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The Pacific Northwest will have much of the weekend to dry out after days of flooding rainfall, but there is another atmospheric river set to wash ashore by early in the week ahead.

Flooding will continue as runoff from previous events continues to move through the Cascades and down toward Puget Sound.

(MORE:Latest News From Washington State)

Drier weather will persist across the region through at least the first half of Sunday.

Here's a current look at the atmospheric river off the Pacific Coast:

Timing Through Early Week

Arrival:Late Sunday in Washington State; Tuesday in Northern California

Peak Flood Potential:Late Sunday to Monday in Washington, Oregon; Tuesday in Northern California

Departure:Early Tuesday in Washington, but with potential for a reinforcing shot late in the day

How This Event Compares

• This singular event will have a shorter duration compared to the back-to-back events that occurred on Monday and Wednesday of this past week

• Rainfall totals appear to be lighter than the event that occurred Wednesday.

• Rainfall rates may be slightly lower due to the change in orientation of this upcoming atmospheric river, which will come in less perpendicular to the mountain ranges.

• The upcoming event is likely to be classified as a Category 4 event, which is the same rating given to the previous atmospheric river that came ashore Wednesday.

• Snow levels appear to be similarly high compared to previous events, although they could come down quicker on the backside of this event.

(MORE:Where It Isn't Raining, It Is Record Warmth Forecast In The West)

Rainfall Totals

Rainfall will generally be lighter than what was seen in the Pacific Northwest over the last week, but it also won't take as much rainfall to create significant issues, especially in Washington.

Parts of the Cascades and Olympics will see 3-6 inches of rainfall while the Interstate-5 corridor should see 1-2 inches of rain as far south as central Oregon.

This atmospheric river will drop further south into Northern California than those of the previous week, so some new areas will pick up rainfall there, but totals will be light.

Snowfall will be confined to the highest elevations of the Cascades and Northern Rockies, but over a foot is possible, especially in the Washington Cascades.

Jonathan Belleshas been a digital meteorologist forweather.comfor 9 years. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.

LONDON (AP) — British police said Saturday they have found no evidence thatAndrew Mountbatten-Windsorasked one of his bodyguards to investigate Jeffrey Epstein victimVirginia Giuffre.

London's Metropolitan Police in October said it waslooking into media reportsthat the former Prince Andrew in 2011 sought information to smear Giuffre by asking a police bodyguard to find out if she had a criminal record. The Mail on Sunday newspaper claimed the then-prince passed Giuffre's date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard.

In a statement on Saturday, the force said its assessment "has not revealed any additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct" and it would not open a criminal investigation.

"The Met remains committed to thoroughly assessing any new information that could assist in this matter," said police Central Specialist Crime Commander Ella Marriott. "To date, we have not received any additional evidence that would support reopening the investigation. In the absence of any further information, we will be taking no further action.

"Our thoughts will always be with Ms. Giuffre's family and friends following her death," Marriott said.

Giuffre's family said they were "deeply disappointed" by the decision, adding that "justice has not been served."

Giuffre, who committed suicide in April, alleged that in the early 2000s, when she was a teenager, she was caught up in Epstein's sex trafficking ring and exploited by Andrew and other influential men.

King Charles IIIformally stripped his younger brother of his royal title last monthafter new details emerged of Andrew's relationship with Epstein and Giuffre's posthumous memoir refocused attention on her allegations.

Mountbatten-Windsor reachedan out-of-court settlement with Giuffrein 2022 after she filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he did not admit wrongdoing he did acknowledge Giuffre's suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

MAYETTA, Kan. (AP) — ThePrairie Band Potawatomi Nation, whose ancestors were uprooted by the U.S. from the Great Lakes region in the 1830s, are facing outrage from fellow Native Americans over plans to profit from another forced removal: President Donald Trump'smass deportation campaign.

A newly established tribal business entity quietly signed a nearly $30 million federal contract in October to come up with an early design for immigrant detention centers across the U.S. Amid the backlash, the tribe says it's trying to get out of it.

