Category: Judicial Watch
What are freedom cities, and when will you live in one?
Everywhere you look, it seems like there is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to plans for futuristic, dystopian systems of government. However, one such plan has already materialized and has caught the attention of some very powerful people: freedom cities.
While it’s too early to tell if freedom cities will be a dystopian nightmare or, in the more likely scenario, a merely fascinating innovation, what is clear is that many powerful people have been interested in the idea for years.
‘Our objective will be a quantum leap in the American standard of living.’
First, what are freedom cities?
Freedom cities are essentially deregulated economic zones designed to encourage innovation and technological development without (or with much less) cumbersome bureaucracy, rules, and taxes.
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Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
According to an article by Newsweek, the creation of a freedom city in the United States would require at least two states to demarcate land along their borders and to agree on taxation and policy.
But why should we care about what is probably just a billionaire pipe dream to ease the billionaire tax burden?
Well, one of the powerful people who is very interested in these cities is President Donald Trump.
Freedom cities have been on President Trump’s mind for nearly three years at least.
In March 2023, then-former President Trump issued a video statement detailing several plans to revitalize American innovation.
Past generations of Americans pursued big dreams and daring projects that once seemed absolutely impossible. They pushed across an unsettled continent and built new cities in the wild frontier. They transformed American life with the interstate highway system — magnificent, it was. And they launched a vast network of satellites into orbit all around the earth.
But today our country has lost its boldness. Under my leadership, we will get it back in a very big way. If you look at just three years ago, what we were doing was unthinkable — how good it was, how great it was for our country.
Our objective will be a quantum leap in the American standard of living. … Here are just a few of the ways we can do it.
Almost one-third of the land mass of the United States is owned by the federal government. With just a very, very small portion of that land, just a fraction, one-half of one percent — would you believe that? — we should hold a contest to charter up to 10 new cities and award them to the best proposals for development.
In other words, we’ll actually build new cities in our country again. These freedom cities will reopen the frontier, reignite American imagination, and give hundreds of thousands of young people and other people — all hardworking families — a new shot at home ownership and in fact the American dream.
While President Trump’s plans have not yet been put into practice in the United States, the idea of a freedom city has already been put into practice in Honduras, for example.
According to Newsweek, Pronomos Capital, a venture capital firm backed by tech billionaires Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen, has helped push for the creation and development of Prospera ZEDE, a privately run economic zone on parts of Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras, and on the coast of La Ceiba, Honduras.
According to the company’s website, Próspera ZEDE (Zone of Economic Development and Employment) is “a startup zone with a regulatory system designed for entrepreneurs to build better, cheaper, and faster than anywhere else in the world.”
However, this economic zone in Honduras has seen its fair share of criticism from locals, pushback from the Honduran government, and legal challenges since its establishment.
Think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute have also taken an interest in the creation of freedom cities in the United States. According to a March 2025 report produced by the AEI Housing Center, freedom cities “offer a dynamic framework for re-shoring critical industries, expanding housing affordability, and facilitating rapid progress in emerging fields such as biotechnology, aeronautics, and energy.”
The AEI even drafted a “homesteading map” showing the pockets of federal land in Western states that could potentially be used for freedom cities, forecasting that the development of freedom cities would take anywhere between 40 and 50 years.
NICE TRY, GAV: Federal Judge Blocks California’s ‘Gender Secrecy’ in Schools
A federal judge blocked California on Monday from forcing teachers to hide students’ gender transitions from parents, delivering a major blow to the state’s school secrecy policies.
Judicial Watch Sues Homeland Security for Records on Criminal Aliens Using Arrest Warrants, Removal Orders as Legal ID
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for records on migrants who entered the United States from 2020 – 2025, using arrest warrants and removal orders as proof of identification (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security […]
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Judicial Watch Sues for Secret Service Records on Code Pink Disruption at President Trump Dinner
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for U.S. Secret Service communications records related to Code Pink protesters who disrupted a dinner held by President Donald Trump at a restaurant in Washington, DC, on September 9, 2025 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. […]
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Making a list and checking it twice: ICE’s year-end roundup of the most heinous illegal alien invaders
Over the past 11 months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies have worked to put away numerous murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, drug traffickers, and terrorists.
The Department of Homeland Security listed over a dozen of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens who were arrested by federal law enforcement agents in 2025 in a press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.
The department stated that 70% of ICE’s arrests were illegal aliens who were either convicted of or charged with a crime in the United States.
‘Americans can be proud of DHS law enforcement who worked around the clock this year to remove the worst of the worst from American neighborhoods.’
The DHS year-end roundup highlighted ICE New Orleans’ arrest of Olvin Rodriguez-Inestroza, a Honduran national with active warrants for 394 counts of pornography involving juveniles and two counts of sexual abuse of an animal.
In July, the then-22-year-old pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography after investigators found hundreds of disturbing photos and videos on his phone, including some involving toddlers.
Olvin Rodriguez-Inestroza. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Federal agents also arrested Diego Barron-Esquivel, a Mexican national who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for violently assaulting and strangling an ICE officer in February in Wichita, Kansas. Barron-Esquivel was accused of consistently harassing his former spouse, and he was previously arrested on multiple counts of domestic battery, protection order violations, aggravated robbery, felony theft, and other offenses.
