The Latest: Trump’s immigration chiefs testifying in Congress following protester deaths

The heads of the agencies carrying retired President Donald Trump’s wide deportation docket are testifying successful Congress, parrying questions implicit however they are prosecuting migration enforcement wrong American cities.

Todd Lyons, the acting manager of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rodney Scott, who leads Customs and Border Protection, and Joseph Edlow, who is the manager of Citizenship and Immigration Services, were called to look Tuesday earlier the House Committee connected Homeland Security amid falling nationalist enactment for migration enforcement.

Their agencies are flush with currency from Trump's large tax-and-spending law, but Democrats are threatening to unopen down DHS Friday nighttime if Republicans don't hold connected caller limits aimed astatine forcing agents to travel the instrumentality and the Constitution pursuing killings successful the streets and expanding detentions.

Trump’s migration run has been heavy scrutinized successful caller weeks aft Homeland Security officers killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good. The agencies person besides faced disapproval for a question of policies that critics accidental trample connected the rights of some immigrants facing apprehension and Americans protesting the enforcement actions.

ICE has undergone a monolithic hiring boom, deploying migration officers crossed the country. Lyons is apt to look questioning implicit a memo helium signed past twelvemonth telling ICE officers that they didn’t request a judge’s warrant to forcibly participate a location to apprehension a deportee, a memo that went against years of ICE signifier and Fourth Amendment protections against amerciable searches.

The Latest:

Head of ICE declines to sermon Good, Pretti

During a pointed exchange, Lyons declined to apologize to the families of Good and Pretti, oregon remark connected the Trump administration’s claims that the 2 Americans killed during protests implicit the migration enforcement actions successful Minneapolis were progressive successful home terrorism.

Lyons said helium welcomed the accidental to talk to the families, but would permission the comments to others successful the administration.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., pressed him to resign. Lyons declined.

Maine’s GOP legislator announces reelection bid amid disapproval implicit ICE surge

Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced her reelection bid Tuesday, betting that she tin clasp onto her Maine spot contempt a renewed Democratic effort to oust her amid migration enforcement successful the state.

The 73-year-old has won 5 presumption by casting herself arsenic a reflection of Maine’s autarkic spirit, occasionally clashing with Trump portion mostly supporting his agenda.

Now Collins faces outrage implicit migration enforcement tactics that could go a governmental liability for Republican candidates crossed the country. In Maine, hundreds of arrests included radical who person nary transgression records.

Collins has taken recognition for stopping the enforcement surge successful Maine by speaking straight with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Democrats accused her of not going acold enough. Gov. Janet Mills and oyster husbandman Graham Platner are starring candidates to unseat Collins.

GOP Rep. says Bovino ‘escalated’ concern astir migration protests

Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said helium “commended” the determination to regenerate Gregory Bovino arsenic Trump’s constituent idiosyncratic connected large-scale migration crackdowns with borderline czar Tom Homan, “a consummate professional.”

McCaul went connected to inquire Lyons if helium felt Homan’s beingness was bringing the concern “under control.”

Lyons turned his effect toward referencing radical who person protested the agents’ actions, noting a “de-escalation successful the information that the protests ... person subsided, and ICE has been allowed to bash their targeted, quality driven enforcement operation.”

House and Senate Republican leaders to conscionable connected Homeland Security funding

Speaker Mike Johnson says he’ll beryllium gathering with Senate Majority Leader John Thune successful the day to sermon the GOP’s options regarding a Homeland Security backing bill.

Congress has funded DHS done Feb. 13th. Democrats are demanding changes to ICE arsenic portion of a spending bill. Johnson said he’s optimistic astir avoiding a shutdown of the agency.

“I’m precise hopeful. I mean, we inactive person immoderate clip connected the clock. When there’s a volition there’s a way.”

He besides was highly captious of Democrats, and said it’s the workers astatine agencies specified arsenic FEMA, Secret Service, TSA and the Coast Guard who would beryllium astir affected by a backing lapse.

“The crushed they are successful the Homeland Security measure is due to the fact that those are the agencies charged with keeping Americans safe,” Johnson said. “Why would Democrats play governmental games with that?”

Lyons, Scott accidental they haven’t been asked to ‘guard’ voting precincts

With Trump’s propulsion to nationalize elections, Thompson asked the officials to reply straight if they are progressive successful immoderate efforts to amusement up and defender voting precincts, with the midterms acceptable for aboriginal this year.

Lyon and Scott each replied, “No, sir.”

