California Republican gubernatorial candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has said he supports creating a “path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants living currently in the United States, a stance that has drawn scrutiny from conservative voters in a crowded GOP primary.

During a November interview with Pastura California that recently resurfaced, Bianco laid out his plan for allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the country.

“My family immigrated here from Italy and they came here for jobs, that’s what things were here for. You came here [for] a job, you said that America is the greatest country in the world and I wanna be an American and you bust your behind to make sure that you provide for your family. That’s what it was then,” Bianco said during the interview.

“The people that are coming here now, especially illegally, are coming here for free stuff, and then we are the ones that are paying for that. So the immigration system has to be fixed. We have to have a secure border.”

Bianco also said he believes the border “is secure right now,” though he argued the country faces a major problem with visa overstays and illegal immigrants already in the United States.

“But we have to address it, we have to make it right, whether they came across illegally into the country, legally or not, is irrelevant because we allowed it to happen. So now we just have to fix it. Secure our borders, don’t let that happen again, and now we have to give a path to citizenship to the ones that are here. We have to create a way for them to become U.S. citizens and … make their families great. If they truly did come here to make their lives and their families’ lives better, we have to get to a position where we allow that to happen.”

Bianco added that if illegal immigrants are caught breaking laws “and committing crimes, they gotta go back.”

“As the governor of California, we will fight for a path to citizenship,” he said, adding, “We have to start working for the people that are here trying to make California great and we have to make their lives easier.”

When asked about his resurfaced remarks, Bianco told Breitbart on Thursday that he’s “been very clear” on immigration and that “both sides of the political aisle” have used his comments “to benefit them.”

“Immigration is being made into a political tool, and California residents are the pawns,” Bianco said.

But it’s not the first time Bianco has appeared to favor illegal immigrants.

Last April, Bianco told podcast host Britt Mayer that he did not want his deputies cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that doing so could deter illegal immigrant crime victims from reporting offenses.

“I don’t want my line deputies, my patrol deputies, absolutely cannot be cooperating with the federal government in immigration reform because the people that we go to help are calling for our help,” Bianco said. “They are being victimized. And if they are afraid to report crime because they’re afraid to be deported themselves for being a victim.”

“If a woman is raped and she will not report that to law enforcement because she believes she is going to be deported, then we are failing as an absolute country because we should be only caring about who victimized that poor girl or woman or man, and how can we make sure we get that criminal off the streets and behind bars, and if they’re illegal, they need to be deported immediately,” Bianco said.

Bianco also reiterated that the United States “absolutely must have a path to citizenship for people that are here.”

In a statement to Breitbart, Bianco said he believes “every person who is in jail for victimizing Californians should be deported” and that “sheriffs operating jails should be cooperating with the federal government.”

“The sanctuary policies prevent that from happening and force the release of criminals back into our neighborhoods,” Bianco said. “Sanctuary policies place sheriffs at risk of criminal prosecution and removal from office because of ridiculous sanctuary state laws. The vast majority of residents, including immigrants, want that to end.”

The gubernatorial hopeful also said that “the threat of deportation cannot be used by criminals to prevent the reporting of crime.”

“A child being molested under threat of deportation should not be afraid of turning toward a deputy for protection,” Bianco said. “With all that said, sanctuary state policies need to be repealed. They harm our communities. As California governor, I will gladly work with other governors to pressure Congress to fix a broken immigration system.”

Justice Brett Kavanaugh said Friday that President Donald Trump could likely preserve most of his “Liberation Day” tariffs despite the Supreme Court’s decision striking them down. 

Writing in dissent, Kavanaugh argued that while the Court rejected Trump’s reliance on the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA), other federal statutes could authorize most of the tariffs.  

“Although I firmly disagree with the Court’s holding today, the decision might not substantially constrain a President’s ability to order tariffs going forward,” he wrote. “That is because numerous other federal statutes authorize the President to impose tariffs and might justify most (if not all) of the tariffs at issue in this case—albeit perhaps with a few additional procedural steps that IEEPA, as an emergency statute, does not require.”

Kavanaugh pointed specifically to the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the Trade Act of 1974, and the Tariff Act of 1930 as alternative statutory bases that could authorize the tariffs Trump sought to impose. 

“IEEPA merely allows the President to impose tariffs somewhat more efficiently to deal with foreign threats during national emergencies,” he said. “In essence, the Court today concludes that the President checked the wrong statutory box by relying on IEEPA rather than another statute to impose these tariffs.”

