1 week ago There is no such thing as an ‘illegal immigrant’ | Mehdi Hasan

It is a factually inaccurate and totally, utterly wrong to say that undocumented people are ‘illegal’ and are ‘criminals’On 29 January, the second Trump administration held its first White House press briefing. “Of the 3,500 arrests Ice has made so far since President Trump came back into office, can you just tell us the numbers?” asked a reporter in the front row. “How many have a criminal record versus those who are just in the country illegally?”“All of them,” responded the new White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, making her debut in the briefing room, “because they illegally broke our nation’s laws, and, therefore, they are criminals, as far as this administration goes.” She continued: “I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal. But that’s exactly what they are.”Mehdi Hasan is a broadcaster and author, and a former host on MSNBC. He is also a Guardian US...

Events

3 w. ago Trump administration briefing: Democrats denounce education department ‘shutdown’

Education secretary ordered to take ‘all necessary steps’ to dismantle department; US rejects Mexico’s request for water – key US politics stories from Thursday at a glanceDonald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that instructs the US education secretary, Linda McMahon, to start dismantling the education department, seemingly attempting to circumvent the need to obtain congressional approval to formally close a federal department.The administration may eventually pursue an effort to get Congress to shut down the agency, Trump said at a signing ceremony at the White House on Thursday, because its budget had more than doubled in size in recent years but national test scores had not improved. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Trump administration briefing: judge incredulous at deportations defense; Doge workers break into building

White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela flights; Elon Musk’s Doge workers break into non-government agency – key US politics stories from Monday at a glanceThe Trump administration claimed to a federal judge on Monday that it did not turn around the deportation flights of hundreds of suspected Venezuelan gang members over the weekend despite his specific instructions because that was not expressly included in the formal written order.The administration also said that even if James Boasberg, the chief US district judge in Washington, had included that instruction in his formal order, his authority to compel the planes to return disappeared the moment the planes entered international airspace. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Judge incredulous in Trump deportation case as administration lawyers argue verbal court order isn’t binding – as it happened

This blog has now closed. You can read more of our US politics coverage hereWhite House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela deportationsWhat is the Alien Enemies Act and how is Trump using it?The justice department says that Rasha Alawieh, a kidney specialist working in Rhode Island who was deported to Lebanon despite having a US visa, had “sympathetic” photos and videos of Hezbollah leaders on her phone, according to Politico.Alawieh’s deportation raised concerns because a judge had required 48 hours’ notice before being sent out of the country, and because she was detained despite having a valid visa and a job in the United States. Her lawyers have alleged that Customs and Border Protection ignored that order, and Massachusetts federal judge Leo Sorokin is expected to consider the matter this morning. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Judge incredulous in Trump deportation case as administration lawyers argue verbal court order isn’t binding – live

Judge in Trump deportation case calls administration lawyers’ argument a ‘heck of a stretch’White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela deportationsWhat is the Alien Enemies Act and how is Trump using it?The justice department says that Rasha Alawieh, a kidney specialist working in Rhode Island who was deported to Lebanon despite having a US visa, had “sympathetic” photos and videos of Hezbollah leaders on her phone, according to Politico.Alawieh’s deportation raised concerns because a judge had required 48 hours’ notice before being sent out of the country, and because she was detained despite having a valid visa and a job in the United States. Her lawyers have alleged that Customs and Border Protection ignored that order, and Massachusetts federal judge Leo Sorokin is expected to consider the matter this morning. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Trump administration briefing: US president to speak to Putin this week; Democrats train fire on Musk

Russian president ‘accepts the philosophy’ of US’s Ukraine ceasefire terms, says US envoy; Musk’s popularity falls – key US politics stories from Sunday at a glanceUS president Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that he expected the US president to speak with Vladimir Putin this week, adding that the Russian president “accepts the philosophy” of Trump’s ceasefire and peace terms.Witkoff told CNN that discussions with Putin over several hours last week were “positive” and “solution-based”. He declined to confirm when asked whether Putin’s demands included the surrender of Ukrainian forces in Kursk; international recognition of Ukrainian territory seized by Russia as Russian; limits on Ukraine’s ability to mobilise; a halt to western military aid; and a ban on foreign peacekeepers. Continue reading...

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