Head of USCIS focuses connected fraud and argumentation changes

Joseph Edlow honed successful connected fraud successful his opening remarks, saying his Citizenship and Immigration Services bureau has made much than 33,000 fraud referrals to instrumentality enforcement implicit past year.

“Fraud isn’t conscionable a paperwork issue, it’s a nationalist information and nationalist information concern,” Edlow said.

He besides advocated for an extremity to aggregate deportation protections, including impermanent protected status. The Trump medication has aggressively sought to region TPS, exposing hundreds of thousands of much radical to removal arsenic portion of the administration’s wider, wide deportation effort.

ICE main says ‘we’re lone getting started’

Todd Lyons, the acting manager of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says officers volition not beryllium dissuaded from their ngo — adjacent successful the look of intimidation from the public.

“The household of ICE unit person been made to consciousness unsafe successful their homes,” helium testified.

He said adjacent his ain household has faced harassment. But helium warned that those trying to intimidate ICE officers “will fail.”

“We are lone getting started,” helium said.

ICE caput touts arrest, removal numbers

The ICE manager listed statistic to amusement however good his bureau has been carrying retired the president’s migration agenda. Lyons said ICE had conducted 379,000 arrests, and removed implicit 475,000 radical from the state successful 2025.

“The president tasked america with wide deportation, and we are fulfilling that mandate,” Lyons said.

He besides said the wealth provided by Congress is enabling the bureau to summation however galore radical it tin detain astatine immoderate 1 clip and beef up the fig of regular removal flights.

Vance says ‘strategic partnership’ volition guarantee relations ‘stick’ with Azerbaijan

JD Vance and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev held up the signed papers to applause from the assemblage of authorities officials, and delivered little statements but took nary questions from journalists successful the room.

Vance said the U.S. narration with Azerbaijan is an “underappreciated but very, precise important concern and relationship for the United States.” He said the signatures marque wide the concern is “one that volition stick, is 1 that would proceed to nutrient large fruits for some of our peoples.”

Aliyev said the concern opens caller opportunities for practice with the United States.

“For america it’s a large grant to beryllium a strategical spouse to the astir almighty state successful the world,” helium said.

Border main condemns ‘attacks’ connected national agents

Rodney Scott, who leads Customs and Border Protection, stressed successful his opening connection that borderline agents enactment “tirelessly” to support Americans safe, touting improvements to the U.S.-Mexico borderline partition and onshore introduction points.

Scott said the billions of dollars successful backing from Trump’s taxation cuts measure person led to improved migration enforcement, citing the driblet successful borderline crossings and emergence successful narcotics seized.

“This is what having a unafraid borderline looks like,” helium said.

But Scott besides took contented with what helium called “an unprecedented level of assertive interference and intimidation” against national officers successful the people of doing their jobs. He said these “attacks” connected national officers person been “coordinated and good funded.”

Carney assured that span brouhaha volition beryllium resolved

Canada’s person said Tuesday that helium had a “positive conversation” with Trump aft the U.S. president threatened to artifact the opening of a captious span connecting Ontario and Michigan.

“This is going to beryllium resolved,” Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters, noting that helium told Trump of the bridge’s shared ownership betwixt the Canadian authorities and the authorities of Michigan, and that U.S. alloy and U.S. workers were utilized to physique it.

“I look guardant to it opening and what is peculiarly important is the commerce and the tourism of Canadians and Americans that spell crossed that bridge,” Carney said.

Carney’s remarks came aft Trump threatened to artifact the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a task meant to easiness congestion implicit the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel.

According to Carney, Trump told him he’ll inquire the U.S. ambassador to Canada, erstwhile Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, to “play a relation successful smoothing the speech successful and astir the bridge.”

Top Democrat calls Homeland Security ‘reckless’

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi said “every American should beryllium outraged” astatine Homeland Security’s actions, and that some the bureau and its caput Kristi Noem “must beryllium held accountable.”

Thompson past displaying Good and Pretti’s photos and held a infinitesimal of silence.

Demanding answers successful the aftermath of the Minneapolis shootings, Thompson said the section has blocked lawmakers from visiting detention facilities and needs to beryllium much responsive to questions.

Transparency Index raises concerns astir US anti-corruption efforts

The yearly survey released Tuesday serves arsenic a barometer of perceived corruption worldwide. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2025 gave apical spot to Denmark, with 89 points retired of 100, followed by Finland and Singapore. At the bottommost were South Sudan and Somalia with 9 points apiece, followed by Venezuela.

The U.S. moved down 1 constituent from 2024 for its worst showing yet nether the methodology Transparency started utilizing for its planetary ranking successful 2012, putting it successful 29th spot successful the archetypal twelvemonth of Trump’s 2nd term.

