Bill Melugin Profile picture
National correspondent for @foxnews based in L.A. 4x EMMY winner, 3x Edward R. Murrow winner, 4x RTNA Golden Mike winner. @Cronkite_ASU grad & SoCal native.
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Mar 18 4 tweets 4 min read
NEW: ICE confirms to @FoxNews that they arrested Jeanette Vizguerra, a convicted criminal Mexican illegal alien & immigration activist, in Aurora, CO yesterday. ICE confirms she has a final order of removal (deportation order) via a DOJ immigration judge, and has repeatedly had due process, including multiple stays of deportation. She notoriously hid in a Denver church for years to avoid deportation, and she has remained an immigration fugitive.

Despite having a final order of removal stretching back to the Obama administration, several Democrat politicians in Colorado falsely claimed today that Vizguerra has had no due process, including Denver Mayor @MikeJohnstonCO, who called her arrest a “Putin-style persecution of a political dissident”, and Senator @MichaelBennet, who claimed ICE detained her “without any due process, like a deportation order.”

ICE confirms she does, in fact, have a deportation order, and has had one for years.

Below is the background & criminal history on Vizguerra up until 2019, according to ICE:
 
•On Feb. 5, 2009, the ICE Denver office lodged an immigration detainer on Vizguerra-Ramirez.
 
•On Feb. 26, 2009, the Arapahoe County Court, Centennial, Colorado, convicted Vizguerra-Ramirez of forged instrument possession 2nd degree, and sentenced her to a term of 23 days in jail. 
 
•On Feb. 27, 2009, ICE took custody of Vizguerra-Ramirez from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office pursuant to an immigration detainer.
 
•On March 11, 2009, Vizguerra-Ramirez was released from ICE custody after posting an immigration bond.
 
•On March 27, 2009, Arapahoe County Court convicted Vizguerra-Ramirez of failure to display proof of insurance and driving without a license and ordered her to pay fines.
 
•On Nov. 18, 2011, a federal immigration judge denied Vizguerra-Ramirez her application for relief from immigration proceedings, but granted her a voluntary departure (considered an immigration benefit). She failed to depart the U.S. per the terms of the order within the 60-day window and instead filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) on Dec. 16, 2011.
 
•On Sept. 8, 2012, Vizguerra-Ramirez self-removed to Mexico.
 
•On April 22, 2013, U.S. Border Patrol arrested Vizguerra-Ramirez in Candelaria, Texas, after she illegally returned to the U.S., and referred her case for federal prosecution for illegal re-entry after removal (a felony). 
 
•On May 1, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Pecos Division, convicted Vizguerra-Ramirez of illegal entry (a misdemeanor), and sentenced her to one year of unsupervised probation.
 
•On May 2, 2013, Vizguerra-Ramirez entered ICE custody in El Paso, Texas, where her prior removal order was reinstated, pending her Dec. 16, 2011, BIA appeal.
 
•On May 30, 2013, the BIA considered Vizguerra-Ramirez’s case withdrawn because she departed the U.S. prior to a decision being made on her appeal.
 
•On June 7, 2013, ICE in El Paso released Vizguerra-Ramirez on an order of supervision because under policy at the time she did not meet the agency’s priorities for removal.
 
•On July 2, 2014, ICE granted Vizguerra-Ramirez’s application for stay of deportation until Feb. 1, 2015. 
 
•On Feb. 20, 2015, ICE in Denver granted Vizguerra application for stay of deportation until Aug. 19, 2015.
 
•On Feb. 15, 2017, ERO Denver denied another application for stay of deportation. Her counsel notified ICE that she would be taking sanctuary in the First Unitarian Society Church in Denver and would not be reporting to ICE as ordered. 
 
•On May 11, 2017, Vizguerra-Ramirez received an automatic stay of removal due to Senate Bill 603, a private bill submitted on her behalf and her removal was stayed until March 15, 2019. The private bill was not enacted.
 
•On March 14, 2019, Vizguerra-Ramirez once again sought sanctuary at the First Unitarian Society Church in Denver where she remains an immigration fugitive.Image Here are the Denver Mayor’s comments on her arrest:
Feb 25 4 tweets 2 min read
NEW: Per multiple federal law enforcement sources, anti ICE activists, which have been disrupting & live streaming ICE operations in the LA area in recent days, have now put up posters doxing SoCal ICE & HSI agents, revealing their faces, names, & phone numbers. I’m told ICE is aware and investigating. I’ve redacted one poster, which translates roughly to to the following:

"CAREFUL WITH THESE FACES"

"These armed agents work in Southern California. ICE and HSI racially terrorize and criminalize entire communities with their policies. They kidnap people from their homes and from the streets, separating families and fracturing communities. Many people have died while locked up in jails, prisons, and detention centers."

