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WASHINGTON — State and local officials are once again on the defensive after President Trump renewed threats Wednesday to strike federal dollars from “sanctuary” jurisdictions such as California and Los Angeles, which have long opposed cooperation with immigration enforcement agencies.

The ultimatum, laid out in an early morning Truth Social post, echoed sweeping statements the president made Tuesday at the Detroit Economic Club, putting billions in funding flagged for healthcare, education and transportation at stake.

“Effective Feb. 1, no more payments will be made by the federal government to states for their corrupt criminal protection centers known as sanctuary cities. All they do is breed crime and violence. If states want them, they will have to pay for them,” he said.

The U.S. government is supplying $175 billion to California this fiscal year — about a third of the state’s total 2025-26 spending plan, according to state budget records.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice created a list of dozens of state and local governments identified as “sanctuary” jurisdictions based on policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Those policies generally do not block federal authorities from carrying out immigration actions, but restrict how local resources can be used.

California Department of Justice officials were quick to point out that courts have repeatedly sided against the president on this matter, most recently in August, when a judge ruled the federal government cannot deny funding to Los Angeles and 30 other cities over policies that limit cooperation on immigration enforcement.

The ruling, by U.S. District Judge William Orrick, extended an earlier injunction that established Trump’s efforts to cut federal funding were probably unconstitutional and violated the separation of powers doctrine.

But at a December hearing, a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel signaled it might overturn the injunction, as judges questioned whether the administration’s latest orders actually require agencies to cut funding in a way that exceeds their authority.

A final ruling on the appeal is pending.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office said in a statement Wednesday that the substance of White House threats wasn’t clear.

“While details here are in short supply, we’ll have to take a look at whatever the president actually does,” Bonta said. “We remain prepared to take action as necessary to protect our state and uphold the law.”

Bonta has also defeated the administration over its attempts to impose illegal immigration enforcement conditions on transportation, homeland security and Victims of Crime Act funding.

On Tuesday, he announced a multistate challenge to Trump’s plans to freeze $10 billion in federal child care and social services funding amid unsubstantiated allegations that the state was “illicitly providing illegal aliens” with benefits.

Gov. Gavin Newsom took a moment to lean on the state’s winning legal record.

“Please pray for the president as he struggles with cognitive decline. He already forgot he tried this before — multiple times — and we sued him and won,” Newsom said in a statement Wednesday.

Though the White House wouldn’t comment on a specific legal framework or dollar amount for this wave of funding cuts, Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Wednesday that sanctuary cities are “incredibly dangerous” and put law-abiding Americans at risk.

She added that the Trump administration is considering “a variety of lawful options” to implement this policy.

The issue of executive overreach is at the fore for Senate Democrats, too, who are challenging the president over military action in Venezuela.

“Let me be clear: Congress—not the White House and not Donald Trump — holds the power of the purse,” said Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto confirmed the city would take legal action to protect its access to federal dollars.

Mayor Karen Bass said she plans to work with partners at every level of government to ensure Angelenos continue to receive government services.

“Hardworking, honest Americans should not have to pay the price for the president’s continued political attack on blue states and cities,” she said in a statement.

Kampala, Uganda – When Bobi Wine, a singer-turned-politician whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, launched his campaign to become Uganda’s next president in October, he appeared in tailored suits, greeting crowds with a familiar smile.

The mood, at least at first, felt cautiously hopeful.

But by December, that image had disappeared.

As campaigning comes to an end on Tuesday, Bobi Wine, who is the main opposition candidate looking to unseat long-serving President Yoweri Museveni, now only appears in public wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet.

For many Ugandans, his change in attire – and the state violence that led to it – are symbols of a foregone political outcome: An incumbent victory likely to be rejected by his competitors.

Since he was cleared to run in the election in September, Bobi Wine’s campaign convoy has frequently been met with tear gas, roadblocks and arrests of supporters. Campaign events are regularly disrupted, with people abruptly dispersing and roads sealed off.

While the violence has not reached the deadly levels of the 2021 election, when more than 50 people were killed and hundreds of Bobi Wine supporters were detained following spontaneous protests in the capital, Kampala, the campaign environment has become increasingly militarised – defined by calculated repression, intimidation and a steadily shrinking space for Bobi Wine to sell his manifesto, analysts have observed.

Bobi Wine, 43, is contesting for a second time in Thursday’s election after he finished as the runner-up in the 2021 polls.

Museveni won that last disputed vote during which Bobi Wine alleged fraud and urged citizens to reject the result. The 81-year-old incumbent has ruled the country for nearly four decades after capturing power following a rebel war, and is seeking a seventh term in office.

