Immigration & Border Security

June 11 (UPI) — The second night of curfew took place in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, as local law enforcement, backed by several thousand members of the National Guard, attempted to restrain violent protests and prevent vandalism.

Meanwhile, a group of protesters were in a standoff with law enforcement officers outside a federal courthouse in Santa Ana, about 32 miles south of Los Angeles, in Orange County. Military-style vehicles and National Guards troops blocked a portion of a street in front of the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse and in front of a federal building a couple blocks away.

And protests also are occurring in other major U.S. cities,, including New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

The downtown Los Angeles curfew will remain in effect between 8 a.m. and 6 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division. Ramps onto and off the 101 freeway also will continue to be closed, police said.

The curfew zone covers about 1 square mile and affects about 100,000 of Los Angeles’ 10 million residents.

Limited exceptions include law enforcement, emergency and medical personnel, residents, people traveling to and from work and credentialed news media representatives.

The White House confirmed Wednesday that 330 people were taken into custody by federal authorities since immigration sweeps by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began last week in Los Angeles.

Mayor Karen Bass said the number of people arrested from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning was “minor.”

About 225 were made, including 203 for failure to disperse. One person was arrested after an assault of a police officer with a weapon.

“If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our street, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,” the mayor said.

During a news conference, Bass said she is trying to set up a call with President Donald Trump for him “to understand the significance of what is happening here.”

Court case

The Trump administration is asking a federal judge to reject California’s emergency court order request to limit how federal officials can use Marines and members of the state’s National Guard in and around Los Angeles.

The Guardsmen “are not performing law enforcement or any other functions,” Army Maj. General Niave F. Knell said in a declaration submitted to federal court Wednesday.

Justice Department lawyers responded to San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Wednesday seeking briefs.

The 32-page filing notes that it is entirely within Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief, and is not reviewable by the court.

Federal law generally bars the military from enforcing domestic laws, but Trump invoked a provision to protect federal property and personnel when there is a “rebellion” or “danger of rebellion.”

The brief suggests that Gov. Gavin Newsom broke the law by failing to pass on Trump’s order to activate the guard. They said he might be “unwilling” to put a stop to the violence.

The judge, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, initially rejected an immediate order and has scheduled a hearing for Thursday.

“The federal government is now turning the military against American citizens,” Newsom said in a news release Tuesday announcing the lawsuit. “Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented and threatens the very core of our democracy.

“Donald Trump is behaving like a tyrant, not a President. We ask the court to immediately block these unlawful actions.”

The attempted order was filed as part of the governor’s lawsuit against Trump, Hegseth and the Department of Defense, “charging violations of the U.S. Constitution and the President’s Title 10 authority, not only because the takeover occurred without the consent or input of the Governor, as federal law requires, but also because it was unwarranted.”

According to the lawsuit: “ICE officers took actions that inflamed tensions — including the arrest and detainment of children, community advocates, and people without criminal history — and conducted military-style operations that sparked panic in the community.”

Community members then began protesting to express opposition to “these violent tactics, arrests of innocent people, and the President’s heavy-handed immigration agenda.”

Protests continued for two more days, “and although some violent and illegal incidents were reported — leading to justified arrests by state and local authorities — these protests were largely nonviolent and involved citizens exercising their First Amendment right to protest. The protests did not necessitate federal intervention, and local and state law enforcement have been able to control of the situation, as in other recent instances of unrest.

Federal response

Approximately 2,000 Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are helping protect ICE Officers, Customs and Border Protection Officers and FBI Special Agents. Another 2,000 have been called up.

Army Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman, who is overseeing the National Guard, said about 500 of the National Guard troops have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations.

National Guard troops have temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests, but they quickly were turned them over to law enforcement, Sherman said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the administration “is not scared to go further” in expanding its legal authority to deploy troops in the city.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also has deployed 700 Marines near Los Angeles. Sherman said the Marines are still training outside Los Angeles.

“Marines get a two-day set training for civil unrest, very extensive. It’s all about civil disturbance and how to control crowds and protection of facilities,” Sherman said during a news briefing Wednesday.

Hegseth told senators at a hearing Wednesday that Trump’s order to federalize the National Guard in California could be applied in other states.

“Thankfully, in most of those states, you’d have a governor that recognizes the need for it, supports it and mobilizes it, him or herself,” he said. “In California, unfortunately, the governor wants to play politics with it.”

Trump said in an interview with the New York Post’s Pod Force One, said: “I’m able to do things now that I wouldn’t have been able to do because the previous president and presidency was so bad that anybody looks good.

“As an example, I can be stronger on an attack on Los Angeles,” Trump said. “I think bringing in the National Guard four years ago, or eight years ago, would have been more difficult.”

Newsom on Wednesday said: “President Trump has unnecessarily redirected 4,800 activated guards and Marines to Los Angeles – that’s more soldiers than are currently stationed in Iraq and Syria combined.”

