House passes bill on immigrant detention that would be Trump’s first law to sign
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that requires the detainment of unauthorized migrants accused of theft and violent crimes, marking the first legislation that President Donald Trump can sign as Congress, with some bipartisan support, swiftly moved in line with his plans to crackdown on illegal immigration.
Passage of the Laken Riley Act, which was named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan man, shows just how sharply the political debate over immigration has shifted to the right following Trump’s election victory. Immigration policy has often been one of the most entrenched issues in Congress, but a crucial faction of politically vulnerable Democrats joined with Republicans to lift the strict proposal to passage on a 263-156 vote tally.
“For decades, it has been almost impossible for our government to agree on solutions for the problems at our border and within our country,” said Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican. She called the legislation “perhaps the most significant immigration enforcement bill” to be passed by Congress in nearly three decades
”READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/house-passes-bill-on-immigrant-detention-that-would-be-trumps-first-law-to-sign
Congress clears GOP-led immigration enforcement bill, with Democrats on board
President Donald Trump is getting his first immigration bill to sign, a measure that would make it easier for federal immigration officials to detain and deport those without legal status who are charged with crimes ranging from minor theft to assault on law enforcement.
The bill, known as the Laken Riley Act, passed 263-156 with the support of 46 Democrats. The vote marked a major shift for many in the party. Democrats broadly rejected the measure at various times last year but the politics of the bill shifted after the election.
The Laken Riley Act underscores a broader focus in Washington on immigration and border security after Trump made the issue a central pillar of his successful presidential campaign.
The measure directs federal immigration enforcement to detain and deport those without legal status charged with minor theft or shoplifting.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, praised the legislation in a speech on the floor ahead of the vote.
“I look forward to President Trump signing this bill into law to let immigrants who break our laws are held accountable for their crimes. This must be done,” Feenstra said.
The Senate, where the bill passed 64-35 last week, also added an amendment that expands the measure to include crimes causing death or serious bodily injury, or the assault of a law enforcement officer. Several criminal offenses can already be grounds for deportation. But critics of the measure argue that the proposal skips the current practice of waiting until someone is convicted before considering the removal process.
”READ FULL ARTICLE:https://www.npr.org/2025/01/22/nx-s1-5253926/congress-laken-riley-act
Pentagon is sending 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the US-Mexico border
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Wednesday it has begun deploying 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border, putting in motion plans President Donald Trump laid out in executive orders shortly after he took office to crack down on immigration.
Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said the troops will fly helicopters to assist Border Patrol agents and help in the construction of barriers. The Pentagon also will provide military aircraft for Department of Homeland Security deportation flights for more than 5,000 detained migrants.
The number of troops and their mission may soon change, Salesses said in a statement. “This is just the beginning,” he said.
“In short order, the department will develop and execute additional missions in cooperation with DHS, federal agencies, and state partners to address the full range of threats outlined by the President at our nation’s borders,” Salesses said.
Defense officials added that the department is prepared to provide many more troops if asked, including up to 2,000 more Marines.
Officials said there was no plan now for the troops to do law enforcement, which would put them in a dramatically different role for the first time in decades. Any decision on this would be made by the White House, they said.
”READ FULL ARTICLE: https://apnews.com/article/troops-border-deploy-active-duty-09324578d2b89db5c44e0ba08f42df47
Thousands under evacuation orders in northern LA County in first significant wildfire outbreak since fatal fires
Within five hours, the fire grew to more than 8,000 acres, according to Cal Fire. Residents in the immediate vicinity of Castaic Lake are under mandatory evacuations, according to the LA County Fire Department. The unincorporated community of Castaic is about 15 miles northwest of the city of Santa Clarita and borders the Angeles National Forest.
As of 4 p.m., the fire was 0% contained and impacting both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Cal Fire said. Approximately 19,000 residents are under evacuation orders, while 16,000 are under evacuation warnings, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday afternoon.
Evacuation numbers are “going to change,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told CNN affiliate KCAL on Wednesday. “I have a feeling we’re going to upgrade that to something else.”
The inferno has forced officials to close part of Interstate 5, a major Los Angeles area freeway running north and south. The closed section of the freeway services suburbs north of Los Angeles, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At the rate it’s going, the blaze is burning a football field-sized area every 2 to 3 seconds. Winds in the area are currently around 20 mph and pushing flames toward the southwest, with wind gusts up to 30-40 mph at some spots, according to the National Weather Service.
”READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/us/hughes-fire-los-angeles-county-california/index.html
Jan. 6 rioters convicted for role in Capitol attack speak out against Trump’s pardons
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump followed through on his pledge to pardon those charged with participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, granting a sweeping unconditional pardon to more than 1,500 rioters and commutations for more than a dozen others.
