Tag Archives: U.S. troops

Miami Herald: Hegseth Faces Blowback Over Pentagon ‘Campaign Rally’

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President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently convened a high-profile gathering of senior military leaders to outline the administration’s defense priorities and advocate for stringent military standards, a move critics likened to a campaign rally. The event drew scrutiny for its timing amid a government shutdown, with some military officials privately questioning Trump’s emphasis on deploying forces to address domestic unrest. The Pentagon announced plans to implement Hegseth’s proposed fitness standards by Jan. 2026, intensifying debates over the administration’s military reforms.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the event, stating, “The war on warriors is over.” He added, “Political correctness has no home at the Department of War. Today’s address cements a new but familiar culture we refer to as the warrior ethos and postures the department toward a new era of peace though strength.”

During the assembly, Trump and Hegseth focused on overhauling military practices, with Hegseth calling for rigorous fitness benchmarks and criticizing diversity-focused policies.

General Dan Caine praised the gathering, saying, “The event was an unprecedented opportunity and honor for the assembled senior officers and their top enlisted advisers to hear directly from the military’s civilian leadership.”

The Pentagon framed the event as advancing a “peace through strength” doctrine, explicitly rejecting “political correctness.” Democratic lawmakers condemned it as a misallocation of resources, urging greater attention to international security challenges.

Representative Pat Ryan (D-NY) voiced strong opposition, posting, “Deploying U.S. troops against U.S. citizens in American cities isn’t just Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) supported the administration’s approach, stating, “There needs to be more warfighter training.” He added, “We don’t do enough of it. We don’t do enough flying training. I like this approach … I thought it was a strong speech.”

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) supported the administration’s approach, stating, “There needs to be more warfighter training.” He added, “We don’t do enough of it. We don’t do enough flying training. I like this approach … I thought it was a strong speech.”

Hegseth Faces Blowback Over Pentagon ‘Campaign Rally’

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hegseth-faces-blowback-over-pentagon-campaign-rally/ss-AA1OihRx

ICE asks for access to Chicago-area Navy base to assist operations

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The request followed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem’s declaration that a “strike team” of immigration enforcement agents would arrive in Chicago soon.

The Trump administration wants to use a Navy base north of Chicago as a launchpad for federal law enforcement activity against undocumented immigration, defense officials said Tuesday, as the White House contemplates also deploying thousands of U.S. troops to the nation’s third-largest city amid rising tension with the Illinois governor.

ICE asks for access to Chicago-area Navy base to assist operations
The request followed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s declaration that a “strike team” of ICE agents would arrive in Chicago soon.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/27/trump-chicago-ice-military

Newsweek: Kids of Afghan translator taken at green-card check living in fear—brother

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The children of an Afghan man who served with U.S. troops and entered the U.S legally are terrified to play outside after their father was detained at a green-card appointment, the man’s brother said.

Zia S., a 35-year-old father of five and former interpreter for the U.S. military, was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office in East Hartford, Connecticut, on July 16, his lawyer told reporters on a press call.

The brothers requested that their names be withheld over safety concerns.

“His kids don’t even go out to play because they’re scared. And I didn’t even go out to work because I’m watching his kids,” Zia’s brother, who also served as interpreter, told Newsweek in an exclusive interview on July 30.

Why It Matters

Following the end of the U.S. military’s 20-year presence in Afghanistan in 2021, many Afghans who had assisted American forces were allowed entry into the United States through refugee programs, Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS). However, policy changes under the Trump administration resulted in the termination of TPS for some people, raising concerns about potential deportations.

The U.S. ended TPS for Afghans effective July 14, 2025, according to a Department of Homeland Security notice published in May. President Donald Trump has vowed to remove millions of migrants without legal status. The White House said in January that anyone living in the country unlawfully is considered to be a “criminal.”

What To Know

Zia arrived in the U.S. on humanitarian parole in October 2024 and had been living in Connecticut, his lawyer told reporters during a press call.

He assisted U.S. troops in Afghanistan for about five years and fled the country with his family in 2021. Although they had received Special Immigrant Visa approvals and were pursuing permanent residency, Zia was placed in expedited removal proceedings.

A federal judge has issued a temporary stay on his deportation. After his initial detention in Connecticut, Zia was transferred to an immigration detention center in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

A senior Department of Homeland Security official told Newsweek on July 23 that the Zia “is currently under investigation for a serious criminal allegation.” Newsweek has requested more details from DHS surrounding the alleged wrongdoing.

Zia’s brother denied that he was involved in any criminality and said the allegations are “baseless.”

Both brothers served the U.S. military as interpreters. Zia’s brother came to the U.S. more than a decade ago through the same SIV program and eventually obtained U.S. citizenship, he said.

The detention has taken a toll on his wife, Zia’s brother said.

“His wife is suffering anxiety since he’s been detained,” he said. “And nobody sleeps. The family is awake all night.”

In a message to Trump, Zia’s brother said the family followed all legal procedures and expected the U.S. to honor commitments to its Afghan allies.

“We were promised wartime allies,” he said. “For our job, like when we have served with the U.S. and we helped the U.S. Army and our home country, and we were promised that you all would be going to the U.S. on legal pathways.

“They should stand on their promise. They should not betray us. They should not betray those who put their lives at risk and their families’ lives at risk for them.”

What People Are Saying

Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, previously told Newsweek: “The Trump administration’s decision to turn its back on our Afghan allies who risked their lives and the lives of their families to support American troops in Afghanistan is unconscionable.”

A senior DHS Official told Newsweek: Zia is “a national of Afghanistan, entered the U.S. on October 8, 2024, and paroled by the Biden administration into our country.”

Zia’s attorney, Lauren Cundick Petersen, told reporters on a press call on July 22: “Following the rules are supposed to protect you. It’s not supposed to land you in detention. If he is deported, as so many of the people have articulated today, he faces death.”

What Happens Next

Zia is being held in a Massachusetts detention center and will remain in ICE custody, pending further investigation by DHS.

Kids of Afghan translator taken at green-card check living in fear—brother
“His kids don’t even go out to play because they’re scared,” the man’s brother told Newsweek.

https://www.newsweek.com/afghan-translator-ice-immigration-green-card-2107104