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Blockchain scams are increasingly prevalent, and it's essential to understand what they are and how to recognize them before they take a toll on your finances. For instance, John from Sunset Beach, North Carolina, recently reached out with a pressing question about some suspicious messages he's been receiving in his inbox. "I have been receiving messages from this site for a while. Can you tell me if this is a scam or real? I don't want to pay good money to get scammed." John's experience is not unique; many individuals find themselves in similar situations when confronted with potential blockchain scams. These scams can take various forms, often disguised as legitimate offers or services that promise easy returns on investments. Let's look at the common signs of these scams, why they are so prevalent and what steps you can take to protect yourself from becoming a victim. GET SECURITY ALERTS, EXPERT TIPS - SIGN UP FOR KURT'S NEWSLETTER - THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE What is a blockchain scam? A blockchain scam refers to a deceptive scheme aimed at tricking you into losing your money or digital assets within the cryptocurrency space. As the popularity of cryptocurrencies continues to rise, so does the prevalence of these scams, which exploit the lack of regulation and the anonymity often associated with blockchain technology. In essence, blockchain scams come in various forms, each designed to mislead and defraud unsuspecting victims. One of the most common types is the "Pump and Dump" scheme. In this scenario, scammers artificially inflate the price of a low-value cryptocurrency by spreading false information or hype. Once the price reaches a certain level, they sell off their holdings, causing the price to plummet and leaving other investors with significant losses. Another notorious scam is the Initial Coin Offering scam. Here, fraudsters promote a new cryptocurrency project with promises of high returns and innovative technology. However, once they collect... Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy ReportCROWN ROYAL JOINS FORCES WITH NATE SMITH AND SCOTTY HASTING TO SUPPORT VETERANS AS THE AWARD-WINNING WHISKY DONATES $50,000 TO CREATIVETS ON COUNTRY MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT
Jigawa govt, SAA signs $100,000 MoU on agricultural value chainPeter Dutton will use a private Coalition meeting to calm MPs fearful that Labor’s teen social media ban is a Trojan Horse for government control of the internet, ahead of a sitting week in which the major parties plan to ram the legislation through parliament. On Friday Coalition MPs were called to a Monday morning gathering in Canberra, party sources said, where Dutton and communications spokesman David Coleman planned to field questions about Labor’s proposed law to ban children under 16 from platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and communications spokesman David Coleman will face concerned MPs. Credit: Louise Kennerley Right-wing Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic have been sharply critical of the bill’s potential to require Australians to give tech giants their IDs and the power it would give the eSafety Commission, which is a federal agency that will be charged with overseeing the ban. But doubts about the bill, which was only released last week, have expanded from the pair to more mainstream Coalition MPs, setting up the meeting as a test of the opposition leader’s authority after he hauled his party room into line on abortion earlier this month. On Sunday night, the MPs were informed Monday’s meeting was cancelled, with the conversation to take place on Tuesday as part of the Coalition’s party room meeting. The Coalition leadership remains confident of overwhelming support for the bill inside the party, according to several opposition sources speaking anonymously about internal dynamics. Dutton, whose office declined to comment, plans to hear out his concerned colleagues but ultimately expects the party to back the bill, allowing it to pass parliament this week. The opposition rode a wave of conservative and libertarian campaigning against Labor’s misinformation bill in recent months before the government dropped its plan to crack down on falsehoods online on Sunday. Some of the groups and people behind that campaign, including One Nation, the Libertarian Party and former Coalition MPs George Christensen and Craig Kelly, have launched an email crusade about the social media age barrier that has resulted in complaints flooding into MPs inboxes. They endorse the view of X owner Elon Musk, who wrote on the platform last month that the ban “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians” because it could require users to prove their identities before accessing major online services. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was asked about the need to hand over ID in a Labor caucus meeting last week and said her laws would not force people to give ID documents to social media giants, dismissing the prospect as a right-wing scare campaign. However, the government has not announced the technology that would be used to prove a user’s age. ‘A red flag’ LNP MP Garth Hamilton said Labor had rushed the legislation and sent mixed signals about details such as which platforms would be included. The Wiggles successfully lobbied to allow YouTube to remain while Snapchat will be banned, though both apps now also have a TikTok-style feed of clips. “The tests for this bill are that it should not be a proxy for digital ID [to be required to access the internet] and that it actually responds to parents’ needs,” Hamilton said.“I fully agree with Peter Dutton’s concerns about the impacts of social media, and they are long-held. But Labor has had a long time to get details right [and] the utter confusion on the detail is a red flag.” Loading Coleman, who first proposed a teen ban in an April interview with this masthead at a time when Labor opposed such a change , told opposition MPs last week that the government could use a “double-blind tokenised approach” suggested by the eSafety Commission last year. That would allow a third party to verify a user’s age on a social media platform without revealing the identity information used to do so, while another option could force companies that operate app stores, such as Google and Apple, to take on the role. Labor announced the ban early this month after years of claims that social media was harming children’s mental health, much of which is disputed by the technology giants, and argued that it would bolster parents’ ability to reject pestering from kids to go online. But detractors including Ben Thompson, the boss of major Australian tech firm Employment Hero, said on X that bill would make it harder for children with special needs to make friends online. “Not to mention that it’s a Trojan Horse for digital ID and further censorship,” he said. On Sunday, Greens communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young called advocates for the ban well-intentioned, but said the bill was rushed compared to the government’s halting approach to gambling reform. “The government and the opposition are ramming through a ban on social media that was introduced on Thursday,” she said on ABC’s Insiders . “We’ve got a joke of a Senate inquiry for three days tomorrow. But they can’t do gambling ... Talk about priorities.” Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Social media Peter Dutton Anthony Albanese Paul Sakkal is federal political correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald who previously covered Victorian politics and has won two Walkley awards. Connect via Twitter . Most Viewed in Politics Loading
BEIRUT (AP) — In 2006, after a bruising monthlong war between Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militant group, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted for a resolution to end the conflict and pave the way for lasting security along the border. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * BEIRUT (AP) — In 2006, after a bruising monthlong war between Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militant group, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted for a resolution to end the conflict and pave the way for lasting security along the border. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? BEIRUT (AP) — In 2006, after a bruising monthlong war between Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militant group, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted for a resolution to end the conflict and pave the way for lasting security along the border. But while there was relative calm for nearly two decades, Resolution 1701’s terms were never fully enforced. Now, figuring out how to finally enforce it is key to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal approved by Israel on Tuesday. In late September, after nearly a year of low-level clashes, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah spiraled into all-out war and an Israeli ground invasion. As Israeli jets pound deep inside Lebanon and Hezbollah fires rockets deeper into northern Israel, U.N. and diplomatic officials again turned to the 2006 resolution in a bid to end the conflict. Years of deeply divided politics and regionwide geopolitical hostilities have halted substantial progress on its implementation, yet the international community believes Resolution 1701 is still the brightest prospect for long-term stability between Israel and Lebanon. Almost two decades after the last war between Israel and Hezbollah, the United States led shuttle diplomacy efforts between Lebanon and Israel to agree on a ceasefire proposal that renewed commitment to the resolution, this time with an implementation plan to try to bring the document back to life. What is UNSC Resolution 1701? In 2000, Israel withdrew its forces from most of southern Lebanon along a U.N.-demarcated “Blue Line” that separated the two countries and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, which most of the world considers occupied Syrian territory. U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, increased their presence along the line of withdrawal. Resolution 1701 was supposed to complete Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and ensure Hezbollah would move north of the Litani River, keeping the area exclusively under the Lebanese military and U.N. peacekeepers. Up to 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers would help to maintain calm, return displaced Lebanese and secure the area alongside the Lebanese military. The goal was long-term security, with land borders eventually demarcated to resolve territorial disputes. The resolution also reaffirmed previous ones that call for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon — Hezbollah among them. “It was made for a certain situation and context,” Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese army general, told The Associated Press. “But as time goes on, the essence of the resolution begins to hollow.” Has Resolution 1701 been implemented? For years, Lebanon and Israel blamed each other for countless violations along the tense frontier. Israel said Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and growing arsenal remained, and accused the group of using a local environmental organization to spy on troops. Lebanon complained about Israeli military jets and naval ships entering Lebanese territory even when there was no active conflict. “You had a role of the UNIFIL that slowly eroded like any other peacekeeping with time that has no clear mandate,” said Joseph Bahout, the director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy at the American University of Beirut. “They don’t have permission to inspect the area without coordinating with the Lebanese army.” UNIFIL for years has urged Israel to withdraw from some territory north of the frontier, but to no avail. In the ongoing war, the peacekeeping mission has accused Israel, as well as Hezbollah, of obstructing and harming its forces and infrastructure. Hezbollah’s power, meanwhile, has grown, both in its arsenal and as a political influence in the Lebanese state. The Iran-backed group was essential in keeping Syrian President Bashar Assad in power when armed opposition groups tried to topple him, and it supports Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Yemen. It has an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles pointed at Israel, and has introduced drones into its arsenal. Hanna says Hezbollah “is something never seen before as a non-state actor” with political and military influence. How do mediators hope to implement 1701 almost two decades later? Israel’s security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday. Efforts led by the U.S. and France for the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah underscored that they still view the resolution as key. For almost a year, Washington has promoted various versions of a deal that would gradually lead to its full implementation. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. International mediators hope that by boosting financial support for the Lebanese army — which was not a party in the Israel-Hezbollah war — Lebanon can deploy some 6,000 additional troops south of the Litani River to help enforce the resolution. Under the deal, an international monitoring committee headed by the United States would oversee implementation to ensure that Hezbollah and Israel’s withdrawals take place. It is not entirely clear how the committee would work or how potential violations would be reported and dealt with. The circumstances now are far more complicated than in 2006. Some are still skeptical of the resolution’s viability given that the political realities and balance of power both regionally and within Lebanon have dramatically changed since then. “You’re tying 1701 with a hundred things,” Bahout said. “A resolution is the reflection of a balance of power and political context.” Now with the ceasefire in place, the hope is that Israel and Lebanon can begin negotiations to demarcate their land border and settle disputes over several points along the Blue Line for long-term security after decades of conflict and tension. Advertisement Advertisement
