WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security is pausing the purchase of new warehouses intended to house immigrants as it scrutinizes all contracts signed under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to a senior Homeland Security official.

The development comes just days after the new Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin, was sworn in last week to lead a department that was steeped in controversy during Noem’s tenure but also central to President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. News of the pause was first reported by NBC News.

The official also said that warehouse purchases that were already made are also being scrutinized.

When asked about reports of the pause, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “as with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals.”

The Department also noted that Mullin said during his confirmation hearing that he wanted to “work with community leaders” and “be good partners.”

Mullin inherited a $38.3 billion plan to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds by acquiring eight large-scale detention centers, capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees each, and 16 smaller regional processing centers.

The plan was hatched during Noem’ s tenure but immediately ran into intense opposition around the country by residents and communities opposed to such large Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in their neighborhoods.

Many objected on moral grounds to ICE’s presence in their neighborhoods, while others questioned whether the facilities would be a drain on local resources, such as sewer and water systems.

So far, 11 warehouses have been purchased in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah, with the federal government spending a combined $1.074 billion.

But lawsuits are pending in three of the states. Meanwhile, the capacity of at least one warehouse has been scaled back. Plans initially called for a warehouse in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise to be used as a 1,500-bed processing site, but Homeland Security now plans to cap occupied beds at 542, Surprise Mayor Kevin Sarter said during a news conference on Monday.

In many cases, mayors, county commissioners, governors and members of Congress learned about ICE’s ambitions only after the agency bought or leased space for detainees, leading to shock and frustration even in areas that have backed Trump.

The warehouse plan ran into challenges from the start. Eight deals were scuttled in places like Kansas City, Missouri, when owners decided not to sell.

Pressed on the lack of information during his confirmation hearing, Mullin acknowledged there had been issues.

“We’ve got to protect the homeland and we’re going to do that,” Mullin said. “But obviously we want to work with community leaders.”

Mullin, who took over and expanded his family’s plumbing business before representing Oklahoma in the U.S House and Senate, said that “one thing I do know is construction.”

He noted that most municipalities don’t have the capacity in their infrastructure for waste and water.

“So, it’s important that we’re talking to the communities and if we’re having additional needs, we can work with the cities,” he said at his confirmation hearing earlier this month.

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Hollingsworth reported from Kansas City, Missouri.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer American service members died by suicide in 2024, with the number of deaths falling by 11% to 471 from a year earlier, according to a Pentagon report released Tuesday.

The rate of suicides per 100,000 service members also dropped that year compared to 2023, the report said. The decrease emerged under Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration and followed a rise in the number of military suicides in 2023.

Despite the drop in 2024, suicide rates among active duty troops overall still have gradually increased between 2011 and 2024, while the National Guard and Reserve have stayed largely stable, the report said.

The military’s statistics generally reflect suicide rates for society as a whole, when adjusted for age and gender, because a majority of those in the military are young and male. The overall trend in suicide rates for active duty service members “mirrors the increase in the U.S. population suicide rates over time,” the report said.

“It remains to be seen whether the short-term decreases observed in 2024 in the Active Component will signal a change in long-term trends,” the report stated.

Suicide prevention has increasingly become a focus in the military in recent years, with Austin declaring it a priority during his tenure. Top leaders in the Pentagon and across the military services have worked to develop programs to increase mental health assistance for troops and to bolster education on gun safety, locks and storage.

The Brandon Act, a law passed in 2021 following a Navy sailor’s suicide, also allows service members to seek help confidentially “for any reason, at any time, and in any environment,” the report noted.

Most service members who died by suicide in 2024 were enlisted men under the age of 30, the report said. The number of active duty service members who died by suicide that year was 302, while 64 were reservists and 105 were in the National Guard.

According to the report, nearly half of the active duty service members who died by suicide in 2024 had a mental health diagnosis such as alcohol use disorder, depression or anxiety. A third had workplace difficulties, while 45% had intimate relationship problems.

“Recognizing that every death by suicide is a tragedy, the Department will continue to take action to support our men and women in uniform and their families, promote the wellbeing and resilience of the force, and take steps to prevent suicide in our military community,” the Pentagon said in a news release after the report was published.

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The national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court panel agreed Tuesday to suspend a federal judge’s order for the Trump administration to bring hundreds of Voice of America employees back to work from paid leave.

The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a stay pending the government’s appeal of the lower court’s March 17 ruling. More than 1,000 employees of Voice of America will remain on administrative leave while the appeals court weighs the case, a process that could take months.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to restore the government-run Voice of America’s operations after it had effectively been shut down a year ago. Lamberth was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan.

The case is assigned to Circuit Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson, Robert Wilkins and Gregory Katsas.

Henderson was nominated by Republican President George H.W. Bush. Wilkins was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama. Katsas was nominated by Trump, a Republican.

Voice of America has broadcast news reports to countries around the world since its formation during World War II. Before Trump’s executive order, it had operated in 49 different languages, broadcasting to 362 million people.

Voice of America has been operating with a skeleton staff since Trump issued an executive order to shut it down.

Lamberth also has ruled that Kari Lake, Trump’s choice to lead Voice of America, did not have the legal authority to do what she had done at the agency.