According to AFP, the above bill, called the Laken Riley Act, was passed by the US Senate with a vote of 64-35 earlier this week, then the US House of Representatives passed it with a vote of 263-256. The bill’s passage comes as President Trump vowed to make a crackdown on immigration a centerpiece of his agenda. Although the bill has now passed Congress, there are still hurdles ahead with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warning it cannot fully enforce the order within its available resources.
American churches and schools are no longer safe havens for illegal immigrants under President Trump
Also on January 22, President Trump’s administration directed US prosecutors to criminally investigate state and local officials who obstruct immigration enforcement efforts. In addition, acting US Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said the US military will support flights for the Department of Homeland Security to deport more than 5,000 immigrants detained by US authorities in El Paso (Texas). and San Diego (California state).
US President Donald Trump spoke at the White House on January 21
In another development, President Trump on January 22 continued to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit at the negotiating table to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. “Without a deal, I will have no choice but to impose higher taxes and tariffs and sanctions on anything Russia sells to the United States, as well as other participating countries,” Mr. Trump shared on the social network Truth Social. Mr. Trump’s recent tough statements against Russia have raised the prospect of ending the Ukraine conflict in the near future.
Responding to Mr. Trump’s statement, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said Moscow will wait and determine what an agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine means for the US leader. “The first and important issue is to resolve the root causes of the Ukraine crisis,” according to Reuters, quoting Mr. Polyanskiy.