Five other candidates are also in this year’s race, in which 21.6 million registered voters are expected to cast their votes.

A climate of fear

Even before campaigning officially began, Bobi Wine’s team expected violence.

Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba – who serves as Uganda’s army chief – had publicly threatened Bobi Wine in the months leading to the campaign season, including remarks about beheading him.

Kainerugaba also claimed responsibility for the abduction and torture of Bobi Wine’s bodyguard, Edward Ssebuufu, who remains in detention.

Opposition officials say that while the worst of Kainerugaba’s threats have not materialised, the state, fearing the big audience Bobi Wine was attracting, decided to unleash violence on him during the election campaign.

“In terms of violence, we saw that the first month [October] was a bit not so violent, but after that it became violent and chaotic,” David Lewis Rubonyoya, secretary-general of National Unity Platform (NUP), the party Bobi Wine leads, told Al Jazeera.

During a campaign stop in Gulu, northern Uganda, in December, Bobi Wine was attacked by security forces and plainclothes individuals armed with sticks. He and several of his aides were beaten, and campaign equipment was vandalised. One person later died following the incident. In a separate incident in Mbarara, western Uganda, in November, police arrested 43 Bobi Wine supporters after a confrontation over campaign routes. They remain in detention.

During the 2021 election period, the protests and deadly police crackdown were prompted by Bobi Wine’s arrest for allegedly flaunting COVID-19 guidelines. This year, although the violence has so far been muted, opposition figures and analysts insist the repression is no less severe – only more controlled.

Michael Mutyaba, a Ugandan political analyst and a doctoral researcher at SOAS University of London, says the difference lies in strategy.

“In 2021 and before, security agencies were in panic mode. There was state violence that was less calculated. The violence now looks more calculated and expanded,” he told Al Jazeera. He pointed to arrests of random people, like a Catholic priest charged with money laundering, as examples. The government also arrested Sarah Birete, a prominent human rights activist and critic, who will only be released after the election.

Voter and candidate ‘bribery’

Bobi Wine, too, has faced increased onslaught from the state, with candidates sponsored by his party to stand in parliamentary elections coming under particular strain. Many of the targeted candidates standing in the parliamentary polls, also being held on Thursday, have withdrawn their candidacies, publicly denounced Bobi Wine, and joined the governing party.

Most of these defections, managed by parliament’s deputy speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, have occurred daily but mainly outside the central region, which is considered Bobi Wine’s stronghold. Bobi Wine has claimed that these candidates were bribed, while the state maintains that they joined the governing party freely and without conditions.

Yusuf Serunkuma, a political analyst based at Kampala’s Makerere University, said he is not surprised by the “regime’s” tactics.

“This is part of transactional politics,” he told Al Jazeera. But he added that if the opposition had the capacity to buy candidates from the governing party, they too would be doing it daily.

Another method the state has used to eliminate candidates sponsored by Bobi Wine’s party has been through disqualification by the Electoral Commission, which has argued that some candidates failed to meet nomination requirements. Jude Byamukama, a Ugandan constitutional lawyer, says the cancellations have been “ridiculous”, as critics say they are tactics deployed to halt the opposition.

“They [Electoral Commission] were trying to create unopposed candidates in several constituencies without a lawful basis,” Byamukama told Al Jazeera. He added that after disqualification, the commission then made it difficult for candidates to appeal to the courts by failing to serve them the decisions on time.

Months before the election season, Museveni also launched a softer offensive, particularly targeting informal sector players in Bobi Wine’s strongholds in central Uganda. There, the president has distributed millions of dollars in cash to groups such as motorcycle riders, taxi drivers, salon operators and street vendors. Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a retired historian from Makerere University, describes this as “electoral corruption” meant to influence voters, while Serunkuma said “vote buying” is normal in Ugandan politics, but this time, it’s been more organised.

Fears the worst is yet to come

As election day approaches on Thursday, Bobi Wine has warned that the state plans to arrest him and abduct key organisers who would play a role in monitoring polling stations.

He has issued advice to supporters: Disable phone location services, avoid predictable routes, limit time spent in one place, and flee if followed by unfamiliar vehicles or motorcycles – like the Toyota Hiace commonly associated with state abductions.

“I am aware of a plot by the desperate regime to have me arrested before polling day,” he recently said on social media.

Another flashpoint looms over election day itself: Whether voters should remain near polling stations after voting to “protect the vote”, as Bobi Wine has urged.