Diego Barron-Esquivel. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Jaan Shah Safi, an Afghan national, entered the country under former President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome” in 2021. He was previously arrested for allegedly providing support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan, also referred to as ISIS-K. According to the DHS, Safi provided weapons to his father, who is a commander of an Afghan militia group. The DHS announced in early December that ICE agents arrested Safi in Waynesboro, Virginia, after his Temporary Protected Status application was terminated.
Jaan Shah Safi. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE captured Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, an MS-13 gang member from Honduras who is believed to have illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 after he allegedly bribed his way out of jail in his home country. He is wanted in Honduras for a quadruple homicide and is an alleged member of an assassination squad. Federal immigration agents caught up to Cuadra Soto in Grand Island, Nebraska, on December 8.
Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Jose Alfredo Uzeta, a Mexican national, was accused of performing dental procedures without a license. He was convicted of dentistry act violation and indecent assault in Harris County, Texas.
Jose Alfredo Uzeta. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Rafael Alberto Cadena-Sosa, from Mexico, was accused of running a sex trafficking operation in Miami, Florida, with his family. ICE Los Angeles arrested Cadena-Sosa in San Pedro, California, in December. According to the Department of Justice, he and his family approached females, some as young as 14, in Mexico to lure them into the U.S. under false promises of work opportunities. Once in the U.S., they allegedly imposed a smuggling debt and used threats and violence to force the females into engaging in prostitution 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Rafael Alberto Cadena-Sosa. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE agents also rounded up Antonio Israel Lazo-Quintanilla, from El Salvador, who is a confirmed gang member of the 18th Street Gang, which is designated a foreign terrorist organization. He is wanted in his home country for aggravated homicide, extortion, drug possession, and other felonies. Federal agents nabbed Lazo-Quintanilla in March.
Antonio Israel Lazo-Quintanilla. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez, from El Salvador, was convicted of sexual assault of a child under 17 years old. His criminal history also includes multiple DUIs, child fondling, and illegal re-entering of the U.S. During his November arrest, the convicted pedophile allegedly assaulted an ICE officer with a metal coffee cup, resulting in a laceration that required 13 stitches.
Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE agents arrested Thao Van Cao, a Vietnamese national who is a member of the Asian Cheap Boy criminal gang. His lengthy rap sheet includes 25 convictions for crimes such as flight to avoid prosecution, possession of a controlled substance, second-degree robbery, cruelty toward the elderly, arson, and theft.
Thao Van Cao. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz was picked up by federal immigration agents in October. The criminal illegal alien was previously sentenced to 32 years in prison for the intentional murder of his 3-month-old son.
Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE apprehended Jung Choi, a 53-year-old from South Korea. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter after she and her male companion were accused of murdering his wife.
Jung Choi. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Jonatan Monzon-Olivares, a Guatemalan national, was taken off the street in August. He had been arrested 38 times with 15 convictions for crimes including sexual assault, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, possession of stolen property, and obstructing justice.
Jonatan Monzon-Olivares. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Federal agents nabbed Alejandro Lima-Ramirez, who was previously arrested two dozen times in California and Oregon. He has 16 convictions, including for drug trafficking, robbery, fraud, and carrying a concealed weapon.
Alejandro Lima-Ramirez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
In August, ICE agents apprehended Michael Kabiona, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty in 2015 of repeatedly raping his stepdaughter, starting when she was 9 years old.
Michael Kabiona. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Pedro Luis Ortiz-Mendez and Jose Vicente Ortiz-Mendez, brothers from Mexico, were also arrested by federal immigration agents in August. The two men are wanted in their home country for multiple murders.
Pedro Luis Ortiz-Mendez and Jose Vicente Ortiz-Mendez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Lastly, the DHS highlighted this year’s arrest of Yehia Elham Badawi, an Egyptian national with a lengthy criminal record, including robbery, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment, among other violent felonies. His convictions stem from a 1994 shoot-out that seriously injured a Philadelphia police officer.
Yehia Elham Badawi. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
“Americans can be proud of DHS law enforcement who worked around the clock this year to remove the worst of the worst from American neighborhoods. Our law enforcement has put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
McLaughlin stated that under the leadership of President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, “criminals are not welcome in the U.S. If you come to our country and break our laws, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you.”
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‘Obvious f**king failure’: Even Hunter Biden admits dad’s Afghanistan exit was a total disaster
Hunter Biden criticized his father, former President Joe Biden, and his administration for the botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and he detailed his thoughts on the country’s immigration problem.
During an interview on the “Shawn Ryan Show” released Monday, Hunter Biden stated that he believes politicians on both sides of the aisle want to find a solution to immigration.
‘I think there was a better way to do it.’
Podcast host Shawn Ryan and Hunter Biden discussed how foreign nationals have been receiving abundant resources on the American taxpayer’s dime, including free hotel rooms.
“We need immigration. We need a vibrant immigration, but we don’t want immigrants that are coming here illegally, draining us of resources,” Biden told Ryan.
