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Long known a coal-mining city, Lens has a passionate and loyal fanbase who ensure a passionate atmosphere at the 38,000-capacity Stade Bollaert-Delelis, and they've been treated to good performances so far.

Led by the flair of goal-scoring wingerFlorian Thauvin, Lens is one point ahead of PSG heading into the 16th round.

Key matchups

Lens is at home on Sunday against a Nice side intotal disarrayafter seven straight defeats.

Despite considerable backing from chemicals giant Ineos, which took over six years ago, Nice still seems unable to find the right formula and some fans haveturned on the players.

PSG plays on Saturday and travels to face a Metz side which is last place after three straight defeats.

Third-placed Marseille has drifted five points off the lead and can ill afford to drop points at home to Monaco on Sunday.

Fourth-placed Lille is level on points with Marseille and visits struggling Auxerre on Sunday.

Players to watch

Another Mbappé is starting to make a name for himself in French soccer.

Ethan Mbappé is the younger brother of France and Real Madrid strikerKylian Mbappé.

Unlike his superstar brother, the 18-year-old plays in a midfield role but nevertheless is finding the net for Lille. He scored the winning goal against high-flying Marseille last Friday, taking his league tally this season to three goals and one assist in just eight games.

He alsoscored the equalizeragainst his former club PSG earlier this season, showing his knack for big-game goals. Injuries have slowed down Ethan's career up but Lille coach Bruno Genesio is hopeful he can get a consistent run of games.

"If his body allows, he is a starter in the making," Genesio said. "I hope that he will continue to progress and train without niggles because he's a really interesting player."

Marseille forward Mason Greenwood showed his clinical finishing in a 3-2 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Tuesday.

He is Ligue 1's top scorer with 10 goals and has netted 13 times overall in 20 games this season, after 22 in 36 games last season.

Désiré Douécould start for PSG after returning from injury.

The 20-year-old forward, who starred for PSG when it won the Champions League, came on a substitute on Wednesday against Athletic Bilbao. It was his first appearance sincetearing a musclein his right thigh on Oct. 30.

Out of action

Lens central defender Jonathan Gradit is a long-term absentee because of a shin fracture sustained in training.

Monaco is waiting on the fitness of goal-scoring wingerAnsu Fati, who has a minor hamstring injury.

PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier and right back Achraf Hakimi are nursing ankle injuries, while Marseille forward Amine Gouiri is recovering from a shoulder operation.

Off the field

Tensions are increasing between French soccer fans and the riot police.

Saint-Étienne fans denounced "police violence" after a 1-0 defeat at Dunkerque last Saturday.

"Saint-Étienne supporters were subjected to indiscriminate and exceptionally intense violence by the police officers present in the away section," the Green Angels supporters groupposted on X. "The police were ordered to charge in a confined space, even though no supporters were hostile towards them."

The Green Angels said some fans were hit with batons and others received flash-ball shots and were subjected to tear gas.

In September, Lens supporters said they were surrounded by aggressive riot police with baton shields raised when they arrived at a pre-designated area ahead of a game at PSG.

Lens supporters said they were prevented from leaving the bus by the riot police — known as the CRS — who were outside. Women on board were not even allowed to step out to use the toilet when they asked.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Not literally, of course. If a member of theNew England Patriotsrequired one, and it didn't hurt anybody else, head coachMike Vrabelwould likely allow some short-term shuteye.

The metaphorical nap is what the three-time Super Bowl winner as a player here, and now first-year head coach of the Patriots, hopes to avoid.

"In this league, if you take a nap, you're going to get beat, and that's just how it is," Vrabel said earlier this season. "So, we're not trying to take a nap."

Applying that logic, the Patriots haven't slept since Sept. 21, when New England gave the ball away five times a 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defeat dropped them to 1-2. They haven't lost since and carry a10-game win streakinto a pivotal matchup against the Buffalo Bills; with a win, the Pats can claim their first AFC East title since 2019 and snap the Bills' five-year streak atop the division.

For an organization that won eight games over the last two seasons – one Bill Belichick's final season in New England, the other Jerod Mayo's disastrous standalone year at the helm – that is quite the turnaround. One person stands at the center of it, and it's not even second-year quarterbackDrake Maye, who is abona fide MVP candidate.

That would be the guy keeping his team awake – and already knocking on the door of the postseason.

