U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested the man as he was dropping his son off at the base after a family Thanksgiving dinner. He spent the next five months at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.

“He spent all of Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day detained,” Alcala said.

The man was one of five people who were detained at military bases she's represented since President Donald Trump returned to power last year. None had criminal records. They are among dozens of people arrested on bases during the second Trump administration, according to records reviewed by KPBS.

Another case that Alcala found particularly cruel involved a woman searching for a cup of coffee after dropping her kid off at elementary school. Her usual coffee shop was closed. So she looked up a random coffee shop on her phone and followed the GPS directions right into a military base.

“She was held for about a week by (Customs and Border Protection) without being given the opportunity of even a phone call,” Alcala said. “Her family didn’t know where she was. They didn’t know if she had just disappeared.”

It’s unclear exactly how many immigrants federal agents have arrested at San Diego’s six military bases. Neither the Department of Defense nor ICE have publicly shared the records.

But the increase has coincided with a May 2025 announcement by Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton that it had entered into a joint security initiative with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The initiative’s goal was to “deter unauthorized installation access by foreign nationals and reinforce layered base defense strategies in alignment with national security objectives,” according to a press release announcing the initiative.

It was originally described as a “proof-of-concept” and has since expanded to other military facilities in San Diego.

Activists with the Immigration Justice Transparency Initiative — formerly known as Habeas Dockets — found at least 44 cases of people arrested in military bases in San Diego since the start of the current Trump administration.

That number is likely an undercount because it only represents people released from the Otay Mesa Detention Center after winning habeas corpus cases in federal court, according to John Cronan, founder of the transparency initiative.

Writ of habeas corpus petitions are federal lawsuits that challenge the government’s ability to detain people indefinitely. As a legal concept, habeas corpus has been around since before the founding of the United States. The Founders included the legal protection in the U.S. Constitution in response to British troops illegally detaining colonists.

As of June 7, lawyers have filed more than 52,000 habeas corpus petitions in federal courts nationwide.

Habeas cases describe other examples of people accidentally wandering onto military bases — like a man looking for a Jersey Mike’s sandwich spot, a surfer who accidentally wandered onto Camp Pendleton, and the fiancee of an active duty service member detained at the Miramar air show.

A Camp Pendleton spokesperson deferred all questions from KPBS to ICE. A spokesperson for ICE declined to comment on individual cases, but confirmed ICE agents are helping verify identification at entry points to military bases.

Drivers are most vulnerable

Most commonly, cases involve rideshare and delivery drivers.

That’s what happened to Jose Diaz on March 31, when he was driving for Lyft. He drove onto Camp Pendleton to pick someone up — something he had done dozens of times during the Biden administration.

But this time, things were different.

Diaz said that when he arrived at the Camp Pendleton entrance, he showed guards his driver’s license, valid work permit and the Lyft app confirming the pickup location.

A guard called ICE agents and told Diaz to wait. At first, he said, he wasn’t nervous. Diaz has been in the country four years, works, files taxes and doesn’t have a criminal record.

The federal agents detained him anyway. They cuffed his wrists, ankles and waist before loading him into a transport van. Joining him in the van were two DoorDash drivers who’d also been arrested that day.

“They treat you like a criminal,” Diaz said in Spanish.

He spent six weeks in the Otay Mesa Detention Center. The privately run immigrant jail charges federal taxpayers roughly $200 a day to keep someone in custody, according to a budget overview from the Department of Homeland Security. 

Diaz said he mostly passed the time watching television and talking to other rideshare drivers. Some days he was so bored, time seemed to slow down to a crawl, he said. He’d stare at a clock, wait a while, look back and see that only one or two minutes had passed.

Even though immigration detention is technically civic detention, Diaz said he felt like a prisoner. His movements were restricted and he could only eat at certain times.

The food was mostly bland, but not horrible, he said. Except one time when he said he found a worm in his salad.

Diaz supports deporting immigrants who break the law, or even those who accept government welfare without working for it. But he said it is deeply unfair to use criminal immigrants as a justification to detain people who follow the rules.

“They are persecuting us because of those other people,” he said. “And we’re the ones who just want to work here.”

Arrests at military facilities have become so common among San Diego rideshare and delivery drivers that they are now starting to warn each other through WhatsApp and Facebook groups or word-of-mouth — like when they are all waiting for pickups at the airport.

The risk has become an open secret, said Valentin, a driver and organizer who asked KPBS not to share his full name because of his lack of legal status. “We have to take precautions because we’re always at risk,” he said.

Valentin encourages all immigrant drivers to cancel trips to military bases or ask if they can be dropped off outside the base. He said service members are usually sympathetic to his plight.

“Some of them understand, they are supportive,” he said.

But the lost income is significant. By not accepting rides or deliveries to military bases, drivers like Valentin lose between 10% and 15% of their weekend earnings. That’s because driving sailors and Marines back to their barracks after a night out can be lucrative, he said.

'Because they could'

Diaz’s lawyer, Alcala, still remembers hearing the anguish in Diaz’s voice when he’d ask her why he was being detained.

She didn’t have an answer for him. People with pending immigration cases, a documented work history and no criminal record are not supposed to be detained, she said.

“It’s frustrating because there’s nothing I can do about it,” she said. “I’m supposed to be the person who is supposed to be able to fix it and I can’t fix it.”

Eventually, Alcala was able to secure Diaz’s release by filing a habeas petition.

She said she does not believe arresting working immigrants with legal status in military bases improves national security. She said it is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to put as many people as possible in detention and try to pressure them into self-deportation.

“The detention was primarily because they could,” Alcala said.

She now tells all of her clients to avoid military bases unless they are permanent residents or U.S. citizens.

Jose Diaz no longer drives for Lyft or Uber. He only works his construction job for a roofing company and chef job at a Mexican restaurant. Before the arrest, he was thinking of saving up for a house. But he no longer sees the U.S. as a safe long-term option.

“Is it worth it to work so hard and follow the rules in this country if they’re just going to treat me like a criminal anyway?” he said.

Nine San Diego veterans on Friday met with Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Josh Fryday to talk about what issues matter most to them.

The topics are the same most voters say are important — the cost of living, education and health care.

Fryday currently serves in Gov. Gavin Newsom's cabinet as chief service officer. He said as lieutenant governor he'd be in position to impact those important issues.

"Lieutenant governor is the only person who sits on all three boards of higher education — the UC Regents, the CSU system and the community college system," Fryday said. "The lieutenant governor is also the only person who sits on the Coastal Commission, the Ocean Protection Council and the State Lands Commission."

Fryday was a Navy judge advocate general, or JAG — a military attorney. He said he wants to encourage more people in the state to serve their communities.

Marine veteran Jonathan Liu volunteers with #AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that assists Afghans looking to resettle in the United States. He said he sees his service to Afghans as an extension of his service as an infantry officer in Afghanistan.

"I think that it's just a continuation of upholding the Constitution," Liu, who was part of the roundtable, said. "Especially for those more vulnerable than us."

He said he'd like to see more veterans get involved in the community.

"I do believe as veterans, we have a certain degree of credibility and social capital that crosses any type of partisan divide," Liu said. "As millennials, we tend not to wear that as identity maybe compared to other generations. But what I've learned is by leveraging that background, you bring a level of credibility to the table that others may not have."

High Tech High School teacher Elyce Jenkins served in the Marine Corps Reserve. She said this was her first time at an event like this with a candidate.

"I think this is a really cool opportunity for me to sit down with a potentially an elected official and have him hear me, hear my voice, and I feel like I'm kind of leading from the front in that way," Jenkins said. "But also, I want students to recognize that they have the power to do that as well."

Jenkins said mostly she just wants government's budgets to reflect what people say their values are.

"I don't know of a single teacher in California where, on their income alone, they could afford to live on their own," she said. "I think it's especially problematic that we have (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ICE agents coming, roaming the streets and taking people off the streets that are getting paid more than the teachers that are instilling students with an idea of freedom and democracy and what our constitutional rights look like."

Fryday is competing in a crowded Democratic field that includes State Treasurer Fiona Ma and former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. The leading Republican was also recently a Democrat.

Republican Gloria Romera spent more than a decade in the state legislature before switching parties in 2024.

Trump launched strikes on Iran in late February without first asking Congress for a declaration of war or an authorization for the use of military force.

Jacobs told KPBS it's time for Congress to assert itself.

"The president has no real plan or strategy," Jacobs said in an interview. "That's why I think it's so important that Congress retakes our constitutional authority and forces an end to this conflict."

This is the third such resolution in the House. The first two failed.

But Jacobs said she's hopeful this time will be different.

That's because the 1973 War Powers Act limits how long a president can wage war without the consent of Congress to 60 days.

Jacobs said Republicans on Capitol Hill have told her that deadline was a red line for them.

"I think there is a very good chance that it does pass," Jacobs said. "We have yet to vote on a war powers resolution after the 60 day clock has run out."

The administration has said that 60-day clock stopped at the start of a ceasefire April 8.

Jacobs' resolution is the first in a series planned by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, she said. The plan, she said, is to file a resolution every week so there's always an active bill should they decide to force a vote.

Because the 60-day window has passed, House members can force a vote on this war powers resolution.

Jacobs said it's important to hold these votes even if they don't pass.

"Every single time we make Republicans take a vote on this really unpopular, illegal, reckless war, the harder that vote becomes for them," Jacobs said, "and the more likely a chance is that we get more of them to flip and we do eventually get it to pass."

Trump's rationale for the war has shifted since the first strikes. Just after those first strikes he told the Iranian people to take control of their country.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said regime change was not the goal of the war.

After Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — a vital corridor through which about 25% of the globe's seaborne oil trade — the goals of the war shifted to trade as gas prices worldwide began to climb.

In February, people in San Diego County could expect to pay about $4.50 - $4.90 per gallon of regular unleaded.

As of Thursday, that price was $6.18 — an increase of more than 30 percent.

Despite the high prices and rising inflation, Trump said Tuesday rising consumer costs aren't a factor in his war plans.

"The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran — they can't have nuclear weapons," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

Jacobs said she expects the House to vote on her resolution early next month.

Connecting with a team of San Diego State mechanical engineering seniors at the start of the fall semester changed that.

"I think it's just really cool all the way around," Doyle said. "I love that they do this for veterans. I love that I'm able to take part in it."

Doyle lives in Spokane, Washington. He said his wife told him about the nonprofit Project S.E.R.V.E., which connects veterans to engineering students around the country. Students like SDSU senior Will Brandenberger, who said at the start of the school year his team was looking for more than just a homework project.

"I'm great with numbers and we all are, but we wanted something that would feel fulfilling," Brandenberger told KPBS Wednesday at the university's Senior Design Day event.

The challenge was to help compensate for Doyle's limited range of motion. Doyle said it was the only thing keeping him out of the saddle — and from riding bikes with his two kids.

"I've had 16 surgeries trying to repair my leg," he said. "And now ... I'm kind of stuck at this 88-degree, 85-degree limited range of motion ... So when we go for bike rides, I kind of just walk behind them."

The final product is a stainless steel pedal custom-made to fit Doyle's e-bike. It allows him to evenly pedal with both legs even though one has a much shorter rotation.

"It's been actually very easy, a lot more intuitive (and) easier than I thought it was going to be with my leg," Doyle said. "So I'm very excited about that. I thought it was gonna be a lot more awkward and cause a lot more pain, but it's really, really flawless."

Engineering senior Nikhil Maharaj said that while the pedal looks simple, they went through several prototypes before dialing in the design. Being custom-made for someone out-of-state added to their challenges.

"Our project is distinctly person-facing and there's not many quantitative variables that you can receive back after testing," Maharaj said.

Brandenberger said the project was more to the team than a homework assignment.

It was just really fulfilling," he said. "It's not just a homework assignment you turn in and you get a good grade back — you turn it back and you see a smile."

Brandenberger said the team won't know whether they've earned an A on the project until next week.

When the Marines took over Miramar Air Station from the Navy in 1997 it was both a handover and a hand-back — 90 years ago, the Marines ran much of the base under a different name.

But even that wasn't Miramar's first life. For that, the clock must turn back further, to a time before aircraft were the workhorses of the military. Actual horses were.

Camp Kearny

Marine Col. Erik Herrmann said the base looked much different when it opened in 1917.

"There were ... thousands of horses and mules, thousands of infantrymen training and prepping to go overseas," Herrmann said.

The Army established Camp Kearny in 1917, one of several new bases hastily constructed as the country entered World War I.

At the time, the service needed wide-open spaces to train troops in 20th century warfare — tanks, artillery and trenches.

As far as San Diego was concerned at the time, the land was well out of town, said local historian Jim Newland.

"This is that point where the community ... they're giving the military what they need, knowing this is going to bring resources and jobs," Newland said.

Meanwhile, North Island was established as an air station. A few years later, the Marines opened a base at what is today the Recruit Depot.

At its height Camp Kearny housed about 30,000 troops, a number that almost doubled the area's population at the time.

It had more than 1,100 buildings, including 140 mess halls.

There was a train depot near what is today the intersection of Miramar Road and Frost-Mar Place. That station — the Linda Vista Depot — served the base that is today known as Miramar. Newland said at the turn of the last century most locals called everything north of Mission Valley "Linda Vista."

Today, everything except the railroad spur to Camp Kearny is long gone.

Newland said the Army intended for the base to be temporary.

"Probably half the folks who got trained at Camp Kearny never saw any action or even got overseas," he said.

The base closed after the war but the land remained available, and soon the Navy began using Camp Kearny's old parade grounds as an airport for dirigibles.

"I think Camp Kearny is the first sort of piece to confirm to the federal government that San Diego was a place of not only strategic value, but (also) a really important partner in them meeting their mission in defense," Newland said.

Camp Elliott

In the 1930s the Marines began to outgrow their base in San Diego and looked northward. Camp Holcomb was established in 1934 at the southeast corner of the old Camp Kearny base. It was later renamed Camp Elliott.

At the time Camp Elliott was the primary Marine base on the West Coast.

"There were about five different command headquarters on this side at Camp Elliott," Herrmann said. "Before Camp Pendleton opened up, really this was the only training ground to prep young men for the what they would see in World War II."

More than 50,000 Marines trained at the camp during the war — including the first Navajo Code Talkers.

Camp Elliott was huge — its southernmost point stretched to the southern terminus of Santo Road. The base boundary then followed the San Diego River northeast to Santee before turning north toward what is today Scripps Poway Parkway.

Beeler Canyon marked the base's northern border.

Marine units began moving north to Camp Pendleton when the Marines opened that base in 1942.

After the war the Marines didn't need Camp Elliott any longer. It was deactivated in 1946.

The main infrastructure of the base — barracks, chow halls, swimming pools, a movie theater and an amphitheater — were at what today is a freeway interchange.

Surrounding the junction of I-15 and State Route 163, weeds sprout from the concrete foundations and crumbling asphalt roads that were once Camp Elliott.

World War II-era Quanset huts are still there and it's where the San Diego Sheriff's Department runs a training compound.

Naval Air Station Miramar

From the 1920s through World War II the Navy maintained operations at what had been Camp Kearny.

In 1936, the first paved airstrip was built at the airfield. During World War II it was renamed Naval Auxiliary Air Station Camp Kearny.

After the war, the city of San Diego agreed to share the airfield in a lease agreement with the Navy. There was talk of converting it into a full-time civilian airport for the city, Newland said.

"It was still undeveloped area," he said. "And so that's sort of interesting, you know, in people trying to understand just how ... far out of town it was. It was out there."

Other than the beach communities of Pacific Beach and La Jolla, the city hadn't yet sprawled north of Mission Valley. Miramar was the sticks, Newland said.

"In the late '40s it was still too far out of town," he said. "And they decided, 'no it's too far for us.'"

With the steady hum of interstate traffic behind him, Herrmann looked toward the airfield from the Camp Elliott ruins.

"They could have had this," Herrmann said of the city. "I'm glad that they didn't take us up on that."

In 1951, after the start of the Korean War, Miramar was converted to a full air station. The next year the city canceled its lease deal with the base airfield.

Naval Air Station Miramar became the home of the Navy's newest fighter jets in the 1950s. In 1969, the Navy established a dogfighting school at the base — Top Gun.

Sycamore Canyon

At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s and '60s the U.S. was in a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union.

The Air Force took control of a piece of Camp Elliott at the far eastern fringes. NASA and General Dynamics built a large underground rocket test facility on the rim of Sycamore Canyon.

General Dynamics subsidiary Convair build a sprawling rocket manufacturing plant in Kearny Mesa. They build the Atlas missile — the first intercontinental ballistic missile.

The rocket engines produced at the plant were tested at the Sycamore Canyon facility, Newland said. The program was a national security secret.

"A lot of it was very secretive ... because of the worries of the Soviet Union getting our technology," he said. "They needed a place and here was a remote part of this base that they could go."

The complex didn't operate long. Things moved fast during the space race of the 1960s, Newland said.

"Weapons and those technologies become obsolete so fast," he said.

The Sycamore Canyon site was declared surplus property in 1969 and abandoned. In 1972, the property was turned over to the Navy.

Today, the ruins of the complex are deteriorating in a secured section of the base. Bullet holes and decades of graffiti are the only proof people may still visit.

Some urban explorers have published videos of the ruins on YouTube, but the Marines keep a close watch on the area. Security cameras are monitored by base police and they are quick to respond to trespassers, one base police officer told KPBS.

