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The Laken Riley Act is finally Law

Trump signs Laken Riley Act into law
as first legislative victory in new administration

'America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley,' Trump said before signing the law

President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday, marking the first piece of legislation to become law in his second administration.
 
"This horrific atrocity should never have been allowed to happen," Trump told reporters ahead of signing the legislation. "And as president, I'm fighting every single day to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again."
 
The measure, which advanced through the House and Senate in January, directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer.
 
The law also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration.
 
The law's name honors a nursing student who was killed during a jog on the University of Georgia’s campus by an illegal immigrant. Jose Ibarra, who previously had been arrested but never detained by ICE, received a life prison sentence for killing 22-year-old Laken Riley.
 
Riley's mother, Allyson Phillips, expressed her gratitude at the signing for everyone who pushed to advance the legislation.
 
"We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made us," Phillips said. "He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Laken. And he hasn't. He's a man of his word."
 
Riley's father, John, and sister, Lauren, also were present at the signing.
 
The measure received support from all House Republicans and 48 Democrats, and all Senate Republicans and 12 Senate Democrats. Trump touted the bipartisan effort Wednesday.
 
"With today's action, her name will also live forever in the laws of our country," Trump said. "And this is a very important law. This is something that has brought Democrats and Republicans together. That's not easy to do. Laken did it. Laken did it. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley."
 
Meanwhile, critics of the measure claim that the law will pave the way for mass detention, including for those who have committed minor offenses like shoplifting.
 
Sarah Mehta, senior border policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement after the Senate voted to advance the measure ahead of a final vote, "This is an extreme and reactive bill that will authorize the largest expansion of mandatory detention we have seen in decades."

  To Sarah Mehta of the ACLU, I retort that the Biden administration and his policies permitted the largest expansion of illegal immigration we have seen in all of U.S. history.

Trump's Plan to use Tariffs to halt flow from Mexico seems to be working

Mexico agrees to deploy 10,000 troops to US border

in exchange for tariff pause

Trump admin officials are working with Mexico on a wider deal

Mexico has agreed to deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay on President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday.
 
Sheinbaum made the announcement on social media Monday morning, roughly 12 hours before the tariffs were set to take effect. Trump and Sheinbaum spoke on Monday and agreed that Mexico will do more to combat drug trafficking into the U.S., and that the U.S. will step up efforts to block the flow of firearms into Mexico.
 
Sheinbaum also said officials with the U.S. and Mexico were beginning talks on wider trade and security issues.
 
Trump confirmed the deal in his own post on Truth Social, describing the call with Sheinbaum as a "very friendly conversation."
"I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States. These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country," Trump wrote.
 
"We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico. I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a 'deal' between our two Countries," he added.
 
The deal comes just days after Trump announced 25% tariffs on both Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% tariffs on China. Trump says he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, but the pair did not reach an agreement. He says they will speak again later Monday.
 
The tariffs are set to take effect at midnight on Tuesday.
 
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to "buy Canada" in response to the tariffs.
 
"Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada," Trudeau wrote on X. "Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada.
 
During Sunday's exchange with reporters, Trump also discussed the prospect of cutting off aid to South Africa after its president signed a controversial land seizure measure.

The entire purpose of the Tariffs was to pressure Mexico to resume border security anyway. It was never monetary, despite Mexico already charging a 13.7% tariff on U.S. goods.

Trump's Plan to use Tariffs to halt flow from Canada seems to be working too

Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada

in exchange for more border enforcement

Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada were set to go into effect Tuesday

President Donald Trump will pause additional tariffs on Canadian imports for 30 days after a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who made some concessions to temporarily stave off the levies.
 
Trump and Trudeau spoke via phone on Monday, hours before additional 25% tariffs were to take effect on Canadian goods coming into the United States. In a post on X, Trudeau said Canada will implement a $1.3 billion border plan and appoint a fentanyl czar.
In addition, Canada will reinforce its border with new helicopters, technology, personnel and enhanced coordination with American authorities. He added that nearly 10,000 personnel are and will be working on border protection.
 
"We will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering," Trudeau wrote. "I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million."
 
"Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together," he added.
 
Trump has long said Canada and Mexico have failed to do enough to prevent the flow of illegal migrants and drugs, particularly fentanyl, from those nations into the U.S. In addition, Trump claims the U.S. has subsidized Canada to the tune of $200 billion annually.
 