Ugandan law allows voters to remain at least 20 metres (66ft) away from polling stations, but the Electoral Commission and security agencies have advised people to leave immediately after voting.

The Electoral Commission has framed the issue as one of discipline rather than legality, warning that crowds could provoke disorder.

Ugandans want peace

Despite the tense atmosphere among political players, Ugandans say they want peace – regardless of political affiliation.

Wanyama Isaac, a casual construction worker in Kampala and a Bobi Wine supporter, says elections should not descend into violence.

“Violence helps no one. It is the responsibility of both sides to remain calm,” he said.

Mashabe Alex, a boda boda rider who supports Museveni, agrees.

“Violence destroys businesses and lives, as we saw in 2021.”

He says the opposition should not threaten Museveni supporters like himself.

An uncertain endgame

Bobi Wine’s camp has not disclosed its post-election strategy. But Museveni has been warning his competitor’s supporters not to dare confront security agencies.

“I have heard Bobi Wine say that soldiers and police are few while rioters are many. I advise you not to believe him. Every soldier and police officer has a gun with 120 bullets,” Museveni warned in December.

The military already has soldiers in infantry mobility vehicles in Kampala, an opposition stronghold.

Rubongoya of the NUP argues that the Electoral Commission cannot declare an opposition candidate a winner in Uganda without pressure from the public.

“If Ugandans vote in large numbers and peacefully demand their victory, the Electoral Commission will be pushed to announce the right candidate,” he said.

“Our ideology is people power. If people are determined, intimidation and money will not stop them,” he added.

However, Rubongoya acknowledged that memories of the 2020–2021 election violence still haunt many Ugandans. He warned that any attempt to protest could be met with lethal force.

Serunkuma argues that the opposition signed up for an electoral process that was rigged from the start, and that they know they can never win, suggesting that their target may not be unseating Museveni himself.

Rather, he says parties like that of Bobi Wine want to “consolidate themselves under Museveni” by, for instance, retaining positions they hold in parliament.

Mutyaba predicts that after the election results are announced, Bobi Wine will likely be placed under house arrest – a tactic the state has used repeatedly since 2011. His party will issue statements dismissing the election results, and that will likely be the end.

“It is impossible to organise protests under the current conditions,” Mutyaba said. “The dynamics are not in their favour. The only hope is that, at some point during Museveni’s next term, an incident could trigger an uprising. But that will not happen next week.”

Senegal come from behind to ease past Sudan 3-1 ⁠and book their ‍place in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals.

Pape Gueye scored twice, and teenager Ibrahim Mbaye grabbed the winner four minutes after coming off the bench to clinch a 3-1 victory for Senegal over Sudan in Tangier in the first Africa Cup of Nations last-16 match.

Rattled by an early Aamir Abdallah goal for Sudan on Saturday, Senegal recovered to lead 2-1 at half-time through Pape Gueye’s goals. Mbaye then put the outcome beyond doubt after 77 minutes.

Former champions Senegal will face Mali or Tunisia, who meet in Casablanca later on Saturday, in the quarterfinals.

It was predicable result as Senegal are 99 places higher in the world rankings than Sudan, who were representing a country ravaged by civil war since April 2023.

Senegal made six changes to the team that started a 3-0 win over Botswana in their final group match. A notable absentee was suspended captain and centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

Ghana-born Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah retained only one of the team that began a 2-0 loss to Burkina Faso – forward Abdallah.

It was the first meeting of the countries at an AFCON tournament. They were in the same 2026 World Cup qualifying group, though, with Senegal winning at home and drawing away.

Sudan rocked Senegal by taking a sixth-minute lead through Abdallah, a semi-professional who plays for an Australian second-tier club in Melbourne.

It was a superb goal as the Sudan striker took possession just inside the area and curled the ball over former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and into the net.

Sudan had qualified for the knockout stage as one of the best four third-placed nations despite failing to score in three group matches. An own goal brought victory over Equatorial Guinea.

A brave save from Monged Abuzaid on 29 minutes foiled Nicolas Jackson, who is on loan to Bayern Munich from Chelsea, but Senegal equalised almost immediately after.

Former African player of the year Sadio Mane set up Pape Gueye, who equalised with a low shot into the corner of the net.

Senegal were attacking continuously while Sudan had little to offer going forward in a match watched by Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe from South Africa.

The Mauritanian referee pointed to the penalty spot after Ismaila Sarr was fouled by Abuzaid. However, the decision was reversed after a long VAR review revealed a Senegalese player was offside in the buildup.

Ismaila Sarr from Crystal Palace then scored, only to be ruled offside in another let-off for the Sudanese.