Week 5: Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel makes a catch against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. The Bills wore their new "Rivalries" uniform for the "Sunday Night Football" game, which the Patriots won, 23-20.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 5: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield awaits the snap against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Both teams wore throwback uniforms in the Buccaneers' 38-35 win. The Buccaneers and Seahawks entered the NFL together as expansion teams in 1976.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 4: Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) hands the ball off to running back J.K. Dobbins during the "Monday Night Football" game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos wore their "Midnight Navy" uniforms for the 28-3 win.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 4: Miami Dolphins running back De'von Achane rushes the ball against the New York Jets during a 27-21 win on "Monday Night Football" at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins wore their new their Nike "Rivalries" uniforms – the team version dubbed "Dark Waters."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 4: The Arizona Cardinals defense tackles Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15) during the first quarter of a "Thursday Night Football" game at State Farm Stadium. The Cardinals became the first NFL team to wear the new Nike "Rivalries" uniform in a game. The Seahawks won the game, 23-20.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 3: New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (5) stiff arms Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. The Saints wore their all-white uniform and helmet combo for the first time in the 44-13 loss.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 3: San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey carries the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers wore throwback jerseys - an homage to the team's 1950s look, as well as its 1994 Super Bowl-winning season - in the 16-15 win against the Cardinals.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Week 2: Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Sporting "The Vikings Classic" throwback uniform inspired by the team's look during the 1960s and '70s, Minnesota was defeated, 22-6.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Can't-miss alternate and throwback uniforms of the 2025 NFL season

Turnaround timetable? Vrabel has Pats rolling in Year 1

Turnarounds in the first year of a regime change aren't uncommon in the NFL. The last-place schedule helps. The amount of cap room – the Patriots entered free agency in 2025 – helps bring in well-paid veterans and, if managed properly, can lead to improved locker-room leadership.

Players point to April 7 – the day offseason workouts started for New England – as the day the team's mentality and expectations started moving in the right direction.

"He's been in our shoes before. He's done it before at a high level, won some Super Bowls, caught some touchdown passes," running backRhamondre Stevensonsaid after the Patriots' Dec. 1 victory over the New York Giants. "He's done it all. So it's easy to listen to him and follow behind his lead."

A linebacker, Vrabel made his bones sacking the opposing quarterbacks for Belichick's defenses. But his 12 career touchdown catches cemented him in the lore of two-way part-timers.

In his book, "The Art of Winning," Belichick – who led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories over 24 years – wrote of Vrabel:

"Everything he did was done with purpose and an edginess. Even joking. … Mike's knife was always sharp, but it was never malicious – if anything, it made people feel like they were important to the organization if he targeted them. It also helped that he could take it as good as he gave it."

Vrabel became head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2018 after one season as the Houston Texans' defensive coordinator. He went 54-45 in six seasons, with three playoff appearances for Tennessee, which decided to move on after the 2023 season. His replacement, Brian Callahan, was fired six games into this season.

Vrabel spent the 2024 season around the Cleveland Browns as a special assistant. But like he prepared himself to be a coach during his playing career, he was readying for his next job. Cleveland special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, a teammate of Vrabel's during their Patriots days, placed blue-collar-type shirts in each player's locker both as a gift and to send a message. For Vrabel, who loves Christmas and enjoys giving gifts, doing the same in New England was a no-brainer.

"I got one in brown last year. I thought it looked better in blue, so we got the guys some of those shirts," Vrabel said. "I thought it would be fun. I liked it. They liked it in Cleveland, so that's kind of what it was."

Center Garret Bradbury said Vrabel can hone his coaching style through a unique lens.

"He's like 'What would I want as a player?' or 'I've been a head coach before' and what worked and didn't work," Bradbury said. "This whole player-friendly thing gets thrown around quite a bit. I've played for a few head coaches. I like what Coach Vrabel does a lot."

The little things that mean a lot to Vrabel, using another example he referenced the week of the second Bills game, could be something like receiver Mack Hollins reacting to a tackle on the opening kickoff of the game. Vrabel has been clear with what the expectations are – the primary goal for the 2025 season, preached from that first day of OTAs, was to win the division. The players have appreciated that consistency behind the message.

During training camp, Vrabel wanted to eliminate a mental tools meeting in an effort to give players more rest and allow them to come in later. But the veteran player leadership group said that it was an important 25 minutes of the week – Vrabel had to find another way to make his players happy while accomplishing a coaching goal.