Kavanaugh’s position mirrors one previously articulated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. In December, Bessent said multiple sections of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 could be used to “recreate the exact tariff structure” Trump imposed through IEEPA. 

In his dissent, Kavanaugh argued that both history and law were on Trump’s side. Specifically, Kavanaugh pointed to the global tariffs imposed by former President Richard Nixon in 1971 as an example of a president imposing broad trade restrictions during an economic crisis.

“Statutory text, history, and precedent demonstrate that the answer is clearly yes: Like quotas and embargoes, tariffs are a traditional and common tool to regulate importation,” he said. 

Kavanaugh also argued that it would be illogical to allow the president to block all trade with China while barring him from imposing tariffs on Chinese imports. 

“As [the plaintiffs] interpret the statute, the President could, for example, block all imports from China but cannot order even a $1 tariff on goods imported from China,” Kavanaugh said. “That approach does not make much sense.”

Kavanaugh also warned that the ruling could raise questions about whether the government must issue refunds for tariffs already collected and potentially affect trade deals negotiated under those tariffs. 

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito joined Kavanaugh’s dissent. Thomas also wrote a separate opinion arguing that Congress had delegated tariff authority to the president.

If Alaska Democrat Senate candidate Mary Peltola had her way, states would not be allowed to shield kids from transgender procedures like cross-sex hormones and double mastectomies.

Peltola, who briefly held Alaska’s lone House seat, signed onto a resolution that condemned states that shield kids from transgender procedures. The Senate hopeful has consistently voted in line with Democrat orthodoxy on transgender issues throughout her time in the House. 

In July 2024, Peltola co-sponsored a House resolution that condemned state actions to protect unborn life and prohibit doctors from performing transgender medical procedures on kids. The resolution decried the “criminalization of the full range of sexual and reproductive health care such as abortion,” and so-called “gender-affirming care.” 

The resolution said that “no person” should be punished for “seeking or obtaining gender-affirming care.”

Specifically, the resolution targeted state legislation “designed to severely limit access to necessary gender-affirming care, especially for young people, which is against the recommendations of major medical organizations” and “designed to criminalize and penalize providing gender-affirming care to young people, providers of gender-affirming care for young people, and the parents of those young people for enabling access to this essential care.”

Over two dozen states have passed legislation protecting kids from transgender procedures.

Like many Democrats running for office in 2026, Peltola will have to address her support for transgender ideology.
The election of President Donald Trump in 2024 showed that large swaths of Americans do not want kids to undergo transgender procedures or allow boys to compete as girls on sports teams. 

The far-left Human Rights Campaign is urging Democratic candidates to address attacks against radical transgender ideology directly and stress “fairness” and “safety” while not deviating from pushing transgender ideology. Potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates have also been shying away from the issue, including failed 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris. 

Earlier this month, Peltola reportedly attended a fundraiser with major Democrat donor David Steinglass, a self-described “donor activist for transgender rights.” 

While she has downplayed questions on whether men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, Peltola voted against proposed legislation that would require schools receiving federal funding to not allow gender-confused boys onto girls’ sports teams. 

While campaigning for the House, Peltola was evasive on the issue, saying that she needed to “better acquaint myself with this issue, which I believe is more complicated than some make it out to be.”

“My starting point is that sports should be fair for all students, and we must protect the rights of all students – especially those that are already subject to significant discrimination,” she said. “I look forward to learning more, and focusing on the many other pressing challenges the U.S. Congress is facing.”

Peltola also backed the so-called “Equality Act,” which would embed protections for perceived “gender-identity” into federal civil rights laws and would give access for transgender-identifying men to women’s bathrooms. 

“The Equality Act must be passed to prevent unfair and unlawful discrimination,” she said. “I will work hard to see that through, with no exceptions, so that everyone in Alaska can live and love without fear.”

In 2023, Peltola voted against a Republican-backed proposal that would have prohibited schools from socially “transitioning” their kids without their knowledge or consent. 

Peltola did not respond to questions from The Daily Wire on her positions on transgender issues. She is hoping to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.

The United States economy grew more slowly than expected in the fourth quarter, as investment gains were offset by declines in government spending and exports.

Gross domestic product increased at a 1.4% annualized rate last quarter, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said in its initial estimate of fourth-quarter GDP on Friday. The figure missed the Dow Jones estimate, which had forecasted that GDP would rise at a 2.5% pace. 

Trump blamed the ‘Democrat Shutdown’ for the fourth-quarter economic slowdown. 