Situation on the streets

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his agency is investigating whether there’s “conspiracy” or organization behind crimes committed during protests.

“There is some evidence we’ve seen that I don’t want to share at this time,” Luna said at a Wednesday news conference with Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

He said authorities are focused on arresting individuals in causing unrest at the protests.

Hochman said his office will review additional criminal cases brought by law enforcement in addition to the five he announced Wednesday.

Two people were charged with assault on a peace officer after they allegedly drove motorcycles into a line of officers. One officer was hurt and several others were knocked down, Hochman said.

“For any individual who is engaged in criminal conduct but did not get immediately arrested, let me provide some bad news for you,” Hochman warned. “There is a tremendous amount of video out there through social media, and otherwise. We will know who you are, who engaged in this conduct. We will track you down, we will arrest you, we will prosecute you, and we will punish you. So for people who’ve already engaged in this, in this illegal activity, we’re coming for you.”

Leticia Rhi Buckley, who lives and works just under a mile from the Los Angeles Federal Building, told CNN that the Trump administration’s narrative that Los Angeles is under siege is false. She said the vast majority of what she’s witnessed has been peaceful.

“I live less than a mile from here. I drive home and about five blocks down, there’s nothing. It’s like nothing is happening,” she said. “Living in downtown for 15 years, it’s gotten louder when the Dodgers won the World Series, or when the Lakers won.”

Bass, the Los Angeles mayor, said “the portrayal is that all of our cities are in chaos. Rioting is happening everywhere, and it is a lie,” she said, adding it is not an insurrection as Trump suggests.

“Given that I was there on January 6th and saw that insurrection take place, the idea that this, what is happening here is an insurrection is just false and I think it is deliberately false,” Bass, appearing with 30 other mayors in the region, said. “I don’t think they’re confused.”

Bill Essayli, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said authorities are collecting video, photos and body camera footage to identify anyone who committed acts of violence.

ICE agents conducted raids Wednesday morning in Downey, Calif., Councilman Mario Trijulli said. The city of more than 110,000 people located south of Los Angeles.

Fearful immigrants

Nannies are worried they could be profiled and detained by ICE agents while working, one of them told CNN.

“I’m a citizen of the United States, but my color, my skin color, makes me wonder…will they see me different?” Elsy Melara said. “I’m honestly not afraid to the point myself, but I’m afraid that if they don’t believe me, or if they choose not to believe me, what would happen to the kid?”

She said she knows two nannies are in ICE detention after they were handcuffed in a public park.

LA’s garment industry is on edge.

Federal agents were seen going into the manufacturer Ambience Apparel in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday.

“We’re hearing from our membership about a lot of fear and stress. People’s mental health is really being impacted,” Bo Metz, founder of LA-based manufacturer Bomme Studio, told Vogue Business. “People are afraid to leave their homes. Some people are opting to not go to work and others have no choice. We also need to continue to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. Workers are really feeling that pressure right now.”

More than one-third of the more than 300,000 workers producing clothing and shoes in the U.S. are immigrants, according to an analysis by Fwd.us, an immigration reform organization. That includes an estimated 30,000 undocumented.

June 11 (UPI) — The Police Service of Northern Ireland announced Wednesday that things are currently quiet in a County Antrim town after violent attacks on police over a two-night stretch left 17 officers injured.

“Calm has been restored in Ballymena following serious disorder in the Clonavon Terrace, North Road and Bridge Street areas last night,” said officials in one of a series of press releases that has documented recent unrest in that community in Northern Ireland. Five people have since been arrested “on suspicion of riotous behavior” with a sixth taken into custody “on suspicion of disorderly behavior.”

Police report that stone and gas bombs were hurled at officers and their vehicles over several hours of riots that also saw residences and businesses attacked. The police also announced there was “public disorder in Ballymena” Monday evening.

Officials also confirmed that rubber bullets and a water cannon were used to try and quell the crowds involved in what Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson described in a Sunday release as a “racially motivated disorder in Ballymena” that followed a protest.

The rioting, which has also been reported in Belfast among other communities in Northern Ireland, has been widely described in the media as related to “anti-immigration protests.”

The uproar allegedly followed the arrest of a 28-year-old man on Monday in connection to the Saturday sexual assault of a teenage girl in Ballymena. That arrest was the third connected to the incident, as police previously announced Sunday that two teenage boys were charged with attempted rape in connection to the assault.

First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill posted to X Wednesday that “Those responsible for this violence bring nothing to our communities but hatred, fear, and division.”

June 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump escalated a war of words with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, as the administration authorized the deployment of 700 Marines to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE immigration protests that turned violent over the weekend.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the deployment to help defend federal agents amid protests over immigration raids.

“We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers — even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Hegseth said Monday.