"I love coaching these guys," Vrabel said. "It's fun. They make coming to work a lot of fun."

Handshakes and hugs

Vrabel isn't the only coach in the NFL who greets each player with a hug and a meaningful handshake as they enter the locker room after a win. But that doesn't make it any less special to his players.

"It means a lot … he's someone that connects to his players really well," rookie running backTreVeyon Hendersontold USA TODAY Sports.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell does the same, cornerback Carlton Davis said.

"Great coaches do that," Davis told USA TODAY Sports. "Great minds think alike. It's just a part of who they are and what they do."

Vrabel's reasoning for it is that if he says something to a player leading up to the game and it turns out how he predicted, then he sees it as a chance to remind them of that conversation "and thank them for understanding what it is we're trying to get done."

"There's a lot of things that are good that you take from people, and there's some things that you come up with on your own that's good, and then there's some ones that are clunkers," Vrabel said. "When they're clunkers, you own it, change it and fix it."

"Clunkers" is not a bad way to describe (most of) the post-Tom Brady seasons of theNew England Patriots.

Owned? Changed? Fixed?

An AFC East title in the first year of Vrabel's tenure would go a long way in that regard. Just don't hit snooze on that alarm.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Mike Vrabel's Patriots turnaround on track ahead of Bills showdown

Heading into the 16th round of the campaign Wolves are still winless. Sitting bottom of the standings, relegation to the Championship looks inevitable and the job for recently hired coach Rob Edwards now appears to be a case of damage limitation.

Unwanted records are in sight and on Saturday Wolves travel to first-place Arsenal.

With just two points from 15 games so far Wolves are tracking toward a record-low points tally of five if they maintain that form for the rest of the season. That's less than half the lowest-ever Premier League total of 11 points by Derby County in the 2007-8 campaign.

"We've got to try to improve. We've got to try to find that belief," said Edwards this week, but a4-1 home loss to Manchester Unitedon Monday saw fans protest against the club's Chinese owners Fosun.

Some fans boycotted the first 15 minutes of the game and protested outside the stadium. There were further protests during the match as Wolves fell to an eighth-straight league loss.

The last win in the league was in April against a Leicester team on course for relegation. That was at the end of a six-game winning streak that helped Wolves avoid the drop last term, but it has been bad news ever since, with coachVitor Pereira firedin November and Edwards so far failing to inspire a turnaround.

But Wolves are still some way from the longest losing run in Premier League history. According to statistician Opta, Sunderland lost 20 games in succession — spanning two campaigns.

A streak of 15-straight losses in the 2002-3 campaign was the most in a single season and Sunderland went on to lose another five games when it return to the top flight in 2005.

Wolves appear to be paying the price for a talent drain in recent years, which has seen a series of top players sold.

Pedro Neto left for Chelsea last year. That was followed by the sales of Rayan Ait-Nouri to Manchester City and Matheus Cunha to Manchester United in the last transfer window. Matheus Nunes (City), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) and Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal) have been other high profile departures to weaken a team that had back-to-back seventh-place finishes in 2019 and 2020.

While Derby's record has stood for the best part of 20 years, Wolves' troubles point to a recent trend in England's top flight.

Southampton was relegated last year with the second worst points total of 12 points. It took an unlikely draw against Man City in the third to last game of the season to avoid equaling Derby's total.

Sheffield United has the fourth-lowest points total — 16 — recorded in the 23-24 campaign.

Derby also has the record fewest wins in a Premier League season, with just one in that 2007-8 campaign.

Wolves are currently 13 points adrift of safety with a goal difference of -25, but defender Emmanuel Agbadou insisted this week: "we're not going to give up."

"We're going to try to give everything to at least finish our season well," he said.

Key matchups

Sunderland hosts Newcastle in a North East derby on Sunday and Man City's trip to Crystal Palace will be a test for Pep Guardiola's team on the back of Wednesday's win at Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Palace beat City in last season's FA Cup final.

Liverpool hosts Brighton on Saturday. The defending champion is trying to get its season back on track after a run of just two wins in its last 10 league games.

Players to watch

Whether Mohamed Salah is on the field, on the bench or in the stands — focus will be on him when Liverpool plays Brighton at Anfield.

The Liverpool icon has cast doubt over his future after claiming he'd been"thrown under the bus"by the club. Salah had been dropped from the team for three-straight games and responded with an explosive interview following last week's 3-3 draw with Leeds.