Tribal leaders and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security haven't responded to detailed questions about why the firm was selected for such a big contract without having to compete for the work as federal contracting normally requires. A former naval officer — who markets himself as the "go-to" adviser for tribes and affiliated companies seeking to land federal contracts — established the affiliate, KPB Services LLC, in April.

The criticism has been so intense that the 4,500-member tribe said it fired the economic development leaders who brokered the deal.

"We are known across the nation now as traitors and treasonous to another race of people," said Ray Rice, a 74-year-old who said he and other tribal members were blindsided. "We are brown and they're brown."

ICE deals with tribes generate scrutiny

Tribal Chairman Joseph "Zeke" Rupnick promised "full transparency" about what he described as an "evolving situation." In a video message to tribal members Friday, he said the tribe is talking with legal counsel about ways to end the contract.

He alluded to the time when federal agents forcibly removed hundreds of Prairie Band Potawatomi families from their homes and ultimately corralled them on a reservation just north of Topeka.

"We know our Indian reservations were the government's first attempts at detention centers," Rupnick said in the video message. "We were placed here because we were prisoners of war. So we must ask ourselves why we would ever participate in something that mirrors the harm and the trauma once done to our people."

The U.S. Supreme Courtcleared the way in September for federal agentsto conduct sweeping immigration raids and use apparent ethnicity as a relevant factor for a stop. With some Native Americans being swept up and detained in recent raids, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's overtures to tribes and even longstanding deals are generating extra scrutiny.

An LLC owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama also has a multimillion dollar contract with ICE to provide financial and administrative services. Meanwhile, some shareholders of an Alaska Native corporation say their values don't align with the corporation's federal contracting division, Akima, to provide security at several ICE detention facilities.

"I'm shocked that there is any tribal nation that's willing to assist the U.S. government in that," said Brittany McKane, a 29-year-old Muscogee Nation citizen who attends the tribe's college in Oklahoma.

Sometribal nationshave advised their citizens to carry tribal IDs.

Last month, actor Elaine Miles said she was stopped by ICE agents who alleged her ID from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon was fake.

Economic pressure increases as federal funding decreases

The economic arms of tribes, which can be run by non-Natives, are under increasing pressure to generate revenue because of decreasedfederal funding, high inflation and competition fromonline gambling, said Gabe Galanda, an Indigenous rights attorney based in Seattle.

But the economic opportunities presented to tribes don't always align with their values, said Galanda, a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in northern California.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi has a range of businesses that provide health care management staffing, general contracting and even interior design.

The tribal offshoot hired by ICE — KPB Services LLC — was established in Holton, Kansas, and is not listed on the tribe's website. It previously qualified along with dozens of other companies to provide logistical support to the U.S. Navy although, to date, it hasn't performed any work for the federal government.

The ICE contract initially was awarded in October for $19 million for unspecified "due diligence and concept designs" for processing centers and detention centers throughout the U.S., according to a one-sentence description of the work on the federal government's real time contracting database. It was modified a month later to increase the payout ceiling to $29.9 million. Sole-source contracts above $30 million require additional justification under federal contracting rules.

The contract raises a number of questions and seems to go against the Trump administration's stated of goal of cleaning up waste, fraud and abuse, said Attorney Joshua Schnell, who specializes in federal contracting law.

"The public's trust in the federal procurement system depends on transparency and competition," said Schnell. "Although there is a role within this system for multimillion dollar sole-source contracts, these contracts are an exception to statutory competition requirements, and taxpayers are entitled to know how the government is spending their money."

Backlash swift as news about the ICE contract spread

It's unclear what the Tribal Council knew about the contract. A spokesperson for the Tribal Council did not respond to repeated requests from the AP for details, including who was terminated.

What is known is that KPB was registered by Ernest C. Woodward Jr., a retired U.S. naval officer with degrees in engineering and business who is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, according to a website for his one-time consulting firm, Burton Woodward Partners LLC.

The website described Woodward as a serial entrepreneur and tribal adviser on mergers and acquisitions, accessing capital and landing federal contracts. The consulting firm was registered to an office park in Sarasota, Florida, in 2017 but was delisted two years later after it failed to file an annual report.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in a 2017 news release said Woodward's firm advised it on its acquisition of another government contractor, Mill Creek LLC, which specializes in outfitting federal buildings and the military with office furniture and medical equipment.

