Buckshot Is Gone And I'll Miss Him

Back in 2011, not too long after starting my blog, I wrote about how we should be careful when naming a horse. I used my horse, Buckshot, as an example of how to jinx your horse with a name that might bring out a part of their personality that may be best kept under wraps.  

I wrote about how back in 2003, my shoer-buddy, a pretty good friend, asked me to help him take his Arab mare to the Turlock Horse Auction. To make a long story short about that, he wasn't happy with his mare. And really, I had no idea why he didn't want to breed her to someone who'd like to extend their bloodline. For whatever reason, it seemed a mystery why he wanted to take her to the Turlock Horse Auction. I thought she was too nice a horse to simply dump at the Turlock Auction.

Some refer to the Horse Auction in Turlock, California, as a "Killers Auction" because a lot of the regular buyers there are looking for horses to turn into dog food. "Killer horse auctions" are horse auctions where "kill buyers" purchase horses for slaughter. The kill buyers go looking for cheap horses sold at auction, and buy them to sell the horses for meat. I know I said it three times. I also know that I have zero respect for kill buyers. 

While some horses are purchased for riding, kill buyers hang around auctions, wanting to buy cheap horses. Sometimes, they'll buy healthy, good riding horses, in many cases horses that were being dumped there by horse owners who can't afford their feed bills. The horses are shipped to slaughterhouses, primarily in Mexico and Canada. A lot of horse auctions have kill buyers. A lot of horse auctions have kill buyers who try to get horses for nothing by keeping down the bidding. I've been to a lot of horse auctions over the years, and some are as disreputable as the day is long. I've known of some horse auctions that get a cut from the kill buyers. 

And no, my opinion of the places hasn't changed over the years. As far as I've always been concerned, it's always a case of "Buyer Beware" at most auctions. And here's this, they will tell you that all sales are based on the idea that the buyer is buying a horse "as is." That's a scam. In reality, most state laws say that buyers are buying horses "as represented." That's a big difference since horse auctions are notorious for selling "drugged horses," which are horses that are drugged to appear calmer than they really are. 

Drugged horses are falsely represented as calm, rideable horses when, in fact, those horses have been known to get people seriously hurt after they're sold and the horses' drugs wear off. 

So, along with me, my friend who needed my trailer to get his mare down there, my kid brother from Hawaii, also went with us. My brother was in California visiting, he ropes and bull rides, and does a lot of Rodeo. He knows stock and cowboying pretty good. So yes, it was great to have him along. And like he said, "You never know what you'll find that someone is selling. There are prizes and surprises. Hopefully, you buy a prize and not a surprise."

When we got to the auction, my friend went over and took care of business while my brother and I decided to check out the local horse flesh up for sale. I was not there to buy a horse. I was just the driver delivering one. But as everyone knows, cowboys at a Horse Auction have to see what's being sold. It's sort of like taking your wife shopping; there's no guarantee she'll just look at the things she doesn't have on her shopping list. There is just too much temptation.

My shoer pulled me over to where he was standing just so that I would take a look at the horse, and even my brother, who was standing there, said, "Tom, that's the horse for you!"

I said, "I saw another horse over there ...," but they wouldn't hear it! They were convinced that this was the best horse at the sale. This was the horse that I was looking for to give my horse Murphy a break.

And yes, there at the Turlock, California, Horse Auction, I found a horse I liked. He was a stocky, short-backed, straight-legged horse in the small show coral. And though he didn't have a BLM freeze brand, he was built more like a Mustang Cross than a Quarter Horse. But if he were a Quarter, then that was fine with me because I like Quarter Horses.

He was about 15.2 hands, and he was being ridden by a 13-year-old girl without a problem like there was no tomorrow. And looking at the horse, I have to say that I couldn't help but agree with my friend and my brother. He was built like a tank.

So even though I really wasn't in the market for another horse, once the auction started, I wanted that horse! Well, I got him. And once the paperwork was done, I went outside to load him. And yes, he loaded great. In fact, he trailered great and rode quiet all the way back from Turlock, which was about 3 3-hour drive.

Once I got him home, he handled like a charm. Talk about proud cowboys, I think our hats were way too small for our heads. I can say with certainty that at that precise moment that there was no better Horse Traders in the entire U.S. of A. And yes, all the way home, I heard nothing but how good they both did picking out this horse.

The next day, I put my saddle on him and we went out for a short ride in the nearby BLM land. It was a nice, easy ride. Nothing hard to handle, especially for a horse built like this guy.

During our ride, he was a little blowy. But other than that, he worked fine. After we got back, I put him up. And since I was busy that day with other things to do, I didn't work him anymore that day, other than feeding him when I fed everyone else.

Since the horse had no name, I figured that I really should find a nice name for this great-looking light red roan. Beings that he has some red spots on his rump, almost an Appy sort of markings that looked like a shotgun spray pattern, I thought I'd name him "Buckshot."

Great huh? I thought so at the moment. When I was a kid, there was a horse that was named "Buckshot" that was a real nice horse. It was a horse on TV in one of the many Westerns that used to be all over the tube back then. Of course, since I was also into Cowboy Action Shooting, I figured Buckshot would be a good link to that as well.

The next day, my shoer-buddy came back out to shoe Murphy. While we drank coffee with my brother, my friend went on and on about the horse that he picked out for me. My brother, not wanting to be cut out of the "at-a-boys," wanted his share of the credit for my purchase. I just grinned and laughed. Told them about taking him out yesterday and how it was. The coffee was good and I loved it all.

I loved it all, that is, until we walked over to where I had "Buckshot" tied and found him breathing fire as I tried to reach to untie his lead rope. He reared back and became wild-eyed and crazy. He spun away each time I reached for him. He tried all he could to pull free. He even tried to rear up and strike me.

My shoer-buddy, who not so secretly always wanted to be a Trainer, said, "I'll sack'em out!" But the horse was crazed! Turning, Buckshot fired kick after kick at me and my friend until my friend gave up out of fear.

My brother said, "Oh man, Tommy, you've been taken! Look what you bought! He was drugged! He was aced!"

My shoer looked at me and laughed, "Wow! You picked a rank horse, Pard!"

After a few minutes in disbelief, my brother had to leave for an appointment in town. My shoer-buddy left soon after my brother -- laughing as he drove off. Personally, I didn't see the joke. I didn't think it was funny. While Buckshot was a nice horse, it seemed he was certainly "aced" for the sale. After all, he wasn't the same horse that I bid on at the horse auction. It was obvious that they had "aced" him to appear calm and rideable to scam someone. In this case, I was scammed. 

Horses being "aced" usually refers to them being given the tranquilizer Acepromazine, or "ace". Acepromazine is a medication often used to calm or sedate horses for various reasons, such as veterinary procedures that require a horse to be still, to manage anxious horses to help a horse handle stressful situations like trailering or unfamiliar environments, for post-injury management to hand walk or turnout a horse that's been on stall rest, and some horse trainerrs have been known to "ace" a difficult horse to make it more manageable during schooling or handling. 

For me, I've learned not to trust some dog trainers as well as some horse trainers. Some of them are not exactly the most reputable people to deal with. And frankly speaking, while I won't have anything to do with either dog or horse trainers who purposely mistreat animals, I won't have anything to do with horse trainers who'll "ace" a horse to show how well their training is coming along. Sadly, it's a scam that some trainers try to get away with. 

Drugging a horse is not what's needed to train a horse. Drugging a horse should never be a substitute for proper training. And really, it's important to use a lot of caution around horses that have been drugged -- especially as the drugs are wearing off. Some aren't safe to be around as the drugs are wearing off. You can get hurt if you don't use caution around them.  

As for me, because I rode him the day before, I was having a hard time believing it was true. Of course,  seeing him act like a maniac made me realize that Buckshot was definitely "aced" for the sale. So what convinced me? Well, I had a hard time accepting that this horse was the same horse that I rode. So, I decided that I had to ride him out. To do that, I went into my tack room and got my saddle off its rack and headed for Buckshot.