The Kearny Mesa Convair plant that once employed 8,000 people closed in the 1990s and was demolished by 1996.

Newland said San Diego continues to benefit from these projects today. With so many high tech aerospace jobs the area was in need of engineers.

"(It) drew a lot of attention here and eventually helped us get a University of California campus," Newland said, referring to UC San Diego.

The university itself was built on a former Marine base — Camp Matthews.

"These ongoing relationships, I think, are part of this ... legacy that starts with getting a lease in World War I," Newland said.

Base realignment and closure

The winding-down of the Cold War in the late 1980s ushered in an era of military downsizing. The Base Realignment and Closure Act, or BRAC, shuttered hundreds of military bases through the mid-2000s.

Pentagon penny-pinchers set their sights on Southern California — and San Diego.

"Just about everything was on a consideration list is my understanding," Newland said. "That's why there was such a key fight."

The San Diego Naval Training Center was a major installation lost in the process, he said. The former Navy boot camp is now Liberty Station.

The realignment also meant a reshuffling of the Navy and Marine Corps air forces.

The Marines took command of MCAS Miramar in 1997 and the base became the new home of Marine aviation on the West Coast.

Marine Corps Air Stations El Toro and Tustin both closed in 1999.

The Navy moved its carrier air wings to NAS Lemoore and its Top Gun school to NAS Fallon, Nevada.

The military did turn over some land from Camp Elliott. It sold what became Tierrasanta to developers and Mission Trails Regional Park to the city in the '60s.

In December 1983, two eight-year-old boys in Tierrasanta were killed after finding an old unexploded shell in a canyon.

The deaths prompted years of cleanup by the military. The Army Corps of Engineers issues reports on the cleanup every five years, that last report was published in 2021.

Other surplus land is now part of Scripps Ranch.

In 2006, a San Diego ballot measure to explore using part of Miramar for a new airport failed.

The undeveloped 15,000 acres of East Miramar are special, Herrmann said.

"Going 15 south down to San Diego you don't see houses — you don't see shopping centers," he said of the eastern expanse of the base. "It's kind of really special for us — it's kind of best left ... unimproved."

Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar has made his status as a Navy Reserve officer part of his campaign for California's 48th District.

News reports and veterans raised questions about whether Campa-Najjar's use of that status ran afoul of Pentagon regulations last month. Freelance journalist Douglas Aguillard filed a complaint with the Navy Reserve inspector general in early March.

On Wednesday, in an email response to the complaint obtained by KPBS, the inspector general wrote the candidate's chain of command was notified of the complaint and enacted "corrective action."

The email also says more potential violations of Pentagon rules remain on Campa-Najjar's campaign Facebook page, however, and that those concerns were sent to his chain of command Wednesday.

"LTJG Campa-Najjar’s chain of command was notified of your allegations and enacted corrective action," the email to Aguillard, the complainant, reads. "Since chain of command engagement, LTJG Campa-Najjar’s official campaign page’s photos and disclaimer have been edited to comply with DoDD 1344.10."

Pentagon regulations allow reservists to run for office but restrict how they can use their military status and photos.

Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 says reservists "must clearly indicate their retired or reserve status" when referencing their service.

Until late last month, Campa-Najjar's campaign website repeatedly referred to the candidate as a "Navy Officer" — omitting his status in the Navy Reserve. It also prominently featured photos of him in uniform.

The website was updated after KPBS contacted the campaign for comment on March 23, but posts on Campa-Najjar's social media with similar photos and verbiage remained public.

The inspector general referred those posts to his chain of command, the email says.

"...there is content on the subject’s campaign Facebook page that warrants further scrutiny by his Navy Reserve chain of command," the email says. "Therefore, these remaining social media concerns were referred to Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command ... on 22 April 2026 for action deemed appropriate."

The Navy Reserve confirmed the content of the email Thursday but declined to comment further.

The inspector general's email does not say when the chain of command first contacted Campa-Najjar. In response to KPBS questions about updates to his web site, Campa-Najjar's campaign emailed a statement on March 24 saying the Navy hadn’t requested changes.

"Ammar has been compliant with DoD directives on permissible political activity," said Campa-Najjar's campaign manager Andi McNew. "While the Navy has not requested any changes be made, the campaign is happy to include additional details of Ammar's service to the nation."

Documentation provided by Campa-Najjar on Thursday shows he was contacted by a Navy judge advocate general about his campaign March 25.

By March 27, he was told his website was "spot on" within regulations, Campa-Najjar told KPBS.

He said he hasn't been told anything by his chain of command about what issues there may be on his campaign Facebook page.

Campa-Najjar said it's common for candidates to include information about military service in their campaigns — sometimes outside regulations but often without the same level of scrutiny he's experienced.

"It's common practice and we should all be held to the same standard," Campa-Najjar said.

Campa-Najjar also took issue with a prior KPBS report on the Navy "looking into" his campaign, saying the headline implied he was under investigation.

"At no point was there any mention of an investigation to me or anyone in the press," Campa-Najjar said. "Anyone who makes that statement is either misled or intentionally trying to mislead others."

The use of the the phrase "looking into" in that story headline came directly from an email sent to KPBS from a Navy Reserve spokesperson.

He said what's important to him is being honest.

"If there's any additional requests for updates I'm happy to do those because I care about getting things right," Campa-Najjar said.

The Campa-Najjar campaign also updated its official candidate statement last month with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters after a rival campaign complained about the language, emails and documents provided to KPBS show.

Campa-Najjar originally listed his occupation as "U.S. Navy Officer" and "College Educator."

The updated statement says "U.S. Navy Reserve Officer/College Educator."

Campa-Najjar joined the Navy Reserves in 2023 via a direct commission — a selective and unusual way into uniform that allows certain professionals to bypass Officer Candidate School.

Campa-Najjar ran unsuccessfully for public office three times prior to joining the Navy Reserve — twice for Congress in 2018 and 2020 and then for Chula Vista mayor in 2022.

More than 1,100 Afghans — including at least 400 children — have been living at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, since at least January 2025.

During the Biden administration, the camp served as a way point for processing Afghans and their families for resettlement in the United States.

Afghan relocation halted on President Donald Trump's first day back in office when he ordered all refugee travel suspended.

He later imposed a travel and visa ban on Afghans.

The Afghan residents of the camp issued a statement via #AfghanEvac, an advocacy group. In it they say they learned of the resettlement plan from the New York Times.

"No American official has come to us to explain what is being planned for our lives," the statement said. "Many of us are not well. The uncertainty has been more than some of us can carry. There is deep depression here."

The Afghans said they don't want to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo — a country dealing with its own refugee crisis and an armed conflict with Rwanda.

"We have been in enough war," the statement said. "We cannot take our children into another one."

A State Department official told the New York Times the administration is working to find "responsible, voluntary resettlement options" for the Afghans in Qatar.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, said at a news conference Wednesday the Congo plan is hardly an option.

"So the option to be deported to the Taliban or to move to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the D.R.C. is not a choice — it is a death sentence," Kamlager-Dove said.

Republicans have claimed tens of thousands of Afghans admitted into the U.S. after the fall of Kabul in 2021 under a Biden administration program weren't properly vetted.

That program — Enduring Welcome — was officially ended last year by the Trump administration. It also dismantled the State Department's office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, or CARE.

Advocates and former State Department officials dispute the claim Afghans weren't vetted.

"More than 190,000 Afghans who served the American war effort have already been resettled here lawfully under the most rigorous vetting framework in modern U.S. immigration history," said #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver in a statement.

Sean Jamshidi was a gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps. During his 10 years of service he worked as embassy security and with special operations.

Jamshidi was born in Afghanistan but was raised in the U.S. Five members of his family are stuck at Camp As Sayliyah, including his older brother. His brother worked with U.S. forces during the 20-year occupation and was told he'd be eligible to resettle because of that.

"But by the time he was lucky enough to get approved for his (Special Immigrant Visa) the administration changed the policy," Jamshidi said.

As a Marine in 2018, Jamshidi deployed to Congo, he said. He doesn't want his family there.

"I personally served as a Marine in D.R.C. in Kinshasa," he said. "I was there for a short period of time but I remember how tough that time was."

VanDiver said there's nothing stopping the administration from bringing the Afghans to the United States.

"Nothing in U.S. law prevents bringing them home to the country they fought for," he said. "The only thing standing in the way is a policy decision in Washington, and policy decisions are reversible."

Jamshidi said he plans to continue to advocate for his brother. By doing that, he says, he's also advocating for his country — one that told Afghans they’d be taken care of if they worked with it.

"I'm going to continue advocating for the credibility of the United States government, that we hold our word to the people that served us," he said. "And if we don't, no one else in the world is going to serve the United States government when we need them the most."

A video released by the Department of Defense shows the destroyer warning the Iranian crew to vacate their ship's engine room before firing on it.

In the video, three shots from the ship's 5-inch MK 45 gun can be heard.

Marines from the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded and seized the ship, a second video released by the Pentagon shows.

"Conventional naval warfare is not something that we've done in a long time," Brad Martin, who retired from the Navy after 30 years as a surface warfare officerand now works as a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation, told KPBS in an interview. "It's not common."

It's rare for Navy warships to fire on other vessels in hostile actions, he said.

The Spruance is one of more than a dozen U.S. Navy warships in the Middle East enforcing President Donald Trump's blockade of Iran's sea ports.

Other San Diego warships involved in the effort include the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney.

Iran called the act one of "maritime piracy," its state media reported.

The action further strained peace efforts between the U.S. and Iran, which are currently under a ceasefire agreement. It also threatened to derail the next round of peace talks set to start Tuesday between the two countries in Pakistan.

San Diego is one of three finalists Invictus Games Foundation representatives are evaluating. The others are Aalborg, Denmark and Daejeon, South Korea.

Great Britain's Prince Harry, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, launched the Invictus Games in 2014. The competition was the subject of the 2023 Netflix documentary "Heart of Invictus."

On Wednesday, the representatives toured the Rady Shell, the San Diego Convention Center and the USS Midway Museum. They also took a San Diego Bay cruise and went to the Padres-Mariners game at Petco Park.

On Thursday, they toured the Jennifer Moreno VA Medical Center, the Navy SEAL Museum and attended an adaptive surfing clinic in Del Mar.

Adaptive surfing is one event unique to San Diego — and one Invictus Games Foundation CEO Rob Owen is excited about.

"I think the innovation with … the adaptive surfing will be fantastic," he told KPBS in an interview Wednesday.

A group of local veterans alongside the British-American Business Association has been working to bring the 2029 Invictus Games to San Diego for more than a year.

San Diego is the third and final stop for the selection committee, said Andy Soler, who is on the board of the association and co-chairs the San Diego Bid Committee.

"They've already been to Denmark," he said. "They've already been to South Korea. So now it's our turn for San Diego to put its best foot forward."

Adaptive sports are unique, Owen said, because the competitions aren't always about winning.

"We're not trying to select, you know, the world's best athletes," he said. "It's a journey — real success is just being here."

Even though injured veterans and service members are the stars of the games, Owen said the spotlight on adaptive sports that come along with the Invictus Games elevates everyone living with disabilities.

"For us, it's also about how we help people change their attitudes toward all disabilities," Owen said.

He said San Diego is a strong contender.

"You know the military is such a big part of … the culture of the city," Owen said. "I mean, you're looking here (and) you've got aircraft carriers here, you've got bases — it's all so integrated."

Soler and the San Diego bid committee will fly to London in June to make their final presentation.

The Invictus Games Foundation will announce the 2029 host city in July.

La administración de Donald Trump ha convertido a San Diego en un centro de deportaciones al utilizar aeropuertos militares y civiles para vuelos, según datos de una organización sin fines de lucro que rastrea vuelos en todo el país.

Human Rights First documentó casi 120 vuelos de deportación que salieron del Aeropuerto Internacional de San Diego y de la Estación Aérea del Cuerpo de Marines Miramar el año pasado. Esto representa un aumento masivo en comparación con 2024, cuando no hubo ni un solo vuelo de deportación desde San Diego.

“Simplemente ha habido un aumento dramático en la escala respecto al año pasado”, dijo Savi Avery, quien lidera el programa de investigación sobre derechos de refugiados e inmigrantes de la organización y dirige el programa ICE Flight Monitor (del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de EE.UU., ICE por sus siglas en inglés).

Y no es solo Human Rights First quien ha notado el incremento en los vuelos. El residente del área de Miramar, David Kennedy, durante años disfrutó escuchar y ver aviones militares como los F/A-18 Super Hornet volar sobre su casa.

Pero hace aproximadamente un año comenzó a escuchar el sonido de un motor distinto.

“Entonces empecé a asomarme por la ventana y vi estos vuelos comerciales”, dijo Kennedy.

Históricamente, San Diego no había sido un centro de vuelos de deportación.

Las deportaciones aquí solían implicar que agentes federales acompañaran a ciudadanos mexicanos hasta el lado sur de la frontera. Las personas deportadas de otros países generalmente eran trasladadas en avión a otras ciudades de Estados Unidos y deportadas desde ahí.

ICE subcontrata la mayoría de estos vuelos a aerolíneas privadas. En San Diego, la mayoría son operados por GlobalX y Eastern Air Express.

ICE comenzó a utilizar el Aeropuerto Internacional de San Diego para vuelos de deportación en abril de 2025, según datos de Human Rights First. Los vuelos desde Miramar iniciaron en julio.

Avery señaló que esto es un ejemplo de cómo la administración Trump está utilizando la infraestructura militar del país para impulsar su campaña de deportaciones masivas.

Human Rights First también documentó vuelos desde otras tres bases militares ,dos en Texas y una en Georgia, a partir del otoño pasado.

ICE no respondió de inmediato a solicitudes de comentarios ni a preguntas sobre si planea usar más instalaciones militares para estos vuelos.

En un comunicado, la base aérea de Miramar confirmó que su aeropuerto funciona como punto de operación para vuelos civiles, militares y federales, pero no ofreció más detalles sobre los vuelos de ICE.

No es inusual que otras agencias gubernamentales y contratistas utilicen esta base. El avión presidencial de Estados Unidos, Air Force One, ha aterrizado en Miramar en varias ocasiones.

Human Rights First comenzó a rastrear los vuelos de ICE en julio de 2025. Antes, ese trabajo lo realizaba Tom Cartwright, un ejecutivo retirado de JP Morgan en Ohio.

Avery explicó que estos datos de seguimiento son útiles para abogados y familiares de personas detenidas por ICE.

“Definitivamente recibimos mensajes de abogados que pueden estar preocupados de que la administración haya trasladado a alguien en violación de una orden judicial y necesitan detener un vuelo antes de que despegue”, dijo.

En ocasiones, la organización también recibe mensajes de familiares que no saben si su ser querido ya fue deportado y están tratando de localizarlo.

“Nos dicen que eso les da mucha tranquilidad”, añadió Avery.

The Trump administration has turned San Diego into a deportation hub by using military and civilian airports for flights, according to data from a nonprofit tracking flights throughout the country.

Human Rights First documented nearly 120 deportation flights out of San Diego International Airport and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar last year. That’s a massive increase from 2024, when there was not a single deportation flight out of San Diego.

“The scale has just dramatically picked up from the past year,” said Savi Avery, who leads the nonprofit’s refugee and immigrant rights research program and runs the (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ICE Flight Monitor program.

And it’s not just Human Rights First that’s noticed the increase in flights. Miramar area resident David Kennedy has for years enjoyed hearing and watching F/A-18 Super Hornets and other military planes fly over his home.

But then about a year ago he started hearing the sounds of a different engine.

“So I started to look out my window and saw these commercial flights,” Kennedy said.

Historically, San Diego has not been a deportation flight hub.

Deportations here typically involved federal agents walking Mexican nationals to the south side of the border. Deportees from other countries have historically been flown to other U.S. cities and deported from there.

ICE outsources most of the flights to private carriers. In San Diego, most are handled by Global X and Eastern Air Express.

ICE began using San Diego International Airport for deportation flights in April 2025, according to the data from Human Rights First. Deportation flights out of MCAS Miramar began in July.

Avery said this is an example of the Trump administration using the country’s military infrastructure to advance his mass deportation campaign.

Human Rights First documented flights out of three other military bases, two in Texas and one in Georgia, starting last fall.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment or questions about whether the agency planned to use more military facilities for deportation flights.

In a statement, MCAS Miramar confirmed that its airport acts as a location for civilian, military and federal flights, but did not provide any other specifics regarding the ICE flights.

It’s not unusual for other government agencies and contractors to use the air station. Air Force One, the U.S. presidential plane, has landed at Miramar several times.

Human Rights First began tracking ICE flights in July 2025. Previously, the work was done by Tom Cartwright, a retired JP Morgan executive from Ohio.

Avery said their tracking data is useful to lawyers and relatives of people detained by ICE.

“We definitely get outreach from lawyers who might be concerned that the administration has flown someone in violation of a court order and need to stop a flight from taking off,” she said.

Sometimes, the organization hears from family members who don’t know if their loved one has already been deported and is trying to track them down.

“We hear that gives them a lot of comfort,” Avery added.

Thousands of San Diego sailors and Marines are now deployed with thousands more preparing to leave.

The San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln left in November and has been involved in airstrikes in Iran.

The USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group with the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit left last month and is expected to join the Abraham Lincoln soon.

And another San Diego-based carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, has been busy conducting carrier qualifications with Carrier Air Wing 11. It's expected to deploy soon.