"I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame," he said.

He was then dropped from the squad all together for Liverpool's Champions League match with Inter Milan on Tuesday, with coach Arne Slot saying he did not knowif Salah would play again for the club.

Salah heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations next week and if left out of Liverpool's squad again, it will only raise further doubts about his Anfield future.

Out of action

Declan Rice missed Arsenal's Champions League game against Brugge because of illness. William Saliba is still to return after an unspecified injury and Leandro Trossard also missed Brugge because of what was described as a knock. Jurrien Timber is a doubt.

Palace is without Daniel Munoz, who needs surgery on a knee injury and Jean-Philippe Mateta was left out of Thursday's UEFA Conference League match against Shelbourne because he needed a rest.

Chelsea striker Liam Delap has a shoulder injury and Liverpool's Cody Gakpo is out for a few weeks because of an unspecified injury, Slot said.

Off the field

Liverpool fans showed their support for Slot in Milan following the fallout with Salah. Back at Anfield, it will be telling how the home crowd react on Saturday.

Salah said last week that he would say goodbye to fans before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Time will tell if it is a final farewell before leaving the club, with teams in Saudi Arabia reportedly ready to make a move in the January window.

James Robson is athttps://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Children's sandaled feet disappeared under opaque brown water that flooded the camps. Trucks moved slowly to avoid sending waves of mud toward the tents.Piles of garbage and sewageturned to waterfalls.

"We have been drowned. I don't have clothes to wear and we have no mattresses left," said Um Salman Abu Qenas, a mother displaced from east of Khan Younis to a tent camp in Deir al-Balah. She said her family could not sleep the night before because of the water in the tent.

Aid groups say not enough shelter aid is getting into Gaza during the truce. Figures recently released by Israel's military suggest ithas not metthe ceasefire stipulation of allowing 600 trucks of aid into Gaza a day, though Israel disputes that finding.

"Cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection," said the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees,UNRWA, in a terse statement posted on X. "This suffering could be prevented by unhindered humanitarian aid, including medical support and proper shelter."

Rains falling across the region wreak havoc in Gaza

Sabreen Qudeeh, also in the Deir al-Balah camp, said her family woke up to rain leaking from their tent's ceiling and water from the street soaking their mattresses. "My little daughters were screaming and got shocked when they saw water on the floor," she said.

Ahmad Abu Taha, a Palestinian man in the camp, said there was not a tent that escaped the flooding. "Conditions are very bad, we have old people, displaced, and sick people inside this camp," he said.

In Israel, heavy rains fell and flood warnings were in effect in several parts of the country — but no major weather-related emergencies were reported as of midday.

The contrasting scenes with Gaza made clear how profoundly the Israel-Hamas war had damaged the territory, destroying the majority of homes. Gaza's population of around 2 million is almost entirely displaced and most people live in vast tent camps stretching for miles along the beach, exposed to the elements, withoutadequate flooding infrastructureand with cesspits dug near tents as toilets.

The Palestinian Civil Defense, part of the Hamas-run government, said that since the storm began they have received more than 2,500 distress calls from citizens whose tents and shelters were damaged in all parts of the Gaza Strip.

Not enough aid getting in

Aid groups say that Israel is not allowing enough aid into Gaza to begin rebuilding the territory after years of war.

Under the agreement, Israel agreed to comply with aid stipulations from an earlier January 2025 truce, which specified that it allow 600 trucks of aid each day into Gaza and an agreed-upon number oftemporary homes and tents. It maintains it is doing so,though AP has found that some of its own figurescall that into question.

COGAT said Dec. 9, without providing evidence, that it had "lately" let 260,000 tents and tarpaulins into Gaza and over 1,500 trucks of blankets and warm clothing. The Shelter Cluster, an international coalition of aid providers led by the Norwegian Refugee Council, sets the number lower.

It says UN and international NGOs have gotten 15,590 tents into Gaza since the truce began, and other countries have sent about 48,000. Many of the tents are not properly insulated, the Cluster says.

Amjad al-Shawa, Gaza chief of the Palestinian NGO Network, told Al Jazeera Thursday that only a fraction of the 300,000 tents needed had entered Gaza. He said that Palestinians were in dire need of warmer winter clothes and accused Israel of blocking the entry of water pumps helpful to clear flooded shelters.