It took me a while of fighting with him, but after a while, I did get him saddled. Then I decided to take this real slow so that I wouldn't get hurt in the process, and I led him out into an open area in front of my barn.  He seemed to lead okay at first, unless, of course, I turned to face him. I found that if I did face him, he'd get wide-eyed and pull back and try to rear up.

Once in what I thought was an open space away from trees and anything else, I put my left foot in the stirrup and then just as I was throwing my right leg over the saddle ... he blew!

Now, if you've been to Rodeos, then you know what a Bronc coming out of the chute looks like. Well, without a bucking-strap, he went straight up into the air and into the air and into the air, bucking over and over and over again. No, it wasn't just really bad crow-hopping. He was bucking like nothing I'd ever seen in or out of a Rodeo.

At one point, he came down so hard that he lost his footing, crashed right into the picket fence that used to be in front of my home. He tore up a few sections of picket fence before moving on and away from the house.  

Just before he got up, my thinking was that he may have been done, but then he started up again as I went towards him. Again, up and in the air, again and again until he went head first into a tree. That knocked him silly and down onto the ground. And again I thought that that was the end of it - and again I was wrong.

This time he bucked over to some water-pipes, and stomped them good before heading for my lower well pump house. Yes, I really thought he was going to take out my pump shack. But instead, he headed toward my creek. And yes, in the blackberry bushes, in the thicket, he slowly calmed down. Then, finally, he just stood there, nostrils flared and breathing heavily. I slowly walked over to him and reached for his lead rope, then took it and led him over to his pen.

Later, a friend of mine shook his head and laughed a little when he heard about Buckshot going berserk, saying, "Look on the bright side. Naming him Buckshot was fairly accurate. He is explosive!"

I replied that I now understood why the people who sold me the horse didn't name him. After all, there is the possibility that they didn't want to name something that they might feel like shooting later!

Do I regret calling him Buckshot? Well, let's just say that after seeing him buck the way he did, I started to think that maybe I should've named him "Peaceful!"

Buckshot shotgun ammunition contains large pellets and is designed for hunting medium to large game like deer and for self-defense. Birdshot shotgun ammo contains smaller pellets for hunting birds and small game. Shotgun slugs are large single projectiles for bigger game. Of course, shooting buckshot ammo usually produces more recoil than lighter loads of birdshot. 

As I said above, since the horse had no name, I figured that I really should find a nice name for this great-looking light red roan. Beings that he has some darker red spots on his rump, almost an Appy sort of markings that looked like a buckshot shotgun spray pattern, I thought I'd name him "Buckshot." 

Was he "explosive" like my friend said? Yes, he was. And here's the rest of the story of Buckshot. 

Since the Turlock Auction was held every two weeks, I had to wait two weeks to take him back. After going down there and talking with the owner of the auction in private, I got most of my money back.

But, unlike my friend who got under $200 for his good-looking Arab mare two weeks earlier, I decided that I wanted to make up the difference of $500 that I lost when bringing him back. To make up for what I lost on him, I had to sell him at the auction. 

When the bidding started, the kill buyers bid $10. Then it went to $20. And it went back and forth between two to three kill buyers at $5 increments until it reached about $120. At that point, the auctioneer called it. But then, the auctioneer stopped the sale to the kill buyer. 

The auctioneer looked up from his paperwork and asked if the seller of this horse was in the audience. That's when I stood up and said I was. He said, "Sir, you have a hold on the price you will take for this horse. Do you want to waive that hold and go with the last bid?" 

The kill buyer stood up and said his bid was good and the horse was his. The auctioneer looked at him and told him to sit down. He told the kill buyer that I put a hold on the amount of money that I would take for my horse. And then he looked to me and asked again, "Sir, will you take your hold off this horse and accept the final bid amount?"

I said, "No. I'd rather take the maniac home than let the killers have him." To my surprise, while the kill buyer was visibly upset, the crowd stood up and applauded. 

With that, the auctioneer pounded his gavel and said, "No sale!" Then looked at me and said, "Sir, that maniac is still yours. Good luck."

I said thank you and took him home.  Before I left the auction, a few people approached me to ask what I planned to do with him since he wasn't rideable. I told them, "He'd either make a great companion horse or lawn ornament, but the killers weren't getting him."

That was 2003. He was supposedly either 7 or 8 years old when I brought him home that night. And yes, my friends, I tried to provide him with a good home for the last 22 years. Yesterday, my boy Buckshot, my "Bucky Boy," a horse that I rescued from a killers auction so many years ago, a horse that I only rode once but became very close to, a horse that became part of my small herd of rescues, died last night. 

I found him this morning in his stall. He was either 29 or 30 years old. And yes, I will miss him. He really was a great horse. He really was a wonderful friend. And as for how I see life, while I know I will revisit him in my dreams, I also know I will see him again later when, like him, God also calls me home.   

Tom Correa

CIA Blockbuster Report Makes It Clear President Trump Was Framed

John Brennan and James Comey Need To Be Tried For Treason

In the great article below from Gregg Jarrett of Fox News, he points out how there was a concerted effort by members of the U.S. Government to overthrow a sitting President of the United States, Donald Trump. It was a failed coup orchestrated by Democratic Party heads in concert with several people in charge of the FBI, CIA, and other agencies. This is the real threat to democracy. This is power unchecked, embedded, and out of control. Those involved need to be charged and prosecuted for treason.

Below is Gregg Jarrett's story:

CIA Report Makes It Clear Trump Was Framed

Top spy chiefs reportedly pushed discredited Steele dossier despite internal warnings from Russia experts

By Gregg Jarrett, 

Fox News
Published July 9, 2025

In a blockbuster report, the CIA has belatedly exposed the rank corruption among top intelligence officials who connived to frame President Donald Trump and drive him from office during his first term.

Their pernicious lie was that Trump colluded with Russia to rig the 2016 presidential election in his favor. The principal piece of so-called evidence was a document known infamously as the dossier.

It was secretly financed by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and Democrats, conceived by a foreign agent with a checkered past in espionage, and then brokered to solicitous collaborators at the FBI, CIA, the Department of Justice and the Trump-hating media.

WHITE HOUSE WANTS OBAMA INTEL OFFICIALS 'HELD ACCOUNTABLE' FOR ROLE PEDDLING 2016 RUSSIA HOAX

The dossier was garbage, of course. The FBI largely debunked it before Trump was even sworn in and fired its author, Christopher Steele, for lying as a confidential human source. But the bureau concealed those inconvenient facts under then-Director James Comey and deftly exploited the document as a cudgel to bludgeon the newly elected president.

 
Comey was aided and abetted by others in the intelligence community, including CIA Director John Brennan and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. This malignant force of unelected officials plotted to smear Trump with what is surely the dirtiest trick in political history.

Recently, current CIA Director John Ratcliffe declassified and released an internal agency review of the machinations that helped fuel the Russia hoax. In a statement posted on social media, Ratcliffe stated, "All the world can now see the truth: Brennan, Clapper and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals — all to get Trump."

BRYAN DEAN WRIGHT: JOHN BRENNAN WAS MY BOSS AT THE CIA. HE BELONGS IN PRISON

Citing previously hidden records, the review concluded that Brennan, in particular, pushed for the phony dossier to be included in the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) to catalyze a false narrative against Trump. Senior CIA experts on Russia objected but were sidelined and silenced.

The CIA’s deputy director for analysis warned Brennan in writing that including the discredited dossier in any capacity jeopardized "the credibility of the entire paper." Brennan didn’t care. The fiction penned by the ex-British spy conformed to the director’s preconceived fable that Trump colluded with Russia.

The ICA, which was ordered by President Barack Obama, was rushed to completion just days before Trump’s inauguration. Brennan directed its composition and handpicked the analysts who compiled the ersatz information. To stifle dissent, 13 other key intelligence agencies were deliberately excluded. To put it bluntly, Trump was set up.

According to the new CIA review, Comey and Clapper were all in on the scheme. In an interview with the New York Post, Ratcliffe said, "This was Obama, Comey, Clapper and Brennan deciding ‘We’re going to screw Trump.’"