“Due to increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order,” Hegseth added in a post on X.

On Monday night, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned anyone involved in violence or vandalism during the demonstrations will be arrested. McDonnell said officers were forced to fire flash-bang grenades Monday at hundreds of protesters as they tried to push the crowd back from the city’s Little Tokyo section.

“There is no tolerance for criminal activity under the guise of protest,” McDonnell told reporters and warned “there will be many more subsequent arrests.” Approximately 70 people were arrested over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Trump and Newsom ramped up their rhetoric as the president publicly endorsed calls to arrest the governor. The war of words escalated after the Trump administration deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen over the weekend to protect buildings and residents, a move Newsom called inflammatory for “peaceful” protests, as the administration called the demonstrations “chaos.”

“While Los Angeles burns — officers ambushed, city in chaos — Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Maxine Waters call the riots and insurrection ‘peaceful,'” The White House wrote Monday in a post on X, showing video of burning cars and protesters closing Highway 101. “They side with mobs. President Trump stands for law and order.”

In response to a reporter question Monday, Trump was asked whether he supported Newsom’s taunt to “border czar” Tom Homan to “come and arrest him.”

“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said Monday. “I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing,” Trump said, as he called Newsom a “nice guy,” but “grossly incompetent.”

Newsom responded on social media saying, “The president of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America.”

“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” Newsom wrote in a post on X.

By Monday evening, Newsom said he would send 800 more state and local officers to Los Angeles.

“Chaos is exactly what Trump wanted, and now California is left to clean up the mess,” Newsom wrote in a new post on X. “We’re working with local partners to surge over 800 additional state and local law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of our L.A. communities.”

Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta also announced Monday that they have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its activation of the state’s National Guard without getting state and local approval first.

“California’s governor and I are suing to put a stop to President Trump’s unlawful, unprecedented order calling federalized National Guard forces into Los Angeles,” Bonta said. “The president is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. This is an abuse of power — and not one we take lightly.”

During Friday’s raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, demonstrators flooded the streets and freeways to protest their actions. The fire department said it responded to “multiple vehicle fires“ during the unrest. Waymo autonomous electric vehicles were among those targeted, according to Los Angeles Fire Department public information officer Erik Scott.

“Due to the design of EV battery systems, it’s often difficult to apply the water directly to the burning cells, especially in a chaotic environment, and in some cases, allowing the fire to burn is the safest tactic,” Scott said.

Over the weekend, demonstrators spilled out onto the 101 freeway that runs through downtown L.A. Approximately 70 people were arrested after being ordered to leave the downtown area. Some were also seen throwing objects at officers.

“I just met with L.A. immigrant rights community leaders as we respond to this chaotic escalation by the administration,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass wrote Monday evening in a post on X.

“Let me be absolutely clear — as a united city, we are demanding the end to these lawless attacks on our communities. Los Angeles will always stand with everyone who calls our city home.”

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania disagreed, and said the protests are not peaceful.

“I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations and immigration — but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos,” Fetterman wrote Monday night in a post on X.

“My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings and assaulting law enforcement.”

June 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the arrest of California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday during a war of words, as the administration authorized the deployment of 700 Marines to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE immigration protests that turned violent over the weekend.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the deployment to help defend federal agents amid protests over immigration raids.

“We have an obligation to defend federal law enforcement officers — even if Gavin Newsom will not,” Hegseth said Monday.

“Due to increased threats to federal law enforcement officers and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order,” Hegseth added in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Trump and Newsom ramped up their rhetoric after the Trump administration called in 2,000 National Guardsmen over the weekend to protect buildings and residents, a move Newsom called inflammatory for the “peaceful” protests as the administration called it “chaos.”

“While Los Angeles burns — officers ambushed, city in chaos — Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Maxine Waters call the riots and insurrection ‘peaceful,'” The White House wrote Monday in a post on X, showing video of burning cars and protesters closing Highway 101. “They side with mobs. President Trump stands for law and order.”

In response to a reporter question Monday, Trump was asked whether he supported Newsom’s taunt to “border czar” Tom Homan to “come and arrest him.”

“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said Monday. “I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing,” Trump said, as he called Newsom a “nice guy,” but “grossly incompetent.”

Newsom responded on social media saying, “The president of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America.”

“I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” Newsom wrote in a post on X.

By Monday evening, Newsom said he would send 800 more state and local officers to Los Angeles.

“Chaos is exactly what Trump wanted, and now California is left to clean up the mess,” Newsom wrote in a new post on X. “We’re working with local partners to surge over 800 additional state and local law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of our L.A. communities.”

Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta also announced Monday that they have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its activation of the state’s National Guard without getting state and local approval first.

“California’s governor and I are suing to put a stop to President Trump’s unlawful, unprecedented order calling federalized National Guard forces into Los Angeles,” Bonta said. “The president is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. This is an abuse of power — and not one we take lightly.”