“The Democrat Shutdown cost the United States of America at least two points in GDP. That’s why they are doing it, in mini form, again. No shutdowns!” The President added, “Also, lower interest rates,” and that Fed Chair Jerome Powell “is the worst.” 

Just four days into the government shutdown that began in October, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that the shutdown could result in weekly losses of $15B in GDP. Oxford Economics predicted the shutdown would reduce economic growth by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points per week. They estimated a quarter-long shutdown would have impacts of 1.2 to 2.4 percentage points. The government shutdown ultimately lasted around half a quarter before ending in November. 

White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the Daily Wire the numbers showed a robust private sector-led economy despite the shutdown. 

“Today’s GDP report showed that President Trump continues to deliver robust private sector-led economic growth with strong consumption and investment. Even with the Democrat Government Shutdown dragging the country down last fall, GDP growth for 2025 smashed the Federal Reserve, Congressional Budget Office, and International Monetary Fund’s ‘expert’ predictions. He added, “As President Trump’s proven agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, tariffs, and energy abundance continues taking effect and as trillions in investments continue pouring in, America’s economic comeback is set to only accelerate in 2026.” 

Data confirms Trump’s “hottest economy” is cooling fast. Q2 GDP collapsed from 4.4% to 1.4%, half of expectations, while Dec. PCE spiked 0.4%, annualizing to 5%. YoY PCE rose 2.9% in Dec. versus 2.7% in Nov., and core rose 3%, up from 2.8% in Nov. Stagflation will only get worse!

— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) February 20, 2026

Many economists argue that President Trump’s tariffs curb economic growth. On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling striking down Trump’s use of sweeping tariffs through the International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA).

A victory for the wallets of every American consumer.

Trump’s illegal tariff tax just collapsed—He tried to govern by decree and stuck families with the bill.

Enough chaos. End the trade war. pic.twitter.com/VrHIwTGJ0c

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 20, 2026

In the 1980s, Israel launched an ambitious program to develop its own fighter jet: the Lavi. Its name, which translates to “Lion,” reflected the aircraft’s promise — a sleek, agile jet praised by test pilots for its exceptional handling and designed to give the Israeli Air Force a superior edge in air combat.

Israel’s cabinet canceled the program in a narrow 12‑11 vote following pressure from American officials. Washington objected to the Lavi because its high costs would strain Israel’s defense budget, divert Israel from spending United States military aid on other American equipment, and compete with the F-16.

The Lavi remains a cautionary tale as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders seek to end the Jewish state’s reliance on American military aid.

“I want to taper off military aid within the next 10 years,” Netanyahu told The Economist in January, just a month after the prime minister unveiled a $108 billion, decade-long investment to build an independent Israeli munitions industry.

“That’s not saying I don’t want to fight for the allegiance and the support of the American people,”  Netanyahu said. “I do. You’d have to be crazy not to.”

If Netanyahu succeeds, Israel will no longer accept the roughly $3.8 billion in annual U.S. aid — about $3.3 billion of which is required to be spent mostly on American companies.

US and Israeli army officers walk in front a US Patriot missile defence system during the joint Israeli-US military exercise “Juniper Cobra” at the Israeli Hatzor Airforce Base on March 8, 2018.
(JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu is not alone in advocating for reduced U.S. military aid. Other leaders who spoke to The Daily Wire said the goal is not to weaken the relationship with the United States, but to transform it into a partnership based on mutual strength.

“This has nothing to do with the importance of the relationship between Israel and the United States,” General Amir Avivi, chairman and founder of the Israel Defense Security Forum, told The Daily Wire. “Israel wants to deepen relations, but Israel, and I, think also the United States are seeking a partnership rather than a relationship based on aid. Israel is not a third-world country. Israel is a regional power, and in some aspects even a global power.”

Netanyahu said he told Trump during their December meeting at Mar-a-Lago that he appreciates the military aid, but that Israel has “come of age” with its economy on track to soon reach about $1 trillion. 

“Israel can afford to pay for its own defense establishment,” Avivi said, noting that U.S. assistance now represents only a small share of Israel’s overall defense spending.

U.S. military and missile-defense aid to Israel has totaled approximately $140.6 billion since 1948—equivalent to under four years of Israel’s 2025 wartime defense spending of $43.9 billion and about six years of Israel’s 2022 pre-war defense spending of $23.41 billion.