EX-OBAMA INTEL BOSS WANTED ANTI-TRUMP DOSSIER INCLUDED IN 'ATYPICAL' 2016 ASSESSMENT DESPITE PUSHBACK

They knew the dossier was junk, which motivated them to prop it up as a reliable indictment of Trump. By incorporating it in the ICA they could leak and propagate both documents as mutual corroboration. It was a clever ruse. An illusion.

Those of us who have long covered the bogus collusion story knew it long ago. In my 2019 book, "Witch Hunt," I recounted how Brennan "insisted that the dossier be included in the classified intelligence report," but then told Congress under oath that the dossier was "not in any way used as the basis for the intelligence community’s assessment." Clapper’s testimony was nearly identical.

 


The cover of Gregg Jarrett's book the Russia collusion hoax, "Witch Hunt."

Here is what I wrote in chapter 2:

"Brennan and Clapper were spinning a deception. A prominent colleague contradicted them and produced documents as proof that they were not telling the truth. In a classified letter to Congress, National Security Agency director Michael Rogers disclosed that the uncorroborated document (the dossier) ‘did factor into the ICA’ report. Having been caught in a falsehood, Clapper then repudiated his earlier statement. Brennan continued to deny all of it, the contrary evidence notwithstanding."

CIA BEING RESTRUCTURED TO ELIMINATE 'WELL-DOCUMENTED POLITICIZATION': RATCLIFFE

Neither Brennan nor Clapper was ever prosecuted for perjury.

None of that bothered news organizations. MSNBC promptly hired Brennan, while Clapper went to work for CNN. I described what they did from their media perches:

"The two super spooks launched an all-out attack on Trump, exploiting their new television platforms to advance the toxic fiction that the president was a secret Russian asset who had ‘colluded’ with Putin. It didn’t matter to CNN that a House Intelligence Committee report determined that it had been Clapper who had leaked news of the phony dossier to the network before Trump had ever taken office."

The collusion narrative was a conspiracy itself. The collaborators knew it was a lie, but they manipulated the dossier and the ICA to peddle their fairy tale. With Hillary and her confederates, they engineered the hoax. Brennan even accused Trump of treason.

DNI TULSI GABBARD REFERS ALLEGED INTELLIGENCE LEAKERS FOR PROSECUTION; DETAILS POSSIBLE MOTIVES

Comey also knew the dossier was spurious, as I wrote in chapter 4:

"He knew exactly where the dossier came from and who paid for it. He used it as the primary basis for the warrants, used it as part of the nonpublic version of the intelligence community assessment, and used it to debrief President-elect Trump so that it could be leaked to the media in January 2017."

They knew the dossier was junk, which motivated them to prop it up as a reliable indictment of Trump. By incorporating it in the ICA they could leak and propagate both documents as mutual corroboration. It was a clever ruse. An illusion.

Comey’s decision to purloin and leak additional FBI documents triggered — just as he planned — the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his dilating investigation of Trump that hobbled his presidency for two years.

On the day that Mueller issued his report concluding that there was no evidence of a Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy, the sheepish Brennan conceded, "I don’t know if I received bad information, but I think I suspected there was more than there actually was."

That’s quite the Jekyll-Hyde metamorphosis for a guy who enthusiastically endorsed the dossier and who kept claiming that "it was in line" with his own CIA sources, in which he "had great confidence." That, too, was a fabrication, according to the newly released CIA review.

What did Comey have to say? In public, the master prevaricator dissembled and pleaded ignorance. But before Congress, he was forced to admit that some of his actions would have been different had he known then what he knows now. Not likely. He was wedded to the artifice of collusion because he despised Trump.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has vowed a reckoning. She told Fox News, "We are digging deep to find everything that has been related to this, and I guarantee you there are some U.S. attorneys who are eager to see what we are finding — in some cases are already working their own cases to bring about that necessary accountability."

Unless those who unscrupulously weaponized their immense power for political purposes are held to account, it will happen again. And again. The only remedy for lawlessness is justice.

The reckoning awaits.

Gregg Jarrett is a Fox News legal analyst and commentator, and formerly worked as a defense attorney and adjunct law professor. 

Gregg Jarrett’s latest book, "The Constitution of the United States and Other Patriotic Documents," was published by Broadside Books, a division of HarperCollins on November 14, 2023. Gregg is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-selling book "The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump." His follow-up book was also a New York Times bestseller, "Witch Hunt: The Story of the Greatest Mass Delusion in American Political History."

Texas Flash Flood 2025 Disaster Brings Out The Ugliness Of Democrat Hate

THE AFTERMATH

Right now, there are a lot of people missing after flash floods tore through parts of Central Texas on July 4th. State and County Emergency Services, along with Federal Services, are doing a heroic job. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a press conference on Sunday that flash floods could still pose a danger to some regions and urged caution over the next few days. 

While some survivors are being found, many with incredible stories of survival, some of the bodies of those who have perished are being recovered, and families are now having to deal with the horrible, sudden, devastating loss of loved ones.

Among the missing are many young girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Kerr County located near the Guadalupe River. Those young girls and a camp counselor remain missing according to Texas officials. 

Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' camp situated on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, apparently suffered the worst losses just before daybreak on Friday, the Fourth of July, amid a torrential downpour, when the river rose 27 feet in just 45 minutes. It rose 27 feet in about 45 minutes. That's incredible. 

According to reports, Camp Mystic has been operated by the same family for generations. It has been a place that offers girls a chance to grow "spiritually" in a "wholesome" Christian atmosphere. It's said that the Christian summer camp has been a place of laughter, prayer, camaraderie, and fun. Yes, a place for girls to swim, canoe, ride horses, and form lifelong friendships. 

Many of the hundreds of girls at the camp were sleeping in bunk beds in low-lying cabins less than 500 feet from the riverbank. And while those cabins were hit the worst, even cabins at higher elevations on hills were hit by the rising water.  It had to be a horribly chaotic scene in the early morning darkness as those children fought for dear life. I can't imagine the sheer terror of the rushing waters carrying trees, mud, and all sorts of debris, consuming their camp, and the children trying to make it to safety. 

The beauty of the Guadalupe River draws so many to the area, and the floodwaters arrived with almost no warning, ripping through the picturesque riverfront area that I'm told is home to nearly 20 youth camps. And while Camp Mystic suffered the greatest loss of life, state and county officials say the scale of the disaster is far-reaching. 

Another summer camp, the all-girls camp Heart O' the Hills, was also hit by the deluge. I read that while it was fortunate for that camp that it was out of session at the time, it still suffered the tragic loss of the camp's co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, who is among the dead. 

 

So now, there are those who will inevitably ask why those summer camps were situated so close to a river or why more was not done to evacuate the children in time?  

For me, I like the response Republican Congressman Chip Roy, who represents the area, has given to those questions. Acknowledging the devastation while urging caution against premature blame, Congressman Roy said, "The response is going to be, 'We've gotta move all these camps - why would you have camps down here by the water? Well, you have camps by the water because it's by the water. You have camps near the river because it's a beautiful and wonderful place to be."

A news report this morning said, "More than 80 people have been confirmed dead in the floods. Camp Mystic has confirmed that at least 27 girls and counsellors are among them. Of course, besides those organized camps, there were many other campers in the area for the holiday weekend when the flash flood struck. And now, more rain is forecast, which will make the rescue effort even harder. Days after the deluge, hope is fading, and this is rapidly becoming a recovery exercise more than a rescue mission." Of course, Texas is blessed with having Governor Greg Abbott, who has vowed to "stop at nothing" until every missing person is found. 

For me, I'm impressed by those of us whose better Angels rise up to meet the needs of others during such tragedies. A report in the news today talked about how Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan, 26, was singled out by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for his efforts saving 165 victims as the only triage coordinator at the scene of the floods. 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted the following on her social media account on X: "United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin (Ruskan), directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskin is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG." 

Kerr County Sheriff's Office says that as of 1:30pm, Sunday, they had recovered 68 deceased in Kerr County, stating, "Among those who are deceased, we have 40 adults and 28 children. Eighteen adults are pending identification, and 10 children also pending identification. At present, there are 10 Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, along with one counselor. We continue to have hundreds of officers, deputies, and support staff working every aspect of this emergency, along with air, water, K9, and other assets conducting search and rescue." 