Following the executive action, two people who pleaded guilty for their actions at the Capitol that day have spoken out against their pardons.
“This is a sad day,” Idaho resident Pamela Hemphill told Boise ABC affiliate KIVI. “The ramifications of this is going to be horrifying.”
Hemphill pleaded guilty to violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and was sentenced in May 2022 to 60 days of incarceration. She told KIVI she doesn’t want to be pardoned.
Trump puts all US government diversity staff on paid leave ‘immediately
President Donald Trump has ordered that all US government staff working on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes be put on immediate paid administrative leave.
The White House confirmed that all federal DEI workers had to be put on leave by 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT) on Wednesday, before the offices and programmes in question were shut down.
In an executive order issued on Tuesday, Trump also called for an end to the “dangerous, demeaning and immoral” programmes.
It is unclear how many people are affected by the order, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 800,000 federal workers, said.
Since his inauguration, the president has acted swiftly on a number of key pledges through a raft of unilateral actions.
He repeatedly attacked DEI practices on the campaign trail, arguing that they were discriminatory.
In his inaugural address, Trump pledged to “forge a society that is colour-blind and merit-based”.
DEI programmes aim to promote participation in workplaces by people from a range of backgrounds.
Their backers say they address historical underrepresentation and discrimination against certain groups including racial minorities, but critics say such programmes can themselves be discriminatory.
On Tuesday, a memo was sent from the US Office of Personnel Management to the heads of government agencies, instructing them to place DEI employees on leave.
”READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgj288ywj23o
House passes Laken Riley Act, sending the first bill to Trump to sign into law
The strict measure, named for a 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant, has divided Democrats
WASHINGTON — The Republican-led House on Wednesday passed the Laken Riley Act, a strict immigration detention measure named for a 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who was murdered last year by an undocumented immigrant.
The legislation, aimed at clamping down on people in the U.S. illegally who commit nonviolent crimes like theft, is expected to be the first bill President Donald Trump signs into law after returning to the White House this week.
The House vote was 263-156, with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans in support of the measure. The bill passed the Senateon Monday by a vote of 64-35, winning 12 Democratic votes. Among them were Sens. Gary Peters, of Michigan; Jon Ossoff, of Georgia; Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire; and Mark Warner, of Virginia, all up for face re-election in 2026.
In November, Jose Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan citizen who was in the United States illegally, was found guilty of kidnapping, assaulting and murdering Riley while she was out for a jog near the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
On the 2024 campaign trail, Trump and Republicans highlighted that Ibarra had been cited for shoplifting by a Georgia police department, but that Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not issue a detainer for him and he was not taken into custody.
The Laken Riley Act, written by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., would require ICE to take custody of and detain undocumented immigrants who are charged, arrested or convicted of committing acts of “burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.”
“It’s bittersweet,” Collins said after the vote, adding that he had spoken to Riley’s family earlier in the day. “For a young lady that wanted to dedicate her career and her life to saving lives, now her name will live on forever and it will save lives.”
An earlier version of the bill passed the House by a vote of 264-159, with 48 Democrats supporting it. Last year, the GOP-controlled House passed the bill, but it was ignored by the Democratic-led Senate and President Joe Biden never said if he supported it.
Pentagon deploys more troops along border with Mexico
US President Donald Trump has vowed to fight “an invasion” of illegal migrants
The Pentagon is deploying more soldiers at the border with Mexico to help CBP agents tackle the surge of illegal crossings. The crackdown comes after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the border and pledged to sustain “an invasion” of migrants who are entering the US illegally.
“President Trump signed an executive order – 1,500 additional troops to the United States southern border. This comes off of his day-one action … to direct the Department of Defense to make homeland security a core mission of the agency,”White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
Around 2,200 active-duty troops are already stationed at the border as part of Joint Task Force-North, whose headquarters is based in El Paso, Texas. The soldiers are operating together with the National Guard and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
According to CNN, the troops are currently assisting in “mostly logistical and bureaucratic tasks,” such as data entry and monitoring.
Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said that the Pentagon will dispatch “helicopters with associated crews, and intelligence analysts to support increased detection and monitoring efforts.”
The Pentagon will also “provide military airlift to support DHS deportation flights of more than five thousand illegal aliens from the San Diego, California, and El Paso, Texas, sectors detained by Customs and Border Protection,” Salesses told reporters. “This is just the beginning,” he added.
Overall, Trump is preparing to send around 10,000 troops to the border with Mexico, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing an internal CBP document.
Trump, who took office on Monday, has vowed to protect the country from the “invasion” of illegal migrants. In an executive order signed shortly after inauguration, he said that many undocumented migrants “present significant threats to national security and public safety” and are “committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans.”
READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.rt.com/news/611482-trump-sends-troops-border/
Foreign ‘experts’ plotting coup – leader of EU state
