Immigration arrests surged to nearly 50,000 in July, marking the highest monthly total of President Donald Trump’s second term as his administration continues ramping up its mass deportation campaign.

Latest government data show Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 49,571 people in July, up 15 percent from 43,021 in June and roughly 70 percent from 29,241 in February.

The increase is particularly dramatic compared with the period immediately before Trump returned to office, when monthly ICE arrests hovered just above 8,000.

By December 2025, arrests had climbed above 40,000 before falling earlier this year. They rebounded sharply in June before reaching their new second-term high in July.

Texas and Florida have become major centers of the administration’s enforcement operation, accounting for nearly 20,000 arrests in July alone.

Both Republican-led states have expanded cooperation with ICE through 287(g) agreements, which allow participating state and local law enforcement agencies to carry out certain immigration enforcement functions.

JUST IN: ICE just confirmed a NEW RECORD HIGH ~50,000 arrests in July 2026 — AP

70% surge from FEB. 2026!

“The highest single monthly total…”

This comes as Stephen Miller has recently pushed to SURGE more and more arrests

This is a win — keep going.

WE VOTED FOR… pic.twitter.com/f33W5Or1mt

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 25, 2026

ICE has also dramatically expanded its manpower.

Following billions of dollars in additional funding from Congress last year, the agency has hired approximately 12,000 new deportation officers and investigative agents.

The latest figures represent another significant step toward Trump’s pledge to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.

ICE arrested more than 1,300 illegal aliens in a two-week operation across Maryland and Virginia, including about 400 with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges for crimes, including:

• A Salvadoran national with a murder warrant

• A Haitian national with a… pic.twitter.com/6GhzSWgS9n

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) August 24, 2026

The sheer scale of America’s illegal alien population, which sits in the tens of millions, means the administration will need to increase the pace considerably if it hopes to fulfill that promise.

Even if July’s record pace were sustained for an entire year, ICE would make approximately 595,000 arrests annually.

Over the past two weeks, ICE agents in Virginia and Maryland picked up 1,328 in a successful defiance of local “sanctuary city” policies.

ICE Quietly Nabs 1,328 Illegal Aliens in Just 14 Days in Democrat Sanctuary Suburbs Around D.C. in One of the Most Successful Operations in Agency History

Arrests also do not necessarily result in immediate deportation, with some cases proceeding through detention facilities, immigration courts, or other stages of the removal process.

Nevertheless, the administration has substantially expanded the country’s immigration enforcement apparatus since Trump returned to office.

ICE has widened its enforcement operations, dramatically increased staffing, and strengthened cooperation with state and local authorities.

Either way, the agency is moving considerably faster than it was just months ago.

The post ICE Arrests Smash Second-Term Record in July — But Pace Must Rise to Meet Trump’s Deportation Pledge appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Is Beauty in the eye of the beholder?

In her seven years working as Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen has had to deal with financial crises, the fallout of the war in Ukraine, and even the threat of Greenland’s annexation by US President Donald J. Trump.

But now, Frederiksen is fed up with having to deal with social media trolls – and even good-natured, well-meaning people – suggesting that she is ugly, and offering ‘unsolicited beauty advice’.

These people think the Prime Minister could be easier on the eyes, and think they have just the solution for her case.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has hit back at an unidentified plastic surgeon who sent her unsolicited advice about her appearance. pic.twitter.com/WAj41hyO1L

— Firstpost (@firstpost) August 25, 2026

Associated Press reported:

“The 48-year-old wrote Monday on Instagram that she had just returned back home from a trip to Ukraine, where she was exposed to air raid sirens in the ongoing war, only to find a message by a plastic surgeon offering her to “fix that little spot on your nose.”

‘I’ve lost count of how many messages I’ve received over the years about my appearance’, Frederiksen wrote. ‘Especially that I have ugly teeth and thin hair. That I have an ugly ‘wart’ on my nose and well-meaning advice to get some Botox’.”

Mette Frederiksen has spoken out after being contacted by a male cosmetic surgeon who offered to “fix that little spot on your nose”.

Returning from a trip to Kyiv, Mette Frederiksen spoke about the countless messages she had received about her appearance.

… pic.twitter.com/ckms60Y2Yr

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 25, 2026

Frederiksen posted a screengrab of the plastic surgeon’s ‘offer’ on Instagram and her response.

“Oh no. I’m happy with my body — I really don’t need a male plastic surgeon to have an opinion about it!”

Read: Italy’s Meloni and Denmark’s Frederiksen Unite Against Illegal Immigration, Vow To Protect Europe’s Christian Cultural Heritage

But even if these ‘tips’ infuriate her, she decided to react with grace under pressure.

Vanity Fair France reported:

“The politician therefore decided to share a screenshot of the exchange on her Instagram account, without mincing her words. ‘I don’t meddle in what others do with their appearance. For my part, I adapt very well to my body. As it is, when you’re a woman and you’re approaching fifty’, she wrote in the caption.

While she says the last thing she heard when she left Kyiv was an air alert, the leader does not hide her annoyance at the message she received. ‘If you ever decide to write to me — and you are welcome — I hope you will devote your time to something more important. Not to my nose’, says the Dane.

With a touch of irony and a lot of benevolence, she concludes: ‘I will therefore decline this proposal. And today I address a particularly affectionate thought to all those who have to hear every day about these ‘perfect imperfections’ that we all carry within us’.”