A Houston Democrat Says The Rescue Effort Is All About White Privilege. 

So while the better part of humanity shows it's most admirable attributes in the form of people such as people as U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Petty Officer Scott Ruskan and all of the hundreds of officers, deputies, volunteers, and support from communities and so many agencies, we get another look at the ugliness that is Democrat hate for White Americans, Trump supporters, Conservatives, and Christians. 

It is absolutely pathetic that Democrats have to make everything, including such a tragedy and horrible loss of life, about race and hate for Whites. The Democrat who found a microphone to spew her hate for White Americans is a former Houston appointee who claims flood-ravaged Camp Mystic is "Whites-only, Conservative, [and] Christian."

Sade Perkins, a former member of the Houston Food Insecurity Board, made the claims about Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, in a TikTok video this last weekend. The office of Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed that Perkins was appointed by former Mayor Sylvester Turner in 2023, and her term expired in January 2025.

In her TikTok video, Perkins' racist ugliness wasn't restricted to just Whites as she also slammed Asians and something she called "Token Blacks." You can read this for yourself from what she said in her video when Perkins stated, "But Camp Mystic is a Whites-only girls Christian camp. They don't even have a token Asian, they don't have a Token Black person. 

Perkins claimed, "It is a all White, White-only conservative Christian camp. If you ain't White, you ain't right. You ain't getting in, you ain't going, period."

Then, Perkins had the nerve to try to say, "It's not to say that we don't want the girls to be found, whatever girls that are missing… but you best believe, especially in today's political climate, if this were a group of Hispanic girls…. this would not be getting this type of coverage that they're getting. No one would give a f--k." 

As unbelievable, as that asinine statement is, it just shows how Democrats are totally ignorant and utterly filled with hate for White Americans today. She even went so far vain concern by saying "hope[s] they all get found," before going on to say the last thing that the families needed to hear by suggested that there was too much sympathy for those killed in the floods. 

Imagine for a moment just how warped you have to be to spout political talking points during a time like this. But that's how I see such Democrat rhetoric today, especially when they say, as Perkins said, "They want you to have sympathy for these people. They want to get out of your bed and to come out of your home and to go find these people and to donate your money to go to find these people. Meanwhile, they are deporting your family members. Meanwhile, they're setting up concentration camps and prisons for your family members. And I need you all to keep that in mind before you all get out there and put on your rain boots and go find these little girls."

The ugliness of such hate for others not like them is not limited to a single Democrat. There are many more out there who share the same mindset. For example, today, a Houston Pediatrician was fired after a Facebook post, which appeared to mock victims of the recent Texas floods, went viral. 

Dr. Christina B. Propst, who has been previously associated with Blue Fish Pediatrics, came under fire for a post which was made under the name “Chris Tina” on Facebook. This was reported by the New York Post. While it has since been deleted, Dr. Propst wrote, "May all visitors, children, non-MAGA voters and pets be safe and dry. Kerr County MAGA voted to gut FEMA. They deny climate change. May they get what they voted for. Bless their hearts."

Families are grieving their loss. And as for the families whose loved one will always live with the trauma of what took place, they are praying that their children survive such an ordeal with minimal scars. And frankly, vile Democrats who think like Perkins should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

Now, before someone writes to tell me that Perkins and Propst are only speaking what they see as the "truth," please understand that Democrats today are the worst of their long history of hate. Their truth is delusional. From not admitting that "trans-women" are gay men, to their inability to identify what a woman is, to their inability to prosecute Illegal Aliens for breaking the law, they are delusional because they are detached from reality. But worst, their delusions fuel their hate for others who are not like them. And no, to them, there is absolutely no room in our world for people who love America, worship God, and believe in everything that they hate.

For those Democrats who feel such deep hate for White Americans, hate us to such an extent that they are okay with having sold their soul just to keep their hate burning, hate so deep that you have lost all compassion for other suffering for such loss, our society is wronged by their low character. And yes, such people are low-character individuals. The lowest.

What makes them the way they are? Why would even the Texas flash flood disaster bring out the ugliness of Democrat hate for White Americans, Trump supporters, Conservatives, and Christians? Who knows. The hate coming from Democrats runs deeper than most of us will ever be able to understand. Democrats have proven themselves to be a cold-blooded, extremely vile group of people. 

Tom Correa

Veterans Became Cowboys After The Civil War & Beyond

While popular culture often romanticizes the life of the American Cowboy, their reality has always involved hard work, relatively low pay, and a tough, often lonely existence. So, have you ever wondered what sort of men were perfectly suited to become cowboys in the Old West? 

Well, below is an interesting article from the New York Star published in August of 1889. It's titled "A Soldier's Life." The short article concludes with the writer giving his opinion of what sort of career a soldier would be suited for after serving his time in the Army on the American Frontier. After looking at a soldier's life while serving a five-year enlistment in the United States Army stationed in the West, the writer for the New York Star recommended that veterans become "Cowboys." 

The New York Star published this in August of 1889:

A SOLDIER'S LIFE. 

Routine duty on the frontier is about as follows: The soldier gets $13 per month straight pay, rations, clothing, and a certain allowance which is paid him on the date of his discharge; an increase for each year's service or re-enlistment; additional remuneration if promoted corporal, sergeant or artificer; extra pay if worked as a carpenter, plasterer or mechanic, and lota of other perquisites too small to mention. Guard duty is the hardest in the service, and to this the soldier is eligible about one day in six.

Three roll calls a day, reveille, retreat, and tattoo of a cavalryman, stables twice a day; drills Mondays or Fridays, dress parade every evening, and target practice whenever weather permits. The rifle used is the ordinary Springfield service pattern, 1888 Springfield "Trapdoor" in .45-70 Government, a breech-loader, carrying seventy grains of powder and 500 grains of load, with common service sights that never get out of order. The U.S. Army standard sidearm is the Colt Model 1889 revolver, a double-action revolver with a swing-out cylinder, chambered in .38 Long Colt and .41 Long Colt. 

Each company in the service is provided with a pair of breech-loading shotguns, a certain annual allowance of powder, shot, wad, and shell, and these are open to everybody for hunting purposes when not employed on other duty. A soldier can then amuse himself knocking over jack rabbits, bagging sage hens and prairie chickens, and missing as many ducks and wild geese as he wants to. Tours of detached service are merely picnics. Large game of some kind can almost always be found, and what better sport could anyone ask? 

There is one undeniable fact about a five-year term in the United States Army. All sorts of material are caught for soldiers; the beer-drinking Teuton, the bulldog Englishman, the fun-loving Irishman, the ignorant darky, and, in fact, men of all nationalities and all climes. They come to us as bright as meteors and as verdant as cucumbers, but no matter how green and unsophisticated the recruit may be when he joins, he has developed into a fine marksman when he leaves the Army, and with decidedly more sense than he was enlisted with. 

The bump of fun is exceedingly large in the average soldier of the line. Generally. as remarked, they are young men in the prime of manhood, of fine physique and perfect in every way (else they would not have been accepted by the recruiting officer), who look upon the term of enlistment as a sort of lark, and propose to get as much amusement and fun out of the five years as possible. 

Astonishing as it may seem, yet it is nevertheless true that it is no easy matter to enlist in the United States Army. Nineteen out of twenty applicants are rejected for cause, and the twentieth man must be up to the mark, or lie is liable to travel the road of his nineteen predecessors. 

After enlistment expires, a majority of the discharged soldiers, who originally came from some of the states back East, never return to their former homes. Civilization, with all its drawbacks, has lost its charms for them, and so they stick to the West and grow up with the country. 

Long service and extensive scouting over the plains have cured them of city life and the struggle for existence. They either take up land claims somewhere, buy farms from the railroads, or drift to ranching or stock raising. Many of them prefer cowboy life, which a term of service in the Army, saddle, and scouting work especially equips them for. 

— end news article in the New York Star, August 1889

So, what do you think of the writer's reasons for recommending that career path for veterans who served in the West in 1889? 