During Friday’s raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, demonstrators flooded the streets and freeways to protest their actions. The fire department said it responded to “multiple vehicle fires“ during the unrest. Waymo autonomous electric vehicles were among those targeted, according to Los Angeles Fire Department public information officer Erik Scott.

“Due to the design of EV battery systems, it’s often difficult to apply the water directly to the burning cells, especially in a chaotic environment, and in some cases, allowing the fire to burn is the safest tactic,” Scott said.

Over the weekend, demonstrators spilled out onto the 101 freeway that runs through downtown L.A. Approximately 70 people have been arrested after being ordered to leave the downtown area. Some were also seen throwing objects at officers.

“I just met with L.A. immigrant rights community leaders as we respond to this chaotic escalation by the administration,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass wrote Monday evening in a post on X.

“Let me be absolutely clear — as a united city, we are demanding the end to these lawless attacks on our communities. Los Angeles will always stand with everyone who calls our city home.”

June 8 (UPI) — The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department arrested one person overnight in Paramount, a city in Los Angeles County, amid ongoing protests against raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, officials said Sunday.

The sheriff’s department confirmed the arrest by email to UPI but did not provide any further details about the arrest.

More protests have been planned in Los Angeles ahead of the arrival of National Guardsmen called up by President Donald Trump to curb the demonstrations, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he might send in U.S. Marines if necessary to aid them.

“The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE,” Hegseth said. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to UPI late Saturday that the administration has “a zero tolerance for criminal behavior and violence,” especially violence allegedly targeted at law enforcement.

Protesters clashed with police in riot gear in Los Angeles on Saturday as outrage mounted over a series of ICE raids carried out last week across southern California.

Trump then ordered 2,000 members of the National Guard to Los Angeles, later thanking them Saturday night for their “good job” in handling the protests.

“Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “These radical left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will not be tolerated.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said afterward on social media that no National Guardsmen had yet arrived. “Just to be clear, the National Guard has not been deployed in the City of Los Angeles,” she said.

Trump, who pardoned mask-wearing demonstrators who rioted at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, also said protesters would not be allowed to wear masks.

Demonstrators have criticized ICE officers for also wearing masks while conducting raids. Federal law does not explicitly forbid them from wearing masks but they are required by law to clearly identify themselves with badges or patches and to state their identity in an arrest.

“Masks will not be allowed to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why?” Trump said of the protesters. “Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!” The streets were quiet in Los Angeles around 7 a.m. local time, The New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, the Northern California Coalition for Just Immigration Reform said Saturday that it would be organizing a protest rally outside the California State Capitol on Monday.

“The Trump administration’s baseless deployment of the National Guard is plainly retaliation against California, a stronghold for immigrant communities, and is akin to a declaration of war on all Californians,” the ACLU’s division in southern California said in a statement.

“The only threat to safety today is the masked goon squads that the Trump administration has deployed to terrorize the communities of Los Angeles County,” the organization said.

June 7 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to quell protester violence while Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conduct local raids.

ICE agents used riot gear as they clashed with protestors during a series of raids in Los Angeles, where they detained dozens of people.

“In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE officers and federal law enforcement agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement shared with UPI.

“These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States,” Leavitt said.

“In the wake of this violence, California’s feckless Democrat leaders have completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens,” she added.

President Trump signed a memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to end the violence.

“The Trump administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs,” Leavitt said.

“These criminals will be arrested and swiftly brought to justice,” she continued.

“The Commander-in-Chief will ensure the laws of the United States are executed fully and completely.”

Separate raids by ICE agents earlier this week at a Home Depot and two separate clothing outlet stores drew crowds of protestors on Friday.

In some instances, the federal agents carried shields, military-style rifles and shotguns while conducting the raids.

The department later confirmed it was executing four federal search warrants at the three locations.

“Approximately 44 people were administratively arrested and one arrest for obstruction,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told KTLA TV.

“The investigation remains ongoing, updates will follow as appropriate.”

Service Employees International Union leader David Huerta was among those detained.

The SEIU local president was charged with obstruction of justice.

“Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday,” U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli wrote on X.

“Let me be clear: I don’t care who you are — if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties,” he wrote.

People can be heard on video yelling at the crowds in Spanish, and telling them not to sign paperwork or speak to federal officials.

By Friday evening, the Los Angeles Police Department declared unlawful assembly near the Civic Center in the northern part of the city’s downtown core, issuing a city-wide alert that forced all officers to remain on-duty.

LAPD officers were later forced to use tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds in the city. At one point, protesters were reportedly throwing large pieces of concrete during the unrest

The alert was cancelled around midnight Friday.

“As mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X.

“These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this.”