"All international sides should take the responsibility regarding conditions in Gaza," he said. "There is real danger for people in Gaza at all levels."

Senior Hamas official Khaled Mashaal said that many people's tents have become worn out after the two-year war, and people cannot find new places to shelter. He said Gaza also needs therehabilitation of hospitals, the entry of heavy machinery to remove rubble, and the opening of the Rafah crossing — which remains closed afterIsrael said last weekit would open in a few days.

COGAT did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the claims that Israel was not allowing water pumps or heavy machinery into Gaza.

Ceasefire at a critical point

Mashaal, the Hamas official, called for moving to thesecond, more complicated phaseof the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

"The reconstruction should start in the second phase as today there is suffering in terms of shelter and stability," Mashaal said in comments released by Hamas on social media.

Regional leaders have said time iscritical for the ceasefireagreement as mediators seek to move to phase 2. But obstacles to moving forward remain.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Wednesday that the militants needed to return the body of afinal hostage first.

Hamas has said Israel must open key border crossings and cease deadly strikes on the territory.

Mroue reported from Beirut and Frankel reported from Jerusalem. AP writer Natalie Melzer contributed to this report from Nahariya, Israel.

Jarrad Nolan/ATSB

NEED TO KNOW

• An Australian skydiver found themselves dangling from the underneath of a plane after the reserve parachute they were wearing became tangled in the aircraft's tail end

• The incident took place on Sept. 20 near Tully Airport in Far North Queensland, Australia

• The skydiver managed to free themselves by cutting the lines of their reserve parachute, after a time in freefall, they were able

A skydiver in Australia was seen on camera dangling from underneath a plane after their reserve parachute became snagged on the aircraft's tail mid-air.

On Sept. 20, a Cessna Caravan and a pilot, hired by Far North Freefall Club (FNFF), took off from Tully Airport in Far North Queensland for a 16-way formation jump run, which had been due to be filmed at 15,000 feet by a parachuting camera operator, per an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)media release. The agency also released a video of the incident.

As well as the pilot, the plane had been carrying 17 parachutists at the time of the accident, which occurred after the plane took off at 9:50 a.m. local time, an investigation summary released as part ofthe reportthen confirmed.

After the pilot reached the desired altitude, they signaled for the jump to begin, before the first parachutist's "handle for their reserve parachute snagged on the wing flap, deploying the chute inadvertently" as they were climbing out of the roller door, according to the ATSB's release.

"This dragged the parachutist suddenly backwards, and their legs struck the aircraft's left horizontal [stabilizer], substantially damaging it. The parachute then wrapped around the [stabilizer], suspending the parachutist below the aircraft," the federal agency added.

Jarrad Nolan/ATSB

ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell explained, "The pilot recalled feeling the aircraft suddenly pitch up, and observed the airspeed rapidly decreasing," adding, "Initially unaware of what had occurred, the pilot believed the aircraft had stalled, and pushed forward on the control column and applied some power in response. But upon being told there was a skydiver hung up on the tailplane, they reduced power again."

Thirteen of the parachutists ended up exiting the aircraft, while two remained in the doorway, "watching as the snagged parachutist used a hook knife to cut 11 lines from their reserve parachute, allowing the remaining parachute to tear, freeing them from the aircraft," the release stated.

The parachutist then descended into freefall and was able to release their main parachute, which fully inflated, "despite becoming tangled in the remaining lines and canopy of the reserve chute," the ATSB said. They landed safely, suffering only minor injuries in the incident.

The agency's Chief Commissioner Mitchell said, "With all parachutists out of the aircraft, the pilot assessed they had limited pitch control, given the substantially damaged tailplane, which still had a portion of the reserve parachute wrapped around it," adding, "With forward pressure they found they could achieve a gradual descent, and retracted the flap, which then allowed slightly more rudder, aileron and elevator control."

Jarrad Nolan/ATSB

Mitchell emphasized the importance of parachutists carrying a hook knife and being mindful of their handles, especially when exiting the aircraft during jumps.

"Carrying a hook knife, although it is not a regulatory requirement, could be lifesaving in the event of a premature reserve parachute deployment," he said, per the release.

The pilot, who had been wearing an emergency parachute in case they also had to exit the aircraft, declared a Mayday, but was eventually able to land safely.

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

The ATSB's investigation also "found that the pilot and aircraft operator did not ensure the aircraft was loaded within its weight and balance envelope," per the release. However, this did not contribute to the accident.