Woodward also is listed as the chief operating officer of the Florida branch of Prairie Band Construction Inc., which was registered in September.

Attempts to locate Woodward were unsuccessful. The phone number listed on Burton Woodward Partners was disconnected, and he did not respond to an email sent to another consulting firm he's affiliated with, Virginia-based Chinkapin Partners LLC.

Carole Cadue-Blackwood, who has Prairie Band Potawatomi ancestry and is an enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, hopes the contract dies. She has been part of the fight against an ICE detention center opening in Leavenworth, Kansas, and works for a social service agency for Native Americans.

"I'm in just utter disbelief that this has happened," she said.

Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas, and Goodman from Miami. Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Kaia Gerber and Lewis Pullman spent time together in Los Angeles on Dec. 12

• The pair held hands and rode in a Porsche convertible for their daytime outing

• Gerber and Pullman first sparked dating rumors in January
  

Kaia GerberandLewis Pullmanwere out and about in Los Angeles.

The model and actress, 24, and the actor, 32, were photographed together on Friday, Dec. 12.

During the daytime outing, Gerber and Pullman held hands, and they also rode in a Porsche convertible together.

Pullman kept warm in a black top and blue jeans, matching Gerber, who added a green scarf to her attire for a pop of color.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

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Gerber and Pullman were romantically linked in January, when they were spotted cozying up atTop Gun: Maverickstar's birthday party, just weeks after theSaturday Nightactress' split fromAustin Butler.

"They've been spending time together the last few weeks,"a source told PEOPLE at the time, adding, "They're a cute couple and very low-key."

The two were later spotted in Italy over the summer at the Venice Film Festival, where Pullman's movie withAmanda Seyfried,The Testament of Ann Lee,premiered.

Gerber and Pullman, the son ofBill Pullman, were then seen exchanging smooches during a PDA-packed date night.

In October, the model and actress made herfirst public commentsabout her relationship with Pullman.

During an episode of theTherapuss with Jake Shanepodcast, Gerber shared insight into how their romance has made a positive impact on her life.

"A lot is being healed in this relationship," she said, as hostJake Shaneagreed that the pair make a "healthy couple."

Gerber also explained how dating a "friend" has proven to be beneficial.

"I really feel like if you have the opportunity to date a friend, do it, because it just is so much better," she said. "I would never want to fight with my friends. I never want to be mad at my friends. I respect my friends. It just is a whole other thing."

Gerber — whose parents areCindy CrawfordandRande Gerber— then spoke about how Pullman was easily integrated into her inner circle, even going as far as describing him as her friend group's "boyfriend."

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Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Another dating topic Gerber spoke on is her outlook on age gaps. She and Pullman have eight years between them. (Gerber and her ex, 34-year-old Butler,dated with a 10-year gapbetween them.)

"I would completely just change my personality and my values for someone. I always dated people that were older than me, and so I was very willing to give up everything," she told Shane, 26.

"I was like, I can show you I love you by completely, giving up my life for you, which is actually not how you build respect and trust and is not good in the long run," Gerber added. "Then you start to bring a little bit more of who you really are into the relationship and they're like, no, I like that person before."

Read the original article onPeople

Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

What's better than aFriendsmarathon? A marathon of the iconic sitcom's best Christmas episodes, of course.

Now that you've binge-watched all ofFriends' Thanksgiving episodes, it's time to light the fire, curl up under the blankets and enjoy a few laughs with our favorite pals: Ross (David Schwimmer), Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc).

Sure, there are plenty ofChristmas movies streaming, but sometimes you need to take a break and enjoy a bite-sized taste of the holiday shenanigans. Fortunately, there are episodes across the NBC show's 10 seasons that deliver the yuletide joy, coupled with a healthy mix of hilarious and heartfelt moments.

From Ross and Monica's famous (maybe infamous) dance routine to Chandler quitting his job to make it back to New York City in time for the holidays, these festive installments will be there for you and your loved ones towatch on HBO Max.

Keep reading for the complete list ofFriends' Christmas-themed episodes.