On top of an annual $3.8 billion in aid, Israel, in 2024, received supplemental aid of $3.5 billion in military assistance, $4 billion for missile defense, and $1.2 billion for its new Iron Beam laser missile defense system. That amount decreased to a total of $4 billion in 2025 and is expected to fall again in 2026.

Overall, U.S. annual funding made up 16.2 percent of Israel’s military budget in 2022, before the war began, and 28.5 percent when the war was at its height in 2024, including both annual and supplemental aid. U.S. aid is set to make up 10.66 percent of Israel’s 2026 budget of $35.64 billion.

Avivi said Israel’s new stance aligns with Trump’s foreign policy agenda, which has consistently pushed allies to contribute more — consider his frequent calls for NATO members to “pay up” — and is encouraging recipients of U.S. aid to develop plans for self-sufficiency with its new approach to foreign assistance.

The 2025 Israeli defense and security budget represents approximately 7.2 percent of its total GDP of $610.8 billion. That ranks Israel second in the world for military spending as a share of GDP, trailing only Ukraine. By comparison, NATO members are required to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense by 2035, showing that Israel already exceeds that target and takes on a level of responsibility that other allies have still yet to match.

Simcha Rothman, an Israeli lawmaker in the Religious Zionist Party, said he views it as more of a military partnership with the United States, saying it’s misleading to categorize the funding as “aid.” 

“I think that the worst thing about U.S. military aid is that it is called aid, despite the fact it’s definitely not aid,” Rothman told The Daily Wire. “Israel is the cheapest aircraft carrier the United States has ever had and the benefits that the United States gets from the state of Israel, and our security establishment is almost unmeasurable.”

Rothman pointed out that the aid package itself, in addition to other purchases by Israel, subsidizes or “supports U.S. industries and their development of weapons like no other country” as well as the technology being tested by Israelis in real war scenarios to show proof of concept.

In announcing that Israel had added range-extending fuel tanks to its F‑35s, Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said in an interview Monday that when he visited Lockheed Martin, the company’s CEO told him that “Israel’s information and developments ‘are worth many billions to my company.’”

Credit: Petty Officer 2nd Class Cryton Vandiesa/U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet

Rothman believes dropping the term “aid” and forging “mutually beneficial partnerships” is the way to move forward, especially as figures on both the American left and right use the aid as a way to attack Israel. 

“The political consequences of calling it an aid is giving excuses to people who do not really deeply understand the relationship between the U.S. and Israel and so they badmouth Israel and to criticize this connection because they say it ‘costs the U.S. money,’” Rothman said. 

Avivi also pointed to growing opposition to U.S. military aid for Israel among some American political voices, singling out commentator Tucker Carlson.

“In the United States, some — such as Tucker Carlson — use the aid to attack Israel,” Avivi said. “They ask why American taxpayers are funding Israel and its wars. Israel wants to remove this argument entirely and say: ‘We don’t want aid.’”

Lawyer and Israeli activist Ran Bar-Yoshafat said Israelis are aware of the rising anti-Israel sentiments in the United States and he thinks Israel should stop accepting aid entirely because it “creates antagonism both among the hard right and the delusional left.” 

But Bar-Yoshafat cited several other reasons too, namely that he believes it has the ability to impact its military readiness. 

He recalled that during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when Israel fought Hamas in Gaza, the Obama administration tightened oversight of weapons transfers and suspended a shipment of Hellfire missiles. 

“This really shook the Israeli defense establishment and an understanding that you cannot really rely, during a moment of truth, on getting what we need,” Avivi said. 

He added that in that same year he was the chief auditor of the Israeli defense establishment and found in an audit that the readiness of Israeli industries to produce munitions was “terrible.”

“We really lacked the capabilities because we transferred many capabilities to the U.S., and this really hurt our readiness but also our sovereignty — our ability as a country to defend ourselves,” he said. 

An Israeli Army officer watches as U.S. military personnel from the 5-7 Air Defense Artillery Joint Task Force take part in a ceremony marking the end of their mission April 20, 2003, at the Israeli army’s Tel Yona base near Tel Aviv. (David Silverman/Getty Images)

Many Israelis view the structure of U.S. military aid as a tool to make Israel more reliant on Washington and undermine the Israeli munitions industry. Under the agreement negotiated during the Obama administration in 2019, Israel was allowed to spend only 25% of the annual aid package on domestic procurement—a figure set to decline to 11% this year and to zero by 2028.

Bar-Yoshafat argued that as long as Israel depends on American munitions, U.S. leaders ultimately influence how — and even whether — those weapons are used.