The ATSB didn't have any additional information to add when contacted by PEOPLE. PEOPLE has also reached out to the Far North Freefall Club for comment, but didn't immediately hear back.

Read the original article onPeople

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The email from a U.S. immigration officer presented Kelly and Yerson Vargas with a stark choice: accept deportation to their native Colombia or risk being charged with a crime and separated from their 6-year-old daughter, Maria Paola.

The Vargases, held at a Texas detention center, had already received a deportation order and been pressured to board flights to Colombia. They had resisted because they had submitted visa applications as victims of human trafficking, ​saying they faced forced labor and death threats from cartel members in Mexico as they transited to the U.S.

In the October 31 email, the immigration officer threatened to prosecute them for failure to comply with the deportation order, a rarely used statute that ‌could lead to 10 years in prison.

Their case illustrates how U.S. President Donald Trump's vast immigration crackdown is increasingly relying on threats to separate families and other aggressive tactics to pressure people into accepting deportation - even if they have submitted legal claims that in previous administrations would have allowed them to stay in the country, according to immigrants, attorneys, current ‌and former officials and court records reviewed by Reuters.

These tactics include threats of jail sentences for resisting a deportation order or crossing the border illegally - crimes that previously were rarely prosecuted and would lead to separation from children - as well as prolonged detention with no opportunity to seek release and deportation to far-flung third countries, Reuters found.

Reuters spoke to 16 immigration attorneys, who collectively have hundreds of clients, and others with broad visibility into the Trump administration's rising use of harsh tactics to force immigrants to accept deportations.

White House border czar Tom Homan defended the Trump administration's approach.

"We're using every tool in the toolbox," Homan told Reuters in an interview. "Everything we're doing is legal."

LOCKED UP AND PRESSURED TO DEPORT

The Vargases chose to abandon their visa applications and board a deportation flight in November rather than risk being split up, with Maria Paola placed in a federal shelter system for unaccompanied migrant children.

"I was afraid that they ⁠would put me in jail and carry out all the threats they made," Kelly Vargas said.

U.S. Department ‌of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the family had been issued a deportation order in 2024, been denied on appeal, and received full due process. She did not comment on the visa application for victims of human trafficking.

When asked about the Vargas case and another family threatened with federal charges and separation, McLaughlin said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers don't "threaten" people and appropriately informed them they could face federal charges.

"These illegal aliens broke the ‍law and were warned they would face the consequences for their crimes," she said.

Immigration advocates and other critics say the Vargases and others with potentially legitimate claims to stay in the United States are caught in what amounts to a numbers game. The Trump administration has said it aims to deport 1 million people per year, but is likely to fall short of that goal, given current trends.

DHS said on Wednesday that the Trump administration had deported more than 605,000 people since Trump took office, putting it on pace for fewer than 700,000 deportations by the year's end.

Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School, which ​represented the Vargas family, said the Trump administration's "calculated cruelty" was forcing people to choose deportation.

"My detained clients from New Jersey to Texas report crowded, inhumane, and degrading detention conditions, some of which are so unbearable that they are giving up on their immigration cases," she said.

'VOLUNTARY DEPARTURES' ‌SPIKE UNDER TRUMP

As the Trump administration has pushed for more deportations, it has tried to detain more immigrants while their cases play out.

The number of people in ICE detention has increased by around 70% since Trump took office in January to almost 66,000 in November 2025, government data show.

Previously, those without criminal records had good chances of being released pending decisions on their asylum and other claims.

ICE changed its stance in July to argue that essentially all immigrants it arrested were ineligible for bond, a refundable payment made to the government to secure someone's release.

A federal judge in California blocked ICE's new interpretation of the law in November. However, some immigrants, told they could face months or years of detention as their case moved through the backlogged immigration courts, already had agreed to leave the country, deported immigrants and lawyers told Reuters.

Among those who gave up their cases: a Guatemalan farmworker who left behind her husband and son in Florida after being picked up in a workplace raid, a Venezuelan landscaper who had been living in Texas, an Ecuadorean construction worker in New York, a Mexican social worker in Alabama and a Honduran nursing student in North Carolina.

The ⁠Trump administration has also sent hundreds of people to third countries to which they have no ties, a tactic the government rarely used in the past. The ​threat of deportation to a third country, including to countries where they might be imprisoned, prompted some to abandon their cases, immigrants, family members and lawyers told Reuters.

