Politics

(WASHINGTON) — House Democrats are demanding the White House preserve the independence of the Smithsonian Institution after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late March that directed federal agencies and the Smithsonian to eliminate what the order calls “anti-American” and “improper” content from the vast network of museums and national parks.

The top Democrat of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Joe Morelle, and other Democrats who have oversight of the Smithsonian Institution sent a letter, first obtained by ABC News, to Vice President JD Vance, who serves as a member of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents.

“We urge you to reject any effort to effectuate the goals of the Proclamation and to preserve the 175-year tradition of curatorial independence that has come to define the Smithsonian Institution,” the lawmakers wrote, raising concerns over Trump’s order.

The order, entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” directs Vance to eliminate what it claims are “improper ideology” from all areas of the institution, which consists of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

“Unfortunately, we now stand at the brink of seeing the Smithsonian at its worst: shaped solely by the views and ideology of one individual as a means of expanding his political power,” the letter states.

The letter is the latest effort by Democrats to push back on one of several actions taken by the White House to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the federal government.

The order also directs Vance and Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum to restore federal parks, monuments, memorials and statues “that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.”

“If this Proclamation were to be implemented, the Smithsonian’s curatorial independence and excellence would be eliminated, and 175 years of this tradition would end,” the lawmakers warn.

Trump, in the order, singled out the National Museum of African American History and Culture which he said perpetuated “race-centered” and “divisive” ideas.

“This flagrant attempt to erase Black history is unacceptable and must be stopped. The attempt to paper over elements of American history is both cowardly and unpatriotic,” the letter states.

The Smithsonian Institution was first established by Congress with funding from British scientist James Smithson.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Internal Revenue Service is considering revoking Harvard University’s tax-exempt status and a decision could be made in the coming days, sources told ABC News on Thursday.

The White House has already put a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value after the school refused to comply with a series of demands from President Donald Trump’s administration.

The Department of Homeland Security is also threatening to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program status, which allows for noncitizen students to study there under a specific visa, unless it turns over student visa holders’ records, specifically those pertaining to “illegal and violent activities,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Harvard in a letter sent by the department.

Attempts to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status would likely face legal challenges. In a statement, Harvard said revoking its tax-exempt status would be unlawful and endanger “our ability to carry out our educational mission.”

“Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission,” a university spokesperson said. “It would result in diminished financial aid for students, abandonment of critical medical research programs, and lost opportunities for innovation. The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.”

The White House said in a statement to ABC News that any investigation by the IRS into Harvard began before President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform that the school should lose its tax-exempt status.

“Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution’s violations of its tax status were initiated prior to the President’s TRUTH,” principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said.

Federal law bars the president from directly or indirectly ordering the IRS to conduct or terminate an audit or investigation. The law also bars the vice president or any employee of the president or vice president from direct or indirect involvement.

Asked Thursday why his administration was going after Harvard’s tax-exempt status, Trump said, “Because Harvard is a disgrace, it’s antisemitic. Tax exempt status is a privilege and it’s been abused by a lot more than Harvard.

On Tuesday, Trump posted to his Truth Social platform: “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting “Sickness?” Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!,” Trump said.

Trump said Thursday that he was not involved in the effort, telling a reporter, “I read about it just like you did.”

The Trump administration had demanded that Harvard end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs; adopt merit-based admissions; and cooperate with immigration authorities.

In a letter on April 11, the Trump administration argued that the school “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment” and proposed terms including changing the school’s governance, adopting merit-based hiring, shuttering any DEI programs and allowing “audits” to ensure “viewpoint diversity.”

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said he was blocked Thursday from entering the El Salvador prison that is holding the Maryland resident whom the courts say was erroneously deported from the United States last month.

The Maryland senator, who flew to the country on Wednesday, shared a video on social media showing guards stopping him and others from entering CECOT, where Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held.