Read more:

After Leading Her Party Into the Worst Electoral Results in a Hundred Years, Denmark’s Frederiksen Finally Scrapes a Coalition Agreement to Serve Her Third Term as Prime Minister

The post Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen Is Furious With People Giving Her ‘Unsolicited Beauty Advice’ Online appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The infant known as Baby Gabriel, who was born after his surrogate mother refused his biological parents’ demand that she abort him, is now in critical condition following open-heart surgery, according to court filings submitted by the California couple.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Alaska nurse and surrogate McKenna West rejected the biological parents’ order to abort the boy after a 20-week diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and fled to Texas to give birth under state laws recognizing her as the birth mother.

West has continued fighting for parental rights and guaranteed medical care while the couple, Nasheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed, obtained temporary custody and sued West for more than $100,000 for allegedly breaching their contract by refusing the abortion.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ, Gilkar and Ahmed state that the child, whom they are calling “Rumi,” underwent the Norwood Procedure, the first of a series of complex surgeries typically required for infants with the underdeveloped left side of the heart, and that serious medical developments have arisen in the last 24 hours.

TMZ reports:

They say in the last 24 hours, “Serious medical developments have arisen that impact the health and safety of the child. The child is in critical condition and being closely monitored at the hospital.”

The parents claim the child appears to be “suffering from potential complications from the Norwood, and last night, the child’s condition declined significantly, requiring re-intubation.”

The couple has asked the court to reschedule a temporary restraining order hearing in light of the medical emergency.

West, a 28-year-old cardiac nurse and mother of two who has publicly maintained that every life matters and that no woman should be forced to end the life of the child she is carrying, selected a Texas facility with a strong survival record for the Norwood Procedure to give the boy the best chance at life after the biological parents declined to commit to the treatment.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened with emergency orders to ensure life-sustaining care and prevent the infant’s removal from the state without medical necessity, while West’s legal team continues to challenge California and Alaska orders in an effort to secure custody under Texas law.

The biological parents have described the situation as a family tragedy and insisted their focus remains on the child’s health, even as they filed a lawsuit against the surrogate mother who carried him to term.

Pray for Baby Gabriel.

The post Prayers Up: Baby Gabriel, the Infant Born After Surrogate Refused Biological Parents Demand She Abort, in Critical Condition After Heart Surgery appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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The post Watch Live: ICE Quietly Nabs 1,328 Illegal Aliens in Just 14 Days in Democrat Sanctuary Suburbs Around D.C. and More! The WAR Zone Podcast With Wayne Allyn Root Presented by The Gateway Pundit appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Trump has weighed in on the legendary Dolly Parton’s death, which was revealed earlier today.

As The Gateway Pundit’s Cassandra Macdonald reported, Parton has passed away at age 80.

Her passing was announced on her Instagram account in a video by her nephew, Brian Seaver, on behalf of the Parton family.

“My name is Brian Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today, announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis, and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” Seaver began.

“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality. As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”

Seaver continued, “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents, and countless others who have watched her and longed to meet her in the heavens.”

A cause of death was not released, but it is known that Parton had been struggling with health issues.

Just a short time ago, Trump weighed in with this touching response to Parton’s death.

“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will.”

“In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one-week period beginning tonight at 6:00 PM,” he added.

“Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you.”

The post JUST IN: President Trump Issues Touching Response to Dolly Parton’s Passing – Also Orders American Flag to Be Lowered for One-Week Period appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A Charlotte man charged with making detailed threats to carry out mass shootings at five public schools has been released from jail just three days before students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district were scheduled to return to class.

The man’s release has sparked outrage among parents concerned for their children’s safety.

Drew Andres Owens, 33, was released from the Mecklenburg County Jail at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday after posting a reduced bond, according to jail records obtained by the New York Post, with the new school year beginning today.

Owens faces five felony counts of communicating threats of mass violence on educational property and has pleaded not guilty. The case remains pending.

Court documents explain that Owens allegedly sent emails on February 15, 2025, threatening to “slaughter staff and students” at West Charlotte High School, Ardrey Kell High School, Community House Middle School, and Hawk Ridge Elementary School.

A separate indictment involves a mailed threat against Garinger High School.

The affidavit claimed a student armed with two shotguns and an AR-15 would carry out the attack, though school administrators found no such student enrolled.

Owens’ own father, a West Charlotte High School ROTC instructor, confirmed to police that his son was responsible for the threats.

The Post reports:

Darryl Owens allegedly told authorities that his son had harassed relatives, neighbors and family friends after being removed from the family home in 2021, and had sent unsigned emails and letters threatening to kill or shoot people at multiple locations.

The father told police he had previously obtained a restraining order against his son, that Owens had been arrested for violating it and that the order was later dismissed.

He also told police that Owens had recently sat outside neighbors’ homes and photographed his car at West Charlotte High School “to try to lure him outside.”

His original combined bond of roughly $200,000 was later reduced to $60,000 for the primary case.

Owens is reportedly under electronic monitoring and ordered to stay away from school campuses.

Parents don’t think that is enough.

“Is he going to show up at one of the schools? It’s not good,” one parent told local station WSOC. “I’m not going to feel at ease; I’m not going to pretend it’s OK.”

Another parent told the station, “It’s really unnerving for some of us. We live in the area where he knows people, and again it’s not positive; it’s scary.”

“He’s out, and that’s it, and the rest of us have to deal with it, and teachers have to go to school on Tuesday and deal with it,” they added.

The post Man Accused of Threatening Mass Shootings at Five North Carolina Schools Released from Jail Days Before Classes Resume appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.