"Possible execution/implementation measure/action 2/23/25".

(Appears to warn of possible ICE operation about to take place in this area today?)

It is unclear which activist group is posting these.Image Multiple anti ICE activist groups have banded together to find and disrupt ICE operations in SoCal in recent days. They boast about it and give local media interviews about it. 

ktla.com/news/local-new…
Jan 26 6 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: Per source w/ knowledge, the Trump admin plans to retaliate against the Colombian president’s decision to reject two deportation flights by closing the US embassy Colombia’s visa section tomorrow, where 1,500 appointments had been scheduled. I’m told “additional retaliatory measures will be rolled out soon.” BREAKING: Trump releases statement & announces more severe retaliatory moves against Colombia, including 25% tariffs, a travel ban, visa sanctions, enhanced CBP inspections, and financial sanctions.

Per senior administration official: “This is a clear message we are sending that countries have an obligation to accept repatriation flights.”Image
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Jan 13 4 tweets 2 min read
NEW: Per ICE sources, the man seen in a viral video being subdued by residents & arrested by police w/ a blowtorch near the #KennethFire in West Hills is an illegal alien from Mexico named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva. He is in custody on a probation violation & has NOT been charged w/ arson. I'm told ICE will place a detainer request on him with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, but they do not expect it to be honored due to California's Sanctuary State law. I'm told Sierra-Leyva will have a court appearance tomorrow. Again - he has not been charged w/ arson and is in custody only on a probation violation at the moment, as multiple agencies have been interviewing him. ARTICLE w/ colleague @AdamShawNY
foxnews.com/politics/man-a…
Oct 24, 2024 4 tweets 1 min read
Yikes. It always comes out, folks.
Aurora city councilwoman below has been posting internal city emails showing Tren de Aragua concerns were known long before they were in the headlines - as some politicians have denied the problem exists. Another email from June:

Jul 3, 2024 4 tweets 2 min read
NEW: Newport Beach PD identifies the three suspects arrested for the attempted robbery & broad daylight killing of a 68-year-old woman at Fashion Island who was visiting from New Zealand.
26 y/o Leroyernest McCrary of Compton.
18 y/o Malachi Darnell of Los Angeles.
18 y/o Jaden Cunningham of Lancaster.

They've been booked for homicide, robbery with a firearm, and conspiracy - after leading police on a pursuit into LA.

Unlike LA, OC doesn't treat criminals with bubble wrap. Expect DA Todd Spitzer to come down hard on them. NEW: The LA Times reports one of the suspects has a lengthy criminal history in LA County. He should have been locked up for prior felonies, but he did no prison time in yet another soft on crime prosecution under LA DA George Gascon.

“[McCrary] was arrested and charged in October 2022 with being a narcotics addict in possession of a firearm, a felony. He pleaded no contest to that felony charge the October of the following year.
McCrary also was charged in a robbery case in September 2023 and pleaded no contest. He received a concurrent sentence for both convictions and got two years of probation and three years in state prison, with the sentence suspended.
McCrary also was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license in both 2018 and 2021.”
latimes.com/california/sto…
Feb 23, 2024 4 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: Another Border Patrol bus full of illegal immigrants, this one all adult men, just pulled up and mass released them onto San Diego streets. Again, men from all over the world going to blue cities. One man from Mauritania told me he is gay and is here to request asylum. And ANOTHER bus - this one mostly women - just pulled up and mass released more. We’ve now seen several hundred illegal immigrants released to the street here in the last hour and a half.
Feb 23, 2024 4 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: Just witnessed a large mass street release of illegal immigrants released from Border Patrol custody at a trolley station in San Diego (San Ysidro).
I talked to some of them, from Peru, Colombia, & India. Some going to Atlanta & Minneapolis wanting to work. BREAKING: Another bus just pulled up and Border Patrol just mass released more illegal immigrants at the trolley station. Talked to more of them - from Senegal, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, one here from China. Heading to New York, New Jersey, Chicago, etc. All blue cities.
Feb 19, 2024 7 tweets 3 min read
NEW: I am in the Jacumba, CA area tonight - an hour east of San Diego, where this group of illegal immigrants from around the world is camped out off I-8 w/ no Border Patrol in sight. People from China, Turkey, Ecuador etc planning to go all over US. Exchanges w/ them below. 👇🏻 This group is from Turkey, wants to go New Jersey & Florida to work & for family reasons.
Feb 5, 2024 5 tweets 4 min read
NEW: My initial highlights from the border deal.