Season 1, Episode 10: "The One with the Monkey"

Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

With the holidays approaching, Ross introduces the gang to his new roommate: Marcel the monkey. The episode's other main storyline revolves around the friends throwing a no-date New Year's Eve party, a concept that everyone — besides Ross — eventually breaks when they end up in relationships. By the end of the night, however, everyone is single again.

Watch "The One with the Monkey" on HBO Max

Season 2, Episode 9: "The One with Phoebe's Dad"

Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

The season's first Christmas episode centers on Phoebe trying to track down her father after she realizes the photo she'd had of him is just a generic photo that comes in a frame, bringing Joey and Chandler along for the ride. Elsewhere, Ross and Rachel have a lovers' quarrel, and Monica's Christmas party is a disaster after the heater breaks and turns the apartment into a sauna.

Watch "The One with Phoebe's Dad" on HBO Max

Season 3, Episode 10: "The One Where Rachel Quits"

Warner Bros. Television

On this episode, Rachel decides to quit her job as a waitress at the gang's local hangout, Central Perk, in the hopes of landing a career in fashion. After Ross causes a Girl Scout named Sarah Tuttle (guest starMae Whitman) to break her leg, he sets out to help her sell holiday cookies out of guilt. In tragic news, Phoebe learned what happens to unwanted Christmas trees.

Watch "The One Where Rachel Quits" on HBO Max

Season 4, Episode 10: "The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie"

Warner Bros./Courtesy: Everett Collection

It's the holiday season once again for the N.Y.C. crew, and Rachel is over relationships and ready for a fling while Ross meets various women on the train to varying degrees of success — and distance. Meanwhile, Monica is having work troubles at her new job as head chef at Allesandro's restaurant involving an insubordinate kitchen staff, and Phoebe sets out to write a Christmas song for her friends but struggles with rhymes.

Watch "The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie" on HBO Max

Season 5, Episode 10: "The One with the Inappropriate Sister"

Warner Bros. Television

Phoebe decides to give back and collect money for those in need by dressing as Santa to spread holiday cheer. The three male friends face conflict living in one apartment, and Monica and Chandler continue to hide their relationship from the others. Rachel discovers her boyfriend, Danny (George Newbern), is weirdly obsessed with his sister, Krista (Julie Lauren).

Watch "The One with the Inappropriate Sister" on HBO Max

Season 6, Episode 10: "The One with the Routine"

Warner Bros./Courtesy: Everett Collection

Ross and Monica attempt to steal the show at the taping ofDick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve,while Joey tries to get a kiss from Janine (Elle Macpherson) at midnight. Back home, Phoebe, Chandler and Rachel frantically search for Monica's hiding spot for their Christmas presents.

In 2021, Coxrecreated the dance routineshe and Schwimmer did onFriendswith pop starEd Sheeran. In Sheeran's poston Instagramfeaturing the video, he hilariously wrote, "#obviouslybetterthanross."

Watch "The One with the Routine" on HBO Max

Season 7, Episode 9: "The One with All the Candy"

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Despite not knowing her neighbors, Monica decides to make candy for them. When the neighbors put pressure on Monica to produce more candy, Chandler steps in to defend her. Elsewhere, Rachel and Tag (Eddie Cahill) fail to keep their relationship secret at work, and Ross attempts to teach Phoebe how to ride a bicycle after he learns she never owned one.

Watch "The One with all the Candy" on HBO Max

Season 7, Episode 10: "The One with the Holiday Armadillo"

Ross dresses up as an armadillo to teach his son, Ben (Cole Sprouse), about Hanukkah and their Jewish heritage. However, Chandler impresses him more when he dresses up as Santa — and don't get us started on Joey as Superman. Elsewhere, Phoebe tries to drive Rachel out of Joey's apartment and move back in with her after her apartment renovations are done.

Schwimmer said this episode was the one he was most looking forward to showing his daughter when she was old enough,tellingGlamourin January 2016, " 'The One with the Holiday Armadillo' was fun! I mean, it wasreallyfun."