June 6 (UPI) — Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate detained by the Trump administration in March for deportation over his pro-Palestinian views, offered a public declaration that details what he’s experienced since his arrest.

In a case document filed Thursday, Khalil listed what he described as the “irreparable harms” he has suffered, which he claimed have affected several parts of his life that “include dignitary and reputational harm, personal and familial hardship, including constant fear for personal safety, continued detention, restrictions on my freedom of expression, and severe damage to my professional future.”

The declaration, which was made from inside the LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, La., where Khalil has been held since March 9, puts focus on the birth of his son, which happened during his incarceration.

“Instead of holding my wife’s hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone.” Khalil described.

“I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my son’s first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep.”

Khalil described that the first time he saw his son was through a window, and the first time he held him was in an immigration courtroom, to which his wife had to travel ten hours to reach, with their newborn.

“I speak to her as often as possible, but these conversations are not private, everything is monitored by the government,” Khalil said, which makes it impossible for them to comfortably speak freely.

“We leave so much unsaid, and that silence weighs heavily on both of us.”

Khalil said that not only has the situation been “devastating” for him, but that his wife has dealt with harassment since his arrest. Khalil further described the anguish of seeing Trump administration officials post statements and photos of him on social media that he purports as “accompanied by inflammatory language, grotesque and false accusations, and open celebration of my deportation.”

Khalil expressed concern for his future as well. He said he was hired by the nonprofit equality-focused Oxfam International group only days before his arrest as a Palestine and Middle East/ North Africa policy advisor, and was scheduled to start work in April, but the job offer was formally revoked. He says “I strongly believe” his arrest and continued detention is the reason for this.

He added that should the charges against him stand, “the harm to my professional career would be career-ending.”

Khalil further worried his arrest would result in a lifetime of “being flagged, delayed, or denied when traveling, applying for visas, or engaging with consular authorities anywhere in the world,” and not just him, but his wife and son.

His mother had also applied for a visa in March to visit the United States to see their child be born, and although that was approved, the U.S. embassy returned her passport without a stamp, and now her case is under “administrative processing,” and remains unapproved. Khalil’s elderly father, whom he describes as “severely disabled,” lives in Germany, and he ponders whether any country allied with the United States will ever grant him entry should the charges stand.

Khalil detailed the allegations under which he has been held for deportation, which not only did he deny as testimony at his May immigration court hearing, at which he purports “The government attorneys did not ask me any questions regarding these issues.”

However, Khalil maintained his greatest concern of all is a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio based on a law that an “alien” can be deported should his presence in the United States “have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”

“I understand that the Rubio Determination is not only a ground for deportation, but it is also a bar to entry,” said Khalil.

“In other words, no matter what happens to the other charge against me, it is the Rubio Determination that will make this country, the country of my wife and child, a country I cannot return to in the future.”

June 4 (UPI) — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the deportation of family members of the Egyptian national charged in the anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colo.

In the U.S. District Court in Denver, Judge Gordon P. Gallagher directed the federal government to stop the deportation proceedings of Mohamed Soliman‘s 41-year-old wife, Hayem El Gamal, and their five children.

On Tuesday, they were taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Florence, Colo., about 40 miles from their home in Colorado Springs. Federal immigration records show they are being held at a federal detention center in Dilley, Texas, designed to house families with minors, CBS News reported.

The White House posted Tuesday on X: “THEY COULD BE DEPORTED AS EARLY AS TONIGHT.”

“Defendants SHALL NOT REMOVE” the five undocumented migrants from Colorado or the United States “unless or until this Court or the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacates this order,” Gallagher wrote in his order.

“Moreover, the Court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm and an order must (be) issue(d) without notice due to the urgency this situation presents.”

He set a hearing for June 13 for a request on a temporary restraining order.

The Washington Post reported the family was held “incommunicado and without access to a lawyer” after they were placed in ICE custody on Tuesday, their lawyers said in court records.

By applying for asylum, the Trump administration can’t legally speed up their deportation, the legal representative said.

“Punishing individuals – including children as young as four-years-old – for the purported actions of their relatives is a feature of medieval justice systems or police state dictatorships, not democracies,” family attorney Eric Lee said Wednesday in a statement to CNN. “The detention and attempted removal of this family is an assault on core democratic principles and must provoke widespread opposition in the population, immigrant and non-immigrant alike.”

In the court filing obtained by The New York Times, the suspect’s wife “was shocked to learn” that her husband “was arrested for having committed a violent act against a peaceful gathering of individuals commemorating Israeli hostages.”

After his arrest, Soliman told detectives “no one” knew about his attack plans,” including his wife or children, according to the affidavit for his arrest filed Sunday.

“We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it. I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X on Tuesday.

The children are an 18-year-old daughter, two girls and two boys.

They are Egyptian citizens, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

El Gamal, 41, is a network engineer with a pending EB-2 visa for professionals with advanced degrees.