- No amnesty/legalization of anyone already in the U.S. illegally.

- Funds an increase in ICE detention capacity to approx. 50,000 from the current 34,000.

- At 7 day rolling average of 5,000 encounters per day, or 8,500 encounters in a single day, DHS is *required* to shut the border down, and turn away anyone who crosses. No new asylum claims will be allowed and anybody crossing will be removed. Would end the whole idea of "I made it to U.S. soil, you have to process me." That would be over, Border Patrol would not process the illegal crosser and they would be removed - no asylum claim permitted, unless its made at a port of entry.

- This does not mean 5,000 are "allowed in" before this authority kicks in. Single adults would be detained, families would be released via ATD (alternatives to detention), and asylum cases would be fast tracked to months rather than years under a new rapid/expedited expulsion system. Those who fail would be quickly removed from the US. Those who initially pass would be released with work authorization and 90 day supervision until final asylum claim is determined.

- The shut down authority doesn't drop until crossings decrease significantly in the days following the shut down.

- Significantly tougher asylum requirements, and a higher credible fear standard, including three bars to eligibility. 1) Criminal history, 2) Could they have resettled in another country on the way to the US? 3) Could they have resettled somewhere else in their own country? Just saying you're scared to return home will no longer be enough in initial interview.

- It *appears* that the legislation would move asylum claim decisions away from immigration judges, and instead have them be handled by USCIS.

- $1.4 billion in FEMA funding available for disbursement to NGOs/municipalities, but some of that money doesn't unlock until key border security metrics are hit with ICE detention beds, ICE & Border Patrol new hires, and at least 1,500 deportation flights.

- Ends use of parole releases via CBP One app, and ends parole for illegal crossers between ports of entry.

- Keeps humanitarian parole as it was originally intended (medical procedures, court cases, etc), and keeps the current Biden admin parole program in place for Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans.

- 50,000 new visas over 5 years.

- Fuding to hire hundreds more ICE deportation officers, Border Patrol agents, and USCIS asylum officers, and greatly increases number of deportation flights.

- No unaccompanied minors can be removed, and some of these minors will receive attorneys, either pro bono or taxpayer funded.

- Ends some catch and release, but not all (families and unaccompanied minors not detained).

- DHS will have 90 days to set this new system up before it takes effect.

- There is a provision in the bill that would allow the President to suspend the "shut down" authority.
It says: "Authorizes the President to suspend the border emergency on an emergency basis for up to 45 days if it is in the national interest."

Context: The border has seen at least 5,000 encounters almost every single day the last couple years under Biden. If this bill were signed into law, the border would likely be shut down on the first day it takes effect.

FOX is told by the architects of this legislation the status quo right now is when the border is overwhelmed, "release everyone". They say this bill switches that to, when the border is overwhelmed "remove everyone."

This legislation has provisions in it that will upset border hawks and immigration activists at the same time.

Now we wait to see how both Democrats & Republicans respond. So far, many House GOP members have expressed displeasure, and at least one Democrat Senator (Padilla) has as well. More details on the FEMA funding for NGOs/municpalities.

Jan 29, 2024 4 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: Our photographer in Jacumba, CA just witnessed two human smuggling SUVs drop off groups of illegal immigrants who then trot around the border wall and enter the US. People from China, Turkey, & India in this group. This is in eastern San Diego County, and there was only one single Border Patrol agent in the area, per our photographer @BudKnapp. NEW: Our photographer says volunteer groups are visiting camps of illegal immigrants in the area who are waiting to be picked up by Border Patrol & are handing out these “Welcome to the USA” fliers, which advise them of next steps & claim BP agents lie & “manipulate” people.
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Jan 25, 2024 4 tweets 1 min read
Updated list of states announcing they stand w/ Texas in border dispute w/ federal government.

Florida
Virginia
Georgia
North Dakota
South Dakota
Tennessee
Alabama
Montana
Idaho
Utah
West Virginia
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Louisiana

Several of these states have also previously sent physical help. State troopers, etc.