The Supreme Court and a Maryland federal judge ordered that the U.S. government “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. after the Department of Justice said in court filings that the 29-year-old father was wrongfully deported because of an “administrative error.” The Trump administration has alleged it cannot bring him back and claimed outside of court that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang.

Van Hollen was joined by Chris Newman, who he said is the attorney for Abrego Garcia’s wife and mother, and said they are trying to check on the deported man’s condition.

The video also showed Van Hollen and Newman speaking to prison guards, who were visibly shaking their heads “no.”

“These soldiers were ordered to prevent us from going any farther from this spot,” Van Hollen said. “I understand we’re about three kilometers now from CECOT, and as you can see, they’re letting other cars go by, but they stopped us because they’re under orders not to allow us to proceed to check on the well-being of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”

Over the last couple of weeks, Republican members of Congress have gained access to the prison and posted pictures on their social media pages from inside the complex.

Van Hollen later told reporters that he made his request to visit the prison to the U.S. Embassy, which then passed the request to El Salvador’s government.

The senator said he also asked El Salvador’s vice president on Wednesday to visit the facility.

“I emphasized my goal was to check on his health and well-being,” he said.

The senator also said the prisoner has had no contact with anyone outside of CECOT, which he said is a violation of international law.

“El Salvador is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. El Salvador has signed and ratified that covenant, and that covenant says, and I quote, ‘A detained or imprisoned person shall be entitled to communicate and consult with his legal counsel,'” Van Allen told reporters.

The White House slammed Van Hollen for making the trip and advocating for Abrego Garcia on Wednesday. The administration and the DOJ have claimed with little evidence, that Abrego Garcia is a gang member.

The Justice Department has not charged Abrego Garcia with any gang-related crimes and his alleged MS-13 membership has been disputed in court.

A federal judge and the Supreme Court ordered the government to take all available steps to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the U.S., and on Wednesday, the DOJ filed a notice that it is appealing.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration’s request on Thursday.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation on Thursday and claimed he isn’t involved.

“I was elected to get rid of those criminals, to get them out of our count,ry or to put them away, but to get them out of our country. And I don’t see how judges can take that authority away from a president,” he told reporters.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would hear expedited oral arguments next month over President Donald Trump’s emergency request to rollback nationwide injunctions against his executive order to end birthright citizenship.

The nation’s highest court set arguments for May 15 at 10 a.m.

The move by the justices sets the stage for a decision by this summer on three separate district court injunctions that had blocked the administration from moving forward with its plan to create a new standard for establishing citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to parents who do not have permanent legal status.

Trump had asked the Supreme Court to allow the administration to, at the very least, begin planning for the change. He also took aim at the universal lower court mandates that he argued exceeded their authority.

“This Court should declare that enough is enough before district courts’ burgeoning reliance on universal injunctions becomes further entrenched,” Trump’s acting solicitor general wrote in the application. “The Court should stay the district courts’ preliminary injunctions except as to the individual plaintiffs and the identified members of the organizational plaintiffs (and, if the Court concludes that States are proper litigants, as to individuals who are born or reside in those States).”

“At a minimum, the Court should stay the injunctions to the extent they prohibit agencies from developing and issuing public guidance regarding the implementation of the Order. Only this Court’s intervention can prevent universal injunctions from becoming universally acceptable,” she added.

While the immediate issue is the scope of the injunctions, it’s also possible the justices wade into the substance of Trump’s executive order itself and the constitutionality of birthright citizenship, which was enshrined in the 14th Amendment and been repeatedly upheld by high court precedent.

Four separate district courts and three federal appeals courts have kept the Trump policy on hold during litigation, finding it very likely unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, a coalition of states and immigrant advocates had asked the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s emergency request to rollback a nationwide injunction against his executive order ending birthright citizenship.

