WASHINGTON (AP) — The heads of the agencies carrying out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda will testify in Congress Tuesday and face questions over how they are prosecuting immigration enforcement inside American cities.
Trump's immigration campaign has been heavily scrutinized in recent weeks, after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two protesters at the hands of Homeland Security officers. The agencies have also faced criticism for a wave of policies that critics say trample on the rights of both immigrants facing arrest and Americans protesting the enforcement actions.
Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rodney Scott, who heads U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Joseph Edlow, who is the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will speak in front of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The officials will speak at a time of falling public support for how their agencies are carrying out Trump's immigration vision but as they are flush with cash from a spending bill passed last year that has helped broaden immigration enforcement activities across the country.
The administration says that activists and protesters opposed to its operations are the ones ratcheting up attacks on their officers, not the other way around, and that their immigration enforcement operations are making the country safer by finding and removing people who've committed crimes or pose a threat to the country.
Under Lyons' leadership, ICE has undergone a massive hiring boom funded by Congress last summer and immigration officers have deployed in beefed-up enforcement operations in cities across the country designed to increase arrests and deportations. The appearance in Congress comes as lawmakers are locked in a battle over whether DHS should be funded without restraints placed over its officers' conduct.
Lyons is likely to face questioning over a memo he signed last year telling ICE officers that they didn't need a judge's warrant to forcibly enter a house to arrest a deportee, a memo that went against years of ICE practice and Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches.
During Scott's tenure, his agency has taken on a significant role in arresting and removing illegal immigrants from inside the country. That increased activity has become a flashpoint for controversy and marks a break from the agency's traditional job of protecting borders and controlling who and what enters the country.
Under the leadership of commander Gregory Bovino, a group of Border Patrol agents hopscotched around the country to operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans where they were often accused of indiscriminately questioning and arresting people they suspected were in the country illegally. Bovino says his targets are legitimate and identified through intelligence and says that if his officers use force to make an arrest, it's because it's warranted.
A Border Patrol agent and Customs and Border Protection officer both opened fire during the shooting death of Alex Pretti, one of two protesters killed in Minneapolis in January. The other protester, Renee Good, was shot and killed by an ICE officer.
After the Pretti shooting, Bovino was reassigned and Trump sent his border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to assume control.
USCIS has also faced criticism for steps it has taken including subjecting refugees already admitted to the U.S. to another round of vetting and pausing decisions on all asylum cases.
A United States Border Patrol agent gestures to a car while conducting immigration enforcement operations, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Breezy Johnson is poised to earn her second gold of the Olympics on Tuesday — as long as teammate Mikaela Shiffrin can maintain the U.S. squad's advantage in the new team combined event.
The team combined consists of one racer competing in a downhill run and another in a slalom run, with the times from the two runs added together to determine the results.
Johnson gave her and Shiffrin a narrow edge by finishing 0.06 seconds ahead of Ariane Raedler of Austria and 0.27 in front of Laura Pirovano of Italy. Johnson is seeking her second gold in the Dolomite Mountains after finishing atop the podium in the downhill on Sunday.
“I didn’t feel so worried that I was going to blow out, which was my biggest fear today,” Johnson said. “And then I just was like, ‘Let’s have some fun. Let’s ski relaxed and free.’ And I feel like I did that.”
The slalom run is Tuesday afternoon and Shiffrin — the most decorated skier in history — will step into the starter's house in search of a bit of vindication after being unable to medal in any of the six events she entered four years ago in Beijing.
Johnson said Shiffrin texted that she was "blown away by the run because she’s very complimentary.
“And I just said, ‘No pressure from me and go get ’em,’” Johnson added. “I already have my gold medal. I hope that she has fun and does her best. But if anything happens, I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh you ruined anything.’”
The U.S. also has another medal contending team in Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan. Wiles placed fourth in the downhill leg, 0.45 behind.
Johnson and childhood friend Shiffrin already combined to win gold in this event when it made its debut at last year's world championships, with Johnson also winning the downhill at the event in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.
“It’s super special to bring it full circle,” Johnson said. “It’s been something that I’ve wanted ever since they announced this event. It’s not something that existed when we were kids (so) to be able to have a moment where you win a gold medal with one of your best friends is not something that a lot of people get to experience.”
There were no major crashes on the course where American star Lindsey Vonn broke her left leg on Sunday, though U.S. teammate Bella Wright lost her balance exiting Gate 4 — the same gate Vonn clipped — and drifted wide of the following gate. Wright was not injured and skied safely down.
Wright was one of two skiers unable to finish the downhill leg. Italian star Sofia Goggia lost her edge just past the midway point, much to the dismay of the hometown crowd in the bleachers below.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
United States' Jacqueline Wiles waves at the finish area of an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Italy's Sofia Goggia crashes as she speeds down the course during an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States' Breezy Johnson celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
United States' Breezy Johnson speeds down the course during an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States' Breezy Johnson after completing an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
United States' Breezy Johnson speeds down the course during an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States' Breezy Johnson celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
