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A Mexican national was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison after admitting to participating in a human smuggling operation that prosecutors say used THC-laced candy to sedate children as young as 5 before bringing them across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Federal prosecutors said one child suffered THC poisoning and was hospitalized after being given the drug-laced candy during one of the smuggling operations.

Manuel Valenzuela, 35, pleaded guilty last November to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens, three counts of bringing aliens into the United States for financial gain and one count of aiding and abetting.

WATCH: TRUMP DHS ESCALATES PRESSURE OVER MIGRANT CHILD WARNINGS IT SAYS BIDEN IGNORED: ‘MOVE HEAVEN AND HELL’

Valenzuela was one of four people charged last year in the alleged smuggling scheme. Prosecutors accused the group of transporting unaccompanied children between the ages of 5 and 13 from Juárez, Mexico, into the United States.

According to court documents, the smugglers presented U.S. identification documents to border officers while falsely claiming the children were their own parents.

Prosecutors said the children were then transported to El Paso after crossing the border.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NAMES ROSARIO 'PETE' VASQUEZ TO SERVE AS NEXT US BORDER PATROL CHIEF

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division condemned the scheme, saying, "Needing to sedate children with THC under the guise of giving them candy shows just how heinous crimes like this are."

"Smuggling unaccompanied children into the country, pretending to be their parents, and then lying to U.S. immigration officials shows the lengths to which criminals like this will go to smuggle children across our borders," Duva continued. "The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will put an end to this conduct. Protecting children and keeping our borders safe go hand-in-hand."

Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan McRae of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso said using children in smuggling operations shows a "total disregard for human life and safety."

DHS HAS ONLY 7 CHILD EXPLOITATION ANALYSTS, HAWLEY MEASURE WOULD FUND 200 INVESTIGATORS

"Using THC-infused candy to facilitate the smuggling of children across the border into the United States is reprehensible and cruel and puts vulnerable minors at serious risk," McRae said. "HSI will relentlessly pursue transnational criminal organizations responsible for these heinous tactics and bring them to justice."

According to the criminal complaint, the smuggling events took place between May 1 and Oct. 18, 2024.

Prosecutors said proof-of-life photographs of some of the children were recovered from the suspects' cellphones.

Fox News' Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.

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The Trump administration on Tuesday said it would pursue enforcement action that could include withholding federal funding from Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools over its policies that the administration says prevent staff from notifying parents of a transgender student's gender identity.

The Education Department said that Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools’ policy of not disclosing a student's transgender status to their parents violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The agency announced it was partnering with the Justice Department to take "appropriate enforcement measures," including applicable judicial proceedings and potential loss of federal funding.

LOUDOUN COUNTY PARENTS NOT 'SATISFIED' AFTER SCHOOL OFFICIALS TESTIFY ON TRANSGENDER POLICIES

"Kansas City Kansas Public Schools' sustained efforts to sidestep FERPA, conceal its true policies, and obstruct parents’ lawful access to their children’s education records represents a serious and deliberate breach of federal law," said Frank Miller, Director of the Student Privacy Policy Office at the Education Department.

"A strong and coordinated enforcement partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Justice will ensure districts are held accountable and fully honor parents’ rights," he added.

According to the government, the district's policy affirms that school personnel "should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including parents."

"Despite the Department’s proposed Resolution Agreement, which outlined specific actions the District should take to remedy their FERPA violations, the District continues to ignore federal parental rights law," the Education Department said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the district for comment.

SUPREME COURT MAKES MAKES RULING ON TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN'S SPORTS

The administration has threatened to pull federal funding from several other districts across the country over transgender policies.

Earlier this year, the Education Department said policies concerning transgender students in four Kansas school districts, including Kansas City and Kansas Public Schools, were violating federal law.

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at barring transgender women and girls from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that states may bar transgender women and girls from girls’ and women’s sports, upholding Idaho and West Virginia laws while not requiring states without such bans to adopt them.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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The Supreme Court handed Donald Trump one major defeat and two lesser wins as it closed its session yesterday with a bang. 

But the court, with three Trump appointees, also ruled against the president in some cases. 

Trump, to no one's surprise, praised the favorable ones and ripped the adverse decisions. 

So the atmosphere was ripe for all kinds of media spin. 

SUPREME COURT'S LATEST IMMIGRATION RULING WILL CAUSE AMERICANS TO 'DIE AND SUFFER' ATTORNEY WARNS

Perhaps the ruling that generated the most anger was the court upholding a $5 million Trump payment to writer E. Jean Carroll for her claims of defamation and sexual assault in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996. 

Trump’s reaction: "Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to ‘review’ a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!) I will continue the fight against this weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength." 

But he’s out of appeal. The Supreme Court just turned him down. It’s over.