Taking a look at those serving in our military and the lives of cowboys, you can't help but agree that there are a lot of similarities between the lives of soldiers and cowboys. Yes indeed, soldiers, especially those stationed in the American West, possessed physical strength and stamina and were usually excellent riders and marksmen. Cowboys also needed to have physical strength and stamina, be skilled riders and marksmen, as well as know how to rope -- besides having other skills. 

Cowboys were primarily young men who worked long hours, endured hardship, and toughed it out while tending cattle on horseback. Cowboys were responsible for carrying out the instructions of the Cow Boss, which isn't much different than soldiers carrying out the orders of their First Sergeant. Typically, a Cow Boss reports to the general manager or ranch owner, answering for the well-being of the cattle and the performance of the cowboys. And yes, a First Sergeant reports to his Company Commander or Commanding Officer, to answer for the well-being of the unit and the performance of the soldiers.

While not all soldiers became cowboys, there wasn't much of a difference between following orders in the military and following orders on a ranch. Tending cattle and maintaining a ranch takes work, such as repairing fences, maintaining buildings, and managing horses. Tending to a military unit and its structures within a fort also took work. Soldiers had to paint and repair their barracks, offices, and other buildings within an Army fort. No, they didn't contract it out as they do today. Although military installations have always had their share of civilian employees employed for various reasons. 

As for their living conditions? Cowboys lived in a bunkhouse with other cowboys, enduring long solitary hours and harsh weather, the same as soldiers living in barracks and pulling guard duty.

Of course, cowboys who participated in cattle drives and transporting herds to market often lived a nomadic life while traveling with the herds. In most cases, all they had as companionship were other cowboys. The same applied to soldiers assigned to patrol wide-open spaces, on escort duty, or away from the fort on assignments. Whether it was a detail to gather firewood or searching for missing pioneers, or having to patrol the frontier, it was a very solitary existence. 

As for life on the range, even after the cattle drives died out, cowboys still patrolled the boundaries of their ranch, checked water sources, mended fences, and kept an eye out for rustlers. Soldiers did the same when it came to patrolling treaty boundaries, checking water resources, establishing outposts, and keeping an eye out for hostile Indians and criminals. 

At the end of the Civil War in 1865, soldiers, both from the Union and Confederacy, became cowboys. In fact, former soldiers contributed significantly to the rise of the "Cowboy Culture" and the cattle industry in the West. The fact is, soldiers sought work and opportunity after the Civil War when jobs were hard to come by and the nation was still reeling from the ruin and economic aftermath of that war. 

Several soldiers who were discharged from military service needed to find new ways to support themselves, and in many cases, also their families. The expanding cattle industry and the promise of a fresh start in the West, particularly in states like Texas with large herds of wild cattle, offered such opportunities. The demand for beef grew after the Civil War, and the development of railroads further West facilitated cattle drives to distant Northern markets. 

These factors created a demand for skilled cattle herders and drovers. Many veterans came West to meet the demand. Some specifically headed to Texas, where the cattle industry was booming. They brought with them skills, experience, and a willingness to adapt to the frontier lifestyle. The Civil War and its aftermath on former soldiers and dislocated Southerners who fled a destroyed South had a huge impact on the West. Because of the need for people to work in a growing cattle industry, and more folks taking advantage of the Homestead Act after the Civil War, the settlement of the West was taking place faster than most understood.  

The 1890s were after the Great Die Up. It was an era when open-range cattle drives were on the decline. And with the Indian Wars ending, many former soldiers became cowboys seeking a fresh start. After being without employment or prospects, many sought new opportunities and a new life in the West. The cattle industry experienced a boom, a glut, a slump, and a resurgence, all between 1865 and 1890. 

Though not as robust, and unlike the huge demand for cowboys that took place before the winter of 1886, before the Great Die Up, the 1890s did see a demand for cowboys. What was considered the "Golden Age of the American Cowboy" was ending by the mid-1880s, mainly because of the expansion of railroads and barbed wire fencing. But even though that was the case, the cattle industry remained a cornerstone of the Western economy.

With cattle, there will always be a need for cowboys. And though the role of the American Cowboy was evolving because of the decline in cattle drives, ranches still needed management and hands to work those spreads. Of course, the diminishing open range led to the establishment of large fenced ranches. This saw the rise of family-owned ranches and larger cattle companies giving way to family-owned ranches. Those smaller ranch operations still required skilled cowboys to manage their livestock.

It was at that time that cowboys became more focused on caring for horses, and tended to fenced-in herds to manage grazing lands, while still maintaining fences and ranch infrastructure. They still performed the ranch work, including gathering and branding, but the massive cattle drives were pretty much at an end.

Of course, there were smaller-scale cattle drives. With the decline of the massive cattle drives to distant railheads, some smaller-scale cattle drives did not stop. After all, cattle still needed to be moved to market or between grazing lands. And really, while they were not the drovers who moved those huge herds up cattle trails to railheads, they were still cowboys who drove livestock to markets or new grazing lands.

Many soldiers, particularly those men who served in the cavalry, had experience with horses, which was a key skill for cowboy work. The demand for beef in the East, facilitated by the expanding railroad network, made cattle ranching a potentially profitable venture. So while the peak of long-distance cattle drives occurred in the decades immediately following the Civil War, the 1890s still saw an enormous amount of ranching activities -- and veterans would have been among those working as cowboys during that time.

So yes, a lot of former soldiers made the move to become cowboys after their enlistment ended, even into the 1890s. That's the reason why there was a strong presence of former soldiers, both Union and Confederate veterans, working as cowboys in the Old West. They were drawn by the opportunities presented by the expanding cattle industry and the possibility of a new life that wasn't that much different than the life they led as soldiers.

By the late 1890s, the cowboy had become a powerful symbol of the American West. It became an image that influenced popular culture through Dime Novels, Wild West shows, and later Hollywood films. Of course, while it's true that the romanticized image of the cowboy portrayed in popular culture might not fully reflect the reality of their demanding and sometimes dangerous work, the relevance of the "Cowboy Culture" and the cattle industry is what keeps an ongoing demand for cowboys alive to today.  

As for what was being called "The Closing of the West," the U.S. Census Bureau's 1890 report indicated that the frontier line, defined as a continuous settled area with a population density of at least two people per square mile, no longer existed. It was a method for the Federal Government to track Westward Expansion. Since it was deemed as being no longer discernible, this declaration, made in 1890, signaled that the vast, unsettled lands of the American West were largely occupied and integrated into the nation's settled territory.

That declaration is considered by most as the "End of an Era" because it marked the end of the period of major Westward Expansion and the beginning of a new era focused on urbanization and industrialization. Of course, just because some Federal bureaucrat says that the "End of an Era" took place, doesn't make it so. The fact is that settling the West continued into the early 1900s. 

And since there were still opportunities for cowboys who wanted to cowboy, primarily on established ranches, large and small family ranches, on smaller-scale cattle drives, and on feed lots, veterans would be among those who became cowboys well into the 20th Century and beyond. 

Tom Correa

July 4th Means Nothing To Socialists Because Socialism Is Slavery

Cuban Dissident Daniel Llorente disrupts the Worker's Day March in Havana, Cuba. (Miami Herald)

Socialism is Slavery

Story by staff writers at Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
May 1, 2018

One year ago today [May 1st, 2017], an activist named Daniel Llorente interrupted the Workers’ Day march in Havana, Cuba. Wearing the Cuban flag T-shirt, Daniel unfurled an American flag over his head and ran in front of the procession replete with photos of Fidel Castro. He was tackled by undercover agents of the state.

The Cuban regime tries to take credit for the improvement of their people’s lives. It staked its legitimacy on the supposed emancipation and well-being of the working class. But the Cuban regime showed its colors by silencing Llorente and thousands of Cuban dissidents. Socialist regimes denigrate the very workers they claim to represent.

When the International Socialist Conference declared May 1 International Worker’s Day in 1898, it advocated for child labor laws, improvements in pay and safety regulations, and for the rights of workers to form independent organizations to advocate on their behalf. But by embracing Karl Marx’s theories of human nature and violent action, the early Socialists undermined their own aspirations.