The states that saw the most active attacks against election certification two years ago certified the results of this year’s races without controversy this week, prompting the Arizona secretary of state to proclaim that “election denialism” is a thing of the past. Others said they weren’t so sure. Certification proceeded normally this year in part because Donald Trump won the presidential race, quieting his supporters after he had spent the campaign making unsubstantiated claims that he could lose only through widespread cheating . The statewide certification votes Tuesday in Nevada and New Mexico follow a vote Monday to certify the results in Arizona. In all three states, the certification process was tumultuous during the 2022 midterms when Democrats won most statewide offices. Those controversies followed attempts by Trump and his allies to halt or challenge certification in Michigan, Georgia and other battleground states in 2020, disrupting what until then had been a routine administrative process. This year, some who have been the most vocal in questioning the integrity of elections have instead been celebrating Trump’s victory. “The results are being accepted in the manner that they are, in part, because those who have been eroding trust or casting doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections have a result they feel good about,” said David Levine, a former local election official in Idaho who now advises on election administration issues. “Hopefully we can get back to a place where Americans can feel confident in the results even if it’s one they disagree with.” On Tuesday, Nevada and New Mexico certified their statewide results with little discussion. During Monday’s certification in Arizona, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes reflected on the lack of controversy this year. “I think the age of election denialism, for all intents and purposes, is dead,” he said. Sitting next to Fontes, state Attorney General Kris Mayes, a fellow Democrat, said she was more skeptical. Her Republican opponent in 2022 spent two years challenging his loss . “Do I think election denialism is dead? No, I don’t,” she said. “We’ll see over the next couple of election cycles what happens, but I don’t think we’re there yet.” Public confidence in elections has dropped since Trump challenged his loss in 2020 and made false claims of widespread fraud, particularly among Republicans . Some Republicans began targeting the certification process, when local and state boards certify the results after local election officials provide them with the final tally of votes. A firestorm erupted in Georgia over the summer when the state election board, with a new pro-Trump majority, attempted to politicize the certification process with changes later blocked by the courts. While certification battles did not surface after the Nov. 5 election , a vocal segment within the Republican Party remains deeply skeptical of election processes, particularly of the availability of mail ballots and the use of ballot scanners to tally votes. During a forum Monday on the social platform X led by the group Cause of America, the group's director expressed doubt about voting equipment. Shawn Smith, who also is a retired Air Force colonel, argued the certification process suppresses legitimate concerns and goes against “the sovereignty of the people.” Although not as widespread as four years ago, this sentiment did surface sporadically at the local level this month. In Washoe County, Nevada, which includes Reno and voted narrowly for Vice President Kamala Harris, the vote to certify the results was 3-1 with one abstention. Commissioner Jeanne Herman has consistently voted against certification and did not make a public comment about her vote this year. Commissioner Mike Clark, a staunch Trump supporter who had also previously voted against certification, said he would abstain and left before the vote. “I am not an election denier and clearly the person I wanted to win, won this state,” Clark said before leaving the meeting. “However, that does not mean that all the protocols were followed and that we can truly certify the election.” Such skepticism, whether in Nevada or elsewhere, leaves the door open to certification disputes during future elections. The questioning of election results isn't limited to Republicans. Even though Harris quickly conceded after losing all seven presidential battleground states , online posts among her supporters continue to raise concerns about her loss. One Reddit community that has amassed 23,000 members features a steady drumbeat of Democrats scrutinizing a result they can’t believe is real. Some posting in the group have issued calls to contact Harris and her running mate to ask them to demand a recount or otherwise object to the outcome. Among the battlegrounds, Michigan was among those where Trump and his allies pressed to halt certification of the 2020 election for Democrat Joe Biden amid false claims of fraud and manipulation. Two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers who initially opposed certification eventually relented. The state board of canvassers eventually voted to certify, even after one Republican member abstained. This year, the state board voted unanimously on Nov. 22 in favor of certifying and praised the state’s election workers. In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified his state’s results on Nov. 22. Four years ago, the Republican state official was facing immense pressure from Trump and his allies to investigate their unsubstantiated claims of fraud. Also certifying results Tuesday, and doing so unanimously, was the state Board of Elections in North Carolina. It was the only presidential battleground state won by Trump in 2020 — and the only one where he and his allies didn't make claims of fraud. Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.