SUPREME COURT LAMBASTED OVER 'DESTRUCTIVE' AND 'OUTRAGEOUS' BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP DECISION

You know what's fascinating?

Every judicial nominee testifies before the Senate that they'll only call balls and strikes, as John Roberts once put it, and the lawmakers nod sagely. 

But as soon as the newly minted justice votes against Trump and his team, they denounce him or her for being off the reservation — in other words, failing a political loyalty test that they had dismissed during the confirmation hearings. 

The target du jour is Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee who wrote the opinion in a 5-4 case in which she and Roberts joined the liberals. 

Days after Election Day.

The right went haywire. Conservative author Hans Mahncke said on X that "the worst part is that she’ll be there pushing leftist policies for the next 40 years."

Barrett dissented Monday on whether Trump could fire a Fed governor, saying it was wrong to narrowly base their decision on an emergency request by Trump.

In that job, a lifetime appointment, you need thick skin.

In the trio of major cases decided yesterday, the most important by far was the court shooting down Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship, in which anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically considered an American citizen.

SUPREME COURT'S MAJOR END-OF-TERM RULINGS ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, TRANSGENDER ATHLETES AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Barrett, along with the chief justice, joined the court’s liberals in saying that this is a violation of the 14th Amendment, which deals with equal rights for citizens and was ratified in 1868 to protect the rights of newly freed slaves.

Barrett has deeply rooted beliefs based on her career as a Notre Dame law professor, and deep religious beliefs as a Catholic, who is also associated with a charismatic Christian community called People of Praise.

Some Trump allies, says the New York Times, have called the justice, with seven children and two Black children adopted from Haiti, a DEI hire.

Barrett wrote this week’s majority opinion, in that 5-4 case, in favor of a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day. 

The president, who despises mail-in ballots, called it a "tremendous loss."

Of course, being a swing vote, as Sandra Day O’Connor was, enhances her influence during deliberations behind the white marble portico of Corinthian columns.

In the other two major cases decided yesterday, the high court allowed political parties to coordinate directly with candidates, and upheld the right of states to bar biological males from competing in women’s sports. 

"Once," Barrett wrote in her memoir, "when other justices joined a particularly tricky opinion of mine, my chambers celebrated with an impromptu bottle of champagne."

She voted, for instance, to reinstate the death penalty for the Boston Marathon bomber, even though she is personally opposed to capital punishment.

In the end, the conservative backlash against Amy Coney Barrett says more about her critics, and sometimes directed at other justices, than it does about her. 

They feel betrayed because they want her to politically support the man who nominated her. 

But that’s not judicial independence.

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A second New York resident said on Tuesday that federal authorities served him with a warning over an email that authorities deemed threatening after he criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s tactics.

David Streever, of Rochester, was on a trip to Finland last week when two officers showed up to his home and handed his wife a warning notice notifying him that an email he sent earlier this year was deemed a threat, his lawyer told The Associated Press.

Streever sent an email in January to Todd Lyons, who was the acting director of ICE at the time, after an ICE agent shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good during an immigration enforcement-related incident in Minneapolis.

In the email, Streever told Lyons he was "a monstrous human being" who "will never know peace."

MINNESOTA SENATE VOTES TO BAN ICE FROM WEARING MASKS, ALLOW RESIDENTS TO SUE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS

"The way you are protecting the obvious execution in Minnesota, even as we see the videos, will lead to your downfall. Even Trump will turn on you before the end, and you will be a sad, despised man who eats himself alive with shame at your own pathetic weakness," Streever said in the email, according to Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression who is representing Streever.

Federal officers also attempted to confront Streever at a New York City hotel after he returned from Finland, but hotel staff turned them away, Steinbaugh said.

Steinbaugh argued the email was protected speech under the First Amendment and does not represent a legitimate threat.

"A true threat is a serious expression of an intent to commit violence. This email doesn't even come close," Steinbaugh said. "It's political speech, it's an act of petitioning your government."

Streever said he was shocked that federal officers came to his home to question him over his email.

"Like many Americans, I was deeply upset after the shootings in Minnesota and I felt compelled to do something," he said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Writing a letter to the head of ICE seemed like the least I could do to express my sense of outrage. I never dreamed it would lead to a knock on my door by federal officers."

Fox News Digital reached out to ICE for comment.

"ICE investigates all credible threats towards its employees and officers, including threats to the ICE Director," the agency said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The warning to Streever was presented the same week poll worker Paigelynne Gonyea, of Syracuse, said two federal officers confronted her at a voting site during New York’s primaries to question her about a social media post she made about Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who killed Good.

Gonyea said she believes the warning to her was because of a post she made in January in which she shared a picture of Ross along with the caption: "I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted."