"We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all," Trump wrote in a statement on Saturday, when he imposed the tariffs. "I made a promise on my Campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our Borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it."
 
Hours before his call with Trudeau, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border over tariff threats.
 
Trump has promised to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods, as well as a 10% tariff on Canadian energy and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. The tariffs on Canada and China were set to go into effect Tuesday at midnight.

Sudden 60% Drop in Migrant Encounters at US southern border

Trump-era southern border sees migrant encounters plummet

by over 60% as new policies kick in

There is now just an average of 1,041 encounters a day at the border

The number of migrants arriving at the southern border has dropped by over 60% since President Donald Trump took office last week, new data obtained by Fox News Digital shows.
 
There were 7,287 migrant encounters at the southern border in the first seven days (Jan 20-26) after Trump's inauguration by both Border Patrol between ports of entry and by the Office of Field Operations (OFO) at ports of entry, with a daily average of 1,041 encounters a day.
 
That compares to 20,086 encounters in the seven days in the final days of the Biden administration (Jan 13-19) prior to Trump’s inauguration, averaging 2,869 encounters a day.
 
That equals more than a 63% decrease in the number of encounters at the southern border.
 
President Trump entered office last week and immediately declared a national emergency at the southern border, and ordered the expulsion of migrants without the possibility of asylum.
 
He also shut down the Biden-era use of the CBP One app that allows migrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry so they can be allowed into the U.S. via humanitarian parole. The numbers suggest that the moves are having an impact at both the ports of entry and for those crossing illegally.
 
Fox News reported on Monday that fewer than 600 people crossed illegally into the U.S. on Sunday, and that not a single of the nine sectors received more than 200 illegal crossings. The Del Rio sector – which is the same sector that would sustain over 4,000 crossings per day during the height of the border crisis in December 2023 – only recorded 60 crossings.
 
Trump has sent the U.S. military to the border, ordered the continuation of wall construction and has shut down additional parole programs, including the processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.
 
Separately, his administration has launched a mass deportation program, quickly racking up daily arrests of more than 1,000 as raids take place in sanctuary cities including Boston and New York City.

  Guess where this isn't being reported... CNN, MSNBC, etc...

ACLU Sues to re-open the southern border

ACLU sues Trump administration for shutting down southern border asylum access

Immigration advocacy groups on Monday sued the Trump administration over its ban on asylum access at the southern border, saying the sweeping restrictions illegally put people who are fleeing war and persecution in harm’s way.
 
The decision outlined in one of President Donald Trump’s immigration-related executive orders is “as unlawful as it is unprecedented,” the groups — led by the American Civil Liberties Union — said in the complaint, filed in a Washington federal court.
 
“The government is doing just what Congress by statute decreed that the United States must not do. It is returning asylum seekers — not just single adults, but families too — to countries where they face persecution or torture, without allowing them to invoke the protections Congress has provided,” lawyers wrote.
 
The ACLU filed the complaint on behalf of Arizona-based Florence Project, El Paso-based Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and Texas-based RAICES.
 
In an executive order, Trump declared that the situation at the southern border constitutes an invasion of America and that he was “suspending the physical entry” of migrants until he decides it’s over.
 
The executive order also suspended the ability of migrants to ask for asylum.
 
It was the latest blow to asylum access that began under the Biden administration, which severely curtailed the ability of people who entered the country between the official border crossings to qualify for asylum. But they also had a system by which 1,450 people a day could schedule an appointment at an official crossing with Mexico to seek protection in America.
 
Trump ended that program on his first day in office.
 
Advocates say the right to request asylum is enshrined in the country’s immigration law and that denying migrants that right puts people fleeing war or persecution in grave danger.
 
Critics have said relatively few people coming to America seeking asylum actually end up qualifying and that it takes years for overloaded immigration courts to come to a determination on such requests.

  I need add that the Catch-n-Release policy that began under Obama's Administration had a 90% failure rate. Would anyone think that someone who crossed the border legally would voluntarily appear before an immigration judge when they never intended to get caught?

That, or they were all told to say "I want asylum" if they were caught.