Lindsay Lohan and Bader Shammas might need new shoes for baby Luai . After all, the Mean Girls star provided a sweet update on their 16-month-old son's latest milestones. "He's more verbal and he's running a lot," Lindsay exclusively told E! News in a joint interview with Our Little Secret costars Kristin Chenoweth and Ian Harding . "He's like a little boy now." In fact, the 38-year-old— whose new Netflix Christmas movie is out Nov. 27—saw it in action during a recent outing at the park when her little one was focused on a new toy. "This little boy was spraying bubbles," she recalled. "This kid was running fast. He was older than him. So I was like, 'Stay back!' and tried to hold Luai, but he was like, 'Bubble, bubble!'" (For more with Lindsay, Kristin and Ian, tune into E! News tonight, Nov. 21, at 11 p.m.) Like most parents, adjusting to becoming a mom took time, especially early in her postpartum journey. For Lindsay, it was crucial to prioritize self-care . "In the beginning, I didn't want to miss a moment," she told E! News in June before joking, "Even when the baby is sleeping, you tend to become a little stalker. But once you get into a good system, you start to understand that it's OK to take time." "I need this," she recalled telling herself. "I need to feel great in order to be great for my child." The Parent Trap star, who tied the knot with Bader in 2022, emphasized that this revelation was life-changing after welcoming Luai. "After giving birth, you realize, as women, how strong we are," she said. "We forget to give ourselves credit for that. There are moments when we should take a break, sit down and stop and think about all of the things we do and how much power we have. I've learned that this past year more than I knew before." And it turns out, Lindsay’s longtime pal Ayesha Curry couldn’t help but gush over her leap into motherhood . "She's a great mom," Ayesha told E! News at the Voices of Beauty Summit in March. "It's been such a such a joy to watch. She's just killing it." "She's somehow in its early days, but she knows how to balance that work-life balance," the Sweet July Skin founder continued. "I know it doesn't exist, but it exists in her world. She does a great job in that." Now, read on to see more of Lindsay and Bader's love story. —reporting by Emily Curl After three years of dating, Lindsay Lohan announced her engagement to her boyfriend Bader Shammas , captioning her Instagram post featuring her stunning ring, "My love. My life. My family. My future." Though not much is known about their initial meet cute, Bader resides in Dubai, where Lindsay has also lived for several years. According to his Linkedin profile, Bader worked as an assistant vice president at Credit Suisse. Lindsay took fans by surprise when she shared referred to Bader as her "husband" in a sweet dedication posted to social media. Her rep also confirmed to E! News that the two did indeed tie the knot. "You found me and knew that I wanted to find happiness and grace, all at the same time," she wrote, in part, in her July 2 Instagram post. "I am stunned that you are my husband. My life and my everything, every woman should feel like this everyday." A little more than one month after announcing their marriage , she shared a rare glimpse at quality time spent as newlyweds. Alongside an Instagram photo snapped of the couple in London, Lindsay wrote that she was at the "Home of the queen with my [crown emoji]." After making her official return to acting, the Falling for Christmas star noted that she had an amazing support system around her —which of course, included Bader. "I have an amazing husband, who's a very calm person," she told Cosmopolitan in October 2022. "Just the best. And my family." As Lindsay put it, she's grateful for the circle of people she has in her life today. "I feel like I have a small group of good friends who are just really good people," she added. "That's the only support that I really need: friends, family, and loved ones." The Life-Size alum announced the beginning of the couple's biggest chapter yet: The journey of parenthood . In an Instagram post announcing the news, Lindsay wrote that the pair are " blessed and excited " to be welcoming a baby. July 2023: No Parent Trap Here: Lindsay Is a Mom The Get a Clue actress gave birth to her first baby with Bader, her rep confirmed to E! News. The pair welcomed a baby boy named Luai in Dubai, where they live. September 2024: A Fetch Getaway to NYC The couple embarked on a trip to New York, joining her family—including brother Dakota Lohan —at the Museum of Ice Cream and enjoyed a winning date at the U.S. Open.Tennessee-based financial services firm Celero Commerce has acquired electronic payments technology provider Precision Payments . With the deal, announced in a news release earlier this month, Celero’s annual card processing volume in North America is expected to surpass $28 billion. Based in Sarasota, Florida, and founded in 2009, Precision provides electronic payment solutions