“The use of force is constrained according to American preferences,” Bar-Yoshafat said, who is a reservist combat special forces officer. “The Americans, depending on the administration and military establishment, routinely dictate what weapons we can use and where in the field.”

More recently, during the war sparked by Hamas’s attack on southern Israel in 2023, the Biden administration halted a shipment of heavy bombs and threatened to withhold offensive weapons if Israel launched an assault on Rafah. It wasn’t until Trump took office that all of the weapons were shipped. 

Last month, Netanyahu blamed the embargo for the death of soldiers because of the lack of ammunition. 

“At a certain stage, we simply didn’t have enough ammunition and people fell, heroes fell,” he said. “Part of that shortage of ammunition was the result of an embargo.”

For many Israelis — who describe the conflict as a “seven-front” war — the episode reinforced deep concerns about relying on foreign supply during critical moments.

“I think at this point Israel decided we really need to be as independent as possible and take responsibility for our own future and defense,” Avivi said. “And now Israel is really investing huge amounts of money on building a reality that enables Israel to produce most of its capabilities, especially munitions.”

In unveiling his $108 billion, decade-long plan to build an independent Israeli munitions industry, Netanyahu emphasized the goal to “reduce our dependence on all players, including friends.”

Its close relationship with the United States impacts its trading partners in the space.

Bar-Yoshafat points to Israel canceling its $1 billion agreement to sell China the “Phalcon” airborne early-warning system for reconnaissance aircraft amid American pressure in 2000.

The system contained no American technology and did not violate any U.S. agreements. Still, Washington was concerned China could use it against Taiwan, and influential members in Congress threatened to withhold Israeli aid if the deal proceeded. As a result, Chinese-Israeli relations suffered, and Israel was forced to pay roughly $350 million to China in compensation for breaching the contract.

Avivi said that Israel has no plans to sell sensitive technology to China but warned that Israeli reliance on U.S. aid carries real risks if the administration in power has disagreements on military and political strategies. 

Israel is already a major player in the global arms market, ranking as the world’s eighth-largest arms exporter with $15 billion in sales in 2024. Yet the country continues to rely on imported munitions and military equipment.

The new initiative aims to strengthen self-sufficiency in munitions, though Israel has no plans to revive the Lavi fighter jet or other similarly costly programs, according to Avivi.

The first Alenia Aermacchi M-346I Lavi trainer of the Israeli Air Force taken at Venegono Airport, Italy. (Getty Images)

“Israel is not just pulling its weight—we’re destroying America’s enemies too. Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, Shiite militias: these are threats to both our countries. Being closer geographically, we can act fast and decisively, protecting America’s interests while defending our own.”

The aid we have provided to Israel has been a great investment keeping the IDF strong, sharing technology, and making their military more capable - to the benefit of the United States. Apparently there is a desire by Israel to change that dynamic because they have a roaring… https://t.co/SEtW5ljB5z

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 9, 2026

Today, Israel receives only military-related aid from the United States, but that wasn’t always the case. Until 2007, the country also received economic assistance to support its developing economy. Netanyahu was an early advocate for ending economic aid, arguing that Israel had grown strong enough to stand on its own.

“With America’s help, Israel has grown to be a powerful, modern state,” Netanyahu said to a joint session of Congress in 1996. I believe that we can now say that Israel has reached childhood’s end, that it has matured enough to begin approaching a state of self-reliance.”

Moving forward, Avivi says the best path is for cooperation and investment as a healthy, strong ally instead of dependency.

“America can definitely invest a lot in Israeli companies and in mutual projects,” Avivi said. “We want to see a combination of Israeli ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking coupled with American economic capabilities and also production capabilities. So we can definitely do many, many things together and be very strong and close allies.”

In a viral video, a 12-year-old Texas boy took a stand for religious neutrality after his local school district allowed a Muslim outreach group with alleged ties to anti-Christian ideology to distribute Islamic materials — including head coverings and Sharia law pamphlets — to students during school hours.

Leland Saunders, a resident of Farmersville, delivered a blistering rebuke to the Wylie Independent School District board following a February 2 incident at Wylie East High School. The controversy erupted after an outside organization called “Why Islam” was permitted to set up a massive promotional booth during the lunch period to celebrate “World Hijab Day.”

According to reports, the group handed out copies of the Quran and hijabs to female students. Most concerning to parents, however, was the distribution of literature advocating for Sharia law. The “Why Islam” organization is owned by the Islamic Circle of North America, a group whose website reportedly openly attacks “Pauline theology” and denies the divinity of Jesus Christ. “

According to a review by The Christian Post, “the Why Islam website promotes anti-Christian ideology that includes statements declaring  Jesus is ‘not the Son of God’ and an entire page devoted to criticism of New Testament teaching, or what the website terms ‘Pauline theology.'”