Far from achieving equality, socialist movements that subscribed to Marxist ideology engendered a new form of slavery in the modern world. 

— Marion Smith

Far from ushering in a more equitable society, socialist movements that subscribed to Marxist ideology engendered a new form of slavery in the modern world. In the USSR, unenthusiastic work was considered a treasonous offense, “counter-revolutionary sabotage” that resulted in prison or death. 

Whenever a factory or harvest underperformed arbitrary regime quotas, the laborers were blamed for sabotaging the revolution. When the 1932 Ukrainian harvest underperformed after Stalin collectivized farms, he blamed the farmers and workers and forced them to starve en masse. Millions perished.

Marxist ideology is still being used to hold more than a billion people captive around the globe. China, where Xi Jinping just proclaimed the Communist Manifesto’s continued relevance, continues to use a system of Laogai, or forced labor camps, and dictates where the working class can live and work based on a “social credit” system. 

Venezuela’s socialist regime seized the means of production. Venezuela’s military runs the grocery stores while Nicolas Maduro denies humanitarian food aid to his political opponents. The average Venezuelan has lost more than 20 pounds in the last year.

Millennial Americans who rightly take offense at the greed and inhumanity sometimes exhibited by global corporations must remember that workers’ rights have not improved thanks to international socialism. Workers are only truly empowered in a free society because employers and employees are able to negotiate with each other equally under the law. 

In a socialist system where the regime owns the means of production, the owner, manager, employers, the party apparatchik is the law. Workers who would demand better treatment face repression, imprisonment, or worse.

Although Cuba has ratified all of the international labor conventions against forced, demeaning, and dangerous labor conditions, “it willfully fails to comply with them,” writes the AFL-CIO. The Cuban regime recently banned all independent labor unions.

The superiority of independent labor over Communism was known to the shipyard workers of Gdansk, Poland when they founded the Solidarity trade union. With the support of the United States, Solidarity helped bring down Communism in Eastern Europe.

If May 1 really is about workers, then don’t celebrate socialism.  

— Marion Smith

If May 1 really is about workers, then don’t celebrate socialism. Celebrate free enterprise that allows workers to thrive. Let’s celebrate a free society in which individuals are able to pursue their dreams, provide for their families, and bargain collectively.

For dissidents like Daniel Llorente who want freedom and prosperity, the American flag symbolizes hope. America manifests the noblest Western traditions of free and honest enterprise. On this May 1, Americans would do well to remember that Socialism is not the best hope of workers, it is their ultimate enslavement.

Marion Smith is the executive director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C.

This story was originally published in the New Hampshire Union Leader.

I reposted this here because I believe July 4th means nothing to Socialists. While the 4th of July, our Independence Day, is celebrated by freedom-loving Americans, Democrats need to understand that "Socialism Is Slavery." While I hope the short story above helps them understand why "Socialism Is Slavery," I can only hope that it also makes them understand that Socialism leads to Communism, which is an all-powerful Central Government. 

History tells us that Socialism and Communism enslaves and claims "ownership" of the people. 

Tom Correa

A Young Murderer Hanged 1874

First, let's talk about the news article below. It was published by the New York Sun. It was circulated by the syndicated telegraph wire and published by the Los Angeles Herald on March 19, 1874:

A "Boy" Murderer Hanged.

Jacksonville, Florida, February 27th. --- William Keene was executed today for the murder of Valentine in November last. Keene first made his appearance in this city about the 1st of October, 1873. He was quite youthful, being about eighteen years of age, and prepossessing in appearance and manner. A few days after his arrival, he was joined by Valentine, a person much older than Keene. They appeared to be warm friends. 

About the 1st of November, Valentine started up the river on a hunt, and was followed by Keene, who returned a few days after, bringing Valentine's boat, gun, and watch. Valentine's body was found near Black Point, with evidence that he had been foully murdered. The brain was pierced with a shot, the throat gashed, and the legs weighted. 

At the Coroner's inquest, Keene admitted in a careless way that the body was that of Valentine, and afterwards confessed that he committed the crime, adding that it was done in self-defense. His story was that he quarreled with Valentine about a loan of money. Valentine stooped to raise a revolver, and he fired and killed him. He denied having cut the victim's throat, and attributed the cuts to the fish. 

The theory of defense was upset by the fact that Valentine had been shot in the back of the head, and this, together with Keene's concealment of the crime and his haste to get possession of the dead man's property, sufficiently proved his guilt. 

His air of cool levity in the prisoner's box made an unfavorable impression. The proof was clear, and he was sentenced to be hanged today. His counsel made a motion for a new trial, but withdrew the motion, and the death warrant was signed. 

After his sentence, Keene began to reflect on his condition. He was received into the Methodist Episcopal Church and wrote verses devoid of literary merit, but showing that he realized his approach, ending. 

At half-past 10 this morning, he was hanged in the jail enclosure. He met his fate calmly and was pronounced dead within thirty minutes. About one hundred persons witnessed the execution. 

Tomorrow, Keene would have been nineteen years old. Valentine, the murdered man, was a native of Charlton, Saratoga county, New York, and has one brother and two sisters now living. He left home and went to California nineteen years ago, and was never heard of by his relatives until an account of his murder was seen in the New York Sun. 

L. L. Gillespie and his wife, of Troy, New York, the latter a sister of the murdered man, arrived here on Monday and had an interview with Keene. 

— end of article from the New York Sun. 

Now, let's talk about young folks committing crimes such as murder in the Old West. Keene was 18 when he killed Valentine in 1874. And yes, that's pretty young to commit murder. But really, I wouldn't call an 18-year-old murderer a "boy" like the newspaper did.

Of course, William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid, was 16 years old when he committed his first crime. It's true. In 1875, he stole food for himself and his brother from a laundry. He was also arrested for stealing clothing and firearms around the same time, and later escaped from jail. Billy the Kid was either 17 or 18 years old when he committed his first murder. 

Legend has it that it took place when Billy killed a blacksmith named Frank P. Cahill on August 17, 1877, in Arizona. He was involved in an argument with Cahill, which escalated into a physical fight. Billy shot and killed Cahill during the altercation. It's supposedly marked his first known killing and set him on a path to becoming a notorious outlaw.

While some mistakenly think he was just a youngster when he stole a horse, Wyatt Earp was not a youngster when he ended up in jail for horse theft. He was a grown man, 23 years old, when he was arrested and placed in jail for stealing a horse in 1870 in Butler County, Kansas. If he were convicted of stealing that horse, he faced the prospect of a five-year prison sentence. Knowing that, he escaped jail.

Just as what happened later when he was wanted in Arizona for the murder of Frank Stillwell, Wyatt Earp escaped the law and never answered for either crime.

Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, and William Keene were all pretty old when they broke the law when compared to the youngest killer known to have committed murder in the Old West. Of course, some say that distinction goes to an unnamed 8-year-old girl who killed her brother in Cassville, Missouri, in 1867. Others say that sad distinction rightfully goes to James Arcene. He was 10 years old when he participated in a robbery and murder in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in 1872. He was convicted of murder and hanged for his crime when he was 13. 

I find it interesting that young people committing crimes in the Old West, while present, were not as common as some people think. While some young people engaged in typical youthful misbehavior like petty theft, gambling, and carrying weapons, serious juvenile crime was relatively rare in many areas. It probably has something to do with keeping young people busy. So, instead of dealing in violence, many towns in the West focused on keeping young people busy by working, joining civic groups, and being a part of building their communities. 

That's not to say young people, especially young boys, in boomtowns didn't try to emulate elders by smoking, drinking, gambling, and carrying weapons, though not always responsibly. With some mining towns being more violent than others, I find it interesting that petty theft and vandalism were the extent of what was common back in the day. Of course, young people involved in minor offenses usually did so to test boundaries or gain attention. 

It's said that in the boomtown of Bodie, a group of teenage boys was known for loitering and using foul language. Their activities were generally considered more annoying and not dangerous. Serious juvenile crime, such as violent offenses, was not a widespread issue in many parts of the West.