for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). According to the release, the company bolsters Celero’s presence in the “multilane retail industry” and widens its network of sales professionals serving local communities in North America. “Throughout our 15-year journey, we have remained focused on helping local businesses thrive,” said Joel King , founder of Precision. “Joining Celero provides our clients with access to an expanded range of innovative products and services that will improve our ability to support their growth.” PYMNTS explored the challenges facing SMBs earlier this month in a panel discussion with a pair of payments experts, Sarah Acton , chief customer officer at BILL , and Becky Munson , CPA, CITP, partner and CAS practice leader at EisnerAmper . The question posed to them : How can digital innovations help these small businesses unlock their own unique advantages, while also streamlining financial operations and fortifying their resilience? Their answer? “Automation, automation, automation.” SMBs have for years depended on manual, paper-based processes , a habit that Acton and Munson argued is becoming unsustainable. “ Automation is here to stay,” Acton said, adding that “for more and more businesses who are not adopting technology ... my worry is they get left behind.” Munson stressed that automation has gone from being a luxury for larger companies to a necessity for SMBs. “Our clients are looking for efficiency and productivity, but they’re also battling ‘app fatigue.’ ... They’re paying for more than they can manage, and they need solutions that deliver real impact,” she said. Automating financial workflows, such as payables, receivables and expense management, can provide better control over cash flow — the “lifeblood” of SMB’s operations. Both Acton and Munson agreed that digital transformation is critical to SMBs’ ability to adapt and thrive in the modern marketplace. “The pace of change can feel like a runaway train,” Munson said, pointing out that SMBs, focused on key business tasks, struggle to stay on top of new tech. Acton echoed this sentiment, saying automation provides a lifeline for SMBs to get back control and shift time toward growth initiatives. Celero’s acquisition of Precision Payments follows last year’s purchase of Finical , a Dallas-based provider of electronic payments technology. As PYMNTS wrote, that acquisition was designed to enhance Celero’s capabilities and let it process approximately $25 billion in annual card volume .Jeremy Barousse is trying to keep everyone calm. The head of an East San Jose immigrant rights nonprofit remembers the last time Donald Trump threatened mass deportations: distraught parents choosing relatives or friends to care for their children if they were swept up in ICE raids; school principals reporting classrooms half empty as terrified students refused to leave their parents’ sides; and dozens of undocumented immigrants lining up outside his office before 8 a.m. every morning hoping for legal advice protecting them from deportation. That was the winter of 2018, and aside from sporadic arrests of those with criminal records, their worst fears never materialized. This time, though, with Trump taking office again in January and confirming this past week that he intends to declare a national emergency and use the military to roundup millions of undocumented immigrants, deportation fears are reaching new levels. “We’re hoping that that doesn’t become a reality,” said Barousse, director of policy for Amigos de Guadalupe that provides immigration, education and other services in the largely Latino Mayfair neighborhood and is nonetheless helping train residents what to do in case of ICE raids. “We’re preparing for the worst-case scenario. But then also, we don’t want to contribute to the panic.” Congressman-elect Sam Liccardo, San Jose’s mayor during Trump’s first term, said just the fear of deportations alone is hurting the immigrant community. “The disruption to the daily lives of millions of families is real, whether he carries out his threat or not,” Liccardo said in an interview from Washington, D.C., where he was moving into his new offices last week. And while the Bay Area is lucky to have a network of nonprofits supporting the immigrant community, he said, “the second coming of Trump has many inevitable challenges, and we won’t be able to mitigate them all.” An operation to remove the estimated 11 million to 13 million undocumented immigrants living within the United States — which Trump says he will start on “day one” — seems a Herculean task for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that has deported from the nation’s interior no more than 237,000 in a single year. That was the high in 2009 under President Obama, after gaining momentum from 9/11. During Trump’s first term, ICE deportations — not including border operations — peaked in 2018 at 96,000, according to ICE data. To achieve Trump’s deportation goals would require more than $300 billion over four years, estimates the American Immigration