While the district scrambled to frame the incident as a mere “procedural breakdown,” young Leland Saunders wasn’t buying the bureaucratic excuses.

A 12-year-old from Farmersville, Texas, pushes back after Muslims handed out “hijabs, Qurans and Sharia law pamphlets” at his public school.

"Even if participation was voluntary, handing out religious texts during school hours crosses the line" pic.twitter.com/7oiXRG0DPt

— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) February 20, 2026

“Public schools serve students from many different religious backgrounds, and students who have no religious beliefs at all,” Saunders said. “Because of that, I believe our schools must remain neutral when it comes to religious promotion during the school day.”

The 12-year-old highlighted the double standard often found in modern public education, questioning whether the same platform would be afforded to other faith groups.

“If one religious organization is allowed to distribute materials, would every religious or ideological group be allowed to be given the same opportunity?” Saunders asked. “If so, how will that be managed fairly? If not, how is that even equal treatment?”

The incident first gained national attention after a viral video posted by Marco Hunter-Lopez, president of the school’s Republican Club, exposed the outreach effort, the Christian Post reported. Hunter-Lopez noted that while colleges and secular clubs are common fixtures at the school, he had never seen a Christian church allowed to hand out Bibles in the cafeteria. “They were giving out hijabs to girls throughout the high school, and they were giving our Qurans, and they also had pamphlets about Sharia law,” he said.

Wylie ISD officials have since admitted that “district protocols for guest speakers and student club interactions were not followed.” A staff member was briefly placed on leave but has since returned to work. While Board President Bill Howard issued an apology, promising to “earn your trust back,” the district’s “Wylie Way” values are under intense scrutiny by families who say the school crossed the line from education into religious indoctrination.

For Leland Saunders, the mission was simple: to protect the boundary between the classroom and religion. “This is about maintaining neutrality, fairness, and a religious boundary from education and religion,” he concluded.

A high school principal in Spring Township, Pennsylvania, is drawing national attention after a viral video showed him confronting dozens of students who walked out of class to protest federal immigration policies.

In a tense exchange on Thursday captured on camera, Daniel Weber of Wilson High School told the group that while they have the right to their opinions, those rights do not grant them the authority to bypass school safety protocols or skip class.

The incident began when roughly 60 students left the building without authorization to stage a demonstration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The walkout followed a series of discussions between students and the Wilson School District about a possible sanctioned protest. Although administrators had considered approving the event, the district eventually canceled it after being told the student-led demonstration was no longer planned.

When students decided to proceed with the walkout anyway, Weber met them outside, where several were seen carrying Mexican flags.

“If you go back to class, then we’re good. If you stay out here, we will get your names, and you will be suspended. Okay?” Weber stated. “That is your option at this point, because you are operating outside the bounds of what was granted. That event was canceled. You left school without permission. Your rights do not supersede the school. So if you understand that, that is your option. If you wish to return, Dr. Damiani will let you in that door over there. If not, I will be getting your names; you will be suspended. Okay? Those are your options. All right? Your rights do not exceed that of the school.”

BREAKING - A Pennsylvania principal, Daniel Weber of Wilson High School, is receiving widespread recognition after shutting down an anti-ICE walkout at his school by threatening suspension for all students involved. pic.twitter.com/6d6IclC1iW

— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) February 19, 2026

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Wilson School District clarified that the discipline was not a reaction to the students’ political viewpoints, but rather a matter of safety and procedure, stating:

The walkout occurred after the District was informed that a student-led demonstration was not planned, which limited our ability to plan for student supervision and safety. When students left their classrooms and the school building without authorization, staff accompanied them simply to ensure student safety and order. Students were not, and are not, disciplined for expressing their viewpoints. Any consequences associated with this situation are based solely on violations of established school procedures, including leaving class or the building without permission and failing to follow staff directions.

The incident at Wilson High School comes amid a broader wave of student-led anti-ICE protests across the country, including recent mass walkouts in the Chicago suburbs.

“Students from Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South High Schools left their schools around 12:45 p.m. and converged near the downtown train station, chanting ‘ICE out and carrying signs calling for change. Hundreds of students from schools in northwest suburban Carpentersville also walked out of class to protest ICE operations,” NBC Chicago reported.