“Being directed to follow the law as it has been universally understood for over 125 years is not an emergency warranting the extraordinary remedy of a stay,” they wrote. “This Court should deny the federal government’s request. Many aspects of constitutional interpretation are hotly debated, but not the merits question in this case. For over a century, it has been the settled view of this Court, Congress, the Executive Branch, and legal scholars that the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause guarantees citizenship to babies born in the United States regardless of their parents’ citizenship, “allegiance,” “domicile,” immigration status, or nationality.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Attorneys for a Venezuelan man who is currently imprisoned in a notorious Salvadoran prison filed a habeas petition on Wednesday, asking a federal judge to order the immediate release of their client.

Instead of deporting Edicson David Quintero Chacon to Venezuela, the government is “paying” for his “torture in El Salvador with U.S. taxpayer dollars in flagrant violation of the United States Constitution,” his attorneys said in the filing.

According to the habeas petition, on June 13, 2024, Quintero Chacon went to his routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in North Carolina where he was detained and taken into custody and transferred to a detention center in Georgia. Then, in September 2024, an immigration judge ordered him removed from the U.S. to Venezuela.

On February 10, 2025, he filed a habeas petition challenging his detention in Georgia, saying he “was not fighting [his] case anymore” and that he “just wanted to go home.”

A month later, after being transferred to a detention center in Texas, Quintero Chacon was put on one of the first flights to El Salvador with more than a hundred other Venezuelan migrants.

“Mr. Quintero’s continuing detention—now approaching a year—is lawless,” his attorneys said in the petition. “There is no statutory authority that could possibly justify his continued custody under or by color of the authority of the U.S. government, let alone at CECOT.”

The government’s decision to transfer Quintero Chacon to CECOT, his attorneys said, “will amount to an effective life sentence—and possibly a death sentence.”

Quintero Chacon’s attorneys said in the filing that he has not been charged with or convicted of a crime in any country.

“He is a loving husband, father of two small children, brother, and son, and a skilled carpenter and fisherman,” his attorneys said in the petition.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on the habeas petition and questions about Quintero Chacon.

In a 5-4 decision earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could resume deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act, but said detainees must be given due process to challenge their removal.

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union said on Wednesday they plan to refile more than a hundred habeas claims in Washington for the men who were deported on March 15.

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(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said he was blocked Thursday from entering the El Salvador prison that is holding the Maryland resident who the courts say was erroneously deported from the United States last month.

The Maryland senator, who flew to the country on Wednesday, shared a video on social media showing guards stopping him and others from entering CECOT, where Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held.

The Supreme Court and a Maryland federal judge ordered that the U.S. government “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. after the Department of Justice said in court filings that the 29-year-old father was wrongfully deported because of an “administrative error.” The Trump administration has alleged it cannot bring him back and claimed outside of court that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang.

Van Hollen was joined by Chris Newman, who he said is the attorney for Abrego Garcia’s wife and mother, and said they are trying to check on the deported man’s condition.

The video also showed Van Hollen and Newman speaking to prison guards, who were visibly shaking their heads “no.”

“These soldiers were ordered to prevent us from going any farther from this spot,” Van Hollen said. “I understand we’re about three kilometers now from CECOT, and as you can see, they’re letting other cars go by, but they stopped us because they’re under orders not to allow us to proceed to check on the well-being of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”

Over the last couple of weeks, Republican members of Congress have gained access to the prison and posted pictures on their social media pages from inside the complex.

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(WASHINGTON) — Longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell will face constituents Thursday in his home state of Kentucky as Republican lawmakers continue to face hostile crowds raising issues with President Donald Trump’s policies.

Party leadership has advised against holding in-person events after some lawmakers faced volatile crowds back home in their districts and questions about cuts to Medicaid and Social Security, Trump’s tariffs and his deportation policy.

McConnell announced in February that he would not seek an eighth term in the Senate. He stepped down from his role as party leader last year after a record-breaking 18 years atop the GOP conference.

Since ending his tenure as leader, McConnell has been one of few Republican senators willing to challenge Trump. He has voted against Trump Cabinet nominees and been critical of Trump on his tariff policy, his efforts at election reform, and holding direct negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

He will speak on Thursday to the Glasgow-Barren County Rotary Club.