Her post, which is still online, was made after Ross had already been identified by the media.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Lauren Bis, shared an image of a different social media post from Gonyea in which she said the woman shared Ross’ address, according to The Associated Press, although part of the post was redacted.

Bis said in a statement last week that Gonyea "committed a federal crime by posting the address of an ICE law enforcement officer online" and "if you doxx our officers, we will investigate you, and you will be brought to justice."

MISSISSIPPI LAW COULD CREATE STATEWIDE REGISTRY OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

Free speech advocates, including those at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the American Civil Liberties Union, have argued that these two incidents show federal law enforcement infringing on Americans' rights to privacy and free expression.

Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU's speech, privacy and technology project, said the First Amendment guarantees the right to criticize the government.

"Nobody should be tracked down at their home or hotel room by federal agents in retribution for sending an email merely expressing frustration and opposition to the government’s actions," Wessler told The Associated Press. "This is an abuse of power and a gross attempt to chill Americans’ constitutionally protected speech."

ICE and DHS have said they investigate credible threats and doxxing of law enforcement officers. The government has not publicly provided a fuller explanation of why Streever’s email was treated as a threat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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July 4th is more than marking America’s independence with patriotic flags, parades and fireworks. It's about celebrating American ingenuity, our firm belief that our country can engineer solutions to achieve the impossible, from launching the modern age of aviation to landing a man on the moon.

Some of the most compelling evidence of American exceptionalism today is happening thousands of feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of America, where our offshore industry has spent more than a decade solving one of the hardest engineering problems in the history of energy.

More than 100 miles offshore from the Gulf Coast sits a geological layer of sandstone and shale rock deep beneath the seabed called the Paleogene that holds tens of billions of barrels of oil. For years, most of it was considered unattainable. The reservoir pressures – up to 20,000 pounds per square inch, equivalent to an elephant standing on a quarter – exceeded anything existing technology could handle. No equipment had ever been built to work under those conditions.

TRUMP’S ENERGY INITIATIVES MAY FINALLY EXTRACT AMERICA FROM MIDEAST CHAOS

The solution was engineered here, in American waters, by the people who know them best.

Transocean developed the first drillships in the world built to work in these high-pressure conditions. Their Deepwater Titan and Deepwater Atlas are currently operating in the Gulf of America. Trendsetter Engineering designed subsea systems and manifolds capable of operating reliably at pressures once considered beyond reach. Other offshore companies have developed similar equipment that has unlocked the Paleogene.

The results speak for themselves. Chevron's Anchor project came online in 2024, representing roughly $5.7 billion in development spending. Beacon Offshore's Shenandoah is also producing oil and natural gas. BP's development plan for its $5 billion Kaskida project has secured federal approval and is moving toward first production. Together, these projects mark the opening of a new chapter of American offshore capability.

TRUMP’S ENERGY INITIATIVES MAY FINALLY EXTRACT AMERICA FROM MIDEAST CHAOS

The people who did this work aren't household names. They're engineers and subsea specialists and vessel crews spread across the Gulf Coast, part of a remarkable expertise that shows up when an impossible problem needs solving.

And our people have proven this equipment is safe and reliable.

Safety and containment systems were purpose-built, independently verified, and rigorously tested under federal oversight before a single well was drilled. Offshore consortiums HWCG and Marine Well Containment Co. (MWCC) both maintain 20,000 psi containment systems that can be deployed rapidly in the event of an incident.

CONGRESS MUST NOT DERAIL THE FREIGHT RAIL LIFELINE FOR AMERICA’S FARMERS

Federal regulations require operators to demonstrate access to containment resources, submit detailed response plans, and conduct robust recurring training exercises before drilling begins. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement requires third-party certification on every major high-pressure component: blowout preventers, subsea trees, wellheads and completion equipment. Nothing goes offshore without it.

This achievement that’s producing more American energy is worth celebrating today, especially during a time when we take stock of what this country is built on. The Paleogene wasn't unlocked by a single mandate or a government program. It was unlocked by an ecosystem of companies, engineers, regulators, suppliers and workers who collectively decided a problem was worth solving and spent years doing it. That's a distinctly American model, and it works.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

The Gulf of America supplies roughly 15% of U.S. oil production. Offshore projects support shipyards, manufacturers, ports, marine operators and skilled trades across the country. There are jobs and investments in all 50 states.

The Paleogene represents the next chapter of that output, backed by existing infrastructure, an experienced workforce, and decades of hard-won operating knowledge. The economic and national security benefits don't happen without the long-term investment decisions and the long-term confidence that make them possible.

At 250, America is still a country that does seemingly impossible things. The Paleogene in the Gulf of America is proof.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ERIK MILITO

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Remains of more than 100 dogs were discovered buried at a California animal rescue sanctuary, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with local, state and federal authorities, began investigating Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Fortuna after receiving a tip in April about alleged animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud and conspiracy, according to deputies.