Watch "The One with the Holiday Armadillo" on HBO Max

Season 8, Episode 11: "The One with the Ross' Step Forward"

Warner Bros. Television

Ross voices his concerns to Mona (Bonnie Somerville) when she decides to send a Christmas card with both of them. Meanwhile, Chandler gets stuck hanging out with his recently divorced boss, Doug (Sam McMurray), and Rachel — pregnant with Ross' baby — struggles with her hormones, making her lust after every guy she sees.

Watch "The One with the Ross' Step Forward" on HBO Max

Season 9, Episode 10: "The One with Christmas in Tulsa"

Warner Bros. Television

Chandler makes a huge decision to quit his job after his co-worker, Wendy (Selma Blair), attempts a pass at him. He finally returns home just in time for the holidays, much to Monica and his friends' delight. The rest of the episode is essentially a bunch of clips, so there are flashbacks galore for nostalgic fans to enjoy.

Watch "The One with Christmas in Tulsa" on HBO Max

Read the original article onPeople

LONDON (AP) — Medics and health charities on Saturday praisedKing Charles IIIfor giving a publicupdate on his cancer treatment, saying his call for people to get tested for the disease could save lives.

In a strikingly personal video statement, the British monarch acknowledged that a cancer diagnosis can feel "overwhelming," but said catching the disease early brings "the precious gift of hope."

Here's what to know about the king's condition and his message.

A royal health update

The 77-year-old king said in a statement broadcast Friday that his treatment schedule will be reduced in the new year, "thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to 'doctors' orders.'"

He encouraged others to take advantage of screening programs such as those for breast, bowel and cervical cancer offered by Britain's public health service.

"Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives," the king said in the statement aired during a "Stand Up to Cancer" telethon on TV station Channel 4. He said catching the disease early had allowed him "to continue leading a full and active life even while undergoing treatment."

Charles has received outpatient treatment for almost two years. Buckingham Palace did not say the king is in remission, but that his treatment is moving to a "precautionary phase" and his condition will be monitored to ensure his continued recovery.

Diagnosed in 2024

Charles announced in February 2024 that he had beendiagnosed with cancer, and, in a break from centuries of secrecy about royal health, he has since spoken about the illness, using his story to promote cancer awareness and treatment.

The openness has limits, though. The king has not disclosed what type of cancer he has or what kind of treatment he is receiving. The palace saidit was an intentional decisiondesigned to ensure his message reaches the widest possible audience.

The king's cancer was discovered after treatment for an enlarged prostate. While doctors ruled out prostate cancer, tests revealed "a separate issue of concern," palace officials said last year.

Charlessuspended his public appearancesfor about two months after his diagnosis. Since returning to the public eye, he has visited cancer treatment centers across the country and shared stories with fellow patients.

Setting an example

British cancer charities said the number of people seeking information about cancer jumped after the king revealed he was undergoing treatment.

"I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming," he said in his video statement. "Yet I also know that early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams – and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope."

Gemma Peters, chief executive at the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "We are incredibly grateful to His Majesty the King for continuing to share his experience of cancer with such openness and honesty."

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of the charity Cancer Research UK, wished the king well and said that "when public figures speak openly about their cancer diagnosis, it can prompt others to check in on their health."

Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, the king's authorized biographer, said the statement was "a remarkable thing for a monarch to do."

"It takes guts, and the fact that he came out and did that will save lives," Dimbleby said.

The Princess of Wales, who announced her own cancer diagnosis six weeks after her father-in-law, has also given updates on her treatment. Kate, 43, announced in January that her cancer is in remission.

Find more of AP's coverage athttps://apnews.com/hub/royalty

First of two stories looking at the role of ICE in the changing landscape of immigration enforcement.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Back when he was in uniform, everywhere the airman went Americans adored him, thanked him for his service, offered to buy him lunch.

Then he joined ICE.

Now – in the midst of newly aggressive immigration enforcement – the U.S. Air Force veteran is more likely to hear insults and slurs from the public than thanks. He became an ICE deportation officer because he thinks of himself as "a law-and-order guy." And because ICE is the family business.

His father is an ICE deportation officer. And his sister. And his twin brother.