House Speaker @MikeJohnson has also announced he will support TX. Update: Arkansas now added to the list.
Jan 25, 2024 4 tweets 1 min read
Florida Gov. @RonDeSantis, Virginia Gov. @GlennYoungkin, Oklahoma Gov. @GovStitt, & South Dakota Gov. @KristiNoem all announced today that they stand with TX and Gov. @GregAbbott_TX in TX's border dispute with the federal government. Red states banding together re: border crisis. Missed one! Governor @GovGianforte of Montana also announced support for Texas.
Jan 12, 2024 5 tweets 2 min read
NEW: The Texas Military Department confirms the TX National Guard has seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass (city property where mass illegal crossings are), and is restricting Border Patrol from accessing the area, saying the Feds “perpetuate illegal crossings”. This is the area where Border Patrol has been cutting TX razor wire. Razor wire and fences are now deployed to block the area off from the public and federal government. Attached video is from our crew on the ground this morning as they began blocking it off.
You can expect DOJ to sue Texas over this.
Texas Military Department statement:

“The Texas National Guard has maintained a presence with security points and temporary barrier in Shelby Park since 2021. The current posture is to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area.”

I reached out to CBP/Border Patrol in the sector for comment hours ago - no response yet. NEW: The Border Patrol union confirms to me that agents are being blocked by Texas soldiers, and the union is praising Abbott for seizing control.

@BPUnion statement:

“Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them. His seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways. Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier.”
Aug 14, 2023 4 tweets 3 min read
NEW (1/3): Two of three cartel gunmen seen crossing illegally into Fronton, TX last week have now been arrested in the same area in a joint operation w/ @TxDPS and Border Patrol. The men had 6 mags of 5.56 rounds, & another w/ military grade green tip. AK47 & M4 rifles recovered.


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(2/3) The operation involved @TxDPS Rangers Special Operations Group, @TexasGameWarden and elite Border Patrol BORTAC agents after the armed men were seen on camera crossing in the same area again. TX K9 helped find the rifles, which were tossed in the Rio Grande, & were loaded.


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May 30, 2023 6 tweets 3 min read
EXCLUSIVE/THREAD: LAPD arrested a man for stabbing the neck of a construction worker, nearly killing him. Despite a prison recommendation from Probation Dept., LA DA @GeorgeGascon's admin agreed to give him diversion instead. He is now charged w/ murdering his neighbor last week. ImageImage Stefen Sutherland was arrested for assault w/ a deadly weapon w/ GBI in Nov. 2020, he felt the worker made too much noise. Probation Dept. recommended prison, warning in writing that he was violent and was a risk for future outbursts.
In ‘21, he received mental health diversion. Image
May 25, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
This is blatantly false.

The U.S. government indirectly provides financial support for migrants by giving hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to NGOs via FEMA’s Emergency Food & Shelter Program. The NGOs then assist migrants w/ transportation around U.S & other services. It is literally on FEMA’s website.
May 14, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: Per multiple CBP sources, Border Patrol agents in San Diego sector arrested an Afghan national on the FBI’s terror watchlist after he crossed illegally w/ group of migrants near Otay Mesa, CA on Wednesday. I’m told FBI confirmed the match, & is leading investigation. I have reached out to CBP for comment, they tell me they will get back to me.
CA Congressman @DarrellIssa represents the area, and tells me his office has confirmed the arrest with their CBP contact. He released the following statement in response. Image
May 12, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
GOP Senators @tedcruz @RogerMarshallMD @SenJohnHoeven @TedBuddNC here in Brownsville.

Sen. Cruz says what’s happening here is an “invasion” and a humanitarian crisis, criticizes AOC.

“She still owns the white pant suit! Why is she not still here with her head in her hands?”. Image Cruz days there are 22,000 migrants across the river in Matamoros, MX waiting to cross illegally tonight after Title 42 drops at midnight.
May 8, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
Nonstop flow of illegal crossings here in Brownsville. Working on scripts in my car and look at the window and see another large group gathering for processing after crossing over. Border Patrol buses have been coming and going constantly. It’s going to be a very busy week. And before I even finished sending that tweet, another group is just now arriving. Literally nonstop. Image
Apr 2, 2023 7 tweets 4 min read
NEW/THREAD: The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has quietly added a proposal on Tuesday’s agenda that seeks to “decarcerate” and “depopulate” LA jails by directing law enforcement & courts to vastly expand the use of “cite and release” & return to COVID emergency bail schedule. The proposal would also ask the Sheriff to cite & release anyone with a bail of $50,000 or lower, which could include possession of child porn, domestic violence, illegally carrying a firearm, and violent offenses like residential burglary, robbery, and assault with a firearm.