Newark, Jan 25: Less than a week into his presidency, the Trump administration Friday touted deportation efforts and published new rules making it easier to remove people – part of a flurry of actions to make good on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration.
Amid officials’ latest show of force, waves of worry reverberated in parts of the country, with officials in Newark, New Jersey, lashing out over what they called illegal arrests by immigration agents.
President Donald Trump’s administration portrayed U.S. military planes carrying migrants that touched down in Central America as a start to deportations and announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement made 538 arrests on Thursday alone. He also sent U.S. soldiers and Marines to the US-Mexico border and lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools and churches.
Many of the ICE actions were not unusual. Similar deportation flights also took place under the Biden administration, though not using military planes. ICE averaged 311 daily arrests in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. President Joe Biden also sent active duty troops to the border in 2023, and numerous administrations have sent National Guard troops to assist Customs and Border Protection.
However, rumours of arrests and news reports or social media posts about the presence of agents sparked worries in communities around the country. Some rights groups launched plans to protect immigrants in the event of arrests at schools or workplaces.
Trump proposes ‘getting rid of FEMA’ while touring disaster areas
President Donald Trump surveyed disaster zones in California and North Carolina on Friday and said he was considering “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to the nation’s central organization for responding to disasters.
In fire-ravaged California, the state’s Democratic leaders pressed Trump for federal assistance that he’s threatened to hold up, some setting aside their past differences to shower him with praise. Trump, in turn, pressured local officials to waive permitting requirements so people can immediately rebuild, pledging that federal permits would be granted promptly. (AP)
Pete Hegseth confirmed as US Defence Secretary
Washington, Jan 25: The US Senate has narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as the country’s Defence Secretary after Vice President J D Vance cast a rare tiebreaker vote, approving President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon after a contentious battle over his nomination amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.
In the 100-member Senate, the ruling Republican Party has 53 members.
With the vote tied at 50-50, Vance used his rare vote to confirm the nomination of Hegseth, 44, a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
All 47 Democrats voted against Hegseth, a former Fox News host.
Three Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitch McConnell also voted against him. Hegseth’s confirmation process has been mired in allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement of veterans’ charities, all of which he has denied. (AP)