“The usage of nationalist bureau to people and restrict autarkic voices specified arsenic NGOs and journalists, the normalization of conflicted and transactional politics, the politicization of prosecutorial determination making, and actions that undermine judicial independence, among galore others, each nonstop a unsafe awesome that corrupt practices are acceptable,” the study said.

Transparency International besides argued that the Trump administration’s freezing of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act “sends a unsafe awesome that bribery and different corrupt practices are acceptable.”

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Chairman reminds crowded proceeding country against making violative comments

Opening the hearing, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, president of the committee, called the infinitesimal an “inflection point” but warned those successful attendance against making immoderate comments violative to Trump oregon Vice President JD Vance.

The New York Republican called the summation successful rhetoric and deficiency of cohesion betwixt authorities and section instrumentality jurisdictions — on with the deaths of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by national officers — “unacceptable and preventable.”

In a stark move, Garbarino denied the accidental for Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, who represents the borderline assemblage of El Paso, to articulation the sheet for the hearing.

Ahead of the hearing, Escobar spoke privately with Todd Lyons, acting manager of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arsenic the Trump officials took their seats astatine the witnesser table.

VP’s X relationship refers to ‘Armenian genocide’ earlier deleting it

JD Vance’s squad posted — and past deleted — a connection connected societal media that referred to the “Armenian genocide,” utilizing connection astir the aboriginal 20th period atrocities that the Trump medication has sought to avoid.

The vice president’s bureau said that connection was posted successful mistake by unit who were not portion of Vance’s delegation. The vice president connected Tuesday visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial.

Joe Biden successful 2021 formally recognized that the systematic killings and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces was “genocide.” American presidents person avoided the word for decades implicit concerns of alienating Turkey.

Asked by reporters earlier departing Yerevan wherefore helium visited the memorial, Vance responded, “Obviously, it’s a precise unspeakable happening that happened, small implicit 100 years ago, and thing that’s conscionable very, precise important to them culturally.”

Top Navy admiral sees a smaller Caribbean beingness successful the future

The Navy’s apical serviceman told The Associated Press that helium envisions a overmuch smaller and much tailored beingness of ships successful the Caribbean if the ngo determination keeps going. The Navy has had 11 ships, including the world’s largest craft bearer and respective amphibious battle ships with thousands of Marines, successful the portion for months.

Speaking “generically,” Adm. Daryl Caudle said precocious that helium envisions a aboriginal absorption much connected interdictions and keeping an oculus connected merchant shipping and “that doesn’t truly necessitate a bearer onslaught radical to bash that.”

Caudle says helium believes the ngo could beryllium done with immoderate smaller littoral combat ships, Navy helicopters and adjacent coordination with the Coast Guard.

“I don’t privation a batch of destroyers determination driving astir conscionable to really run the radar to get consciousness connected centrifugal vessels and different tankers coming retired of port,” helium added.

Wall Street stalls arsenic retail income travel successful weaker than expected

The report, issued by the Commerce Department connected Tuesday, shows shoppers pulled backmost the gait of their spending successful December from November, closing retired the vacation buying play and the twelvemonth connected a lackluster tone. Retail income were level successful December from November. Economists were expecting a 0.4% summation for December.

The report, delayed much than a period due to the fact that of the 43-day authorities shutdown, raises questions astir consumers’ quality to walk this twelvemonth arsenic Americans interest astir a slowing occupation marketplace amid uncertainty astir the Trump tariffs ’ interaction connected prices.

The snapshot offers lone a partial look astatine user spending. The lone services class — restaurants — registered a dip of 0.1%.

Economists volition beryllium intimately monitoring a slew of economical reports connected jobs and prices owed retired aboriginal this week.

Trump’s migration docket roils opening days of Winter Olympics

Vice President JD Vance hailed the Olympic contention arsenic “one of the fewer things that unites the full country.” That unity didn’t past long.

The Milan Cortina Games are already roiled by the tumultuous governmental statement successful the U.S. arsenic American athletes look persistent questions astir their comfortableness with Trump’s assertive migration enforcement and different arguable policies.

The spotlight connected the U.S. that comes with planetary sports volition lone intensify arsenic the U.S., Canada and Mexico big this year’s World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics volition beryllium held successful Los Angeles.

Some are hoping sports volition assistance radical process their disagreements and yet travel together.

“There’s this truly magical happening that athletics tin do,” said Ashleigh Huffman, who was the main of sports diplomacy astatine the State Department during the Biden and archetypal Trump administrations. “It tin little the somesthesia of the room.”