Sarah Howard, the office coordinator at the SAY San Diego Military Family Resource Center, said thousands of San Diego military families recently received 48-hour deployment notices.

The accelerated deployment schedules have many families scrambling, she said.

"We have seen an uptick in themes — worry, lots of worry, (and) panic — which is totally natural," Howard told KPBS in an interview. "People are not prepared or don't know how to be prepared for a deployment, especially (on) that short notice."

The Military Family Resource Center is located on Santo Road in the Murphy Canyon military housing area.

She said a lot of the family members she talks to don't know what support systems are available.

"A lack of information is causing some panic," Howard said. "And lots of people want community connection. They feel like they don't have any support."

Howard said social media is one place to start.

"Social media, military housing groups, learning, getting out of that setting and trying new things in San Diego — I always update a list of free events on our social media pages for what's coming up in the next two weeks."

The resource center also has a deployment checklist full of links, information and resources available for military families.

Howard said she's also available to help military families experiencing mental or emotional distress. She said she'll help connect people with therapists or other providers.

"Utilize that, because sometimes you just need to dump into the void, and that void listens to you," she said.

The San Diego-based USS John P. Murtha will be deployed to recover the Artemis II astronauts after their spacecraft splashes down off the coast of San Diego later this week.

Sailors assigned to the amphibious transport dock ship have been undergoing training in preparation for recovering the Artemis II crew, whose space capsule is set to return just after 5 p.m. Friday, the Navy said Monday.

In a statement, the Navy said the ship has "unique advantages" that will assist NASA in the Orion space capsule's recovery and collection of "critical data to help ensure it's ready to recover the astronauts and capsule during future Artemis missions."

The ship's commanding officer, Capt. Erik Kenny, said in a statement that the ship's mission this week was "a fitting tribute" to its namesake, Pennsylvania Congressman John P. Murtha.

"We are honored to carry on his legacy by supporting NASA and the Artemis II mission," Kenny said.

A U.S. Navy helicopter squadron based out of Naval Air Station North Island will assist in tracking the capsule while it travels through Earth's atmosphere, then recover the four astronauts and bring them to the ship for assessment, the Navy said.

Navy divers will also recover and transport the Orion space capsule from the water to the ship's deck.

The mission reached a historic milestone Monday as astronauts flying around the far side of the moon traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history. They surpassed the previous distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 at 248,655 miles during a lunar flyby Monday morning, according to NASA.

Two U.S. military planes were shot down in separate incidents on Friday, and while one crew member was rescued in Iran, the whereabouts of at least one other was unknown — marking a dramatic escalation since the war began nearly five weeks ago.

It was the first time U.S. aircraft had been downed in the conflict and came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran” and was “going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast.”

One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A U.S. crew member from that jet was rescued, but a second was missing.

The rescue occurred as the U.S. military was conducting a search operation, a U.S. official and an Israeli official said. Three people familiar also confirmed that a search had been underway. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitivity of the situation.

No official details were released.

But the Pentagon notified the House Armed Services Committee that the status of a second service member is not known.

In an email from the Pentagon obtained by The Associated Press, the U.S. military said it received notification of “an aircraft being shot down” in the Middle East, without providing more details.

Separately, Iranian state media said that a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft had crashed into Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces.

Earlier, a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down or whether Iran was involved. Neither the status of that aircraft's crew, nor exactly where the aircraft, went down was immediately known.

Those incidents came as Iran fired on targets across the Mideast on Friday, keeping the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors, despite U.S. and Israeli insistence that Iran’s military capabilities have been all but destroyed.

Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of many basic goods, including food.

Downed jet could mark a new level of pressure on the US

Prior to word of the rescue, social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where a TV channel affiliated with Iranian state television had said earlier Friday that at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.

An anchor had urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward.

It was the first time the U.S. has lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the conflict and could mark a new level of pressure being placed on the U.S. military.

Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time that Iran went on television urging the public to look for a downed pilot.

Iranian state media said in a post on X that Iran’s military shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft is a variation of the Air Force fighter jet that carries a pilot and weapons system officer.

Alan Diehl, a former investigator for the Air Force Safety Center, said the Strike Eagle has an emergency locator beacon in a survival kit that can be set to activate automatically or manually.

The Pentagon did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a previous statement that Trump had been briefed but did not offer additional information.

Iran targets a desalination plant and a refinery

News about the fighter jet came after Iran attacked Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery. The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said firefighters were working to control several blazes.

Kuwait also said an Iranian attack caused “material damage” to a desalination plant. Such plants are responsible for most of the drinking water for Gulf states, and they have become a major target in the war.

Sirens also sounded in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed several Iranian drones, and Israel reported incoming missiles.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire.

Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, but it wasn’t immediately clear what was hit.

In Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion in its fight with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militant group, an Israeli drone strike on worshippers leaving Friday prayers near Beirut killed two people, according to the state‑run National News Agency

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes. In a review released Friday, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a U.S.-based group, said it found that civilian casualties were clustered around strikes on security and state-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas.

More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, 19 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

More than 1,300 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.

Iran is keeping a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz

World leaders have struggled to end Iran’s stranglehold on the strait, which has had far-reaching consequences for the global economy and has proved to be its greatest strategic advantage in the war.

The U.N. Security Council was expected to take up the matter on Saturday.

Trump has vacillated on America’s role in the strait, alternately threatening Iran if it doesn’t open the waterway and telling other nations to “go get your own oil.” On Friday, he said in a post on social media that, “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”

Spot prices of Brent crude, the international standard, were around $109 Friday, up more than 50% since the start of the war, when Iran began restricting traffic through the strait.

A Yemeni lawmaker says in a lawsuit that U.S. military veterans who worked for a private security firm were hired as mercenaries to kill him in 2015 on behalf of the United Arab Emirates as part of a campaign by the U.S. ally that targeted political opponents.

The lawsuit by Anssaf Ali Mayo in federal court in San Diego was unsealed last week, revealing details of the allegations against former executives and employees of Spear Operations Group, a private military contracting firm that incorporated in Delaware in 2015 but was dissolved in 2018. Many of the employees were former U.S. special forces operators.

Mayo — a member of Yemen's parliament, who is represented by the Center for Justice & Accountability — accuses two military veterans and the founder of Spear Operations of carrying out war crimes, crimes against humanity and an attempted extrajudicial killing. The complaint said the UAE paid the private military contractor $1.5 million per month, plus bonuses for successful killings in Yemen, including Mayo's.

The scheme described in the lawsuit echoes a 2018 report by BuzzFeed News that U.S. veterans were behind the attempt on his life.

According to the complaint, Spear founder and CEO, Abraham Golan, an Israeli-Hungarian dual citizen, recruited U.S. military veterans, including former Navy SEAL Isaac Gilmore, who later became chief operating officer of Spear, and former U.S. Army Special Forces member Dale Comstock. According to the complaint, the three men have admitted to their roles in the assassination campaign and the attempt on Mayo’s life.

“There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen,” Golan confirmed to Buzzfeed. “I was running it. We did it. It was sanctioned by the UAE within the coalition.”

At the time, according to court documents, Golan and Gilmore lived in the San Diego area and held meetings about their plans there.

Gilmore did not immediately respond to a voicemail message seeking comment. Comstock also did not respond to a message left on his professional website seeking comment. The Associated Press was not able to reach Golan.

The UAE has said it has supported counterterrorism operations in Yemen but has denied targeting political opponents there. The Emirati foreign ministry and the Gulf nation's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday about the lawsuit.

Mayo does not live in the U.S. but under the Alien Tort Statute, foreigners can sue in U.S. federal court for violations of international law.

Daniel McLaughlin, the legal director for the Center for Justice & Accountability, said the lawsuit highlights the importance of prosecuting the illegal actions of former U.S. military members.

“Our government has a duty to regulate how former members of our military use their training and know-how, and a responsibility to hold them accountable when they break the law," he said in a statement.

In 2015, the UAE intervened in Yemen's civil war as part of a regional coalition, backed by the United States. The war was in its early stages after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen.

The contractors have described carrying out the mercenary mission in war-torn Yemen in media interviews, saying their target was Mayo, the local leader of the Islamist group Al-Islah. The UAE considers Al-Islah to be a terrorist organization, though many experts say it is a legitimate political party that has spoken out against the Emirati government’s ambitions in Yemen.

On Dec. 29, 2015, Mayo said Spear planted explosive devices at his office building in the city of Aden in southern Yemen but the lawmaker fled minutes before the explosion. After the attempt on his life, he fled his homeland for Saudi Arabia.

“Spear tried to assassinate me ten years ago. I survived but have been forced to live in exile separated from my family,” Mayo said in a statement.

A U.S. Marine who was an ammunition specialist at Camp Pendleton is charged with stealing ammo and weapons, including a shoulder-fired missile system, and conspiring to sell them in Arizona, according to court documents.

Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas pleaded not guilty last Thursday in Phoenix to multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit theft and embezzlement of government property, and possession and sale of stolen ammunition. A judge ordered him to be held in custody pending trial.

A message was sent Monday seeking comment from an attorney for Amarillas.

Federal prosecutors said Amarillas used his position as a technical specialist at the School of Infantry West to steal at least one Javelin missile system, thousands of rounds of military-grade ammunition and other weapons-related material between February 2022 and November 2025.

He's accused of transporting the stolen material to his home state of Arizona, where he sold them to unnamed co-conspirators, who then resold the equipment to others, prosecutors said. Some but not all of the stolen weapons and ammo have been recovered.

A co-conspirator had a number for Amarillas saved in a cellphone under the nickname “Andrew Ammo,” court documents said.

“(I) have 2 launchers that (I) think you’d like, if you want to take a look tomorrow,” Amarillas texted to a co-conspirator in August, according to the criminal complaint. The text messages also included photos, including one of a portable Javelin missile system with a serial number that matched one that Amarillas had signed out from the military base near San Diego, the complaint said.

Some of the ammunition was purchased from co-conspirators by undercover officers, prosecutors said.

“The objects of the conspiracy were to steal property and ammunition from the U.S. military and sell stolen U.S. military property and ammunition to others to earn money,” said the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for Arizona.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service declined to comment on the Amarillas case, but said the investigation is ongoing.

“NCIS and our partners remain committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating any allegation involving the theft of military weapons and munitions to be sold on the black market,” Acting Deputy Assistant Director Jeff Houston said in an email on Monday.

In 2021, explosives went missing from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms in the Southern California desert. NCIS said at the time it was investigating the disappearance of explosives, but declined to provide details.

“A museum’s job is to present facts, not opinions but facts,” said Brian “Beef” Drechsler, the executive director of the Navy SEAL Museum, San Diego. He’s a retired captain and SEAL himself.

“When you look at Naval special warfare and 80 years of rich, adaptive, innovative history and telling that story accurately, I do think is very important,” Drechsler said.

One of the first things you see after entering this two story museum is an immersive theater experience. Three huge screens in front of you and to your sides show a film of the intense training that turns men into SEALs, right here in Coronado.

Drechsler said on average, only about one in five that try to become a SEAL, actually make it.

“Right now, it’s 70 weeks just to get a SEAL trident, and then you do an 18-month training cycle, so two and a half years of training before your first deployment,” Drechsler said.

As you wind your way through the first floor, you come to two interactive touch screens; it is the museum’s wall of remembrance. The screens let you see and read the stories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“We’re trying to do things in a blended format, so there’s written word, there’s artifacts,” Drechsler said.

The museum features lots of artifacts — think equipment the SEALS use to accomplish their missions. There is high-powered weaponry and unique equipment like a Diver Propulsion Device, where a SEAL lies on top of a little sub with a propeller.

There is also a Seal Delivery Vehicle. The one in the museum hangs from the ceiling on the second floor. It’s so big that it had to be brought in using a crane through a window. All of it is critical for clandestine underwater transport. As important as those are, they are technically not considered high-tech.

But there is something else that is about as high-tech as it gets: a virtual reality mission where you sit in what’s called a 4-D chair wearing VR goggles to experience what it’s like being a SEAL on a secret mission. This mission involves rescuing hostages on a tanker. It feels unnervingly real.

Drechsler said when the museum opened last October, he hoped people would like it. Months later he was able to say “We’re getting fantastic feedback.”

He said from active duty to veterans to just everyday folks, people are loving what they see here.

Drechsler said part of what makes the experience of this place so special is the volunteers that interact with visitors.

“You got parents that love bringing their children here. They talk to our docents. Most of them are former SEALs and former SWCC with vast experience, and they can tell them about the teamwork, the discipline and what it takes to be part of this great community,” he said.

The SWCC Drechsler mentioned refers to Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen, the companion organization to the SEALs. The groups trace their origins back to the 1940s, with specially organized maritime commando units during World War II.

During your visit here, an overarching theme becomes apparent: service above self. Drechsler called it the story of common people with an uncommon desire to serve.

“You have to want it for the right reasons, so I think it’s that desire to serve, that commitment to the team and the desire to be part of something bigger than yourself, is absolutely required to be in this organization,” the former SEAL commander said.

Drechsler said he and his staff are more than happy to share the process of applying for service in the SEALs, but the goal for visitors when they leave is inspiration to serve the community.

A large video screen features retired SEALS talking about the importance of service. Next to it, a smaller interactive screen gives suggestions on the innumerable ways we can all serve.

“Hey, the SEALs are hiring if you want to join, but so is the Navy, the Army, the Marine Corps, and if that doesn’t interest you, be a first responder. Volunteer at an assisted living facility, mentor, start a neighborhood watch, so it’s about serving something, being part of something bigger than yourself,” Drechsler said.

An unexpected message from a museum — come to learn about Navy SEALS, leave with a desire to make the world a better place.

Retired Navy Capt. Jack Ensch was one of 11 USS Midway aviators taken captive during the war.

Ensch was an F-4 Phantom naval flight officer in August 1972 when he was shot down.

"I was a POW for seven months," Ensch said. "The last seven months of the war."

The new exhibit takes visitors through the squadron ready rooms that would be the last places pilots and aircrew were briefed before launching off the ship.

There's a separate area dedicated to the 11 taken captive who had been serving on the Midway.

Kathy Ensch, Jack's wife, said it was difficult being back in San Diego when her husband went missing. She said the family didn't know he'd survived for three months and the time was especially difficult for their 7-year-old daughter.

"She didn't think she'd ever see her daddy again," Kathy Ensch said. "There was no counseling available at all — I was on my own."

Jack Ensch credits his wife and other POW wives for getting their stories out while they were captive. He also said their efforts started what is today a more robust family support system for service members.

"I think a lesson can be learned is … how important the family is to those of us who are out there fighting the war," he said.

Since 2017 National Vietnam Veterans Day is recognized each year on March 29.

The USS Midway Museum is open daily.

Senate Bill 1407 is the latest in a series of bills introduced over the last several years in the state legislature. None have been successful, although last year's state budget included a $20,000 tax break for military retirees and beneficiaries.

The new bill would eliminate that $20,000 cap.

State Sen. Bob Archuleta, who co-authored the bill, said military retirees leave California after their military careers, and this would help keep them.

"(Senate Bill) 1407 sends a message — sends it to California, sends it to our leadership … to our veterans," he said at a news conference Wednesday on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum.

"We value your service," Archuleta said. "We value your commitment to California and we value the future that you give California."

If passed the bill would cut $100 million in revenue to the state for the first year and $65 million each of the next two, according to an estimate by the state Franchise Tax Board.

State Sen. Catherine Blakespear said that loss could be offset by enticing more retirees — who often move on to second careers — to stay in California.

"If we did exempt this, we would be able to keep those people and then would have (tax) revenue coming in from the second job," she said. "So, you know, it could end up actually resulting in more money."

Similar bills were introduced in the legislature in 2023 and 2025 and were unsuccessful.

Archuleta said more than 125,000 military retirees live in California.

The official told KPBS Friday the Navy is "looking into the matter" in response to questions about Campa-Najjar's campaign.

Campa-Najjar, a Democrat, is running for Congress in the newly re-drawn 48th District.

Andi McNew, Campa-Najjar's campaign manager and an Air Force veteran, said in a statement, claims against him are "unfounded."

"Ammar has been compliant with (Department of Defense) directives on permissible political activity," McNew said.
"The Navy has not requested any changes be made."

Questions about the campaign's use of Campa-Najjar's military status were first reported March 13 by LaPrensa.

Photos of Campa-Najjar in his Navy uniform feature prominently on his campaign website and on social media.

Although Navy records show he was promoted in June 2025 to lieutenant j.g., all service photos shared by the candidate found by KPBS show him in his prior rank — ensign.

Pentagon regulations allow reservists to run for office but restrict how they can use their military status and photos.

On his website and social media Campa-Najjar regularly refers to himself as a "Navy Officer" — omitting his status in the Navy Reserve.

Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 says reservists "must clearly indicate their retired or reserve status" when referencing their service.

The rules also state reservists can't display photos of themselves in uniform when accompanied by non-military biographical details without "a prominent and clearly displayed disclaimer that neither the military information nor photographs imply endorsement by the Department of Defense or their particular Military Department."

Reservists also are not permitted to use photos of themselves in military uniform as the "primary graphic representation in any campaign media," the directive says.

On Monday, Campa-Najjar's campaign website was updated. Where it previously identified Campa-Najjar as a "Navy Officer," it now says "Navy Reserve officer."

