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July 17, 2026

7 entries on this date.

ICE detained Chicago Public Schools custodian Josue Pire Hidalgo and family at scheduled asylum appointment

On July 17, 2026, ICE detained Josue Pire Hidalgo, a Venezuelan asylum applicant and Chicago Public Schools custodian, along with his wife and two children, when the family arrived for their asylum check-in appointment at ICE's downtown Chicago office. Only Pire Hidalgo remained in custody, transferred to a jail in Clay County, Indiana, while his wife and children were released the same day under an ankle monitor because their 6-year-old daughter has asthma. Neither parent has a criminal record or an existing deportation order, and the family had waited more than three years for the appointment.

DHS Secretary Mullin threatened election officials with fines and prison time, citing unsubstantiated claim of 250,000 noncitizen voters

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin held a July 17, 2026 news conference in Washington, D.C., one day after President Trump's prime-time address reviving 2020 election-fraud claims, asserting without evidence that DHS had found 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. Mullin said DHS would make "security enhancements" mandatory for states seeking federal election funding, and warned that noncompliant state and local election officials could face fines, penalties, and prison time.

Trump ordered a seventh consecutive night of Iran strikes, still defying the war-powers resolution

On July 17, 2026, U.S. Central Command carried out a seventh consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran, hitting bridges, energy sites, and military infrastructure and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, while Iran launched retaliatory missiles into Qatar and Kuwait that damaged a desalination plant. The strikes continued without new congressional authorization, defying the bicameral War Powers Resolution Congress passed in June 2026 directing the administration to end hostilities absent a declaration of war.

White House ousted IRS chief counsel Ken Kies after he warned a request would violate audit-interference law

On July 17, 2026, Reuters and other outlets reported that the White House had forced Kenneth Kies -- the IRS's acting chief counsel and Treasury's assistant secretary for tax policy -- out of his post. Kies had told administration officials that a request they were considering would violate 26 U.S.C. Section 7217, the law barring the president, vice president, and White House staff from asking the IRS to open or close an audit of a specific taxpayer. Two administration officials disputed that account, saying Kies' removal instead reflected concerns about his temperament and job performance.

DeKalb County sergeant misused Flock license-plate system for unauthorized, non-job-related purpose; fired and arrested

The DeKalb County (Georgia) Sheriff's Office fired and arrested Sgt. Kabiru Salawu on July 17, 2026, after an internal investigation found he had made unauthorized, non-job-related use of the department's Flock Safety license-plate-reader system. Salawu, who had worked for the agency since August 24, 2009, was booked into the DeKalb County Jail without bond on a felony count of violation of oath of office and a misdemeanor count of misuse of license plate data.

Documents show Fort Bend County sheriff's lieutenant misused Flock cameras 189 times, suspended two days

ABC13 reported on July 17, 2026, that documents it obtained show a Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office lieutenant used the department's Flock license-plate-reader network to search one license plate 41 times and another 148 times from January 2022 through December 2025, admitting the searches were unrelated to official law-enforcement work. An internal affairs investigation, opened after a resident accused the lieutenant of "stalking" them, found the lieutenant violated the department's general orders and imposed a two-day suspension; ABC13 is not naming the lieutenant because no criminal charges have been filed.

Stow, Mass. officer used Flock cameras and state databases to track ex-partner who fled abusive relationship

On July 17, 2026, the Stow Police Department filed a criminal complaint against Officer Jason Rogers after a four-week internal-affairs investigation found he used the Flock camera system and the state's CJIS and CORI databases multiple times in 2024 and 2025 to locate a woman who had ended their relationship years earlier. The woman said the relationship had been abusive and that she had changed her identity, phone number, and social-media habits after leaving; she has since obtained a restraining order against Rogers that she said will remain in place for at least a year. Rogers was placed on paid administrative leave and then, on July 31, 2026, unpaid leave pending a Select Board hearing on his employment status.