Trump admin live updates: FAA flight cuts to end Monday morning

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a post on X Thursday that the U.S. operation in Latin America — which has targeted alleged drug smugglers — will be known as "Operation Southern Spear."

"Today, I’m announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR," Hegseth wrote.

According to a Defense official, Hegseth's post is simply about the naming of the operation. The U.S. has not announced any new military action.

"This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people," he said. "The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood — and we will protect it."

There had been eight U.S. Navy surface warships in the Caribbean Sea for several weeks, but one returned home this week, according to a Defense official.

A Navy submarine also returned home from the region. It is unclear if it was replaced by another submarine.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

In a statement released after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s announcement of bonuses for TSA officers, DHS said the money to pay for them will come from leftover funds.

The department claimed that since the president took office, DHS has saved taxpayers $13 billion and will use that money for bonuses.

No word yet on how many agents are receiving bonuses other than what Noem said earlier: the department is reviewing who should get one.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden confirmed Customs and Border Patrol personnel will be coming to Charlotte, North Carolina, in the coming days.

According to a statement from the sheriff's office, McFadden was contacted by officials on Wednesday confirming CBP would be coming to the Charlotte area "as early as this Saturday or the beginning of next week."

"At this time, specific details regarding the federal operation have not been disclosed and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has not been requested to assist with or participate in any enforcement actions," the statement read. "Sheriff McFadden emphasized that the MCSO will remain vigilant and continue to address and focus on the needs of our community as it does each and every day, however MCSO will not be involved with any measures regarding enforcement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP."

Sources previously told ABC News that CBP commander-at-large Greg Bovino and his team were eyeing Charlotte and New Orleans as the next cities for increased immigration enforcement.

-ABC News' Matt Foster and Luke Barr

The Justice Department joined a legal effort by Republicans in California suing over new congressional district boundaries that voters in the state approved in elections last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday in an X post.

The lawsuit, filed by the California Republican Party, accuses the State of California of violating the Constitution through Proposition 50 by racially gerrymandering in a manner that favors Hispanic voters.

The federal intervention will likely provoke further criticisms about politicization at the Justice Department and why officials aren't pushing for similar lawsuits against states like Texas and others, where Trump has encouraged gerrymandering to favor Republicans, leading into the 2026 midterms.

A spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom dismissed the administration's action.

“These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court,” Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards said in a statement to ABC News Thursday.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin and Brittany Shepherd