Angry constituents have confronted Republican lawmakers who chose to hold in-person town halls this week.

GOP Sen. Charles Grassley faced a contentious crowd on Tuesday in Iowa who peppered him with questions about Trump’s tariff and deportation policies and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency slashing federal agencies.

The same day, Republican Rep. Brian Mast faced pushback from angry constituents who pressed him on immigration enforcement actions and potential cuts to Social Security at three town halls he held in his Florida district. A scuffle broke out in the audience at one event before security broke it up.

On Tuesday evening, two protesters were tased by law enforcement and others were escorted out after they interrupted a town hall held by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters.

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(WASHINGTON) — Longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell will face constituents Thursday in his home state of Kentucky as Republican lawmakers continue to face hostile crowds raising issues with President Donald Trump’s policies.

Party leadership has advised against holding in-person events after some lawmakers faced volatile crowds back home in their districts and questions about cuts to Medicaid and Social Security, Trump’s tariffs and his deportation policy.

McConnell announced in February that he would not seek an eighth term in the Senate. He stepped down from his role as party leader last year after a record-breaking 18 years atop the GOP conference.

Since ending his tenure as leader, McConnell has been one of few Republican senators willing to challenge Trump. He has voted against Trump Cabinet nominees and been critical of Trump on his tariff policy, his efforts at election reform, and holding direct negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

He will speak on Thursday to the Glasgow-Barren County Rotary Club.

Angry constituents have confronted Republican lawmakers who chose to hold in-person town halls this week.

GOP Sen. Charles Grassley faced a contentious crowd on Tuesday in Iowa who peppered him with questions about Trump’s tariff and deportation policies and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency slashing federal agencies.

The same day, Republican Rep. Brian Mast faced pushback from angry constituents who pressed him on immigration enforcement actions and potential cuts to Social Security at three town halls he held in his Florida district. A scuffle broke out in the audience at one event before security broke it up.

On Tuesday evening, two protesters were tased by law enforcement and others were escorted out after they interrupted a town hall held by GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security is demanding “detailed records” on Harvard University’s student visa holders, according to a statement from the department.

The school must turn over student visa holders’ records, specifically those pertaining to “illegal and violent activities,” or risk losing the school’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program status, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Harvard in a letter sent by the department.

The SEVP allows for noncitizen students to study at the university under a specific visa.

Noem told Harvard it is a “privilege” to have foreign students attend Harvard, “not a guarantee.”

“The United States Government understands that Harvard University relies heavily on foreign student funding from over 10,000 foreign students to build and maintain their substantial endowment,” Noem wrote in a letter dated April 16 and obtained by ABC News. “At the same time, your institution has created a hostile learning environment for Jewish students due to Harvard’s failure to condemn antisemitism.”

Noem requested that Harvard provide a tranche of information to the department to keep its SEVP status, asking it for information on student visa holders’ “known” illegally activity, violent activity, threats to students or faculty, disciplinary actions taken as a result of being involved in a protest, whether a student obstructed the school’s learning environment and the coursework that a student is taking to maintain the visa status, according to the letter.

“In the event the school fails to respond to this request within the timeframe provided … SEVP will automatically withdraw the school’s certification,” she wrote.

DHS is also pulling $2 million in grants from Harvard — part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to halt grant funding for the university.

“Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” Noem said in a press release. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

On Monday, Harvard said it is refusing to comply with a series of demands from President Donald Trump’s administration. The Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism subsequently announced a multibillion-dollar freeze on funding to the university.

The administration’s task force said it would withhold $2.2 billion in multiyear grants and $60 million in multiyear contract value to the institution.

In a statement, Harvard said it is aware of the letter sent by DHS and “values the rule of law,” according to a university spokesperson.