Ryan expressed concerns that more resources are being allocated to foreign nationals, while American veterans continue to struggle to obtain the necessary support.
Hunter Biden stated that he does not want immigrants prioritized over U.S. troops or other Americans.
Hunter Biden. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
During the five-hour conversation, Ryan asked Biden about some of his father’s failures as president. Biden responded by mentioning the botched exit from Afghanistan, during which a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. service members.
Biden stated that he believes it was necessary to leave Afghanistan but criticized the execution of the withdrawal.
“I think one of the failures was the way in which they executed the withdrawal from Afghanistan. I think it was an obvious f**king failure. I think 13 Marines are dead. I think that there was a better way to do it,” Hunter Biden said.
“And I can blame it on his generals. I can blame it on the people, the way in which we did it. But my dad always knew this also, is that the buck stops with him,” he continued. “I think that that was a failure.”
Joe Biden, Hunter Biden. Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Ryan asked Biden how his father feels about the withdrawal now.
“The same way that I do,” he replied.
“I don’t want to speak for my dad, but I know my dad, you know, is crushed by that,” Hunter Biden added, referring to the service members who lost their lives.
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‘Incredible victory’: Federal judge prohibits trans-related grooming efforts in California schools
Democrat policies proudly championed in California by Gov. Gavin Newsom have for years kept parents in the dark about their children’s mental health and personal circumstances — particularly about whether their kids are masquerading as members of the opposite sex at school and undergoing a so-called “social transition” with the help of school staff.
Unwilling to lie to parents in violation of their faith and ethics, and facing the prospect of retaliation or dismissal over their dissent, Christian educators Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori West filed a lawsuit in 2023 with the help of the religious liberty group the Thomas More Society.
By October, their legal challenge targeting secretive, grooming transgender policies across the state had evolved into a class-action lawsuit involving other adversely impacted teachers as well as parents.
U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez delivered Democrat officials and other gender ideologues a big upset on Monday, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs and against the grooming regime.
Benitez noted at the outset of his 52-page ruling that long before the advent of compulsory education in the U.S., “parents have carried out their rights and responsibility to direct the general and medical care and religious upbringing of their child.”
“It is a right and a responsibility that parents still hold,” said the judge.
Benitez affirmed that “parents have a right to receive gender information and teachers have a right to provide to parents accurate information about a child’s gender identity” — rights that Benitez confirmed have been violated by California officials.
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Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Image
According to Benitez, “the parental exclusion policies create a trifecta of harm.” For starters,
they harm the child who needs parental guidance and possibly mental health intervention to determine if the incongruence is organic or whether it is the result of bullying, peer pressure, or a fleeting impulse. They harm the parents by depriving them of the long-recognized Fourteenth Amendment right to care, guide, and make healthcare decisions for their children, and by substantially burdening many parents’ First Amendment right to train their children in their sincerely held religious beliefs. And finally, they harm teachers who are compelled to violate the [sic] sincerely held beliefs and the parent’s rights by forcing them to conceal information they feel is critical for the welfare of their students.
Benitez barred California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Superintendent Tony Thurmond, and members of the California Board of Education from implementing or enforcing laws or policies in such a manner as to permit or require any employee in the state education system to:
- mislead the parent or guardian of a minor student “about their child’s gender presentation at school” by way of direct lies, denial of access to educational records, or “using a different set of preferred pronouns/names when speaking with the parents than is being used at school”;
- “use a name or pronoun to refer to that child that do not match the child’s legal name and natal pronouns, where a child’s parent or legal guardian has communicated their objection to such use”; and
- use incorrect pronouns or a false name in reference to a student “while concealing that social gender transition from the child’s parents.”
The judge also ordered state education officials to prominently feature the following statement in their LGBT “cultural competency” training materials:
Parents and guardians have a federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school student child expresses gender incongruence. Teachers and school staff have a federal constitutional right to accurately inform the parent or guardian of their student when the student expresses gender incongruence. These federal constitutional rights are superior to any state or local laws, state or local regulations, or state or local policies to the contrary.
“Today’s incredible victory finally, and permanently, ends California’s dangerous and unconstitutional regime of gender secrecy policies in schools,” Paul Jonna, special counsel at the Thomas More Society, said in a statement.
“The court’s comprehensive ruling — granting summary judgment on all claims — protects all California parents, students, and teachers, and it restores sanity and common sense,” continued Jonna. “With this decisive ruling from Judge Benitez, all state and local school officials that mandate gender secrecy policies should cease all enforcement or face severe legal consequences.”
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LOST & FOUND: Trump DHS Has Located 127K Migrant Children Lost Under the Biden Admin
The Trump administration says its aggressive push to locate missing migrant children is delivering results, with more than 127,000 minors now found after being lost under the Biden administration.
Led by Non-Binary Fed Worker Lawsuit Accuses Trump of Discrimination for Ending Govt. DEI Programs
Spearheaded by a woman who identifies as “non-binary,” a group of federal employees who worked in specially created government Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments under the Biden administration are suing President Trump for ending the wasteful and exclusionary programs and firing them. The former government workers claim they were unlawfully dismissed because the president […]
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