istock photo

The number of migrant children and families from Central American crossing the border in the U.S. has dropped significantly since the crisis this summer, the Arizona Republic reports.

The number of crossings have dropped to the lowest level this year, Customs and Border Protection said.

The crossings peaked in June but began to fell because of the media attention.

In September, agents apprehended 2,402 unaccompanied children, compared to 10,622 in June. That’s a 77% decline.

The number of families taken into custody also declined sharply.

By Steve Neavling

The FBI believes three teenage girls from suburban Denver were headed to Syria to join Islamic State militants in Syria.

The Associated Press reports that two sisters, ages 17 and 15, and their friend, age 16, were stopped at the Frankfurt, Germany en route to Turkey and then Syria.

The sisters are of Somali descent, while their friend is of Sudanese descent.

Now the FBI is trying to determine whether any of their friends may try to join Islamic State.

The sisters were reported missing by their father after they skipped school Friday.

The families expressed shock and said they hadn’t had problems with the girls.

By Steve Neavling

A jury has begun deliberating in the trial of a friend of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect.

The Boston Globe reports that the fate of Robel Phillipos is now in the hands of a jury.

In closing arguments, Phillipos’ attorney said the government failed to show that he “knowingly and intentionally” made false statements during the investigation. The attorney said Phillipos’ memory was clouded by marijuana.

But U.S. attorneys said Phillipos intentionally lied to protect his friend.

“This case is about someone who lied, not about someone who didn’t remember,” Assistant US Attorney Stephanie Siegmann said.

By Steve Neavling

To stem the spread of Ebola, the Department of Homeland Security has limited the number of flights coming from affected countries in West Africa, NPR reports.

“Today, I am announcing that all passengers arriving in the United States whose travel originates in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea will be required to fly into one of the five airports that have the enhanced screening and additional resources in place,” Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said in a statement.

Beginning today, passengers will be subject to “secondary screening and added protocols, including having their temperature taken, before they can be admitted into the United States,” the statement said.

The airports are New York’s JFK; Newark, N.J.; Washington, D.C.’s Dulles; Atlanta; and Chicago O’Hare.

“We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed.”

Via birdiespanties.com

Homeland Security raided a lingerie boutique for selling panties celebrating the Kansas City Royals’ presence in the World Series, Pitch.com reports.

“We’ve had so many cops come in and buy these,” the artist at Birdies, Peregrine Honig, said.

The panties were selling for about $30.

Homeland Security agents issued a cease-and-desist order and confiscated the remaining undies, which was emblazoned with the words, “Take the crown.”

The problem, the shop owner said, was that the “K” and “C” were connected, much like it is on the Royals emblem.

“We’d just restocked, and they were literally hot off the press,” Honig said.

Homeland Security officers claim the panties infringed on major league baseball copyright.

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• Ohio Police Officer Under Investigation Following Pullover
• FBI Helps Local Police in Investigation of Serial Killings
• Justice Department Holds Final Town Hall Meeting in Ferguson
• DEA Arrests Suspected Supplier of Performance-Enhancing Drugs