Abuzaid was constantly in action and did well to push away a Pape Gueye shot with an outstretched right hand as half-time approached.

There was still time for Pape Gueye to score again, however, and give Senegal a half-time advantage in the Mediterranean city.

The goal was brilliantly executed by the midfielder from La Liga club Villarreal three minutes into added time. He used his left foot to side-foot a cross into the net past Abuzaid.

Senegal introduced Mbaye midway through the second half as they sought the insurance of a third goal. He made an immediate impact, latching on to a long pass and beating Abuzaid at his near post.

The 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward represented France at age-limit levels before switching his international allegiance to Senegal, where his father was born.

For faith leaders supporting and ministering to anxious immigrants across the United States, 2025 was fraught with challenges and setbacks. For many in these religious circles, the coming year could be worse.

The essence of their fears: President Trump has become harsher with his contemptuous rhetoric and policy proposals, blaming immigrants for problems from crime to housing shortages and, in a social media post, demanding “REVERSE MIGRATION.”

Haitians who fled gang violence in their homeland, as well as Afghans allowed entry after assisting the U.S. in Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover, now fear that their refuge in America may end due to get-tough policy changes. Somali Americans, notably in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, worry about their future after Trump referred to them as “garbage.”

After Trump’s slurs, the chair of the Catholic bishops conference’s subcommittee on racial justice urged public officials to refrain from dehumanizing language.

“Each child of God has value and dignity,” said the bishop of Austin, Texas, Daniel Garcia. “Language that denigrates a person or community based on his or her ethnicity or country of origin is incompatible with this truth.”

Here’s a look at what lies ahead for these targeted immigrant communities, and the faith leaders supporting them.

Haitians in limbo

In 2024, Trump falsely accused Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, of eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. It worsened fears about anti-immigrant sentiment in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000, where more than 15,000 Haitians live and work.

Thousands of them settled in Springfield in recent years under the Temporary Protected Status program.

Their prospects now seem dire. The TPS program, allowing many Haitians to remain legally in Springfield and elsewhere, expires in early February.

“It’s going to be an economic and humanitarian disaster,” said the Rev. Carl Ruby, pastor of Central Christian Church — one of several Springfield churches supporting the Haitians.

Ruby and Viles Dorsainvil, a leader of Springfield’s Haitian community, traveled recently to Washington to seek help from members of Congress.

“Every single legislator we’ve talked to has said nothing is going to happen legislatively. Trump’s rhetoric keeps getting harsher,” Ruby said. “It just doesn’t feel like anything is going our way.”

Many Haitians fear for their lives if they return to their gang-plagued homeland.

Faith communities have come together to support immigrants in the face of Trump’s crackdown, Ruby said.

“It’s increasing our resolve to oppose this,” he said. “There are more and more churches in Springfield saying we will provide sanctuary. … We will do whatever it takes to protect our members.”

Afghan refugees

Trump suspended the U.S. refugee program on the first day of his second term. Halting the program and its federal funding affected hundreds of faith-based organizations assisting refugees.

Among them was Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, which serves the region around Washington, D.C., and lost 68% of its budget this year. The organization laid off two-thirds of its staff, shrinking from nearly 300 employees to 100.

Many of its employees and nearly two-thirds of its clients are Afghans. Many worked with the U.S. in Afghanistan and fled after the Taliban’s takeover from a U.S.-backed government in 2021.

The Trump administration announced new immigration restrictions after an Afghan national became the suspect in the Nov. 26 shooting of two National Guard members in Washington.

“It shook up our team. It was awful,” said Kristyn Peck, CEO of LSSNCA.

Peck said there is increased fear among Afghans on her staff and a false public narrative that Afghan immigrants are a threat.

“A whole group of people have now been targeted and blamed for this senseless act of violence,” she said.

She still finds reasons for hope.

“We continue to do the good work,” Peck said. “Even in challenging moments, we just continue to see people putting their faith into action.”

Volunteers have stepped up to provide services that employees no longer have funding to provide, including a program that helps Afghan women with English-language and job-skills training.

U.S.-based World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization overseen by the National Association of Evangelicals, has joined left-of-center religious groups decrying the new crackdown on Afghan refugees.

“When President Trump announces his intention to ‘permanently halt’ all migration from ‘Third World countries,’ he’s insulting the majority of the global Church,” declared World Relief CEO Myal Greene. “When his administration halts processing for all Afghans on account of the evil actions of one person, he risks abandoning tens of thousands of others who risked their lives alongside the U.S. military.”