“Harvard is aware of the Department of Homeland Security’s letter regarding grant cancellations and scrutiny of foreign student visas, which — like the Administration’s announcement of the freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts, and reports of the revocation of Harvard’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status — follows on the heels of our statement that Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to stand by that statement. We will continue to comply with the law and expect the Administration to do the same.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice filed notice Wednesday that it will appeal the order from a federal judge requiring the government to facilitate the return of wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, on the same day the it released two documents that were previously used to allegedly tie him to the criminal gang MS-13.

The two forms the government present as evidence — a gang field interview sheet from the Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland and an additional form from the Department of Homeland Security — base Abrego Garcia’s alleged gang affiliation on his clothing and information from a confidential informant described as a “past proven and reliable source of information.”

The reports provide no other information beyond the clothing and confidential informant to justify the claim that Abrego Garcia is a ranking gang member.

Abrego Garcia is entering his second month in an El Salvador mega-prison after he was deported there on March 15 despite being issued a 2019 court order barring his deportation to his home country due to the fear of persecution.

His attorneys and his wife have denied he is a member of MS-13, and his lawyers have called into question the validity of the document by alleging the detective who authored it was later suspended.

DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told ABC News’ Jay O’Brien on Tuesday that Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador was the result of a “clerical error” and that “he should have been sent to a detention center in Mexico, Nicaragua, Egypt.”

According to the gang field interview sheet – a report of the police’s interaction with Abrego Garcia – he was approached by police in 2019 after they said he was loitering in a Home Depot parking lot in Hyattsville, Maryland.

The report noted that Abrego Garcia wore a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie emblazoned with images of rolls of money covering the eyes and ears of former U.S. presidents, which police claimed tied Abrego Garcia to the gang.

“Officers know such clothing to be indicative of the Hispanic gang culture,” the report said, noting that the meaning of the clothing is “see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil.”

“Wearing the Chicago Bulls hat represents that they are a member in good standing with the MS-13,” the report said.

According to the report, officers contacted a “past proven and reliable source of information” who said that Abrego Garcia was a ranking member of MS-13. Abrego Garcia had the rank of “Chequeo” and had the moniker “Chele,” according to the informant. According to the DOJ, a chequeo is a low level member of MS-13.

The DHS report added that Abrego Garcia was in possession of $1,178 at the time of his arrest.

The report noted that Abrego Garcia was in the company of three other men when he was arrested, one of whom, according to police, had an extensive criminal history and was known as an active gang member. Another was linked to MS-13 based on a confidential source, the report said.

Police said they were unable to link the third man to the gang, writing that “MS-13 gang members are only allowed to hang around other members or prospects for the gang.”

The other document — a DHS I-213 form — cited the Prince George’s County Police Department field interview sheet to claim that Abrego Garcia was “identified” and “validated” as a member of MS-13. Abrego Garcia denied having any information about the gang or human smuggling, according to the DHS report.

An immigration judge who denied Abrego Garcia bond in 2019 cited both reports as the main evidence to conclude he posed a risk to the community.

Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have highlighted apparent inconsistencies in the DHS report, saying it offers contradictory assessments regarding whether Abrego Garcia feared being removed to El Salvador.

His attorneys have also highlighted that the confidential information linked Abrego Garcia to the Western clique of MS-13, which principally operates on Long Island, where they say he has never lived.

The report also noted that the two other alleged gang members at the Home Depot parking lot were members of a different MS-13 clique.

Wednesday’s developments came a day after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered government officials to testify under oath because, she said, they had “done nothing to aid in Abrego Garcia’s release from custody and return to the United States,” despite the Supreme Court directing the Trump administration to “‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador.”

Per Judge Xinis’ orders, the Trump administration on Wednesday submitted its daily status update on Abrego Garcia, saying that were “no further updates.”

“Given the government’s prior clear and unequivocal notice to the Court regarding how the government will facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return within the contours of existing law and regulation, there are no further updates,” Joseph Mazzarra, the Acting General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, said in the update.

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