The fact is that organized criminal gangs of very young boys committing serious crimes were not the norm at all in the West. And while that claim couldn't be made about what was going on in the cities in the East, even though law enforcement resources were often limited in towns in the West, the focus was often on maintaining basic order and dealing with juvenile delinquency by nipping it in the bud before it grew. 

Today, popular culture exaggerates the level of violence and lawlessness in the Old West. This is especially true regarding young people committing violent crimes. It just didn't happen as often as Hollywoood tries to say it did.

Tom Correa

President Trump's Immigration Record -- February To May 2025

According to the information compiled by FAIR: Federation for American  Immigration Reform: 

The Trump administration has committed to taking bold action to secure our borders and restore safety to American communities by enforcing our immigration laws to ameliorate the crisis caused by more than 10 million illegal border crossings over the past four years.

February 2025

Leveraging Tariffs to Bolster Border Security

On February 1, the Trump administration proposed hefty tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their failure to stem the tide of illegal immigration and drugs over our borders. In response, both countries agreed to take a larger role in ensuring that those borders are secure. Mexico pledged to send 10,000 National Guard troops to the southern border, and Canada agreed to implement a $1.3 billion border security effort, and dedicate another $200 million towards combating crime, fentanyl, and money laundering. President Trump moved to pause tariffs for Canada and Mexico on February 3.

Terminating Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela

On February 3, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Department would no longer support the 2023 designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. 

Venezuelans were among the most encountered nationality of illegal aliens at the border under the Biden administration, with total encounters jumping by 77 percent between Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023.

Targeting Sanctuary Jurisdictions and Non-Governmental Organizations

On February 5, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memorandum entitled, “Sanctuary Jurisdiction Directives,” which stated that the DOJ will work to ensure that state and local jurisdictions that impede immigration enforcement do not receive federal funds from the Department. The memo further noted that DOJ will pursue legal action against sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to follow our immigration laws. Finally, the memo directed the Department to identify all contracts, grants, or other agreements with non-governmental organizations that provide services to illegal aliens and pause the distribution of funds.

Fighting to Overturn Sanctuary City Policies

On February 6, the Department of Justice (DOJ), led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, filed a lawsuit to overturn state and local laws in Illinois that prevent law enforcement there from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The lawsuit alleges that the state of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County are all acting unlawfully to block immigration enforcement.

Increasing Vetting for Sponsors of Unaccompanied Alien Children

On February 14, the Trump administration implemented new policies to increase the vetting for sponsors of unaccompanied alien children (UACs). The policies will be carried out by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the agency within Health and Human Services (HHS) that supervises UACs once the agency assumes custody of them from border officials. 

Now, ORR must conduct background checks on all adults in the sponsor’s household, and, to that end, require that all such adults submit fingerprints to the agency. In addition, ORR may now only accept unexpired and legible documents for the purpose of identifying potential sponsors.

Running Ad Campaigns to Discourage Illegal Immigration

On February 17, the Department of Homeland Security announced a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at warning against illegal immigration and encouraging illegal aliens here unlawfully to self-deport. The ads were broadcast across numerous media platforms domestically and internationally – including radio, broadcast, social media, and text message – and were streamed in various languages.

Targeting Taxpayer-Funded Public Benefits for Illegal Aliens

On February 19, President Trump issued an Executive Order to protect American taxpayers from the financial strain of mass illegal immigration. The Order directed federal agencies to identify federally funded programs currently providing financial benefits to illegal aliens and to take corrective actions. It also required enhanced eligibility verification to ensure illegal aliens do not access taxpayer-funded benefits.

Designating Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

On February 20, pursuant to the President’s Executive Order, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Department would designate Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, United Cartels, the Northeast Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).

Enforcing Longstanding Federal Law Requiring Aliens to Register with the Government

On February 25, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Department would begin enforcing longstanding provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that require all aliens to register with the federal government within 30 days of entering the country. 

Aliens who fail to register with the federal government, leave the country if they are here illegally, or notify the government of a change of address are subject to criminal penalties.

Securing Our Borders and Increasing Interior Enforcement

Border Patrol agents apprehended 8,347 illegal aliens between southern border ports of entry in February 2025, the lowest number of monthly apprehensions since FY 2000. This constituted a 94 percent decrease from February 2024, in which 140,641 were apprehended. Border encounters per day hit a 15-year low of 200 individuals on February 24. 

In a February 26 press release, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that in just one month under President Trump, more than 20,000 illegal aliens were arrested, which the Secretary noted is a “627% increase in monthly arrests compared to just 33,000 at large arrests under Biden for ALL of last year.”

March

Designating English as Our Official Language

On March 1, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled, “Designating English as the Official Language of the United States.” The Order marks the first time in its history that the United States has had an official language. 

It also represents a major victory for FAIR and like-minded organizations, which have fought since the early 1980s to establish English as the official, unifying language for all Americans.

Launching the CBP Home App to Encourage Aliens to Self-Deport

On March 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the launch of the CBP Home App. The app features a self-deportation reporting feature, encouraging aliens illegally in the U.S. to leave voluntarily and gain a chance of returning legally in the future.

Removing Dangerous Illegal Alien Gang Members

On March 15, the President signed a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act, designating members of Tren de Aragua as “alien enemies.” This designation subjects Tren de Aragua members to immediate detention and removal under emergency powers, instead of through the regular process set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The same day, a federal judge moved to block the effort – issuing a temporary restraining order for 14 days.

Revoking Parole for the CHNV Parole Program

On March 25, the Trump administration terminated the parole status of hundreds of thousands of inadmissible aliens who were allowed to enter the United States under the Biden administration’s illegal Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) parole program.

April

Revoking Parole for Aliens Who Entered Through the CBP One App

In early April, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent termination notices to parolees who entered the U.S. using the CBP One mobile application, informing the aliens that their parole will soon be revoked and that they will be subject to deportation. The aliens were told to self-deport “immediately” using the same app, which has been repurposed into “CBP Home.” Within the two years that CBP One was active, it was used to allow nearly 919,000 otherwise inadmissible aliens into the United States.

Providing Immigration Enforcement Authorities Access to Illegal Alien Tax Information

On April 7, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of the Treasury signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) providing immigration enforcement authorities with access to taxpayer information of certain illegal aliens. The agreement permits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to disclose taxpayer information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help locate criminal aliens, including those with final orders of removal.

Authorizing Military Control of Federal Land at the Southern Border

On April 11, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum, “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions,” providing for the Defense Department to take jurisdiction of lands “reasonably necessary to enable military activities…including border-barrier construction and emplacement of detection and monitoring equipment.” 

On April 15, the Trump administration authorized the Department of Defense (DOD) to take control of nearly 110,000 acres of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border from the Department of the Interior (DOI). The military will administer the land for three years as part of a “National Defense Area,” including building infrastructure and monitoring conditions to stop the flow of illegal aliens and drug trafficking.

Blocking Social Security Benefits for Illegal Aliens

On April 15, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum, “Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits,” aimed at combating Social Security fraud related to illegal immigration. The Memorandum aims to prevent illegal aliens from obtaining Social Security benefits by prioritizing enforcement and expanding programs charged with prosecuting fraud.

Designating Sanctuary Jurisdictions and Fighting to Enforce Our Laws

On April 28, President Trump signed an Executive Order, “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens.” The Order directs the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to publish a list of sanctuary jurisdictions within 30 days; moves to restrict federal funding going to such jurisdictions; and instructs the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to take legal action as appropriate to ensure that sanctuary jurisdictions are complying with our laws.

May

Establishing a Second National Defense Area at the Southern Border

On May 1, the Trump administration established a second “National Defense Area” along the southern border, operating as an extension of U.S Army base Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas. The 63-mile strip of federal land allows military personnel to lawfully conduct security operations, including searching and detaining trespassers.

Implementing REAL ID

On May 7, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented the REAL ID Act, nearly 20 years after its enactment. Passed in the aftermath of 9/11, REAL ID sets federal standards for states to use when issuing driver’s licenses to prevent terrorists and illegal aliens from being granted them and is critical to protecting our national security.

Thanks to Federation for American Immigration Reform for compiling this great information.

