parents proud of me in heaven,” Alma told ABC News.
Her hope is to become a doctor, fulfilling a desire that her late father always encouraged, she said.
“Through education, I can achieve my goals. I will work hard to make my father proud,” Alma added.
Alma has been living in a tent at the Al-Barakah Orphanage Camp in Khan Younis.
Mahmoud Kalakh, the camp’s director, said the children in the orphanage display resilience, despite the tragedy around them.
“These children carry the weight of tragedy, yet they still dream of a better future,” he said. “Our role is to provide them with the support they need to heal and rebuild their lives.”
UNICEF and other humanitarian organizations have called for urgent support for children like Alma. The loss of family, education and basic necessities has created a crisis that requires immediate global attention, global aid organizations say.
“Children are the most vulnerable in conflicts,” a UNICEF spokesperson said. “We must ensure they have the resources and care they need to survive and thrive.”
(LOS ANGELES) — Even with flames still burning in parts of Los Angeles County, total insured losses from the wildfires this month are already estimated at more than $30 billion, according to Goldman Sachs.
The massive amount of damage dwarfs the previous record of $12 billion in insured losses caused by Northern California’s Camp Fire in 2018.
With over 15,000 structures already destroyed in the Palisades, Eaton and spate of smaller fires, according to state officials, some public insurance claim adjusters are warning that it may take years for claims to be resolved, and in some instances, homeowners may not have the coverage they thought they had.
A recent study from the University of Colorado Boulder of a 2021 wildfire in the state found that three-quarters of those who lost their homes were not fully covered for total losses.
As thousands of homeowners in Southern California file insurance claims to start the recovery process, they are meeting the one person who will determine how much the insurance company should pay for their loss — the insurance adjuster.
Each claimant is assigned an adjuster by the insurance company. It is the adjuster’s job to assess the damage, and in the case of the LA wildfires, prioritize the destroyed and severely damaged homes over those with minor damage.
California law requires that insurers immediately pay policyholders one-third of the estimated value of their belongings and a minimum of four months’ rent in the event they are completely displaced.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently issued a one-year moratorium preventing insurance companies from canceling or issuing nonrenewals for homeowners in the neighborhoods or adjoining ZIP codes affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires.
After the adjuster assesses the damage, they will determine how much the insurance company pays out for the claim.
Those who file may be given a settlement offer on the spot, but Amy Bach, executive director of the non-profit consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, tells ABC News that homeowners should resist the temptation to sign on the dotted line right away.
She recommends asking insurers for a copy of the policy and studying it for details about what level of coverage can apply.
“Give your insurance company a chance to do the right thing, but don’t be a pushover,” Bach said. “Understand reality — your insurer is a for-profit business, and you need to be pro-active to recover what you’re owed in full. Get informed on your rights and your insurer’s obligations and be politely assertive.”
Experts say if an insurer tells a homeowner that something is not covered, they should get a second opinion, including getting independent valuations of the replacement cost of the home and possessions.
“Chances are the insurer’s adjuster will use a software program to calculate what they owe you,” Bach said. “Computers don’t repair and rebuild homes — contractors and subcontractors do. So, it’s what they will charge that matters.”
If the homeowner disagrees with the insurance company’s assessment, they can appeal the decision and hire a public adjuster for a fee, according to Bach.
The public adjuster’s second opinion may help when negotiating with the insurance company, Bach added.
Public adjusters can be found through the California Department of Insurance website, and if homeowners are not being treated fairly — they can file a complaint for free with the same department.
Bach suggests keeping detailed notes of all conversations with the insurance company and adjuster including the dates and times of speaking, the names of those representatives, and a summary of what was said.
She also recommends sending a follow-up email after every conversation to document the progress.
Even if affected homeowners are insured, experts also recommend applying for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