Last week, the sheriff's office announced that 117 intact dog remains were recovered from two dig sites. An additional 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones and six loose microchips were found in another dig location near the area where the intact animals were discovered. Authorities later said they were continuing to review microchip data and other evidence from the scene.

RIDGLAN FARMS RESCUE BEAGLES FIND NEW LIFE HELPING VETERANS OVERCOME WAR TRAUMA WITH PAWS OF WAR

The intact dogs were in various stages of decomposition, the sheriff's office said, adding that 70 dogs were X-rayed on site and many showed evidence of bullet fragments. Forensic veterinarians preliminarily determined that many of the dogs examined on site had died of gunshot wounds.

"Most of the dogs recovered were microchipped. Analysts are currently reviewing the data obtained from the microchips and are working to identify the dogs associated with those chips. All items were collected as evidence and will undergo further examination as part of the ongoing investigation," the sheriff's office said.

Authorities also discovered an area inside a barn believed to be where the dogs were likely killed. In that area, more than 600 dog collars were recovered.

Investigators identified at least 918 dogs transferred to the rescue since January 2025, but only 116 adoptions have been confirmed. Authorities said 71 dogs were found on site during the investigation, leaving more than 700 dogs unaccounted for.

DOG SAVED FROM ISIS BY ARMY VETERAN 'KIDNAPPED' FROM FAMILY YARD BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES

"This investigation is just getting started," Sheriff William Honsal said. "There is a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview, and evidence to examine. The Major Crimes Division is laser focused on this case and will continue working with our state and federal partners to examine every lead."

Fox News Digital reached out to Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary for comment.

The owner and founder, Shannon Miranda, posted a statement on the rescue's website pushing back on the allegations.

"For more than 30 years, I have devoted my life to rescuing and caring for animals through Miranda’s Rescue. Recent media coverage and online commentary have presented an incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate picture of our work. I want to share the facts and provide context so the public can better understand our work and the difficult decisions we sometimes must make," the June 18 statement reads.

Miranda said his rescue has euthanized animals in the past, but only in rare circumstances "when an animal is suffering from a terminal condition or when it poses a serious, ongoing danger to people or other animals."

"In one case, a dog named Zora arrived heavily sedated, later killed a feral cat during a walk with a prospective adopter, then broke free and attacked another dog," Miranda said. "In another case, a dog transferred to us became fixated on a stroller carrying a baby, lunged at it, and attacked it before staff intervened. In both situations, given the observed behavior and the risks to staff, volunteers, visitors, and other animals, I made the difficult decision to euthanize the dogs."

Authorities have not arrested or charged anyone yet in connection with this case, but the sheriff's office said the evidence review process will require a significant amount of time due to the nature and complexity of the investigation.

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People granted asylum in Britain could have to repay the government about £10,000, roughly more than $13,000, for accommodation and basic living support before they can become eligible to apply for settlement, officials announced on Monday.

This comes as immigration has become one of the most important issues in British politics, consistently ranking among voters' top concerns in polling.

Under the proposed rules, the government says repayments would be means-tested and limited to adults above an income threshold. Officials say safeguards would be included to prevent people from being pushed into extreme poverty, though key details of the threshold and enforcement mechanism have not yet been published.

FARAGE SAYS MASS MIGRATION HAS CHANGED THE UK ‘LITERALLY BEYOND RECOGNITION,’ BELIEVES PARTY CAN WIN ELECTION

The rules would not be applied retrospectively and children would not be subject to the payments.

"Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. "Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so."

Mahmood explained that her latest reforms aim to reduce the burden on taxpayers' wallets.

The Home Office also said over the weekend that it aims to remove 45,000 more people with no legal right to remain and foreign criminals within the next decade, in addition to the tens of thousands already being removed on a yearly basis.

The center-left Labour Party has increased efforts to curb both legal and illegal immigration as it seeks to counter the rising popularity of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has vowed to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers and other people whose claims or appeals have failed.

"Mass migration has changed this country, certainly in many of our cities, literally beyond recognition," Farage told Fox News Digital last week. "We’ve not been selective about who’s been able to come into the country. That is a major contributory factor."

KEIR STARMER RESIGNS AS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER AFTER DEVASTATING LABOUR REVOLT AND LOCAL ELECTION LOSSES

Refugee advocates and migration researchers have criticized the proposal, arguing it could punish people who fled persecution and questioning whether many refugees would earn enough to repay the proposed sum. Critics have also warned that tying repayment to settlement could create uncertainty for people trying to rebuild their lives in the UK.

The Labour Party has faced internal divisions over how tight its immigration policy should be, and the party is up against further overall uncertainty after its leader, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced last week that he will resign.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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