The Campa-Najjar campaign also updated its official candidate statement with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters after a rival campaign complained about the language, emails and documents provided to KPBS show.

Campa-Najjar originally listed his occupation as "U.S. Navy Officer" and "College Educator."

The updated statement says "U.S. Navy Reserve Officer/College Educator"

A San Diego County spokesperson confirmed the change.

"The Statement of Qualifications was voluntarily changed by the candidate to reflect the status of "reserve" per DoD Directive 1344.10 Section 4.3.1.1," said county spokesperson Antonia Hutzell in a statement.

Military veterans and current Navy Reservists criticized Campa-Najjar's campaign in interviews with KPBS.

Mark Ball spent 10 years in the Navy as an officer – two of those in the Reserves.

"There's a reason why I say I did almost 10 years and the last two was as a reservist," Ball said. "The general public's not going to know the difference, but the veterans or military community will know the difference."

Ball is a graduate student at the University of San Francisco where he's earning a master's degree in public leadership. He said he came across Campa-Najjar's website while researching veterans who run for office.

He called Campa-Najjar's campaign an example of what not to do.

"His page, his campaign, everything kind of makes it sound like he's active duty Navy or was active duty Navy when the reality is as far from it as possible," Ball said. "Just be honest about your service."

Campa-Najjar's campaign defended his record as a Reserve public affairs officer.

"On his service record, Ammar has served on active duty orders, including a forward mobilization in support of a major joint exercise in the Indo-Pacific alongside U.S. and allied forces," the campaign said. "In his annual fit-rep, Ammar’s Commanding Officer praised his outstanding performance and specifically noted Ammar’s success in leading a unit-wide training on Directive 1344.10, focused on maintaining the military’s apolitical posture and public trust."

Brian VanRiper is a Marine veteran and Democratic campaign consultant based in Los Angeles. He ran veteran outreach for Barack Obama's campaign in Iowa during the 2008 campaign.

"There's a matter of integrity," VanRiper said. "Veterans can immediately smell this out quickly."

VanRiper served in the Marines as a machine gunner and deployed to Iraq in 2003. He said he thinks Campa-Najjar is inflating his military experiences for his campaign.

"It's just not worth the reputational harm to ever exaggerate one's service," he said. "If you're running for office, I would advise persons to be ultra careful, ultra conservative in how they describe things."

Campa-Najjar joined the Navy Reserves in 2023 via a direct commission — a selective and unusual way into uniform that allows certain professionals to bypass Officer Candidate School.

Campa-Najjar ran unsuccessfully for public office three times prior to joining the Navy Reserve — twice for Congress in 2018 and 2020 and then for Chula Vista mayor in 2022.

Marine Corps veteran Paul McNamara also had a political career after the military. He served one term as Escondido mayor from 2018-2022.

McNamara told KPBS in a statement one distinguishing principle of the U.S. is civilian control of the military — a separation that should be clear to those seeking public office.

"I think there are limits to how much a veteran should use that status in an election campaign," McNamara said. "Political contests should be decided on issues and ideas that are substantive and not performative images."

A current Navy Reserve officer told KPBS in a statement people in the military and reserve community are bothered by aspects of Campa-Najjar's campaign. KPBS is not naming the officer because they are not authorized to speak to the press.

Campa-Najjar's is leading a crowded Democratic field to replace retiring Republican Rep. Darrell Issa.

The Republican favorite — San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond — is also a Navy veteran.

His campaign did not return a request for comment.

The fuze malfunction was "highly improbable," the investigator wrote, but ruled out negligence or wrongdoing by the Marines tasked with handling and firing the munitions.

The investigation was released by the Marine Corps Friday.

The decision of whether to close the freeway was a matter of contention between state and federal officials in the days leading up to the Oct. 18th event at Camp Pendleton.

On Friday, Oct. 17, Marines fired shells across traffic on I-5 during rehearsals for the event, shown in videos published — and subsequently unpublished — by the Pentagon.

On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the freeway closed for the duration of the artillery shoot.

Shrapnel from the exploded shell hit a California Highway Patrol vehicle parked on the interstate as part of Vance's motorcade.

According to the investigation, a fault in this model of fuse is a "one in a million" risk.

Doug Krugman is a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who led infantry units in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he's planned training and combat missions with Howitzer fire and has never seen this type of malfunction.

"That type of fuze functions correctly better than 99.9% of the time," Krugman told KPBS Monday. "But in this case, one in 1 million is still greater than zero."

Investigators found only one other incident of a shell exploding prematurely — that one after striking a bird.

But the investigation ruled out bird strikes or a collision with anything else in the air — including other Howitzer shells.

Investigators said the arrangement of the guns on Red Beach was unusual, but not outside regulations.

Six Howitzers were arranged in a space about 35 meters long, the investigation says.

Investigators said the close proximity and simultaneous fire could have led to the kind of electromagnetic interference that might have caused the fuze to malfunction, but they had no way to test their hypothesis.

Krugman was promoted to colonel before retiring from the Marines in protest of President Donald Trump last year. He wrote about his experience in the Washington Post.

Despite moral and political differences, Krugman said as an infantry officer he takes issue with the tactics of the October demonstration.

"In modern warfare, putting six artillery pieces in a ... 35 meter long stretch on a beach ... would be tactically extremely unsound and a horrible idea," he said.

Krugman said the entire demonstration served as a photo op for the Trump administration.

"The weapons were packed that close together and they were shooting from that beach to make sure it was a good photo opportunity," he said. "Whether or not that's a wise use of government resources (is) a question the voters can answer in the future."

Base range control officials told investigators artillery hadn't been fired from that beach since the late 1950s — and, until Oct. 17, never over traffic on I-5.

NASCAR Cup Series drivers Christopher Bell, Ty Dillon and Ryan Preece drew oversize ping-pong balls in a draft lottery to pair local Navy units with individual drivers.

The drivers will begin visiting the units at the base between now and race weekend, June 19-21, according to NASCAR.

"I'm representing the USS Carl Vinson on my car, so I got to meet those folks and I'm just pumped," Dillon said after the draft. "We race in so many different places across the country, but never do it on a military base, so this is going to be a super special event for all of us (drivers). We're all grateful to be a part of it."

The course, at 3 1/2 miles, is the longest in NASCAR history, according to race officials.

It's also not all left turns — the street course will have drivers navigating the base's surface asphalt streets as well as sections of its concrete flight line.

Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Iwuji, a Navy Reservist and part-time NASCAR driver, helped match the drafted drivers' names with their units.

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick served as the draft's host. Fitzpatrick is an NFL analyst for Amazon Prime Video — the platform on which the race, the Anduril 250, will stream.

"We’re all very excited to have a race on the base here and telling all the different people at the base how appreciative we are of them and how excited these drivers are to come and show their talent," Fitzpatrick said.

The three days of races start Friday, June 19, with a Craftsman Truck Series race open exclusively to military families.

Ticketed races on Saturday and Sunday will be open to the public, with an O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race and the Cup Series Anduril 250.

NASCAR's Amy Lupo is working with the Navy to ensure the track is safe — for drivers and fans.

She said planning for the race has been ongoing for more than two years — well before it was announced last summer.

"We've done a LiDAR scan of the track and turned it into a racing simulator," Lupo said, referencing light detection and ranging technology used to create accurate three-dimensional models of the environment.

Several NASCAR drivers drove the simulation, she said.

"We've made some adjustments to the course based on that," Lupo said.

Lupo told KPBS on Wednesday that the traffic plan will be released soon. Navy and NASCAR officials expect 50,000 spectators to visit the base each day of race weekend.

U.S. Marines are being deployed to the Middle East as American and Israeli strikes keep pounding Iran and the Islamic Republic keeps attacking Persian Gulf shipping and energy infrastructure.

Roughly 2,500 Marines and at least one amphibious assault ship are headed for the Middle East, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said that elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East. The move would mark a major addition of troops to the region.

Marine Expeditionary Units are not only trained and equipped to conduct amphibious landings but they also specialize in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians, and disaster relief. While the deployment is a major increase of troops to the region, it does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place at all.

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, as well the Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships carrying the Marines are based in Japan and have been at sea in the waters of the Pacific Ocean for the past several days, according to images released by the military. Their location puts them more than a week away from the waters off Iran.

The Tripoli was previously homeported in San Diego.

In 1952 Navy pilot Royce Williams flew into a 35 minute dogfight against seven enemy planes during the Korean War, shooting down four before landing his badly damaged plane on the USS Oriskany.

That air battle would make military history, but only after half a century of silence and secrecy. It took the U.S. decades more to recognize his victory.

Last month Williams, now 100, received the Medal of Honor during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address, following a years-long campaign by military leaders and politicians to secure the award.

Williams beamed amid applause as First Lady Melania Trump fastened the Medal of Honor around his neck.

“It was a big moment for me,” he said simply, during an interview at his home in North County San Diego.

For military leaders who endorsed the medal, it was confirmation of what they call the longest dogfight in history and the heroism of a lone pilot.

“It’s the longest Navy dog fight of any we know of, and it was one versus many,” said retired Navy Capt. Kent Ewing, who fought to honor Williams. “The bottom line is, a single American guy that stayed in the fight for 35 minutes, came home with bullet holes in his ship. He almost died landing on the aircraft carrier. He’s a real hero.”

Williams was 16 years old when he joined the Army during World War II and served at Camp Ripley in Minnesota. A year later he joined the Naval Aviation Cadet program and launched a 35-year flying career.

“I flew about five different airplanes, all from open cockpit biplanes to ‘everything’s made out of metal and the wheels retract,’” he said. “And then I got my wings.”

At the start of the Korean War, Williams deployed on the USS Oriskany, defending U.S. troops and eradicating North Korean trains, trucks and bridges.

On a stormy morning Williams flew out with a formation of four F9F Panthers into a cloud layer at 500 feet. They emerged at 12,000 feet to the top of the storm and trouble.

“We took off in terrible weather, a blizzard,” Williams said. “While climbing we got information from controllers on the ship that there were inbound enemy aircraft.”

It wasn’t Korean planes, but Russian MIGS. Officials aboard the Navy fleet listening to their communications heard Russian authorities order their pilots to “do battle.”

As the American formation approached the seven MIGS, the leader and his wingman were forced to return to the ship because of a fuel pump malfunction. Williams pressed on against the Russian planes.

“Four of them came in, firing at me,” Williams said. “And surprise! They weren’t supposed to be there. But the fight was on. And I made a sharp turn and got on the tail of their number four tailwind guy and shot him down. And as he was going down, my wingman left me. And that was just the beginning of the fight, and I was now alone with six of them.”

MIGS were more nimble and better suited to aerial combat than the F9F Panther, which was set up for air-to-ground operations, said Jim Kidrick, president and CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Williams was outnumbered and outgunned in a physically taxing battle.

“His air combat prowess and skill sets and abilities were totally beyond in that engagement, Kidrick said. “And he kept it up, because after 35 minutes, you’re getting tired. You’re pulling Gs, you’re banking the airplane abruptly, you’re going to be upside down and inverted in the fire fight. You’re going to expect that you’ll be challenged flying that airplane to its capacity.”

Despite the daunting odds, Williams said he wasn’t fearful: “God was in control. I was calm.”

The remaining Russian planes fired in sequence, forcing Williams to confront each attacker while avoiding the others.

“The other three came in from the other side,” he said. “And no longer attacking me in formation, but one airplane at a time taking turns. One right after another. Occasionally, they either made a mistake or did something really fantastic. And it turned out that several of them got shot down.”

But not before taking their toll on his plane. Williams considered ejecting, but concluded that if he did, he couldn’t have been rescued in the winter weather. Instead, he returned to the ship with 263 bullet holes and a 37 mm cannon blast that impaired control of the plane.

He circled for 10 minutes in his damaged plane while the crew cleared space on the landing deck, he said. He lined up to land, slowing as much as he could, but heard the landing officer alert the captain: “He’s coming in hot.”

Afterward, Williams’ superiors swore him to secrecy, knowing that word of the battle with Russian pilots could spark a far larger conflict.

“Russia didn’t want to let it be known, and America didn’t want to let it be known,” Williams said “We didn’t want World War III.”

For decades he kept the full story hidden, even from his wife. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, rumors began to seep out about the extraordinary aerial battle. Then a Russian newspaper published the names of the Russian pilots killed, confirming that at least four of the seven did not return.

In 2002, records of the Korean War were declassified and the story slowly became public. By then, Williams figured it was old news.

“At that point, nobody’s interested,” Williams thought. “It’s history, but at that point, I never figured I’d get a medal.”

His friends weren’t willing to let his story fade. Williams had received a Silver Star in 1953 for the dogfight, without mention of the Russian pilots. Retired Adm. Don Shelton, retired Capt. Kent Ewing and others wanted it upgraded.

“There were lots and lots of pushes from people who knew that the mission was extremely significant,” Kidrick said. “Seven (Russian) pilots took off that day and only one returned.”

Shelton spent the last decade of his life researching William’s air battle and lobbying for his recognition, according to the American Legion. He and others urged Navy brass to award Williams the Navy Cross, that branch’s second highest honor. For years, officials denied their pleas.

Ewing butted heads with three different military boards that reviewed the request. They demanded new information on the more than half-century old case.

“We went to the National Archives, we went to March Air Force Base, we went on a wild goose chase looking for gun camera footage” of the dogfight, Ewing said. “It might have been in somebody’s attic, but we never did find it.”

Ewing finally appealed to former Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro, who visited Williams at his San Diego area home and made the decision himself.

“He called me up and said this is a no-brainer, we’re going to award him the Navy Cross,” Ewing said.

In 2023, more than 70 years after the historic dogfight, Williams received the Navy Cross during a ceremony at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. But his high-ranking friends weren’t satisfied. They wanted him to get the nation’s highest honor.

Last year Rep. Darrell Issa, a San Diego Republican, introduced legislation in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act to permit Williams to receive the Medal of Honor.

“Escondido’s Royce Williams is 100 years young, a Top Gun pilot like no other, and an American hero for all time,” Issa said in a statement. “His story is one for the ages and it now has its rightful chapter as Royce receives the Medal of Honor.”

Williams flew to Washington D.C. for the State of the Union address in February. Congress members and their guest rose in a standing ovation as the First Lady draped the medal around his neck.

“He was a legend long before this evening,” Trump praised him.

Before leaving, Williams paid his respects to his friend and champion, the late Admiral Shelton, who had died at age 100 in 2021, shortly before his campaign to award Williams the Medal of Honor came to fruition.

“I went to his grave in Arlington (National Cemetery,) with appreciation in my heart,” Williams said.

At a Pentagon news conference on Tuesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the most intense attacks are yet to come.

"Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran — the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes," Hegseth said.

Over the first 10 days of the war there were more than 3,000 air strikes against targets in Iran, the Pentagon said.

Hegseth repeated assurances Tuesday that the power imbalance between Iran and the U.S.-Israel coalition will be the difference in the war.

"We're crushing the enemy in an overwhelming lay of technical skill and military force," Hegseth said. "We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated."

But Jonathan Graubart, a professor and chair of the political science department at San Diego State University who specializes in international relations, isn't convinced force is enough. He said it’s not clear what the military’s objectives are — let alone whether they can be achieved with bombs.

"Even in the Vietnam War, the United States essentially won every battle," Graubart said. "That used to be the old propaganda line that U.S. military and political leaders gave to the American people in the 1960s."

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. dropped twice as many bombs as it did in World War II but did not stop a North Vietnamese victory.

The U.S. also had air superiority over Iraq and Afghanistan. It did not prevent the insurgency or rise of ISIS in Iraq nor did it stop the Taliban from retaking power in Afghanistan.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on the first day of strikes, Feb. 28.

The Iranian regime is facing an existential crisis and the loss of its leader won't be enough to topple it, Graubart said.

He compared the situation to that in Iraq, where President Saddam Hussein was quickly deposed in that war's early phases.

"To actually create a stable regime, (the U.S.) couldn't really do this in Iraq, right, with a massive ground invasion," Graubart said. "And there Saddam Hussein and his regime was much weaker than the current regime in Iran."

In public statements over the course of the war Hegseth has repeatedly rebuffed comparisons to the war in Iraq.

"This is not Iraq. This is not endless," Hegseth said last week at a news conference.

But neither Hegseth nor Trump have said what the end of the war will look like.

"We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated," Hegseth said Tuesday. "We do so on our timeline and at our choosing."

During an interview on CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday, Hegseth declined to say whether the U.S. was considering sending in ground forces.

"People ask, 'boots on the ground, no boots on the ground, four weeks, two weeks, six weeks, go in?'" Hegseth said. "President Trump knows. I know. You don't tell the enemy. You don't tell the press. You don't tell anybody what what your limits would be on an operation. We're willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful."

Compulsion Dance and Theatre’s latest production, "First Day in December," looks back to the night the Vietnam draft lottery was launched. The play arrives just after the U.S. launched strikes on Iran and just ahead of the 50th anniversary of the draft. The play opens tonight at the Diversionary Black Box Theatre.

Richard Fouts was an 18-year-old freshman in college on Dec. 1, 1969.

"That was the night of the first draft lottery since World War II," Fouts recalled. "And on that night, each day of the year was put in a blue capsule, 366 capsules, thrown into a big bin and mixed up. And then Colonel Daniel Omer from the Army withdrew capsules one by one, and that was your draft number. So it determined the order in which you go to Vietnam. So it was over about a 90-minute period — just an excruciating 90-minute period of finding out when you were going, if you were going to war."