Lourival Paulo ​da Silva, a Brazilian national, had lived in the U.S. for more than two decades when he was detained by immigration agents in Florida in September, according to his stepdaughter, Karina Botts. He was married to a U.S. citizen and was working on legalizing his status, documents show, a lengthy process because he had entered the United States illegally.

After weeks in immigration detention, including in the remote Florida Everglades camp dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, where he fell ill and tested ‍positive for tuberculosis, da Silva gave up, Botts said.

A judge granted him voluntary ⁠departure - a discretionary decision that makes it easier to come back in the future - and he left the United States on October 10. Botts said da Silva was struggling in Brazil, but hopes his spousal immigrant visa will be approved next year so that he can return.

Federal immigration court data compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a non-profit research organization, show a jump in court-approved voluntary departures.

The number of people who were granted voluntary departure while detained jumped more than five-fold to more than 16,000 in the first ⁠eight months of 2025, compared with the same period a year earlier under former President Joe Biden, the data show. That number does not include those who gave up on their cases and were ordered deported.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment regarding his case.

Hector Grillo, a 31-year-old Venezuelan who was detained in Texas earlier this year ‌before being deported to Venezuela, said he asked to be sent home because he was terrified of ending up in a prison in El Salvador. A judge ordered him deported.

"That was the fastest way to get out of that torture," Grillo ‌said.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Brad Heath; Editing by Craig Timberg and Aurora Ellis)

Midway through the third quarter,Phoenix Sunsguard Grayson Allen was on defense near the right wing when he braced himself and threw his weight into Thunder center Chet Holmgren, who was trying to slide past Allen into the right corner. Holmgren crashed into Allen and tumbled to the court, which led to Thunder forward Jalen Williams walking over to Allen and shoving him.

"Felt like I gave a good foul within the physicality of the game and what was going on both ends, especially with the bumps on screens, some of the hits on blockouts that were happening," Allen told reporters after the game, an eventual 138-89 Oklahoma City victory. "It was straight up. He was cutting into me. Definitely a foul, but I thought it was within the physicality of the game. I think the reaction afterwards kind of played into that."

Players from each team then squared up, though officials were quick to defuse the situation and restore calm.

Grayson Allen has been ejected.pic.twitter.com/Q8bwmIDEHu

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral)December 11, 2025

Upon replay review, NBA referee James Williams announced that Allen was being administered a flagrant 2 foul, prompting Allen's ejection from the game. Williams cited windup and follow-through in assessing the flagrant foul.

Allen disagreed with Williams' assessment of the foul.

"When he said the explanation, I thought that was the description of a flagrant 1," Allen said. "They looked at it a bunch of times. I didn't feel like there was wind up. I braced myself. Definitely delivered a bump and a hard foul, but it was straight up."

Allen has had a history of physical — if not reckless — play on the court, including one incident against a Thunder player.

Back in January 2022, when Allen was a member of the Bucks, the NBA suspended him for one game without pay after he "made unnecessary and excessive contact" on current Oklahoma City guard Alex Caruso, who was then with the Bulls. During that play, Caruso was driving to the basket on a fastbreak whenAllen lunged at Caruso's armsand flung him down to the court. Allen received a flagrant 2 foul on that play and was subsequently ejected.

Caruso ended up suffering a wrist fracture on the play and missed the following 22 games, which was nearly two months.

Allen developed a reputation at Duke and early in his NBA career for making perceived dirty plays. In July 2019, during a summer league game when he was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies,Allen was ejected after he received two flagrant fouls in the span of seven seconds— both of which were against then-Celtics forward Grant Williams.

While he was at Duke, then-Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski stripped Allen of his captaincy after he tripped players out of frustration, which also led to a suspension.

Allen left Wednesday's game against the Thunder having recorded 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting and added 4 assists, 1 rebound and 1 steal.

"I just think when two really good teams are going at it and being physical, plays happen," Holmgren told reporters after the game. "I think it was officiated correctly, but it happened and then I moved on and kept trying to play the basketball game."

The Thunder went on to rout the Suns,138-89. Oklahoma City will play the winner of the other NBA Cup West Quarterfinal game Wednesday night between the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA Cup West Semifinal is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Grayson Allen ejected from Suns vs Thunder game for hard foul