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Buddhist monks’ ‘Walk for Peace’ reaches Washington, DC

A radical of Buddhist monks whose 15-week trek from Texas captivated Americans reached Washington, D.C., connected ft Tuesday, walking azygous record crossed a span implicit the Potomac River.

The monks successful their saffron robes became societal media fixtures arsenic they walked with their rescue canine Aloka to advocator for bid — a elemental connection that has resonated arsenic a invited respite from struggle and governmental divisions crossed the U.S. Thousands gathered on Southern roadsides successful unusually chilly upwind to prosecute with their quiescent procession, which began successful precocious October.

Large crowds are expected to greet them astatine Washington National Cathedral connected Tuesday and the Lincoln Memorial connected Wednesday.

“My anticipation is, erstwhile this locomotion ends, the radical we met volition proceed practicing mindfulness and find peace,” said the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group’s soft-spoken leader, who has taught astir mindfulness astatine stops on the way.

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Tufts postgraduate pupil wins her lawsuit successful migration court, her lawyers say

“Today, I respire a suspiration of alleviation knowing that contempt the justness system’s flaws, my lawsuit whitethorn springiness anticipation to those who person besides been wronged by the U.S. government,” Rümeysa Öztürk said successful a statement.

A justice said the Turkish postgraduate pupil raised superior concerns astir her First Amendment and owed process rights, arsenic good arsenic her health. The tribunal recovered connected Jan. 29 that the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t proved Öztürk should beryllium deported, and truthful terminated her removal proceedings, her attorneys told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals connected Monday.

The PhD pupil studying children and societal media was arrested past March aft co-authoring an op-ed criticizing her university’s effect to the warfare successful Gaza. She’s been retired of a Louisiana migrant detention halfway since May.

DHS tin support appealing, her lawyers noted. The bureau didn’t instantly instrumentality an email connection seeking comment.

Americans’ optimism has slumped: Gallup poll

Americans’ anticipation for their aboriginal has fallen to a caller low, according to caller polling. In 2025, lone astir 59% of Americans gave precocious ratings erstwhile asked to measure however bully their beingness volition beryllium successful 5 years, the lowest measurement since Gallup began asking this question.

It’s a motion of the gloom that has fallen implicit the state implicit the past fewer years. In the data, Gallup’s “current” and “future” lines thin to determination unneurotic — erstwhile Americans are feeling bully astir the present, they thin to consciousness optimistic astir the future.

But the astir caller measures amusement that portion existent beingness restitution has declined implicit the past decade, aboriginal optimism has dropped adjacent more.

Masks look arsenic a awesome of Trump’s ICE crackdown

Beyond the car windows being smashed, radical tackled connected metropolis streets — oregon adjacent a small kid with a floppy bunny ears snowcap detained — the images of masked national officers has go a flashpoint successful the Trump administration’s migration enforcement operations.

Not successful caller U.S. representation has an American policing cognition truthful consistently masked its thousands of officers from the public, a improvement that the Department of Homeland Security believes is important to safeguard employees from online harassment. But experts pass masking serves different purpose, inciting fearfulness successful communities, and risks shattering norms, accountability and spot betwixt the constabulary and its citizenry.

Whether to prohibition the masks — oregon let the masking to proceed — has emerged arsenic a cardinal question successful the statement successful Congress implicit backing Homeland Security up of Friday’s midnight deadline, erstwhile it faces a partial bureau shutdown.

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Democrats accidental White House connection is ‘insufficient’ arsenic Homeland Security backing is acceptable to expire

Democratic leaders accidental a connection from the White House is “incomplete and insufficient” arsenic they are demanding caller restrictions connected President Trump’s migration crackdown and threatening a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department.

Senate Democratic person Chuck Schumer and House Democratic person Hakeem Jeffries said successful a connection precocious Monday that a White House counterproposal to the database of demands they transmitted implicit the play “included neither details nor legislative text” and does not code “the concerns Americans person astir ICE’s lawless conduct.” The White House connection was not released publicly.

The Democrats’ connection comes arsenic clip is moving short, with different partial authorities shutdown threatening to statesman Saturday. Among the Democrats’ demands are a request for judicial warrants, amended recognition of DHS officers, caller use-of-force standards and a halt to radical profiling. They accidental specified changes are indispensable aft 2 protesters were fatally changeable by national agents successful Minneapolis past month.

Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had expressed optimism astir the uncommon negotiations betwixt Democrats and the White House, saying determination was “forward progress.”

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