That night — and the impact it had on Fouts and his fraternity brothers — is now the topic of a play, "First Day in December," directed by Michael Mizerany.

"When I read the play, it's a story I've never heard of before," Mizerany said. "So that intrigued me, and it tells a story of five people affected by it and how they're close friends, but as the numbers are called, the friendships start to fracture because one's a football star and he feels like, 'I don't have to go because I shouldn't, because I'm a football star.' So you don't go because you're a football star, but I have to go because I'm not one? And so it becomes a thing about privilege and race and entitlement."

But President Richard Nixon had the idea that everyone would be eligible based on age, with no college deferments.

"So the idea was to make it completely equitable, make it completely fair. But what happened is it just kicked the anti-war movement into high gear after that," Fouts noted.

Fouts did not start writing the play until 2013, after he heard a NPR interview with Denis O'Neill, author of " Whiplash: When the Vietnam War Rolled a Hand Grenade Into the Animal House." O'Neill's experience that night was similar to Fouts', and it inspired him to write the play. The passage of time allowed him emotional distance and a chance to see things with new eyes.

"I started to see some of the humor, which is crazy," Fouts said. "That night it was pure drama. But one of the guys, you know, was curious about how do we get out of this? So those conversations began and they became kind of funny because people were like, well, if you're involved in religious studies you can get out of it. 'Oh, I'll just go to rabbi school.' Another guy said, you know, if you flunk your medical exam, you don't have to go. Well, how do you do that? You can eat and become obese, which somebody did. You can cut off a finger. There's all kinds of things you can do to flunk your medical. And so these crazy conversations started to occur. And so I put a lot of that in the play."

The timing of the play's opening provides a context that no one could have expected.

"Well, it wasn't planned, obviously," Mizerany said about opening days after the U.S. conducted military strikes against Iran. "What's really odd, there's a line in the play that says it wasn't approved by Congress. I'm like, that is totally what's happening now. This war was not approved by Congress."

For Fouts, it made him think, "Here we go again."

"And as Michael was saying, there's a line in the play where, this wasn't approved by Congress. The draft wasn't approved by Congress. It was done by executive order. Congress didn't push back. And here we go again, you know, (with) Congress not involved," Fouts said.

Performing this play in the extremely intimate Diversionary Black Box Theatre places the audience right in the room with the characters. It's an intensity Fouts feels.

"Oh, it's incredible because they just take me right back to 1969 every time I see them," Fouts said. "I get so emotional because, I mean, we're talking over 50 years and I watch them and each of these characters is based on my own fraternity brothers, and a couple of them didn't come back. So I told Michael, 'Is there some switch so that I can turn off when I watch this play?' Because it just takes me back."

"First Day in December" opens tonight at the Diversionary Black Box Theatre and will run weekends through March 22.

More than a year ago the five organizations formed an emergency response group to coordinate relief efforts during times of crisis, leaders said.

The organizations are the Armed Services YMCA, the Support the Enlisted Project, Zero8Hundred, the San Diego Military Advisory Council and Feeding San Diego.

"Those five coming together were like, 'hey, we all do a little bit different services, but collectively we can do so much better,'" said Ashley Camac, CEO of Zero8Hundred, a nonprofit that provides social work services to active duty and transitioning military families.

"Collectively, let's make sure we can get them food, we can get them diapers, we can help support rent — if that becomes a challenge," she said.

A partial government shutdown began Feb. 14 after Democrats in Congress refused to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats are demanding immigration enforcement reforms at DHS in the wake of the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in January.

DHS also includes the Secret Service, Transportation Safety Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard in addition to its immigration agencies.

Immigration agents and members of the Coast Guard are still receiving regular paychecks, according to Government Executive, a news outlet covering the federal workforce.

Tracy Owens, the senior military relations officer at the Support the Enlisted Project, or STEP, said they're ready to help if needed.

"We're ready to mobilize with Feeding San Diego to support with an onsite distribution of food and produce and items like that," she said.

Congressional Democrats, back in Washington, D.C. this week, said they're not going to fund DHS until Republicans agree to some immigration enforcement reforms, such as mandating body cameras and banning masks for agents.

Republicans called on Democrats to give up those demands in the wake of renewed domestic terror threats after strikes on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces.

Sailors and Marines from the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln continued to conduct air strikes against Iran Monday, video published by the Pentagon shows.

The Lincoln is one of two U.S. aircraft carriers conducting operations in support of what the Defense department is calling "Operation Epic Fury."

The other is the Norfolk, Va.-based USS Gerald Ford.

The strikes by American and Israeli forces began over the weekend. As of Monday afternoon, at least six American service members have been killed — all were in a makeshift operations center in Kuwait that was struck in an Iranian air strike, CNN reported.

The strike is thought to have been conducted with a drone, the report said.

Rep. Scott Peters, D- San Diego, told KPBS Monday he's not happy with the way the strikes came about because President Donald Trump didn't seek authorization from Congress.

"It's (a) constitutional requirement that Congress declare war (and) the president has referred to this as a war," Peters said Monday at a community event in San Diego.

"We still haven't been briefed," he said.

Peters' district includes Naval Air Station North Island, the Lincoln's home port.

"In San Diego, we feel this more directly than a lot of places," Peters said. "We know what it's like to lose people and what it's like for their ... families."

At a Pentagon news conference Monday Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said casualties are part of major combat operations.

"As the president warned, an effort of this scope will include casualties," he said. "War is hell and always will be."

Air Force General Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, stood next to Hegseth during the news conference. He said the operations may continue for some period of time.

"The military objectives at (Central Command) and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work," Caine said. "We expect to take additional losses. And as always we will work to minimize U.S. losses, but as the secretary said, this is major combat operations."

Hegseth also pushed back on comparisons to the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

"To the media outlets and political left screaming 'endless wars,' — stop," he said. "This is not Iraq. This is not endless ... this generation knows better and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation-building 'dumb' and he's right. This is the opposite."

Hegseth scolded a reporter who asked whether the U.S. had "boots on the ground" in Iran. Hegseth said there isn't right now, but left the possibility open, adding that the American public shouldn't expect the Pentagon to be transparent about such operations.

"We're not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do," Hegseth said. "We'll go as far as we need to go to advance American interests, but we're not dumb about it ... Going forward, why in the world would we tell you — the enemy, anybody — what we will or will not do in pursuit of an objective? We fight to win."

Peters said he'll return to Washington, D.C. Tuesday where he expects to be briefed and to vote on a Congressional war powers resolution.

Service members from the Air and Space Forces are at Camp Pendleton with the Marines for trials that began Wednesday. The Navy and Coast Guard are holding their Wounded Warrior Trials at Naval Air Station North Island starting Friday.

Teams from the United Kingdom and Ukraine are also competing at Camp Pendleton.

The Warrior Games are the Defense Department's service-wide competition for service members and veterans recovering from injuries. They began in 2010.

Adaptive sports have become an important part of some people's recovery plans.

They were for Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Ostberg. Last year he made the Air Force team and competed in the Warrior Games.

"I'm trying not to get emotional, but it was a good experience," Ostberg told KPBS after wheelchair basketball practice Wednesday. "I'll never forget it. It's helped so much in my recovery journey."

For Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Vincent Webb, just being at the trials says something.

"I fought hard to get to this point, to be able just to stand here — you know, tolerate the pain and go," Webb said.

Webb was assigned to 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion when an injury landed him at Camp Pendleton's Wounded Warrior Regiment.

He said his goal is to make the Marine Corps team — especially to play wheelchair basketball.

Webb's son is also in the Marines, a lance corporal stationed in Hawaii. He said he's trying to prove something to himself, but that's not all.

"And then just to be that example to my son that yeah, it doesn't matter what life brings you, you know?" Webb said. "Just keep pushing, continue to set goals and achieve them. I strongly believe that ... things don't happen to you — they happen for you."

The Warrior Games will be held in San Antonio this June.

Marine veteran Joshua Shannon went to the games last year, and from there went on to the Invictus Games in Vancouver. That's an international military adaptive sport event.

"The (Invictus) Games, to the athletes, are an opportunity for them to feel like they're still part of the team," Shannon said. "I know that's what it does for me."

The Invictus Games were started in 2014 by Prince Harry of the United Kingdom.

San Diego is one of three finalists to host the 2029 Invictus Games.

Webb — who is from San Diego — said he supports his hometown's bid.

"It'd mean everything — if I work hard now to play there, it would mean everything," he said. "It'd be a huge honor for me to represent ... my nation in my hometown. That'd be a dream come true."

A decision on the 2029 host city is expected in July.

The interim rule was announced and went into effect Tuesday. It directed the Veterans Benefits Administration not to consider the severity of a veteran's disabilities when determining ratings, but to instead consider the level of disability under treatment or medication — a standard that in most cases would lower ratings, thus lowering the monthly benefits paid.

The VA said its disability rating system has always been to consider the functional impairments veterans with disabilities face.

"If medication or other treatment lowers the level of disability, the rating will be based on that lowered disability level," the interim rule says.

The decision was slammed by veterans service organizations, among others. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Disabled American Veterans each issued statements denouncing the change — one the VA instituted by claiming emergency authority, which bypassed a 60-day Congressional review.

The VA announced the rule without first having a public comment period; instead, it said it would begin taking comments after the rule was already in effect.

On Thursday, Collins reversed the decision.

"While VA does not agree with the way this rule has been characterized, the department always takes Veterans’ concerns seriously," Collins wrote on X. "To alleviate these concerns, VA will continue to collect public comments regarding the rule, but it will not be enforced at any time in the future."

The VA claimed emergency authority to bypass the normal review process because of a 2025 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

The court ruled the VA could not consider the effects of pain medication in the case of a veteran who received lower ratings for musculoskeletal issues managed by pain medication.

In doing so the court upheld a 2012 ruling that said the VA could not consider improvements from medication in determining disability.

The VA said it had to "clarify" its rules because the court has, for years, "misconstrued" and "erroneously interpreted" them to mean it must consider the actual level of disability regardless of improvement from medication.

Janessa Goldbeck is the CEO of the nonprofit Vet Voice Foundation and a San Diego Marine Corps veteran. She said the VA's argument — that it should consider disabilities by a veterans' functionality — doesn't hold water.

"Is a person who has lost their limb in battle and using a wheelchair suddenly less disabled because they use a wheelchair?" Goldbeck said. "Absolutely not. It's outrageous."

This was the second major VA reform effort under Secretary Doug Collins. Last year an attempt to layoff tens of thousands of VA health care workers was also opposed by veterans groups.

Goldbeck said she's concerned the Trump administration will continue its attempts to reform the VA in ways she says are harmful to veterans.

"They are following the Project 2025 blueprint by the book," Goldbeck said, referencing the 2023 policy initiative from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

The document includes language that recommends reforming the VA disability rating system to save money.

Craig Candelore is a San Diego attorney the helps veterans navigate the VA claims process. He said this reversal should be seen as a setback, but not the end of the effort to reduce the rating levels of disabled veterans based on improvements from medication.

"Do I think that standard will ultimately be implemented?" he said. "Yes. I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon, but it's coming."

Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-38, Thursday presented a $1.67 million check to San Diego County to fund a program intended to provide affordable housing to veterans.

The money awarded Thursday will be used for the Homelessness Prevention Landlord Incentive Program, which provides direct payments to landlords to lower rental costs for veterans who qualify for assistance through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.

Last year, the county invested $683,900 in landlord incentives, helping secure housing for 243 veterans.

"The landlord incentive program reduces barriers that keep people from renting an apartment," Blakespear said. "Landlords need a security deposit and the assurance that any damage to the unit will be covered, among other things, in order to rent their units.

"I am thrilled that I was able to secure state funding to support a system for the men and women who have served this country to get quickly into places to live."

According to the county, once a landlord agrees to rent to the veteran with a VASH voucher, a lease is signed and rental assistance begins. This assistance is paid directly to landlords, not tenants, and can be used for things like leasing bonuses, application fees, security deposits and a landlord assurance fund.

Blakespear presented the check to San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre.

"This isn't just a win for the balance sheet — it's a lifeline for San Diegans," Aguirre said. "It is far more humane and fiscally responsible to keep a roof over someone's head today than to build a shelter bed tomorrow, and this funding allows us to move from reactive crisis management to proactive prevention."

A veteran at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness can apply for assistance through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The voucher works like rental assistance, and the veteran can use the voucher to look for housing on the open rental market.

More than 189,000 veterans live in San Diego County, along with around 115,000 active-duty military personnel.

Each year, the WEST conference brings the Navy and Marine Corps together with the defense industry in San Diego, so contractors can hear firsthand about the new weapon technologies the services are looking to buy.

The record $890 billion defense budget for 2026 and new mandates to integrate AI were all the buzz at this year's conference.

KPBS tallied at least 38 panels over three days at the conference that were either explicitly about AI or that featured one or more experts on the technology.

Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the services to go all-in on AI in a memo.

"We will employ to pursue this strategy (and) will continue to encompass our substantial program funding and workforce focused on AI across the services and components," Hegseth wrote. "We will also use the timely financial resources provided by Congress in the form of One Big Beautiful Bill, along with expanded budget withhold (Joint Acceleration Reserve) flexibility, to catalyze our accelerated pace of Military AI integration in the immediate term."

The memo was immediately followed by the Pentagon's announcement of its new AI Acceleration Strategy. It said, in order to become an "AI-first warfighting force," the services must eliminate "bureaucratic barriers."

Navy Secretary John Phelan told a packed audience at the conference Thursday that means cutting "red tape" when it comes to contracting.

"We are making deliberate choices to implement systemic change," Phelan said. "The weight of calculated action outweighs the comfort of caution — it is better to bear the burden of bold attempts than carry the regret of what could have been. … "

On Wednesday, Justin Fanelli, the Navy's chief technology officer, told an audience of contractors the Pentagon has a fresh appetite for risk when it comes to investing in AI — as long as the industry brings data to back up their claims.

"If we can show that the acquisition risk goes up, but the operation risk goes down — that's something we can get behind," Fanelli said.

Experts on panels consistently struggled to make the use-case for the technology, however.

Stuart Wagner, the Navy's chief AI officer, said that AI systems process data at "superhuman" speeds.

"How that impacts warfare is not yet knowable," Wagner said. "We can guess, but it's not knowable."

The demand to integrate AI into daily military operations comes from the top.

In December, the Department of Defense launched its own generative AI platform — GenAI.mil. It uses Google Cloud's Gemini for Government to "leverage generative AI capabilities to create a more efficient and battle-ready enterprise," according to the Pentagon.

Retired Adm. Christopher Grady, a former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed out there's a problem with the top-down demand to adopt AI.

"Now we have to teach our operators and officer corps and the rest on how we use the data — right down to 'what's the right way to write a prompt?'" he said during a panel discussion Wednesday.

The Pentagon plans to spend more than $145 billion on research and development in 2026.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

A booming industry that charges veterans for help in obtaining the benefits they earned through military service must shut down or dramatically change its business model in California by the end of the year under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Tuesday.

The law prohibits unaccredited private companies from billing former military service members for help with their Department of Veterans Affairs claims.

Technically, it was already illegal under federal law to charge veterans for that work, but Congress 20 years ago removed criminal penalties for violations, and scores of private companies emerged, offering to speed up and maximize benefit claims.

“We owe our veteran community a debt of gratitude — for their years of service and sacrifice," Newsom said in a written statement. "By signing this bill into law, we are ensuring veterans and service members get to keep more money in their pockets, and not line the coffers of predatory actors. We are closing this federal fraud loophole for good.”

Critics call the private companies “claim sharks” because their fees are often five times the monthly benefit increase veterans obtain after using their services. CalMatters in September, for instance, interviewed a Vietnam-era veteran who was billed $5,500 after receiving benefits that would pay him $1,100 a month.

Depending on a disability rating, a claim consulting fee under that model could easily hit $10,000 or more.

“We owe it to our veterans to stand with them and to protect them from being taken advantage of while navigating the benefits they've earned,” said Sen. Bob Archuleta, a Democrat representing Norwalk. Archuleta, a former Army officer, carried the legislation. “This is not about politics; it's about doing what's right. Making millions of dollars on the back of our veterans is wrong. They've earned their benefits. They deserve their benefits.”

California’s new law is part of a tug-of-war over how to regulate claims consulting companies. Congress for several years has been at a stalemate on whether to ban them outright, allow them to operate as they are or regulate them in some other way.

California is among 11 states that have moved to put the companies out of business, while another group of mostly Republican-led states has legalized them, according to reporting by the veteran news organization The War Horse.

That split in some ways reflects the different ways veterans themselves view the companies. The bill had overwhelming support from organizations that help veterans file benefits claims at no cost, such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as from Democratic Party leaders, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.

But the VA’s claims process can take months and sow uncertainty among applicants. Several of the claims consulting companies say they have helped tens of thousands of veterans across the country, and that they have hundreds of employees.

Those trends led some lawmakers to vote against the measure, including Democrats with military backgrounds.

“We're going to say to you, ‘Veteran, you know what, I don't know if you are too stupid or too vulnerable or your judgment is so poor you can't choose yourself,'” said Sen. Tom Umberg, a Democrat and former Army colonel, during a debate over the measure last month.

The new law was such a close call for lawmakers that nine of 40 senators did not vote on it when it passed that chamber last month, which counts the same as a “no” vote but avoids offending a constituency that the lawmaker wants to keep.