Rubio has success in Panama

Rubio hails Panama's move to exit Chinese infrastructure plan

SUMMARY

• Panama says it will let its Belt and Road involvement expire
  
• Move follows talks with top U.S. diplomat on Latam tour
  
• China calls Panama's move 'regrettable'
  
• Audit could be path to undo China's canal concessions
  

 
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday welcomed Panama's decision to let its participation in China's global infrastructure plan expire, calling the move "a great step forward" for its ties with the United States.
 
Any move by Panama to distance itself from Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road Initiative is a win for Washington, which has argued that Beijing uses the scheme for "debt trap diplomacy" to cement its global influence.
Rubio this week made his first overseas trip as the top U.S. diplomat under President Donald Trump to Panama, a close U.S. partner in Latin America, and pressured the country over its ties with China.
 
After talks with Rubio, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said his country's broad agreement to contribute to the Chinese initiative will not be renewed, and could be terminated early. He said the deal was set to expire in two to three years, but did not elaborate.
 
"Yesterday's announcement by President @JoseRaulMulino that Panama will allow its participation in the CCP's Belt and Road Initiative to expire is a great step forward for U.S.-Panama relations, a free Panama Canal, and another example of @POTUS leadership to protect our national security and deliver prosperity for the American people," Rubio posted on X after departing the country.
 
Panama was the first Latin American country to officially endorse the Belt and Road Initiative in November 2017, five months after switching diplomatic ties to China from Taiwan, the democratically governed island Beijing claims as its territory.
 
China rejects Western criticism of the plan, saying well over 100 countries have joined it, and that it has boosted global development with new ports, bridges, railways and other projects.
 
Panama had made a "regrettable decision," China's U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said.
 
"The smear campaign that is launched by the U.S. and some of the other Western countries on the Belt and Road Initiative is totally groundless," Fu told a news conference in New York.
 
Still, the Chinese infrastructure plan has faced controversy, with some partner nations bemoaning the high cost of projects and struggling to repay loans. Italy withdrew from the initiative in 2023 under U.S. pressure over concerns about Beijing's economic reach.

Rubio reigns-in the insubordination at USAID

Rubio says 'no choice' but to bring USAID 'under control'

after agency takeover: 'rank insubordination'

Secretary of State speaks out on 'rank insubordination' and more

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is accusing USAID of "rank insubordination," adding "we had no choice but to bring this thing under control."  The top U.S. diplomat made the comments in an exclusive interview with Fox News in El Salvador, just after announcing he would take over as acting director of the humanitarian agency. 
 
Rubio blasted USAID for being "completely unresponsive" telling Fox "they don’t consider that they work for the U.S., they just think they’re a global entity and that their master is the globe and not the United States, and that’s not what the statute says, and that’s not sustainable."
 
Rubio refused to say whether the agency "needs to die," as DOGE chief Elon Musk is suggesting, instead stressing the goal was always to reform it. 
 
"There are things that we do through USAID that we should continue to do, that make sense, and we'll have to decide, is that better through the State Department or is that better through something, you know, a reformed USAID? That's the process we're working through."
 
Despite plans for restructuring, Rubio said the United States would remain the "most generous nation on Earth," but added, in a way that makes sense, that’s in our national interests.
 
Asked if changes to USAID would open the door for Communist China to increase its influence around the world, Rubio said "No, I mean, first of all, they don't do that now. If they did, they'd be out there competing with us in these places. But my point is this, even if they did that, why would we fund things that are against our national interests or don't further our national interests, whether China is there or not? If China wants to waste our money on something that's against their China, their national interests, go ahead and do it. We're not going to do it."
 
Monday evening, the group and labor union that represents U.S. foreign service workers, released a statement opposing the Trump administration's actions regarding USAID. "The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) strongly objects to the administration’s decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This will undermine U.S. national security, may subvert Congressional authority, and demonstrates a lack of respect for the dedication of the development professionals who serve America’s interests abroad."
 
The wide-ranging interview came after Rubio’s visit to Panama and amidst repeated warnings from President Trump that the United State would "take back" the Panama Canal over concerns the Chinese have de facto operational control over it.
 
Following his visit with the Panamanian President, Jose Raul Mulino announced the central American nation would leave China’s Belt and Road initiative. Rubio welcomes the move but tells Fox that’s not enough and that he hopes to see "additional steps in the days to come."