"All we want to do is create a safer America," said John, who asked that USA TODAY withhold his full name for fear of being targeted for his work. His fellow officers and family "put their lives on the line," he said, "and I'm willing to do the same."

PresidentDonald Trump, acting with broad voter support, has made deporting millions of immigrants the centerpiece of his second presidency. Masked ICE agents have become the face of that nationwide deportation campaign.

Trump supporters view the effort as a necessary response to historically high migration under PresidentJoe Biden. An influx ofroughly 6 million migrants between 2021 and 2024pushed the percentage of foreign-born people in the United States to a century high and drove a political crowbar into an America sharply divided by immigration.

Millions of Americans now support mass deportation at whatever cost. Polls, protests and viral videos suggest millions of others believe the efforthas already gone too far, and organized resistance is growing.

John and his family have long considered themselves public servants charged with enforcing the law Congress enacted.

But this view is increasingly at odds with the shocking headlines and viral videos of detentions many Americans see as unjust or overly violent.

Agents smashing car windows.Piling out of a Penske truckto grab workers at a Home Depot. Pursuingfarmworkers through strawberry fields. Rappelling from aBlack Hawk helicopterinto an apartment building.Chasing a caregiver into a daycare, hauling her out by force.

ICE is taking the heat, though most of those incidents were led by U.S. Border Patrol, a separate agency under the Department of Homeland Security. But for a growing number of Americans, especially in immigrant communities, the insignia on a badge matters less than the tactics they see as overly aggressive, even unjust.

John and his family agreed to talk to USA TODAY – with permission from their superiors – to counter what they see as false impressions of their work.

To cover their perspective, which has been largely absent from the public debate on immigration, USA TODAY went behind the scenes of the Trump administration's deportation campaign. In November, we spent three days with ICE in Kansas City, part of the Chicago field office tasked with immigration enforcement in a sprawling, six-state region of the Midwest that includes Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

USA TODAY withheld the full names of family members at their request, given the charged climate around immigration enforcement and because they are not official spokespeople for their agency. They each used one of their given names.

John recalled that, as an airman, "I had people wanting to buy me lunch in an airport or, you know, looking at me like I'm some sort of hero.

"Then when I come to this side of the aisle – where I'm still putting my life on the line to enforce the law and wanting to create a safer America – now all of a sudden, I'm not that hero."

More:Exclusive look inside ICE: How the agency operates in Trump's America

ICE on a recruitment push

In August, amid an $8 billion hiring spree, Homeland Securityposted an ICE recruitment flyerthat depicted a grizzled agent with a salt-and-pepper beard beside a fresh-faced youth in camo and body armor.

The tagline read: "We're taking father/son bonding to a whole new level."

Nationwide, ICE is working to hire as many as 10,000 deportation officers in addition to the nearly15,000 federal law enforcement officersdetailed to immigration enforcement. A year ago, ICE had 6,000 deportation officers in total.

We're taking father/son bonding to a whole new level.https://t.co/nZkBEj3GGipic.twitter.com/sg5QwuDDwG

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov)August 6, 2025

John, his brother James, and their sister Danielle had already followed in their father Robert's footsteps, graduating the ICE training academy during a 2024 presidential election dominated by the immigration debate.

As a family, they hold the gamut of jobs within ICE.

Robert drives a commercial van transporting ICE detainees between facilities or medical care. John, briefly detailed to Kansas City from his home base in Florida, makes street arrests as a deportation officer. James picks up immigrants arrested on criminal charges from area jails. And Danielle works a desk job arranging the travel documents required for immigrants to be deported

Inspired by their dad's quarter-century of service, the siblings landed at ICE after other careers. John spent six years in the Air Force, including one overseas deployment. James, the younger brother by five minutes, worked for the Bureau of Prisons. Danielle, the eldest, was first a schoolteacher, then worked for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Robert was nearing the end of his career just as his kids were joining the force. They worked together for six months, an opportunity that made Robert emotional: "Seeing them in the morning when I get to the office, it's just hard to explain..." At 57, he came up on mandatory retirement in May.

He bought a sportscar, packed up his desk and was about to take his wife, Michelle, for their first real vacation in years when an email from the new Trump administration hit his personal inbox in June: Retirees could return to ICE, with a $50,000 bonus.