It was also one of the 10 most-debated measures to go before the Legislature last year, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database. Lawmakers spent 4 hours and 39 minutes on the bill at public hearings in 2025 and heard testimony from 99 speakers.

Two claims consulting companies spent significant sums hiring lobbyists as they fought the bill, according to state records. They were Veterans Guardian, a North Carolina-based company that spent $150,000 on California lobbyists over the past two years; and Veterans Benefit Guide, a Nevada-based company that spent $371,821 lobbying on Archuleta’s bill and a similar measure that failed in 2024.

Those companies view laws like California’s as an existential threat. Both have founders with military backgrounds. Veterans Benefit Guide sued to block New Jersey’s law prohibiting fees for veterans claim consulting, and a federal appeals court sided with the company last year.

"This was the hardest bill I’ve had to work on since I’ve been in the Legislature," said Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, a Santa Clarita Democrat who supported the law. "We know why that is, because there was so much money on the other side."

Charlotte Autolino, who organizes job fairs for former military service members as the chairperson of the Veterans Employment Committee of San Diego, criticized Newsom’s decision to sign the law. She spoke to CalMatters on behalf of Veterans Benefit Guide.

“The veterans lose,” she said. They lose the option. You’re taking an option away from them and you’re putting all of the veterans into one box, and that to me is wrong.”

But David West, a Marine veteran who is Nevada County’s veterans service officer, commended Newsom. West was one of the main advocates for the new law.

“The veterans of California are going to know that when (Newsom) says he’s taking care of everybody, he’s including us; that he values those 18- and 19-year-olds who are raising their hands, writing a blank check in the form of their lives; to then ensure that they aren’t writing checks to access their benefits,” West said.

Korean War fighter pilot and Escondido resident Royce Williams will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, it was announced Wednesday.

Williams, now 100 years old, will be recognized for facing off against seven Soviet MiG fighter jets on Nov. 18, 1952, shooting four of them down in the process and narrowly surviving amid extensive enemy gunfire to his jet.

Williams agreed to keep his heroics a secret because the Soviet Union was unofficially involved in the war at the time.

He did so for over 50 years, with the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting in 2022 that he did not reveal his role or the existence of the dogfight even to his wife or brother.

But after Soviet records of the war were released and declassified decades later, which revealed Williams' efforts, military veterans and elected officials led a campaign to ensure he was recognized.

Williams was awarded the Navy Cross in 2023 and now will receive the United States' highest military decoration. Williams was informed of the decision in a phone call from President Donald Trump earlier this week.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, who was among those that campaigned for Williams' recognition, said in a statement, "My friend, constituent, and hero Royce Williams is 100 years young, a Top Gun pilot like no other, and an American hero for all time. The heroism and valor he demonstrated for more than 35 harrowing minutes almost 70 years ago in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea unquestionably saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew. His story is one for the ages and it now has its rightful chapter as Royce receives the Medal of Honor."

Marines from the Quantico, Va.-based Marine Corps Attack Drone Team were at the base last week, teaching troops from the 1st Marine Division to fly the Neros Archer drone.

The Archer is a small quadcopter capable of carrying explosive payloads to its targets. These are one-way flights — the payload and drone explode just before impact.

"It's kind of strange, but it's also cool at the same time," said Lance Cpl Nicholas Miller, a newly-qualified drone pilot.

Miller is an anti-tank missile gunner with 3rd Company, 7th Marines. His inclusion in the program makes sense — the drones could prove to be especially effective against enemy armor.

He said, although it looks like a game, there's no "easy mode."

"It does feel like a video game," he said. "(But) it's hard to start off. You have to be, like, very gentle, and the controls are very finicky. There's like no assistance at all."

It takes three Marines to operate the Archer.

The pilot wears goggles that offer a first-person view from the drone's camera. A team leader — who is also the navigator — watches another video feed and helps the pilot find their target.

A third Marine operates an antenna, keeping track of the drone in flight to ensure a steady stream of video.

The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team launched just a year ago. According to the Corps, the decision to introduce the drones came after observing the success such aircraft had in the war in Ukraine.

Lt. Col. James Nilan is the director of 1st Marine Division Schools.

"What we can see from this is a very, very cost-effective way for Marines to use a system that's incredibly lethal," Nilan said, "and to have effects that typically ... we saw in technology that was much more advanced or much more expensive."

Neros Archer drones have already been deployed as part of the military mission in the Caribbean, the Department of Defense said.

Last year, the Marines agreed to buy 8,000 drones from Neros for $17 million — that's $2,125 per unit.

The Corps is looking for even more drones — in December, it began looking for contractors who can supply thousands of drones for less than $4,000 each.

On Camp Pendleton, that's U.S. Army Veterinary Readiness Activity San Diego.

On Thursday, the Army celebrated the opening of its new clinic at the base.

Army Lt. Col. Craig Calkins is the unit commander. He said the entire military community can benefit from the clinic.

"First and foremost, this building exists to take care of the military working dogs," he said.

But they also treat military family pets as a service.

"Also, to give us additional sets and repetitions of doing tasks so that when there is a military working dog emergency, we're ready," Calkins said.

Army veterinarians care for all the military working dogs across the U.S. Department of Defense. They're also responsible for military food inspection, certifying that food sold on base meets safety and health standards.

"Most people don't realize there are a lot of veterinarians in the Army," he said.

The new facility provides the same level of pet care as civilian providers off-base — but at a significantly lower cost, said Army Staff Sgt. Temujin Benton.

"If you came to us and you got all the vaccines, it'd be like $150, $160," Benton, a veterinary technician, said. "Out in town, you're looking at paying $400 or $500 for the same vaccines."

He said that's an aspect the community appreciates as pet health care costs have skyrocketed over the last decade.

A recent study found that since Oct. 2024, half of all pet owners said they've skipped necessary or recommended treatment for their pets.

According to PitchBook, these price increases coincide with the almost $50 billion that private equity firms have poured into the veterinary services industry since 2017.

"I think especially for California, we are cheaper — significantly cheaper — than the outside," Calkins said.

That's because the Army controls the price of its veterinary services worldwide — the price of a checkup at Camp Pendleton is the same as one in Vicenza, Italy, he said.

"We don't up-sell stuff," Calkins said. "We don't get any commission from selling stuff. "We're just here offering a service — just practicing high-quality medicine and surgery."

Dozens of military veterans and advocates crowded a Senate hearing room Wednesday to show their support for Afghans whose right to be in the United States is being challenged by Republicans after an Afghan parolee shot two National Guard soldiers in November, killing one of them.

At the hearing, called "Biden’s Afghan Parolee Program – A Trojan Horse with Flawed Vetting and Deadly Consequences," Republicans repeatedly claimed dangerous Afghans were let into the country after the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

"Tens of thousands of people admitted into this country — we have no idea of their actual background," said Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri. "We have no idea of their potential terrorist connections. And in many cases, we now have no idea where they are or what they're doing, who they're connected with, or what they're capable of."

Andrew Sullivan is the executive director of No One Left Behind, a nonprofit that advocates for Iraqi and Afghan allies. He said Hawley's assertion just isn't true.

"They served alongside American troops, diplomats and intelligence community professionals and were vetted day in and day out," Sullivan said.

Sullivan was one of the veterans at the hearing. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army infantry officer. He says they sacrificed a lot for the U.S. during the war.

"I had Afghan pilots that came and gave me ammo and water when we were running low on both when we were in (a) contact situation," Sullivan said. "I had an Afghan EOD platoon leader that died, trying to render safe an IED that was ... meant to attack my convoy."

He said Afghans helped keep Americans safe.

"They were just truly integral to keeping us alive," he said. "I think it can't be understated."

One of them was Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29. During the war in Afghanistan Lakanwal served in a counter-terrorism unit ran by the CIA.

He was known to the U.S. and granted humanitarian parole. He was evacuated from Afghanistan in August 2021. In April, the Trump administration granted him asylum protection.

But, he reportedly felt abandoned by the U.S. government.

On Nov. 26, Lakanwal allegedly shot two National Guardsmen deployed to Washington, D.C.

Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-CA, accused Republicans of using the attack to justify President Trump's anti-immigrant crackdown.

"What we walked into was an ongoing effort by the administration and others to exploit a single attack — as heinous as it was — to justify the freezing of all asylum approvals," Padilla said at the hearing.

Investigators from the Departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security inspectors general (IG) offices testified Wednesday about their findings that early in the evacuation of Afghanistan some Afghans were admitted without certain documentation.

Under questioning from Democratic Senator Christopher Coons, DHS Deputy IG Craig Adelman testified his office recommended full screening and vetting of all Afghan evacuees. It subsequently closed that recommendation when Customs and Border Protection complied.

"CBP provided us with data to illustrate that the recurrent vetting process was created and followed," Adelman said.

A Justice Department IG report published in 2025 said federal investigators did their jobs vetting Afghans.

"The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that each of the responsible elements of the FBI assigned to support the evacuations under Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome executed their respective roles in accordance with applicable guidance" the report says. "Further, when potential threats to national security were identified related to certain evacuees, we found that the FBI used its investigative authorities to mitigate those potential threats."

No one from the DOJ OIG testified at Wednesday's hearing.

Nadim Yousify was an Afghan translator from 2010 to 2015. He came to the U.S., became a citizen and joined the Marine Corps.

He testified at Wednesday's hearing, telling lawmakers the country made promises to Afghans over 20 years of war.

"When I served as an interpreter, I stood between U.S. personnel and uncertainty," Yousify said. "I translated not just language, but intent, warnings, and threats. Afghan allies helped save American lives. They believed in the promises made to them."

He said Afghans proved themselves over and over again.

"It is essential to separate individual criminal acts from the reality of an entire population that was vetted, tested, and proven through service," Yousify said.

Shawn VanDiver is cofounder of #AfghanEvac. The San Diego Navy veteran has been working to relocate Afghans since August 2021.

"The idea that we don't have enough information about Afghans falls apart as soon as you apply any amount of critical thinking," he said.

Like Sullivan, VanDiver attended the hearing, as did many other veterans.

"Dozens and dozens of veterans and battle buddies showed up in solidarity," he said. "Every single person in that room that wasn't a government witness was somebody there supporting Afghans. It was remarkable. The hearing room was packed."

Afghan resettlement efforts have taken a significant hit since Donald Trump took office in January 2025.

The Afghans who resettled in the U.S. after the country fell to the Taliban came one of three ways: via Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), asylum and humanitarian parole.

Asylum processing and travel was suspended on the first day of Trump’s new administration —including for thousands of Afghans already approved to relocate to the U.S.

Parole was canceled in May with the end of Temporary Protected Status for Afghans.

And SIV processing stopped after the November shooting.

Padilla said these policies are hurting Afghan families.

"The truth is the real issue here is so many Afghan refugees continue to struggle — not just with the trauma of war, but the frustration and anxiety of an uncertain legal future here in the United States," he said.

This week the administration announced it would stop issuing all immigrant visas to 75 countries — including Afghanistan.

On Wednesday the State Department notified Congress it intends to close Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, where about 1,100 Afghans have been stranded since Trump canceled all asylum processing on Jan. 20, 2025.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-NY, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the decision a "betrayal."

"Closing CAS is the latest reckless step by the Trump administration to dismantle every remaining pathway for these allies to safely relocate in the United States," Meeks said in a statement. "It is a profound betrayal of those who stood with us in Afghanistan and of America's word."

According to #AfghanEvac, at least 150 Afghans at CAS are immediate family members of U.S. military service members.

The State Department hasn't said where the Afghans are to go next.

Wei, 25, apologized to the court, the Navy and his former shipmates during his sentencing hearing Monday in a San Diego federal courtroom.

"I take full responsibility for my actions," Wei said.

A San Diego jury convicted Wei in August on six counts including espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage and violating the Arms Export Control Act.

Wei was a machinist mate 2nd class about to check onto the amphibious assault ship USS Essex in February 2022 when he was first approached by a Chinese intelligence agent, prosecutors said.

John Parmley, an assistant United States attorney in San Diego, said text messages recovered from Wei's phone show he knew exactly what he was doing.

In the text, Wei told a friend he was "no idiot," and that what the agent asked of him was "quite obviously f------ espionage," court records say.

For more than a year Wei, who had a security clearance, used his access to sensitive information to steal documents for China, prosecutors said.

Through June 2023, Wei sent the Chinese official photos of Navy ships in San Diego and several technical manuals pertaining to U.S. amphibious ships, according to prosecutors. He also gave the official detailed accounts of the locations of various crew spaces on the Essex, including weapons systems.

Among these disclosures was a detailed roster of who was assigned to the ship and where they slept, prosecutors said.

For his efforts, the Chinese agent paid Wei a total of $12,816.59, Judge Marilyn Huff said.

Wei's defense attorneys asked Huff to impose a light sentence on the defendant, saying he held no animus for the U.S. and none of the documents he leaked were technically classified.

Parmley told reporters after the hearing that the classification level of the documents didn't matter.

"So if it wasn't classified secret or top secret, it was still incredibly sensitive," Parmley said. "In my view, when you betray your oath to your country, when you betray your fellow sailors, there's really no other word other than ... traitor."

Wei was born in China and lived in a boarding home when he was young after his mother accepted a job in Africa, said Sean Jones, one of Wei's attorneys.

His father wasn't in the picture, he said.

Wei immigrated to the U.S. where he went to high school. He joined the Navy after graduating and became a U.S. citizen, attorneys said.

Huff said she was sympathetic to Wei's difficult childhood but that doesn't excuse his conduct, she said.

"We expect more of people that are in the United States military," Huff said before imposing Wei's sentence. "This is a sad case."

Wei was sentenced to 200 months in prison. He's been in custody since summer 2023.

President Donald Trump announced the payments Dec. 17, falsely claiming they were being paid for by tariff revenue.

The funds for the payments in fact came from a provision in the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" passed this summer, according to a Pentagon statement.

"Money to pay for the Warrior Dividend came earlier this year as part of the president's One Big Beautiful Bill," the statement said. "Approximately 1.28 million active-duty and 174,000 reserve component military members will receive the dividend as a nontaxable supplement to their regular monthly housing allowance."

According to the bill, the $2.9 billion was given to the Pentagon to supplement the Basic Allowance for Housing some service members receive.

Janessa Goldbeck is the CEO of the Vet Voice Foundation, a nonprofit that works to get veterans involved in policymaking. She said redirecting funds undermines military planning.

"No one is against bonuses or better pay for service members,” Goldbeck said. "It (takes) away from money that was Congressionally allocated to do other things. When the president rebrands existing money into a political payout, it undermines that planning. The person who gains the most from this stunt is President Trump."

The issue, Goldbeck said, is in how Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, works.

The housing allowance pays qualified service members who choose not to live in base housing a monthly tax-free stipend to pay rent on the private market. The amount each service member receives is dependent upon their rank and whether they have a family — BAH goes up as a person gets promoted.

It's also different based on where one is stationed. An E-5 with a family stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma is paid $1,644 per month in BAH.

The same service member in San Diego would receive $3,975 per month.

$1,776 doesn't go very far in San Diego, Goldbeck says.

"That amount ... is going to go a lot further for a service member stationed in a lower-cost place than for a service member stationed in San Diego," she said.

Goldbeck, who served as an officer in the Marines, said a lot of service members struggle to pay for housing as BAH rates don't always keep up with rising rents and inflation.

"In really expensive places like San Diego ... it's really hard for troops to actually live out in town on BAH, depending on their rank or how many members of their family they have."

That doesn't mean every Marine, sailor, soldier and airman in San Diego was shorted by the bonus.

A lot of service members, especially those who are young or early in their careers, live in barracks on base or on ships. Many military families also choose to live in base housing.

"So this one-time cash payment is actually a great deal for them," Goldbeck said. "But for the E-5 sergeant living out in town who is struggling to pay rent ... they are no longer able to see that adjustment because these funds have been reallocated in one flat way. It really does a disservice to the service members living here who can't afford the rent in San Diego County."

This isn't the first time Trump shuffled the military budget to pay troops. During the government shutdown the Pentagon diverted research and development funds to make military payroll.

Las reacciones entre los sandieguinos estuvieron divididas tras la acción militar del sábado en Venezuela, en la cual el presidente Nicolás Maduro fue capturado por el ejército de Estados Unidos y trasladado a Nueva York para enfrentar cargos por narcotráfico.

Alejandra Herrera es propietaria de Encuento Cafe, un restaurante en Old Town que sirve comida venezolana.

"Estamos muy felices. Hemos estado esperando esto durante tres años", comentó a City News Service. "Es algo que definitivamente necesitábamos".

Herrera inmigró a los Estados Unidos desde Venezuela hace 11 años. "Va a ser muy difícil al principio", comentó. "... Estamos agradecidos con los Estados Unidos".

Criseiea Waldenberg, presidenta de Casa de Venezuela en San Diego, lo calificó como "uno de los momentos más felices de mi vida. ¡Venezuela es LIBRE de este dictador!", publicó en Instagram. "Los venezolanos intentaron la vía pacifista durante años sin resultados. Un tercio de la población de Venezuela vive en el exilio; miles han muerto, desaparecido o están encarcelados".