The eldest daughter, identified as Habiba Soliman, recently graduated from high school in Colorado Springs. An article in the Colorado Springs Gazette on April 25 said she had won a scholarship and planned to study medicine.

In August 2022, they were initially granted entry until February 2023, DHS said in a Wednesday statement. Soliman applied for asylum in September 2022 in Denver, the agency said.

In 2023, Soliman received a two-year work authorization that expired in March, a DHS official told CNN.

Authorities say Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” and used a flamethrower to ignite molotov cocktails and threw them into the crowd where a pro-Israeli group, Run for Their Lives, was seeking the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

June 4 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a proclamation to “fully restrict and limit” entry of people from 12 foreign countries starting at 12:01 EDT Monday.

Citing national security concerns, Trump issued the ban on nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Also, he partially restricted and limited entry from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

Of the 19 named nations, 10 are in Africa.

“These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants,” the order states about the two designations,” the proclamation reads.

There are exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories and individuals whose entry serves US national interests.

Later Wednesday, he posted a video on Truth Social announcing the bans.

“The list is subject to revision based on whether material improvements are made,” Trump said. “And likewise new countries can be added as threats emerge around the world, but we will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.”

The proclamation reads: “As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people. I remain committed to engaging with those countries willing to cooperate to improve information-sharing and identity-management procedures, and to address both terrorism-related and public-safety risks. Nationals of some countries also pose significant risks of overstaying their visas in the United States, which increases burdens on immigration and law enforcement components of the United States, and often exacerbates other risks related to national security and public safety.”

White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X: “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm. These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.”

On his first day in office on Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order that it is the policy of the United States to “protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was ordered to compile a list of countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”

The proclamation said: “Some of the countries with inadequacies face significant challenges to reform efforts. Others have made important improvements to their protocols and procedures, and I commend them for these efforts. But until countries with identified inadequacies address them, members of my Cabinet have recommended certain conditional restrictions and limitations.”

CNN reported Trump decided to sign the proclamation after the antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colo., though the system didn’t come to the United States from the restricted countries.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, of Colorado Springs, has been charged with a federal hate crime and he is facing 16 state counts of attempted murder on Monday. Soliman, an Egyptian national who spent time in Kuwait, entered California in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023 and his asylum claim was pending.

Alex Nowrasteh, who works for Cato Institute, a nonpartisan and independent public policy research organization, said the threat of foreign-born terrorists is rare.

“A single terrorist from those countries murdered one person in an attack on US soil: Emanuel Kidega Samson from Sudan, who committed an attack motivated by anti-white animus in 2017,” Nowrasteh wrote. The annual chance of being murdered by a terrorist from one of the banned countries from 1975 to the end of 2024 was about 1 in 13.9 billion per year.”

He also noted that travelers and immigrants from the 12 banned countries have a nationwide incarceration rate of 370 per 100,000 in 2023 for the 18-54 aged population, which 70 percent below that of native-born Americans. The data came from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey Data.

During his first term, Trump banned travel by citizens of predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Amid legal challenges, it was modified and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

When President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he repealed it.

June 4 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered a suspension of international visas for new students seeking to attend Harvard University, accusing the school of failing to report “known illegal activity” carried out by its students.

In a proclamation, Trump said the suspension applies only to new nonimmigrant students who travel to the United States solely or primarily to attend the Massachusetts university. International students are allowed to enter the country to attend U.S. schools under the Student Exchange Visa Program.

Trump also gave Secretary of State Marco Rubio the authority to determine whether existing Harvard students in the country on visas should have theirs revoked.

Citing an increase in crime on the campus — which was also reported by The Harvard Crimson in 2023 — Trump said Harvard has failed in disciplinary actions. He said the school reported misconduct by three foreign students and provided “deficient” data on those incidents.

“Harvard’s actions show that it either is not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students,” Trump said.

The proclamation is the Trump administration’s latest of multiple attempts to block the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students. He has taken issue with students’ anti-Israel protests over the war in Gaza.

A spokesperson for the university told NBC News it planned to fight the administration’s order.

“This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” the spokesperson said.

In May, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deny Harvard to admit international students. At the time Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem canceled the school’s SEVP certification.

“The administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem said.

June 4 (UPI) — The U.S. State Department has imposed visa restrictions on an unspecified number of Central American government officials accused of being involved in Cuba’s medical mission program.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the punitive measure in a statement Tuesday, describing those targeted with the visa restrictions as “officials responsible for Cuban medical mission programs that include elements of forced labor and the exploitation of Cuban workers.”

“These steps promote accountability for those who support and perpetuate these exploitative practices,” Rubio said. “The Cuban labor export program abuses the participants, enriches the corrupt Cuban regime and deprives everyday Cubans of essential medical care that they desperately need in their homeland.”