Michelle asked what he was thinking.

"It's a no-brainer," he told her. "It's time to go back."

A blitz and a backlash

In September, Robert and another returning officer were settling into a closet-sized office decorated with a Kansas City Chiefs banner when DHS surged federal agents to Chicago. Danielle got orders to depart for the operation named "Midway Blitz" at 10 p.m. the night before she would leave. It was a monthlong detail.

The same week, on September 25, a shooter perched on a hotel rooftop fired into the garage of an ICE facility in Dallas,fatally woundingtwo detained immigrant men. Authorities said the shooter had "specifically intended to kill ICE agents."

The anti-ICE movement was exploding.

A continuous street protest was underway at the local ICE headquarters in Broadview, Illinois, when Danielle arrived. Amid clashes with clergy and activists, a protestor held a sign with a Biblical message: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Danielle walked through clouds of tear gas to get to work.

Danielle, active in her Kansas City church, confided to other churchgoers that she worked for ICE and would be deployed to the "blitz" – how else to explain her sudden, prolonged absence?

She was met by some with understanding, by others with accusations. One woman confronted her about her work.

Danielle said, "It's hard to have a conversation about it because there isn't any trust. A lot of people like the lady from church are going to just assume that I am blowing smoke and not being honest."

Immigrant families feared their loved ones being taken by ICE, or sent to far-flung detention centers. Robert and Michelle worried about their kids being deployed to Chicago.

"It's never exactly safe, but now you have people that are protesting and getting physical and burning things, and it just … it's hard to watch," Robert said.

At least six protestors were indictedin Chicago in November on charges of assaulting, resisting and impeding federal officers. Agents deployed tear gas and fired pepper balls, injuringtwo church pastors in separate incidents.

A week after Danielle came home, James was deployed to Chicago. Robert watched the furious crowds on the news, the flares of violence directed at ICE agents. At his kids.

"I saw the protests, I know how close they're getting to the facility there," he said. "Not a whole lot of room to get around without engaging. You know, people yelling 'fascist' and all sorts of things."

"It was like where you just don't want the phone to ring," he said.

What ICE does: 'We're targeted enforcement'

On a Tuesday in November, in a two-story building with minimal signage, the Kansas City ICE office was noisy with change. Builders made a racket with power tools on the second floor, outfitting the space for ICE to double its personnel in the coming months.

At 6 a.m., Danielle was already in her cubicle under the glare of fluorescent lights, country music playing softly on her cellphone.

There were echoes of her schoolteacher days: a hand-drawn sign that said "Shhh... I'm working! Thanks," with a heart for punctuation. Every available surface was stacked with brown file folders, each corresponding to someone detained, or someone ICE was planning to arrest. Sticky notes on cardboard file boxes read "removal docs" and "pending court date."

"We're targeted enforcement," she said, "so we know who we're going after."

While Danielle searched for embassy contact information to process a deportation, John readied handcuffs for that morning's arrest: a Venezuelan man living in Kansas City illegally with a rap sheet that included sexual assault and drunk driving.

James was on his way to pick up an immigrant in the federal penitentiary who had finished a criminal sentence. Robert, meanwhile, had departed at dawn for a 12-hour round trip transporting detainees.

During his tenure and the kids' short time in the agency before Trump took office, ICE prioritized going after undocumented immigrants who had serious criminal records. The agency's traditional work method has long been to surveil, surround and make an arrest as quickly and quietly as possible – no spectators.

Things have changed.

This year, pressed to deliver on Trump's promise of "mass deportation," the White House began ratcheting up pressure on ICE to raise its arrest and deportation numbers.

A quota circulated; the administration wanted 3,000 arrests per day. To achieve it, Homeland Security pushed U.S. Border Patrol – ICE's bigger, bolder sister agency – into a lead role, launching flashy operations in major American cities. ICE agents were ready to double-down on arrests after years of what they saw as leniency under past administrations.

In Kansas City, ICE officers including Robert and his kids are working long hours now – six-, sometimes seven-day weeks. Lately, Danielle stops at her parents' house for dinner after a 12-hour workday, then returns to the office to keep processing paperwork, each folder holding an immigrant's fate in the balance.