"Venezuela solía ser una de las 10 economías más fuertes del mundo. Ya me conocen, yo soy todo amor, paz y comprensión, pero hace mucho tiempo que los venezolanos entendieron que, con estos criminales, la violencia era la única salida", continuó el comunicado de Waldenberg. "Los venezolanos estarán ETERNAMENTE agradecidos con los EE. UU. por finalmente escuchar su súplica de ayuda".

Sin embargo, la representante Sara Jacobs (demócrata por el distrito 51 de California) manifestó su rechazo a la operación a través de X.

"Secuestrar al presidente Maduro en una operación de cambio de régimen no ayudará a proteger al pueblo estadounidense. De hecho, esto no mitigará el narcotráfico en los Estados Unidos: Venezuela prácticamente no tiene ninguna participación en la producción o el tráfico de fentanilo", señaló Jacobs.

Insto encarecidamente al presidente Trump a que se abstenga de realizar más acciones no autorizadas y cualquier ocupación de Venezuela. La próxima semana, el Senado votará una resolución para bloquear la acción militar de EE. UU. contra Venezuela a falta de una autorización del Congreso, y la Cámara de Representantes debe hacer lo mismo”, continuó Jacobs. “Y el pueblo estadounidense merece respuestas, por lo que el Congreso debe recibir un informe del secretario Rubio, el secretario Hegseth y nuestros líderes de inteligencia lo antes posible”.

El representante Mike Levin (demócrata por el distrito 49 de California) también señaló que el presidente Donald Trump debió haber informado al Congreso antes de la incursión.

“Nicolás Maduro era un gobernante autoritario ilegítimo que desmanteló las instituciones democráticas de Venezuela y presidió la represión, la corrupción y el colapso económico. Millones de venezolanos han pagado el precio, y su país está mejor sin él”, dijo Levin. “Pero esa realidad no exime a la administración Trump de sus obligaciones constitucionales”.

“Quiero agradecer a los hombres y mujeres de nuestras fuerzas armadas y de la comunidad de inteligencia por su profesionalismo y valentía, y me alivia que ningún militar estadounidense haya perdido la vida. Sin embargo, mi gratitud no cambia el hecho de que el Presidente no acudió al Congreso para presentar una justificación legal y estratégica, ni para buscar la autorización que la Constitución exige”, continuó el comunicado de Levin. “Esa omisión corre el riesgo de arrastrar a los Estados Unidos a un conflicto no autorizado aún más profundo, sin el consentimiento del pueblo estadounidense o de sus representantes electos”.

El representante Scott Peters (demócrata por el distrito 50 de California) dijo estar “profundamente alarmado al despertar con la noticia de que Estados Unidos ha invadido —y ahora tomado el control de— Venezuela”.

“Nicolás Maduro es un dictador ilegítimo que ha causado un sufrimiento inmenso al pueblo venezolano. Pero Venezuela no representa una amenaza a la seguridad de los Estados Unidos que justifique esta acción. Parece ser una maniobra por los recursos petroleros venezolanos. Sabemos, por el indulto al expresidente hondureño Hernández, que llevar a Maduro ante la justicia por cargos de narcotráfico es un pretexto”, añadió Peters

“Y aunque muchos venezolanos y estadounidenses deseaban ver a Maduro fuera del poder, sabemos que 'gobernar un país' implica costos continuos. Lo sabemos por las dos décadas y los billones de dólares que invertimos en el Medio Oriente. El presidente Trump ahora ha arrastrado a los Estados Unidos a otro conflicto al que, según las encuestas, los estadounidenses se oponen abrumadoramente. Y tras décadas de guerras interminables, no necesitamos otra más.

En San Diego, una comunidad militar orgullosa, sabemos mejor que la mayoría lo que las acciones militares les cuestan a nuestros soldados y a sus familias aquí en casa. Por eso, sospechamos especialmente de las decisiones militares impulsivas con objetivos poco claros. Estamos agradecidos de que ningún militar estadounidense haya muerto y de que la misión haya salido según lo planeado, pero nos preocupa la misión indefinida que tenemos por delante”, continuó el comunicado.

“... La Constitución le otorga al Congreso el poder de declarar la guerra, pero el Congreso no fue notificado de esta acción con anticipación... Es momento de que la administración rinda cuentas al Congreso sobre esta acción y la estrategia a seguir. Donald Trump sigue debilitando a nuestro país al perder amigos y ganar enemigos en todo el mundo. Tenemos que evitar que esto se convierta en otra debacle mal planeada de reconstrucción nacional”, concluyó Peters.

El representante Darrell Issa (republicano por el distrito 48 de California) tuvo una perspectiva distinta.

"Nuestros militares de élite han vuelto a desempeñarse de manera brillante, con total eficacia y una mínima pérdida de vidas. Son los mejor entrenados, mejor equipados y los más valientes del mundo", publicó Issa en X. "Una vez más, @realDonaldTrump ha tomado medidas contundentes para proteger el territorio estadounidense de las amenazas vecinas del narcoterrorismo y del flagelo de los narcóticos mortales. La administración Trump tiene todo mi apoyo".

Tras meses de crecientes tensiones —en los que EE. UU. llevó a cabo ataques letales contra presuntas embarcaciones de droga provenientes de Venezuela, confiscó un buque petrolero y ordenó el bloqueo de todos los tanqueros petroleros sancionados—, el ejército estadounidense lanzó la operación a gran escala en Caracas durante la noche del viernes y la madrugada del sábado.

Maduro —quien enfrenta una acusación federal en los Estados Unidos por presuntamente dirigir un cártel que ha introducido drogas a ese país— y su esposa fueron sacados de su hogar y estaban siendo trasladados a Nueva York para enfrentar los cargos.

En una conferencia de prensa el sábado, Trump dijo que Estados Unidos estaría "dirigiendo" Venezuela de manera indefinida hasta que pudiera llevarse a cabo una transferencia de poder "sensata". Añadió que Estados Unidos tomaría el control de los campos petroleros del país, aumentando la producción y permitiendo que las empresas petroleras estadounidenses vendan el petróleo a otras naciones, incluyendo a China y Rusia.

"No queremos vernos involucrados en que alguien más llegue y tengamos la misma situación que hemos tenido durante el largo periodo de los últimos años", dijo Trump. "... Queremos paz, libertad y justicia para el gran pueblo de Venezuela, y eso incluye a muchos que ahora viven en los Estados Unidos y quieren regresar a su país".

Trump acusó a Maduro y a su esposa, Cilia Flores, de una "campaña de narcoterrorismo mortal contra los Estados Unidos y sus ciudadanos".

El presidente señaló que los ataques previos de EE. UU. contra embarcaciones de droga habían eliminado el 97% de las sustancias que entran a los Estados Unidos por mar, "y esas drogas provienen principalmente de un lugar llamado Venezuela".

Añadió que cada presunta embarcación de droga era responsable de "un promedio de 25,000 muertes".

Venezuela posee las mayores reservas probadas de petróleo del mundo y solía estar entre sus principales productores, pero su producción ha caído drásticamente en las últimas dos décadas.

El secretario de Estado de los EE. UU., Marco Rubio, dijo a los reporteros el sábado que la naturaleza de la operación militar —la cual los funcionarios planearon durante días, pero esperaron a lanzar hasta que las condiciones climáticas fueran ideales— no permitió la notificación al Congreso. Trump añadió que el Congreso es conocido por filtrar información, y que eso podría haber puesto en peligro la misión.

La Constitución otorga al Congreso el poder exclusivo de declarar formalmente la guerra. En 1973, en un intento por codificar con mayor rigor su control sobre las incursiones militares en medio de la Guerra de Vietnam, el Congreso aprobó la Resolución de Poderes de Guerra. Dicha ley establece que el presidente debe notificar al Congreso en un plazo de 48 horas tras introducir fuerzas armadas en hostilidades, y las tropas deben ser retiradas en un periodo de 60 a 90 días si el Congreso no autoriza la acción.

Desde entonces, los presidentes ocasionalmente han eludido la ley, citando diversas urgencias, y su eficacia sigue siendo objeto de debate.

Varios barcos con base en San Diego se desplegaron en el Caribe a finales de 2025 para la Operación Southern Spear (Lanza del Sur), incluyendo los destructores de misiles guiados USS Stockdale y USS Sampson, junto con el crucero USS Lake Erie. Estas embarcaciones operaron como parte de un despliegue mayor del Comando Sur de los EE. UU. dirigido contra los cárteles de la droga. Aún no está claro qué papel pudieron haber desempeñado en la operación.

El grupo Indivisible North County San Diego programó una vigilia en la puerta principal de Camp Pendleton a las 3 p.m. del sábado para protestar contra la operación estadounidense.

Reactions from San Diegans were mixed following Saturday's military action in Venezuela, in which that country's President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the U.S. military and brought to New York to face drug charges.

Alejandra Herrera owns Encuento Cafe, an Old Town restaurant that serves Venezuelan food.

"We are very happy. We've been waiting for this for three years," she told City News Service. "It's something that we definitely needed."

Herrera immigrated to the United States from Venezuela 11 years ago. "It's going to be very difficult at the beginning," she said. " ... We are grateful to the United States."

Criseiea Waldenberg, president of Casa de Venezuela of San Diego, called it "one of the happiest moments of my life. Venezuela is FREE of this dictator!" she posted on Instagram. "Venezuelans tried the pacifist way for years with no results. A third of the population of Venezuela lives in exile, thousands have died, disappeared or are incarcerated.

"Venezuela used to be one of the top 10 strongest economies in the world. You know me, I'm all about love, peace and understanding, but long ago Venezuelans understood that with these criminals, violence was the only way out," Waldenberg's statement continued. "Venezuelans will FOREVER be thankful to the USA for finally listening to their plea for help."

However, Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-CA 51, stated her opposition to the operation on X.

"Kidnapping President Maduro in a regime change operation won't help protect the American people. It won't actually mitigate drug trafficking in the United States: Venezuela plays virtually no role in producing or trafficking fentanyl," Jacobs said.

"I strongly urge President Trump to abstain from further unauthorized actions and any occupation of Venezuela. Next week, the Senate will vote on a resolution to block U.S. military action against Venezuela absent authorization by Congress, and the House must do the same," Jacobs continued. "And the American people deserve answers, so Congress must be briefed by Secretary Rubio, Secretary Hegseth, and our intelligence leaders as soon as possible."

Rep. Mike Levin, D-CA 49, also said President Donald Trump should have informed Congress prior to the raid.

"Nicolas Maduro was an illegitimate authoritarian ruler who dismantled Venezuela's democratic institutions and presided over repression, corruption, and economic collapse. Millions of Venezuelans have paid the price, and their country is better off without him," Levin said. "But that reality does not relieve the Trump administration of its constitutional obligations.

"I want to thank the men and women of our military and intelligence community for their professionalism and courage, and I am relieved that no American service members were killed. My gratitude, however, does not change that the President did not come to Congress to present a legal and strategic justification or seek the authorization the Constitution requires," Levin's statement continued. "That failure risks drawing the United States deeper into an unauthorized conflict, without the consent of the American people or their elected representatives."

Rep. Scott Peters, D-CA 50, said he was "deeply alarmed to wake up to the news that the United States has invaded — and now taken over — Venezuela.

"Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator who has caused immense suffering for the Venezuelan people. But Venezuela does not pose a security cost to the United States that would justify this action. It seems to be a move on Venezuelan oil resources. We know from the pardon of former Honduran President Hernandez that bringing Maduro to justice on drug charges is a pretext," Peters added.

"And while many Venezuelans and Americans hoped to see Maduro gone, we know that `running a country' will have ongoing costs. We know that from the two decades and trillions of dollars we gave in the Middle East. President Trump has now pulled the U.S. into another conflict that polling shows Americans overwhelmingly oppose. And after decades of endless wars, we do not need another one.

"In San Diego, a proud military community, we know better than most the costs of military action for our service members and their families back home. That's why we are particularly suspicious of impulsive military decisions with unclear objectives. We are grateful that no U.S. service members were killed and that the mission went as planned, but we are concerned about the undefined mission ahead," the statement continued.

" ... Congress is vested by the Constitution with the power to declare war, but Congress was not notified of this action ahead of time ... It's time for the administration to brief Congress on this action and the strategy going forward. Donald Trump continues to make our country weaker by losing friends and gaining enemies around the world. We need to prevent this from becoming another ill-conceived nation-building debacle," Peters said.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-CA 48, had a different take.

"Our elite military have again performed brilliantly with total effectiveness, and minimum loss of life. They are the best-trained, best- equipped, and bravest in the world," Issa posted on X. "Once again, @realDonaldTrump has taken strong action to protect America's homeland from neighboring threats of narcoterrorism and the scourge of deadly narcotics. The Trump Administration has my full support."

After months of escalating tensions in which the U.S. conducted deadly strikes against alleged drug boats from Venezuela, seized an oil tanker and ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers, the U.S. military launched the large-scale operation in Caracas overnight Friday and early Saturday.

Maduro, who is under federal indictment in the United States for allegedly running a cartel that has funneled drugs into the U.S., and his wife were taken from their home and were being transported to New York to face charges.

At a news conference Saturday, Trump said the United States would "be running" Venezuela indefinitely until a "judicious" transfer of power could take place. He added that the United States would be taking over the country's oil fields, increasing production and allowing U.S. oil companies to sell the oil to other nations, including China and Russia.

"We don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years," Trump said. " ... We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country."

Trump accused Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores of a "campaign of deadly narco-terrorism against the United States and its citizens."

The president said previous U.S. strikes on drug boats had knocked out 97% of drugs coming into the United States by sea, "and those drugs mostly come from a place called Venezuela."

He added that each alleged drug boat was responsible for "on average 25,000 deaths."

Venezuela contains the world's largest proven oil reserves and used to be among its largest oil producers, but its production has fall off drastically in the last couple decades.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Saturday that the nature of the military operation, which officials planned for days but waited to launch until weather conditions were ideal, did not allow for congressional notification. Trump added that Congress was known to leak information, and that could have jeopardized the mission.

The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to formally declare war. In 1973, an attempt to further codify its control of military excursions amid the Vietnam War, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution. That act says the president must notify Congress within 48 hours of introducing armed forces into hostilities, and troops must be removed within 60-90 days if Congress doesn't authorize the action.

Since then, presidents have occasionally skirted the act, citing various exigencies, and its effectiveness continues to be debated.

San Diego-based ships deployed to the Caribbean in late 2025 for Operation Southern Spear including the guided-missile destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Sampson, along with the cruiser USS Lake Erie. These vessels operated as part of a larger U.S. Southern Command buildup targeting drug cartels.

It was unclear what role they may have played in the operation.

The group Indivisible North County San Diego planned a vigil at Camp Pendleton's main gate at 3 p.m. Saturday to protest the U.S. operation.

Cientos de Marines de Camp Pendleton fueron desplegados este mes como parte de la misión en curso en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México, informó el Pentágono.

Entre 450 y 500 Marines pertenecen al 1er Batallón de Ingenieros de Combate y estarán apoyando las operaciones de la Patrulla Fronteriza cerca de Yuma, Arizona.

Un portavoz de la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta Frontera Sur dijo a KPBS que los Marines forman parte de la rotación regular de fuerzas en la frontera. Sustituyeron a Marines del Batallón de Logística de Combate 15, que también tiene su base en Camp Pendleton.

Los Marines del 1er Batallón de Ingenieros de Combate estuvieron entre las primeras unidades del área de San Diego enviadas a la frontera a principios de este año.

Fotos y videos del Departamento de Defensa de Estados Unidos muestran a Marines colocando alambre de concertina a lo largo de cercas fronterizas ya existentes y despejando matorrales como parte de la misión en la frontera.

Este mes, el Departamento del Interior anunció que gran parte de la frontera de California con México ahora está designada como zona de defensa nacional — un área militarizada de aproximadamente 18 metros (60 pies) de ancho.

La ley federal prohíbe que las fuerzas armadas participen en labores de aplicación de la ley dentro del país. Sin embargo, esta nueva designación permite al Pentágono tratar la frontera como una base militar y autoriza a las tropas a tener contacto con migrantes y detenerlos.

También permite a los fiscales federales añadir cargos por allanamiento a las personas migrantes detenidas en estas zonas designadas.

Las designaciones de zonas de defensa nacional comenzaron en Arizona en abril y pronto se extendieron a Nuevo México y a partes de Texas.

Cada una de estas áreas está bajo el control administrativo de instalaciones militares cercanas, informó un portavoz de la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta Frontera Sur (JTF Southern Border).

Estas son:

• Ft. Huachuca, Arizona — sur de Nuevo México
• Ft. Bliss, Texas — oeste de Texas
• Joint Base San Antonio — sur de Texas
• Estación Aérea del Cuerpo de Marines de Yuma — sur de Arizona
• Instalación Aérea Naval de El Centro — sur de California

El Pentágono afirma que su personal ha realizado más de 3,000 detenciones en las zonas de defensa nacional desde abril.

Hundreds of Camp Pendleton Marines deployed this month as part of the ongoing mission at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Pentagon said.

The reported 450 to 500 Marines are from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and will be supporting Border Patrol operations near Yuma, AZ.

A Joint Task Force Southern Border spokesperson told KPBS the Marines are part of the regular rotation of forces at the border. They replaced Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 15 — also based at Camp Pendleton.

Marines from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion were among the first San Diego-area units sent to the border early this year.

Photos and videos from the U.S. Department of Defense show Marines stringing concertina wire along existing border fences and clearing brush during the border mission.