According to the State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report for Cuba, medical professionals comprise 75% of Cuba’s exported workforce, generating $4.9 billion of its total $7 billion in service exports in 2022.

The United States, citing doctors who have escaped from the program, accuses Cuba of human trafficking and worker exploitation, stating that those deployed to some 50 countries receive little or no pay, have their passports and medical credentials confiscated and have their rights restricted abroad, while also facing repercussions if they leave the program.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Human Rights Watch said the Cuban government imposes “draconian rules” on doctors deployed abroad.

The move comes after Rubio, in late February, announced that the State Department was expanding its visa restrictions policy targeting forced labor to enable the blacklisting of those linked to Cuba’s labor export programs.

Though Cuba has yet to respond to Tuesday’s move, it lashed out at the Trump administration following February’s announcement, with Havana’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, said the visa restrictions were “based on falsehoods and coercion.”

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., said on X Tuesday that she supports Rubio’s visa ban on those who benefit from Cuba’s international medical program.

“No nation should enrich a dictatorship by exploiting its own people,” she said.

“It’s time to end these slave missions and stand with the Cuban people.”

June 3 (UPI) — The Netherlands was thrown into a political turmoil Tuesday morning when the far-right Party for Freedom quit the Dutch coalition government as it tries to implement an extreme immigration policy.

“No signature for our asylum plans. No amendment to the Outline Agreement, PVV leaves the coalition,” Geert Wilders, chairman of the PVV, said in a statement on X.

The announcement comes two days after Wilders threatened the collapse of the government on Sunday if the coalition did not adopt a majority of the PVV’s 10-point asylum plan, which includes military border enforcement, a halt to asylum, a ban on family reunification and deportation orders for Syrians, among others.

The announcement follows Wilders, an anti-Islam populist, and his party ousting then-Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the 2023 election.

However, Dick Schoof was named prime minister by the country’s four major parties after they formed a fragile a coalition government.

This is a developing story.

June 2 (UPI) — A Trump-appointed judge in California on Monday blocked the Alien Enemies Act deportation of a Venezuelan migrant in the Los Angeles area, saying the administration failed to provide due process.

U.S. District Judge John Holcomb, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019, issued a preliminary injunction to keep most Venezuelan migrants in central California, Los Angeles and Orange County from being deported under the 1798 law.

“The government is hereby preliminarily enjoined and restrained from removing or transferring out of this district any member of the putative class pursuant to the Proclamation pending further Order of the Court regarding the amount of notice and process that is due prior to removal,” Holcomb wrote.

The Alien Enemies Act allows the removal or deportation of migrants during an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” of the United States. Trump has argued that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua’s actions are a “predatory incursion.”

Holcomb’s ruling follows a complaint filed by Darin Antonio Arevalo Millan, a Venezuelan citizen currently being held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Adelanto, Calif. Arevalo wanted the judge to order the government to provide at least 30 days’ notice before any deportation of Venezuelan citizens.

While the Trump administration told the court that Arevalo was not detained under the Alien Enemies Act, Holcomb ruled that Arevalo still “faces an imminent threat of removal.”

“Arevalo seeks to avoid being deported as an alien enemy without being afforded the opportunity to challenge that designation — not to avoid deportation altogether,” Holcomb wrote.

Judges in New York, Colorado and Texas have ruled that the president is misusing the Alien Enemies Act, while a judge in Pennsylvania ruled last month that Trump can use the law for alleged gang members if they are given enough notice for due process.

The U.S. Supreme Court also ruled last month that the Trump administration can revoke special legal protections for nearly 350,000 Venezuelan nationals living temporarily in the United States.

The Temporary Protection Status program is extended to migrants every 18 months, if they cannot live or work safely in their home country, due to war or natural disaster. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in February protections for certain migrants or violent gangs are not in the U.S. national interest.

May 30 (UPI) — Legal status in the United States can be lawfully revoked for more than a combined 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday.

The court only issued an unsigned dissenting opinion acknowledging the federal government can move ahead with its Termination of Parole Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, commonly referred to as CHNV.

In March, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to revoke the legal status of 532,000 migrants under sponsorship programs, primarily from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

The migrants were granted legal protected status under former President Joe Biden‘s administration, a program Trump has attempted to wind down amid legal challenges.

A federal judge in Massachusetts last month granted a temporary order blocking Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from revoking previously-granted parole to the protected migrants.

Earlier this month, Trump asked the Supreme Court to intervene and allow the government to remove protected status.

On Thursday, Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ordered the Trump administration to restart processing applications under the migrant program.

Friday’s Supreme Court ruling returns the issue to the lower courts, giving the Department of Homeland Security the ability to stop processing extension requests from migrants with current legal protections under CHNV while the legal process plays out.