With John home for a few days from his post in Florida, the family gathered for dinner. Michelle made lasagna. The house was already decorated for Christmas.

They bowed their heads. Michelle prayed: "Dear Lord… We ask that you would help us to live a life that you find worthy, unto you, and forgive us of our sins."

'Half the country hates you'

After Chicago, after Dallas, Robert took new precautions. For the first time in his 25-year career, he started checking the rooftops of buildings near the office before getting out of his car.

"It seems like half the country loves you and half the country hates you," Robert said. "Congress has the power to change the laws if they want to change the laws. All we're doing is enforcing the laws that are on the books."

The twins often wear masks in public, when carrying out street arrests. They do it, they say, to protect their family – full stop. There is no federal law that prohibits them from doing so.

Danielle is analytical. The public deserves to know who their law enforcement officers are, she says. But there is no escaping the current reality, in which many members of the public don't trust ICE, and ICE doesn't trust them.

They hear the rage firsthand, slurs they say aren't true.

Fascists. Nazis. Cowards.

Before she became a federal worker, Danielle taught in a Kansas City high school, in a classroom where some students had undocumented parents or were undocumented themselves. She saw the trauma children suffered when a parent was deported. Still, in her view, the law is the law.

"There are collaterals," she said. "We are going after people who are in the system, who have a criminal history, who you don't want on the street, whether they are here illegally or not."

Legal or illegal? It's open to interpretation

Immigration law, housed in Title 8 of the U.S. Code, is notoriously complex and sometimes contradictory.

For example: It's illegal to cross the U.S. border between ports of entry. It's also legal to seek asylum at the border, even after crossing illegally.

The law – which hasn't been updated since before the twins were born in the late-90s – gives ICE broad authority to detain immigrants, including those in a legal process to stay. But detention is costly and jail space limited. That led prior administrations to prioritize holding immigrants with criminal records or who recently crossed.

The Trump administration and a Republican-led Congress are now pumping $45 billion into ICE to dramatically expand detention space, and the agency is increasingly flexing its detention authority. The number of immigrants held on a given day surged above 65,000 in November – a record high – from fewer than 40,000 a year earlier, according to ICE data.

Though ICE officers carry out judges' orders, they are vested with some discretion over how to handle individual cases, particularly if there are children involved.

The following day, a Wednesday, James parked a van into the secure garage of the Wyandotte County jail.

A 33-year-old Mexican man, in the country illegally since he was 2, had been arrested on drug possession charges. A judge ordered him to appear in January 2026. He posted bond. Jail officers notified ICE.

Hundreds of county jails in so-called "sanctuary" communitiesrefuse to call ICEwhen releasing a person in the country illegally, citing their mandate not to detain people after a judge has ordered their release.

James handcuffed the man, loaded him into the van and brought him to the holding area at the Kansas City ICE office. James asked him why, since he had U.S. citizen children, he hadn't applied for legal status. The man said he had no contact with his kids. He was detained, while waiting to see an immigration judge.

Not their father's agency

ICE is rapidly evolving from the force Danielle, John and James got to know on "take your kid to work" days.

Trump's mass deportation goal has led tostreamlining and shortcuts. Many new ICE hires were put through an accelerated academy. Some gun-and-badge carrying former law enforcement officers have been exempted from in-person training.

And the "operations" continue, from Los Angeles, to Chicago and Charlotte, N.C., to New Orleans and Minneapolis. The administration has indicated it will target cities across the country. The enforcement surge may come to Kansas City, too.

It was his father's example that drew John to the agency. "I always wanted to be an ICE agent because of my dad," he said. "One of the coolest things that I've seen him do is actually put really bad guys out of the United States."

John has been thinking about the strangers who thanked him in one uniform and despise him in another.

"I wonder if that person that was willing to buy me a lunch in an airport, coming home as a soldier, would look at me the same now knowing that I'm an ICE agent," he said. "Nothing's changed for me. I'm the same person."

Lauren Villagran covers immigration for USA TODAY. She can be reached at lvillagran@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Family of ICE agents wants to create a 'safer America'