Somalis targeted by Trump

In mid-December, imams and other leaders of Minnesota’s Somali community established a task force to tackle the fallout from major fraud scandals, a surge in immigration enforcement, and Trump’s contemptuous words toward the largest group of Somali refugees in the U.S.

“We’re not minimizing the crime, but we’re amplifying the successes,” said imam Yusuf Abdulle.

He directs the Islamic Association of North America, a network of more than three dozen mostly East African mosques. About half are in Minnesota, which, since the late 1990s, has been home to growing numbers of Somali refugees who are increasingly visible in local and U.S. politics.

“For unfortunate things like fraud or youth violence, every immigrant community has been through tough times,” Abdulle said. “For the number of years here, Somali is a very resilient, very successful community.”

Even though most Somalis in Minnesota are U.S. citizens or lawfully present, Abdulle said, many deserted local businesses and mosques when immigration enforcement surged.

The new task force includes more than two dozen faith and business leaders, as well as community organizers. Addressing their community’s fears is the first challenge, followed by increased advocacy ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“Every election year the rhetoric goes up. And so we want to push back against these hateful rhetorics, but also bring our community together,” said community leader Abdullahi Farah.

Faith leaders respond

In mid-November, U.S. Catholic bishops voted overwhelmingly to issue a “special message” decrying developments causing fear and anxiety among immigrants. It marked the first time in 12 years that the bishops invoked this urgent way of speaking collectively.

“We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care,” said the message. “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”

The bishops thanked priests, nuns and lay Catholics accompanying and assisting immigrants.

“We urge all people of goodwill to continue and expand such efforts,” the message said.

The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Yehiel Curry, issued a similar pastoral message last month thanking ELCA congregations for supporting immigrants amid “aggressive and indiscriminate immigration enforcement.”

“The racial profiling and harm to our immigrant neighbors show no signs of diminishing, so we will heed God’s call to show up alongside these neighbors,” Curry wrote.

HIAS, an international Jewish nonprofit serving refugees and asylum-seekers, has condemned recent Trump administration moves.

“As a Jewish organization, we also know all too well what it means for an entire community to be targeted because of the actions of one person,” HIAS said.

“We will always stand in solidarity with people seeking the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety, including those being targeted now by harmful policies and hateful rhetoric in the Afghan American and Somali American communities.”

Crary, Dell’Orto, Henao and Stanley write for the Associated Press.

EUROSTAR passengers are braced for a second day of travel carnage after some holidaymakers claimed they were stranded on a train overnight.

Journeys between the UK and France were brought to a halt yesterday as a result of a problem with the overhead power supply in the Channel Tunnel, leaving passengers battling hours of travel chaos.

All trains from London to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels were cancelled.

The disruption upended New Year’s plans for thousands of passengers during ⁠one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Meanwhile, a failed Le Shuttle train in the tunnel caused further disruption to services.

Some Eurostar and LeShuttle services had resumed on Tuesday evening, but delays remained, with only one of the tunnel’s two rail lines open.

And some travellers claimed they spent more than six hours stuck onboard trains overnight as services were hit by more delays.

One man claimed he had boarded the 19:01 service to Paris, but as of 3am UK time he was still stuck on the train at the entrance to the tunnel.

He said staff had told him there was a “50 per cent chance we go to Paris, 50 per cent chance we go back to London”.

“I guess my new year plan is in the hands of the tunnel operators now,” the 27-year-old Parisian told the BBC.

Another passenger described feeling a “rollercoaster of emotions” for hours, not knowing whether the train he was on would be able to continue across the Channel or return to London.

His train eventually made it to Brussels, he said, adding: “Glad to be home, saw many families stranded.”

Passengers have been warned that there will continue to be delays and longer journey times as a result of knock-on effects today.

On Wednesday morning, an update on Eurostar’s website said: “Services have resumed today following a power issue in the Channel Tunnel yesterday and some further issues with rail infrastructure overnight.

“We plan to run all of our services today, however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations.

“Please check for live updates on the status of your train on the train status and timetables page.”

London’s St Pancras International station was yesterday crammed with waiting passengers near the departure area.

Meanwhile, cars that had hoped to use the Channel Tunnel caused traffic jams near the LeShuttle Terminal in Folkestone.

At least a dozen Eurostar services between the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands had been cancelled by midday on Tuesday.

The rail operator apologised and said passengers could rearrange their plans free of charge or can cancel their booking and get a refund or an e-voucher.

On Tuesday, Eurostar has urged its customers “to rebook their journey for another day if possible, with free exchanges available”.

“We also advise customers not to come to our stations if their trains have been already been cancelled.”