Tom Correa

President Trump's Immigration Record -- January 2025

According to the information compiled by FAIR: Federation for American  Immigration Reform: 

The Trump administration has committed to taking bold action to secure our borders and restore safety to American communities by enforcing our immigration laws to ameliorate the crisis caused by more than 10 million illegal border crossings over the past four years.

January 2025

Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border

On January 20, President Trump declared a national emergency at our southern border. This declaration is similar to the national emergency the President declared during his first administration, but that declaration was rescinded by President Biden on his first day in office. The proclamation directs the Armed Forces to “take all appropriate action” to help the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obtain full operational control of the southern border. It also directs the Department of Defense (DOD) and DHS to take immediate steps to construct additional physical barriers at the southern border and to take all appropriate action to impede the entry of illegal aliens.

Detailing a Plan to Secure our Borders

On January 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Securing Our Borders,” which outlined the Trump administration’s border security policies. These policies included critical measures such as building a border wall; deterring illegal entry into the United States; prioritizing the detention and removal of illegal aliens; and obtaining operational control of our borders. The Order also called for the termination of harmful “catch-and-release” policies, which were recklessly used under the Biden administration to release illegal aliens into the country.

Directing the Military to Assist in Securing Our Borders

On January 20, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States.” In addition to detailing the National Emergency along our southern border, the Order aims to mitigate threats against our nation’s sovereignty by directing the Armed Services to, “prioritize the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.” 

It instructs the Department of Defense (DOD) to make plans to secure our borders against illegal immigration, drug trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other illegal activities.
Protecting the States Against Invasion

On January 20, President Trump signed a Proclamation entitled, “Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion.” In it, the President used his authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny entry into the United States of aliens engaged in the invasion at our southern border, until such time as the President finds that the invasion has ceased. 

Finding that the entry of illegal aliens is detrimental to the interests of the United States, the President is also directing that aliens engaged in the invasion are restricted from invoking INA provisions to remain in the country, including section 208 of the INA, until such time as the President finds that the invasion has ceased. This suspension of entry is also invoked for aliens posing public health, safety, or national security risks who fail to provide sufficient medical, criminal history, and background information.

Enforcing Our Immigration Laws to Keep Americans Safe

On January 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” Through this Order, the President implemented broad policies regarding a variety of aspects of immigration law and required the DHS Secretary, Secretary of State, and Attorney General to implement critical enforcement policies. 

These policies included prioritizing the prosecution of criminal offenses related to illegal entry or presence in the United States; targeting cartels, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations; taking appropriate action, including through 287(g) agreements, to authorize state and local law enforcement officials to help enforce federal immigration laws; and undertaking any lawful actions to ensure sanctuary jurisdictions are not receiving federal funds.

Bolstering Vetting to Prioritize National Security and Public Safety

On January 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” This Order provided for increased vetting and screening of aliens to ensure that individuals who intend to harm Americans or jeopardize our national interests do not exploit visas to enter the country. 

The Order directs the Secretary of State to evaluate vetting procedures and requires the State Department to report to the President which countries have inadequate vetting and could warrant suspension of entry for nationals of that county. The Order further instructs the DHS Secretary to remove or exclude aliens from countries warranting such a suspension of entry absent other national security or public interest concerns.

Taking Steps to Combat Cartels and Other Criminal Organizations

On January 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” This Order created a process to designate certain international cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists. 

Specifically, it required the Secretary of State, within 14 days, to make recommendations as to the designations of specific cartels and directed the Attorney General and DHS Secretary to prepare for action under the Alien Enemies Act.

Realigning the Refugee Admissions Program to Prioritize American Interests

On January 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” which announced that he would be suspending the entry of refugees for up to 90 days, if not longer, until he determines that resuming admissions would be in the best interest of the United States. The Order also required DHS to suspend the adjudication of existing refugee applications during the pause. 

Despite the suspension, the Order still allowed the DHS Secretary and the Secretary of State to admit refugees on a case-by-case basis if it is in the national interest and the refugee would not pose a threat to the United States. Finally, the Order directs the federal government to engage more with state and local leaders on refugee resettlement in the country.

Protecting the Value of American Citizenship

On January 20, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Protecting the Meaning of and Value of American Citizenship.” This Order sought to ensure that the Fourteenth Amendment is interpreted correctly so that birthright citizenship is not extended to those unlawfully or temporarily in the country. 

While the Order was set to go into effect on February 19, 2025, legal challenges arose immediately, resulting in the Trump administration filing three emergency requests to the U.S. Supreme Court asking that the Court partially allow the Order to go into effect until there is a ruling on merits.

Rescinding the Harmful Executive Actions of the Biden Administration

On January 20, President Trump rescinded numerous executive actions by the Biden administration that were used to facilitate illegal immigration. 

Orders rescinded included:

• Executive Order 13993 (Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and Priorities)
• Executive Order 14010 (Creating a Comprehensive Regional Framework To Address the Causes of Migration, To Manage Migration Throughout North and Central America, and To Provide Safe and Orderly Processing of Asylum Seekers at the United States Border)
• Executive Order 14011 (Establishment of Interagency Taskforce on the Reunification of Families)
• Executive Order 14013 (Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration)
• The Presidential memorandum of January 14, 2025 (Certification of Recission of Cuba’s Designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism).

Reversing Enforcement Policies in Sensitive Areas

On January 20, Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive rescinding the Biden administration’s guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement actions that undermine enforcement in or near “sensitive” areas. 

The previous policy provided safe harbor to aliens in churches, schools, and courthouses, allowing criminals to hide behind “sensitive” locations to evade enforcement.

Reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols

On January 21, pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would reinstate Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) to combat exploitation of our asylum system. That program, authorized by Section 235 of the INA, authorizes DHS to return certain aliens to the adjoining country from which they are arriving pending the completion of removal proceedings. 

In other words, illegal aliens seeking entry into the United States will be required to remain in Mexico until their asylum case can be heard. This policy was in place during the first Trump administration and had a deterrent effect until President Biden terminated it in 2021.

Suspending Categorical Parole Programs and Ending Abuse of the CBP One App

On January 21, pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that unlawful categorical parole programs – including the programs that specifically benefitted nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) and Afghanistan – had been immediately suspended. 

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the shutdown of the CBP One mobile application, which enabled 919,000 inadmissible aliens to schedule appointments at southern border points of entry and enter the United States since 2023.

Expanding Expedited Removal

On January 21, Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a notice expanding the scope of Expedited Removal to the maximum permitted under federal law. Expedited Removal is a power granted by Congress that allows the government to bypass the immigration courts to effectuate deportation in a swift manner. 

The statute even permits aliens who claim asylum to be deported via expedited removal, unless they pass a credible fear interview conducted by an asylum officer. Prior to this notice, officers could only apply expedited removal to aliens apprehended within 100 miles of the border and within two years of their arrival in the United States. 

However, as Trump officials stated in the new notice, “The effect of this change will be to enhance national security and public safety—while reducing government costs—by facilitating prompt immigration determinations.”

Delegating Immigration Enforcement Powers to Additional Federal Agencies

On January 22, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security issued a memorandum granting four key federal law enforcement agencies the power to investigate and apprehend illegal aliens in the United States. Those agencies included the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

Signing the Laken Riley Act into Law

On January 29, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law. The bill was passed in honor of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered on a run near the University of Georgia’s campus by a Venezuelan illegal alien with ties to Tren de Aragua. 

The Laken Riley Act requires the detention of inadmissible aliens for theft-related crimes, crimes resulting in death or serious injury, and for assaulting law enforcement officers. The bill further requires that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issue detainers for those aliens to transfer them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. It also provides state officials with legal standing to sue the federal government due to harm inflicted on their states or citizens from the failure to enforce immigration law.

Expanding Detention Capacity for Dangerous Illegal Aliens

On January 29, President Trump issued a memorandum entitled, “Expanding Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to Full Capacity.” 

Earlier in the day, the President announced that his administration will make 30,000 detention beds at the U.S. naval base on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, available to house criminal migrants.

Thanks to Federation for American Immigration Reform for compiling this great information.

Tom Correa