Council, including new agents and judges and other staffing, and 1,000 new immigration courtrooms, and scores of new detention centers. ACLU lawyers are already concerned that the recently shuttered federal Dublin Women’s Prison in the East Bay could be converted into one of those detention facilities — an easy drop-off spot for Bay Area roundups. But how much is Trumpian hyperbole and how much is reality? Last year, Trump’s former immigration adviser Stephen Miller, now his incoming deputy policy chief, told the New York Times that “Trump will unleash the vast arsenal of federal powers to implement the most spectacular migration crackdown.” But earlier this week, Trump’s new “border czar” Thomas Homan told Fox News that “It’s not going to be a massive sweep of neighborhoods,” adding that “public safety threats and national security threats will be the priority.” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, says that those with criminal histories make up only a fraction of the total, and “if the Trump administration truly wants to deport millions of people, it is going to have to go after people who don’t have criminal records.” And that means ICE agents will likely focus on community arrests — especially in the Bay Area’s sanctuary cities that aren’t handing people over to ICE, he said. So which immigrant groups might be most vulnerable to the new administration? ICE agents will likely start with the “low-hanging fruit,” Reichlin-Melnick said — immigrants already in the system with a paper trail. An estimated 1.3 million people living here who may have missed a court hearing or lost their court cases and re-entered the country, or those given “administrative grace” to stay — perhaps to care for an ill child who is a citizen — and already check in regularly with ICE. Exactly how many undocumented immigrants with criminal histories are living in the country is less certain, although ICE i s keeping track of more than 650,000 of them — some of whom may be in prison, have pending criminal charges or are awaiting immigration proceedings. During the February 2018 raids in Northern California that then-Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf forewarned , ICE announced the arrest of 232 people over four days, including some for violent and sexual offenses. Criminals, however, already are the priority of ICE agents. Prisoners and inmates handed over for deportation have long made up 4 of 5 ICE arrests, according to the American Immigration Council. Although California’s state prisons are allowed to release undocumented prisoners to federal ICE agents when they complete their sentences, local police and sheriffs across the state, whose inmates often have committed lesser offenses, for the most part , are not. As Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen puts it: “We haven’t done it. We won’t do it and we’ll continue to stay strong on that front.” The targets of raids will likely be workplaces such as construction sites, restaurants and farms with the largest number of undocumented immigrants in one place that ICE “can arrest in a splashy operation to send a message,” Reichlin-Melnick says. While about 60% of farmworkers have work permits, the remaining 40% are undocumented, making them vulnerable to deportation. Unless they are picked up for criminal offenses, however, they are rarely targeted, often “because of pressure from the business community,” he said. Farmers have been big supporters of Trump. President Obama granted them special status in 2012 as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Most are in their 20s and 30s now, with work permits they renew every two years. More than half a million live in the United States, including about 183,000 in California. Trump tried to shut the program down during his first term, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked him in January 2020. A new conservative majority could rule in his favor this time. “ I’m definitely more worried now,” said Fernando Hernandez, 35, a hardware technician at Google who has been here since he was 5. “It feels like Trump’s got more of a chip on his shoulder this time around.” Including DACA holders, some 1.5 to 2 million people hold some form of temporary status that allows foreigners confronting armed conflicts, natural disasters or other extreme temporary conditions at home to live in the U.S. temporarily. California is home to nearly 70,000 TPS holders, including those from El Salvador and Nicaragua. Bay Area nonprofits are hearing from asylum seekers, who recently crossed the border illegally and are fighting their cases in immigration court. “ICE is not going to be arresting those people,” Reichlin-Melnick says. “They have already been arrested. They are already checking in with ICE.” And the Trump administration cannot ramp up deportations of people already in the system, he said, without increasing the number of immigration judges. Bay Area News Group reporter Grace Hase contributed to this story.
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