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Arrested illegal immigrants board a deportation flight. Photo: @PressSec/X

LIVE: US starts sending illegal immigrants back home

Those arrested included a suspected terrorist, four members of a crime gang and many illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors


Cracking the whip on illegal migration, the US administration under President Donald Trump on Thursday (January 23) arrested over 538 illegal immigrants staying in the US while deporting hundreds of others in military aircraft in what the White House called the “largest massive deportation operation in history”.

“The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X.

Underlining that deportation flights have begun, she asserted that President Trump is "sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences".

Stay on birthright citizenship ban

Earlier in the day federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of the parents' immigration status.

US District Judge John C. Coughenour ruled in the case brought by the states of Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon, which argue the 14th Amendment and Supreme Court case law have cemented birthright citizenship. "This is blatantly unconstitutional order," the judge told a lawyer with the US Justice Department defending Trump's order.

The case is one of five lawsuits being brought by 22 states and a number of immigrants rights groups across the country. The suits include personal testimonies from attorneys general who are US citizens by birthright, and names pregnant women who are afraid their children won't become US citizens.

Key executive order

Signed by Trump on Inauguration Day, the order is slated to take effect on February 19. It could impact hundreds of thousands of people born in the country, according to one of the lawsuits.

In 2022, there were about 255,000 births of citizen children to mothers living in the country illegally and about 153,000 births to two such parents, according to the four-state suit filed in Seattle.

The US is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship — the principle of jus soli or “right of the soil” — is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them.

The lawsuits argue that the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees citizenship for people born and naturalised in the US, and states have been interpreting the amendment that way for a century.

Also read:

Indian couples rush for preterm deliveries to beat Trump’s citizenship deadline

Does return of 18,000 'illegal Indians' from US spell trouble for Modi?

22 US states sue to stop Trump's Birthright Citizenship order

Trump backs H-1B visa, says US needs ‘competent people’

Follow live updates below:

Live Updates

  • 24 Jan 2025 2:07 PM

    White House shares photos of illegal immigrants in chains, deportation flights

  • 24 Jan 2025 2:03 PM

    Trump says he plans to reach out to North Korea's Kim Jong Un

    President Donald Trump said in an interview that he will reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who he described as a “smart guy.” Trump was being interviewed on Fox News by Sean Hannity, who asked the president if he planned to talk to his North Korean counterpart. Trump said he would.

    “I got along with him,” Trump said of Kim. “He's not a religious zealot.”


  • 24 Jan 2025 2:00 PM

    Afghan refugees urge Pak to ease visa regime after Trump's pause on US resettlement programme

    Afghan refugees on Friday appealed to Pakistan's premier to ease a visa regime on humanitarian grounds after US President Donald Trump paused the US refugee programmes.

    Many Afghans whose visas have either expired or will expire soon fear arrest and deportation.

    “We don't know exactly when the pause of the US refugee programme will be lifted, but we request Pakistan to extend our stay for at least six months after the expiry of our visas,” said Ahmad Shah, a member of the Afghan USRAP Refugees advocacy group.

    An estimated 20,000 Afghans are currently waiting in Pakistan to be approved for resettlement in the US via an American government programme.

    Refugees approved to travel to the United States in coming days have had their travel plans cancelled by the Trump administration. Among those affected are the more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to resettle in the US.

    Pakistan says it is yet to receive any official intimation from the United States about the suspension of the refugee programme. Afghans who are in the country were supposed to be relocated by September 2025.

    The refugee programme was set up to help Afghans at risk under the Taliban because of their work with the US government, media, aid agencies and rights groups. The US pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban took power.

    But in its first days in office, Trump's administration announced the US Refugee Admissions Programme would be suspended from January 27 for at least three months.

    Shah said most of the Afghans who are in transition to the United States were now living in a very difficult conditions. “We don't want to live here permanently, we urge the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to order authorities to extend the visas of Afghan people for at least six months,” he said.

    He also urged the United Nations refugee agency and the International Organisation for Migration to help Afghans who are waiting for relocation. “If the UNHCR and IOM don't help us in this difficult situation, who will rise his or her voice for us?” Shah said.


  • 24 Jan 2025 1:56 PM

    UK to convince Donald Trump not to impose trade tariffs

    The British government on Friday said it has an argument in favour of convincing US President Donald Trump not to impose tariffs on its trade with the UK.

    Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC that the United States did not have a trade deficit with the UK on manufactured goods, which would make tariffs unnecessary.

    "We've obviously got a services-based economy. The US does not have that deficit with us so if that's the logic of that position, I think we've got an argument to engage with," said Reynolds.

    Tariffs are a key part of Trump's economic agenda as he assumed office for a second term earlier this week. He not only sees them as a way of growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue but also as leverage to pursue other policies targeted at certain countries.

    He has indicated a tax on imports from China and has also threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Tariffs, or higher taxes on imports to the US, would make it more expensive for companies to sell goods in the world's largest economy. However, Trump has since indicated that he "would rather not" impose tariffs, suggesting trade deals are on the table.

    The US President told global executives at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week that they could either produce their goods in the US or face widespread tariffs worth hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars.


  • 24 Jan 2025 1:27 PM

    US arrests 538 illegal immigrant criminals

    The US has arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals, including a suspected terrorist, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors, the White House has said.

    In a series of posts on X on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration also deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft.

    "The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway. Promises made. Promises kept," she said.

    Leavitt said, "The Trump Administration arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals including a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors." Underlining that deportation flights have begun, she asserted that President Donald Trump is "sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences".

    The Republican-led House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill requiring the detention of unauthorised immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. This marks the first legislation for President Trump to sign, aligning with his plans to crack down on illegal immigration, which has received some bipartisan support.

    Trump on Wednesday also issued executive orders aimed at sealing the US-Mexico border and deporting millions of immigrants without permanent legal status. He also cancelled refugee resettlement and signalled plans to prosecute local law enforcement officials who don't enforce his new immigration policies. 

  • 24 Jan 2025 9:26 AM

    Over 500 immigrants deported

    Authorities have arrested 538 illegal migrants in the United States and have deported hundreds in “the largest massive deportation operation in (American) history”.

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said those arrested included a suspected terrorist, four members of a crime gang and many illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors.

    "(The) Trump administration also deported hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals via military aircraft,” she said in an online post on Thursday.

    “The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway. Promises made. Promises kept," she added. She did not provide the nationalities of those arrested and deported.

    The White House shared a preview into the work it said the Trump administration was doing to "secure our nation's borders".

    It named some of those arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the crimes committed by them.

    The crimes include rape, sexual conduct against a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child aged 14 or younger.


  • 24 Jan 2025 8:16 AM

    Trump targets California water policy as he prepares to tour LA fire damage

    As President Donald Trump prepares to tour wildfire damage in California, he's zeroing in on one of his frequent targets for criticism: State water policy.

    Since the fires broke out Jan 7, Trump has used social media and interviews to accuse the state of sending too much water to the Pacific Ocean instead of south toward Los Angeles and highlighted how some hydrants ran dry in the early hours of the firefight in Pacific Palisades.

    In the first hours of his second term, Trump called on federal officials to draft plans to route more water to the crop-rich Central Valley and densely populated cities in the southern part of the state. Two days later he threatened to withhold federal disaster aid unless California leaders change the state's approach on water.

    Here's a look at the facts behind Trump's comments and what power the president has to influence California water: Where does Southern California's water come from? In general, most of the state's water is in the north, while most of its people are in the drier south.

    Los Angeles, the nation's second largest city, depends on drawing water from elsewhere. Meanwhile the relatively dry Central Valley is home to fertile land where much of the nation's fruits and vegetables are grown.

    Two complex systems of dams and canals channel rain and snowmelt from the mountains in the north and route it south. One is managed by the federal government and known as the Central Valley Project, while the other is operated by the state of California and known as the State Water Project.

    Both transport water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an estuary that provides critical habitat to fish and wildlife including salmon and the delta smelt, one of Trump's fascinations.

  • 24 Jan 2025 7:27 AM

    Justice Department to ‘vigorously defend’ order on birthright citizenship

    The Justice Department plans to file papers next week to urge a Seattle judge to not extend a temporary block on President Donald Trump's executive order on ending birthright citizenship.

    A Justice Department spokesperson said that they plan to "vigorously defend" Trump's order. "We look forward to presenting a full merits argument to the court and to the American people, who are desperate to see our nation's laws enforced," the spokesperson said.

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