This month, the Interior Department announced that much of California's border with Mexico is now designated a national defense area — a militarized zone 60 feet wide.

Federal law prohibits the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement. The new designation allows the Pentagon to treat the border as a military base and permits troops to contact and detain migrants.

It also allows federal prosecutors to add trespassing charges to migrants caught in the designated areas.

The national defense designations began in Arizona in April and soon spread to New Mexico and parts of Texas.

Each area is under the administrative control of nearby military installations, the JTF Southern Border spokesperson said.

They are:

• Ft. Huachuca, AZ — southern New Mexico
• Ft. Bliss, Texas — West Texas
• Joint Base San Antonio — South Texas
• Marine Corps Air Station Yuma — southern Arizona
• Naval Air Facility El Centro — Southern California

The Pentagon says its personnel have made more than 3,000 detentions in the national defense areas since April.

San Diego is one of three finalists in contention to host the 2029 Invictus Games, the organization behind the competition said Wednesday.

The other two cities are Aalborg, Denmark and Daejeon, South Korea.

Disabled military veterans from more than two dozen countries compete in the biannual games.

Andy Soler, the co-chair of San Diego's bid committee, said he likes the city's chances to host.

"I think if you live in San Diego, you can't help but be connected in some way with the military," Soler said.

Getting to the final three starts a monthslong effort to show the selection committee why San Diego should host the games.

If awarded, Soler said the San Diego Convention Center will host most of the competitions.

Selection committee members will visit San Diego in April. In June, the San Diego bid committee will visit London to present to the full Invictus board, Soler said.

Navy veteran Jiesyl Rama is a Team USA athlete who competed at this year's Invictus Games in Vancouver.

Rama was medically retired from the Navy after being injured in the USS Bonhomme Richard fire in 2020. She said having the games in San Diego would be huge for local veterans like her.

"Our communities need Invictus," Rama said. "They need this power and this 'secret sauce' and what the games bring, and (they) bring a lot of healing to people here, too."

That "secret sauce," Soler said, is the camaraderie built among athletes.

"The Invictus movement is a little bit different," he said. "It's not always the best athletes that are chosen to compete in the games."

Instead, competitors are chosen by how they might each benefit, personally, from competing.

"It literally has changed their lives," Soler said. "And that's what it is all about."

The 2029 host city will be announced in July.

Without the staff to fill the roles the Navy is relying on the crews of the ships, which are also understaffed, to ensure contractors follow safety regulations, the report says.

A Navy investigation found poor oversight of the contractors who do major repair work on Navy ships to be a contributing factor in the devastating fire that destroyed the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego five years ago.

The GAO report, published Wednesday, says every key organization across the Navy responsible for fire safety during maintenance and repairs has staffing shortfalls.

Most of the Navy's type commands — led by three-star admirals responsible for maintenance — and Regional Maintenance Centers reported delaying the hiring of fire safety staff in response to Trump's executive orders, the report says.

"Pretty much every area maintenance center that we talked to talked about these staffing shortages," said Shelby Oakley, a director at the GAO who monitors Navy contracting and shipbuilding.

She said the Navy has improved the fire safety procedures and trainings for ships undergoing maintenance and made significant efforts to implement the lessons from the fire.

"It's just that those efforts didn't really focus on what the contractors were doing and how we're overseeing what (they're) doing to hold them accountable ... to ensure that we don't have another fire like this," Oakley said.

She said the executive orders restricting federal hiring, in addition to buyouts and retirements over the last year, are having impacts across the military.

"We've been seeing it across a number of (GAO's) other efforts," she said. "Those have been having a significant impact on staffing — within the Navy specifically — but other services as well."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the July 2020 fire was the result of arson. A junior sailor was arrested, tried and acquitted at a 2022 court-martial.

But investigators also found that poor industrial hygiene by contractors contributed to the conditions on the ship that allowed the fire to spread so fast.

It burned for almost five days, injured more than 60 people and led to the total loss of the $1 billion warship — one that had just finished $250 million in upgrades and had almost two decades of service life ahead.

The GAO's report raises other questions about the Navy's investigations.

More than a year after the fire, the Navy published two investigations — one into the fire on the Bonhomme Richard and a Major Fires Review that looked at other fires on ships undergoing maintenance.

But the GAO found neither included key fire safety violations by contractors aboard the Bonhomme Richard in the months leading up to the fire.

Oakley said this was concerning.

"It really did raise a lot of question marks for us in terms of why these weren't something that was considered as part of ... the Navy's own investigation," she said.

The report says the staffing shortages put the burden of contractor oversight on sailors assigned to the ships — ships that are themselves undermanned. The sailors also have no authority over contractors, Oakley said.

"They just don't have the authority to tell them what to do," Oakley said. "So even if they see something, they can't go up and say, 'hey, you know, you're supposed to be doing this differently,' or 'why is this here?' The contractor doesn't have to respond to the crew," she said.

The GOA recommends the Navy impose financial consequences for contractors that violate fire regulations. The report doesn't explicitly recommend filling the open jobs — Oakley said the GAO doesn't typically recommend spending increases — but does say the Navy should find a way to maximize its existing resources.

The GAO surveyed six Navy ships that have undergone shipyard maintenance since the Bonhomme Richard fire. Across those six ships, it found 343 Corrective Action Requests issued to contractors related to fire safety violations.

KPBS asked Naval Surface Forces about the claims in the report but has not received comment. The Navy concurred with GAO's recommendations, the report says.

Marines attempted to de-escalate tensions while screening and admitting people to the embassy grounds.

Things went wrong. The sailors and Marines of Cherokee Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) fly into action, treating the wounded and evacuating the embassy staff.

Except, this wasn't really an embassy and the protesters were actors.

It's just one of the ways commanders try to put troops in real-world situations to prepare them for what they could be asked to do while overseas.

"What we're going for is creating hard, realistic training for the Marines," said 1st Lt. Caleb Korhorn, a weapons platoon commander with 1/5.

Korhorn's platoon participated in the annual Steel Knight exercise at Camp Pendleton. This year, Marines and sailors from California to Arizona played some part of the war games.

Korhorn's battalion is preparing for a rotational deployment to Darwin, Australia in 2026.

"Thinking back to what happened in the evacuation of Kabul in 2021 (and) the chaos that ensued there, there is an attempt to replicate the same sort of stressors that Marines saw four years ago," Korhorn said.

The mock embassy is part of what the Marines call K-2 Combat Town — a small plot of roads and buildings used to train Marines to operate in urban areas.

Navy corpsmen serve with Marine platoons as medics and do everything Marines do, according to Navy Capt. Garfield Cross, the 1st Marine Division surgeon.

They're also among the best at what they do, he said.

"They are an extension of their physician," Garfield said. "They go where we can't go and they do the things that we can't — or are not able to — do."

The embassy evacuation is just part of what the platoon did during the exercise, during which they remained in the field at the base as they might during real operations.

"We're prepared to move to a defensive position later this week," Korhorn said. "Living conditions will change. We will be living and fighting out of a hole in the ground that we dug."

The infantry is just one part of a Marine Air-Ground Task force, or MAGTF.

Other elements of the Camp Pendleton-based I Marine Expeditionary Force make deployments possible.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, supplies the aircraft, while the 1st Marine Logistics Group handles supplies. These elements, plus amphibious ships from the Navy and support aircraft from the Air Force, round out those participating in the exercise.

At nearby Red Beach, Marines secured another fabricated town in preparation for an amphibious landing.

Marine Amphibious Combat Vehicles, or ACVs, splashed into the Pacific Ocean from the Dock Landing Ship USS Pearl Harbor, visible just off shore.

Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion boats, or LCACs, were also part of the landing. The large ships are able to ferry the armored ACVs from ship to shore and vice versa if necessary.

It took the Marines a couple decades to field a replacement for its beleaguered fleet of Vietnam War-era Assault Amphibious Vehicles, or AAVs. The need for a replacement became more urgent in 2020 when eight Marines and a sailor were killed when their AAV sank off the San Diego coast.

The first ACV deployment was delayed almost two years after two rolled-over in the surf at Camp Pendleton.

In 2024, ACVs deployed with a Marine Expeditionary Unit for the first time.

Lt. Col Fred Monday said ACV operations are getting where the Corps needs them to be.

"The battalion right now has five elements that are training for deployments where in the past we were just training for one," Monday said.

Monday is the commanding officer of the 3rd Amphibian Battalion which supplies ACVs to West Coast units.

"So all the things we learned from — you could argue some missteps years ago where we just didn't know — those have been applied," Monday said.

Still, military operations — training included — are dangerous.

Pfc. Tanner Rubio, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, was killed in a "tactical vehicle mishap" during training at Camp Pendleton Dec. 3.

The Marines said Rubio wasn't involved in Steel Knight, but did not say what type of tactical vehicle was involved in his death. Citing an ongoing investigation, the Marines declined to respond to further questions about the incident.

Tactical vehicle accidents have plagued the Marines for years. The armored vehicles have high centers of gravity and poor driver visibility. When off-road it can be difficult to see hazards — factors that investigators said led to the rollover death of 1st Lt. Conor McDowell at the base in 2019.

In 2023, Marine Sgt. Matthew Bylski was killed at Camp Pendleton in an ACV rollover.

Safety and risk mitigation factor into the planning for these exercises, said Monday.

"We approach it through two lenses," he said. "One — the safety structure that is in place ... think of all the things to make sure that the Marines know what right looks like and what right does not look like."

Monday said there's no way around the fact that military operations can be dangerous, which is why troops must adhere to the regulations in place.

"We do speak safety, but we speak risk mitigation because that's really what we do as warfighters," Monday said. "When we focus primarily on safety alone we may lose sight of the fact that we are preparing to go to war. But I will stand behind the fact that if you do it to the tactical standard, you are inherently safe."

For example, even something apparently as routine as a short transit from ship to shore takes a team effort, Monday said. Weeks of planning went into the 30-minute ACV transit from the USS Pearl Harbor to Red Beach — just one part of the 14-day exercise.

After a spate of deadly accidents that have claimed the lives of 20 service members in the past four years, a Navy report acknowledges that the military failed to address a growing series of issues with the V-22 Osprey aircraft since it took flight almost 20 years ago.

“The cumulative risk posture of the V-22 platform has been growing since initial fielding,” according to the report by Naval Air Systems Command released Friday. It added that the office in charge of the aircraft “has not promptly implemented … fixes to mitigate existing risks.”

“As a result, risks continue to accumulate,” the report said.

The Associated Press reported last year that the most serious types of accidents for the Osprey, which is the only aircraft to fly like a plane but convert to land like a helicopter, spiked between 2019 and 2023 and that, unlike other aircraft, the problems did not level off as the years passed.

“As the first and only military tiltrotor aircraft, it remains the most aero-mechanically complex aircraft in service and continues to face unresolved legacy material, safety, and technical challenges,” the report said.

Commissioned in 2023 by NAVAIR, the Navy command responsible for the purchase and maintenance of aircraft, the investigation reveals that the Osprey not only has the “second highest number of catastrophic risks across all Naval Aviation platforms” but that those risks have gone unresolved for an average of more than 10 years.

By contrast, the average across other aircraft in the Navy's inventory is six years.

The Navy's response

Vice Adm. John Dougherty, commander of NAVAIR, said the service is “committed to improving the V-22’s performance and safeguarding the warfighters who rely on this platform.” He offered no details on any actions taken for years of failing to address the Osprey's risks.

The command did not respond to questions about what, if any, accountability measures were taken in response to the findings.

The lack of details on accountability for missteps also came up when the Navy recently released investigations into four accidents during a U.S.-led campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. A senior Navy official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity to offer more candid details, said that he didn’t believe the service had an obligation to make accountability actions public.

Risks were allowed to build up, the report says

The investigation lays much of the responsibility for the problems on the Osprey's Joint Program Office. Part of the mission for this office, which operates within NAVAIR, is making sure the aircraft can be safely flown by the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Air Force, all of which use different versions of the aircraft for different missions.

The report found that this office “did not effectively manage or address identified risks in a timely manner, allowing them to accumulate,” and it faced “challenges” in implementing safety fixes across all three services.

Two major issues involve the Osprey's complicated transmission. The aircraft has a host of gearboxes and clutches that, like a car’s transmission, are crucial to powering each propeller behind the Osprey’s unique tilting capability. The system also helps connect the two sides of the aircraft to keep it flying in the event of engine failure.

One problem is an issue in which the transmission system essentially shreds itself from the inside due to a power imbalance in the engines. That brought down a Marine Corps Osprey, killing five Marines in California in 2022.

The other issue is a manufacturing defect in the gears within the transmission that renders them more brittle and prone to failure. That was behind the crash of an Air Force Osprey off the coast of Japan in November 2023 that killed eight service members.

The report reveals that this manufacturing issue went back to 2006 but the Osprey’s Joint Program Office did not formally assess or accept this risk until March 2024.

Besides these mechanical issues, the report found that the program office failed to ensure uniform maintenance standards for the aircraft, while determining that 81% of all the accidents that the Ospreys have had on the ground were due to human error.

Recommendations for the issues revealed

The report offers a series of recommendations for each of the issues it uncovered. They range from rudimentary suggestions like consolidating best maintenance practices across all the services to more systemic fixes like developing a new, midlife upgrade program for the Osprey.

While fixes for both mechanical issues are also in the report, it seems that it will take until 2034 and 2033 for the military to fully deal with both, respectively.

Naval Air Systems Command did not reply when asked if it had a message for troops who will fly in the aircraft in the meantime.

Watchdog also releases Osprey report

The Government Accountability Office, an independent watchdog serving Congress, made similar conclusions and recommendations in a separate report released Friday.

The GAO blamed most Osprey accidents on part failures and human error while service members flew or maintained the aircraft. It determined that the military hasn’t fully “identified, analyzed, or responded” to all of the Osprey’s safety risks.

The GAO said the Pentagon should improve its process for addressing those risks, while adding more oversight to ensure they are resolved. Another recommendation is for the Navy, Air Force and Marines to routinely share information on hazards and accidents to help prevent mishaps.

Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.

Private 1st Class Tanner Rubio was killed Wednesday in a "tactical vehicle mishap" at Camp Pendleton, the 1st Marine Division said in a statement Friday.

Rubio, 21, was a rifleman attached to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, the statement said.

He was from Dixon, Calif., and joined the Marine Corps in January.

"The tragic loss of Pfc. Rubio is one felt across the 1st Marine Division,” commanding general Maj. Gen. Thomas Savage said. "He will be sorely missed, but his honorable service to his country will not be forgotten."

The Marines didn't identify the type of tactical vehicle involved in the incident or the nature of the mishap.

"The incident is currently under investigation," the Marines said. "To preserve the integrity of the investigation, no additional details are available at this time."

The Marines said the incident occurred during training unrelated to the ongoing Exercise Steel Knight 25 at the base.

Tactical vehicle deaths have plagued the military for years.

The vehicles have high centers of gravity and poor driver visibility. When operating off-road in rough terrain, it can be difficult to see hazards — a factor that contributed to the 2019 rollover death of 1st. Lt. Conor McDowell on Camp Pendleton.

In 2023, Marine Sgt. Matthew Bylski was killed at Camp Pendleton in a rollover involving an Amphibious Combat Vehicle.

Between 2010 and 2019, more than 100 troops were killed in tactical vehicle rollovers, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

In a 2021 study, the GAO found issues with supervision and training in tactical vehicle crashes across the Army and Marine Corps. It made nine recommendations to the Pentagon to help prevent these accidents.

A follow-up report in March found that the Pentagon has implemented two of the nine recommendations.

The nonprofit said its new, larger building will allow them grow into an organization that is able to help military families across the country.

STEP began helping local service members in 2012, providing financial education and assistance for enlisted people in need.

In 2020, it began distributing food and other household goods.

Jennifer Handy is a director at STEP. She said they've already been able to do more for families in the month since they moved in.

"We've already done more distributions in a month than we've done before and we've been able to take on more families as well," Handy said. "And we have more space for volunteers."

Cofounder and CEO Tony Teravainen said inflation and high cost of living are especially difficult for military families because they have to frequently move — often to costly areas.

He said there's more demand for assistance now than ever.

"So, we want to continue to add our program to more states and guarantee it in more states," he said. " It's not going to get any better, right? Inflation is still going to keep growing, and money challenges are going to be everywhere."

STEP has expanded along the west coast and recently into Hawaii. But it's able to provide services to military families nationwide.

They're helping families in 47 states, Teravainen said.

"Each year we donate about 250,000 pounds of food, 250,000 diapers and about $1 million worth of merchandise that's donated to us that we can give back directly to families," he said. "This larger warehouse helps us answer the call locally, while the building itself helps us answer the call nationally."

Teravainen said that while they're expanding capacity for immediate assistance, the goal remains to help military families get control of their finances via their financial literacy program.

"We've executed that program with over 10,000 families now across the country," he said. "And yes, that's amazing to say that."

He said after one year, it's effective for 90% of families who complete it.

A U.S. Marine died during a training exercise Wednesday at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, military officials said.

The Marine died of injuries sustained in a “tactical vehicle mishap” in the afternoon, the I Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement.

The Marine's name was not released, and the cause of the incident was under investigation. Officials said the death was not related to Steel Knight, an annual, large-scale training exercise that began Monday on the base.

No further details were given.

The I Marine Expeditionary Force is the largest of the three Marine expeditionary forces and is located on the coast in San Diego County.