“The Court has plainly botched this assessment today. It requires next to nothing from the Government with respect to irreparable harm. And it undervalues the devastating consequences of allowing the Government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly half a million noncitizens while their legal claims are pending,” the unsigned dissenting opinion states.

Two of the high court’s liberal judges, Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, dissented from the majority.

“Even if the Government is likely to win on the merits, in our legal system, success takes time and the stay standards require more than anticipated victory. I would have denied the Government’s application because its harm-related showing is patently insufficient. The balance of the equities also weighs heavily in respondents’ favor. While it is apparent that the Government seeks a stay to enable it to inflict maximum predecision damage, court-ordered stays exist to minimize-not maximize-harm to litigating parties,” the dissenting opinion states.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled in a similar fashion when it allowed the Trump administration to revoke special legal protections for nearly 350,000 Venezuelan nationals living in the United States temporarily.

May 29 (UPI) — A federal judge blocked the Trump administration Thursday from its attempt to deny Harvard University’s ability to admit international students.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said in a hearing she plans to issue a preliminary injunction requested by Harvard and then extended a temporary restraining order that stops the administration from any attempt to follow through on its threat.

Twenty-seven percent of Harvard’s student body consists of foreign students, and it filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last week after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the termination of the school’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVP certification.

Noem said in a press release last week, “This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.”

Her order also stated that foreign students at Harvard would need to transfer or lose their legal status.

The Harvard International Office’s Director of Immigration Services Maureen Martin filed a supplemental declaration in addition to the lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, and among the concerns listed in the suit, she wrote: “As a result of the revocation notice, students and faculty alike have expressed profound fear, concern, and confusion. Faculty members and administrators have been inundated with questions from current international students and scholars about their status and options.”

CNN reported that Burroughs told the lawyers for both Harvard and the Trump administration to agree upon how to keep the student visa program in place, to which she added, “It doesn’t need to be draconian, but I want to make sure it’s worded in such a way that nothing changes.”

The Trump administration has also focused on Harvard’s finances in addition to the effort to block the enrollment of foreign students, as it announced Tuesday it plans to cancel all its contracts with Harvard University.

May 28 (UPI) — The Trump administration ordered a hold on any new interviews of foreign student visa applications as it expands the vetting of applicants’ social media accounts.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday in a social media post that he is “announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans.”

Politico, NBC News and CBS News previously reported that Rubio issued a cable to all U.S. Embassies and consular agencies Tuesday to request the hold, in which he wrote that “Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days.”

“Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”

The cable also states that “consular sections will need to take into consideration the workload and resource requirements of each case prior to scheduling them going forward,” and that the main concern should be in regard to “services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention.”

Politico said the cable alluded to the search for anti-Semitism and material that would indicate potential terrorist activity.

In a speech Rubio recorded for the Foreign Minister’s Conference on Combating Antisemitism, held Wednesday at the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, he spoke on behalf of the State Department’s Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

“Those who call to boycott Israel are calling for the boycott of their Jewish neighbors and classmates,” Rubio said. “We have implemented a vigorous new visa policy that will prevent foreign nationals from coming to the United States to foment hatred against our Jewish community.”

Rubio further posted online Wednesday that “Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country. Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over.”

The Trump administration previously imposed requirements for screening the social media of returning students who participated in protests in support of Palestinians opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.

May 25 (UPI) — Federal officials are considering removing undocumented immigrants in California custody as an attempt to undermine the state’s sanctuary law.

“Operation Guardian Angel” is intended to “neutralize” sanctuary state rules, U.S. Atty. Bill Essaylie, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles explained.

The program employs federal resources at county jails and state prisons — the places where federal officials say the sanctuary law impedes the work of immigration agents to take custody.

“These laws effectively render federal immigration detainers meaningless,” Essaylie said. “While California may be presently disregarding detainers, it cannot ignore federal arrest warrants.”

An immigration detainer allows local law enforcement agencies to detain people for up to 48 hours beyond their scheduled release to allow for a transfer to federal custody.

Despite federal efforts to weaken the sanctuary law, local officials have said they will continue to enforce it and protect immigrants whom “Operation Guardian Angel” targets.

“This is just another scare tactic to get us to follow this authoritarian agenda, but it’s not going to work,” Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said.

Essaylie’s office identifies people with criminal records who have been deported and charges them with a federal crime if they re-enter the United States.

California officials have said they already cooperate with federal agents with regards to undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.

May 25 (UPI) — An American citizen born in the United States was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers despite having a REAL ID. He was later released from custody after providing his Social Security number.

The incident was first reported by Noticias Telemundo, which obtained video footage of a raid that led to the arrest of 25-year-old Leonardo Garcia Venegas at a job site in Alabama.

The video shows ICE officers grabbing Venegas and putting handcuffs on him before someone off-camera yelled that he was a citizen. He told the broadcaster that authorities took his ID from his wallet before handcuffing him and dismissed it as fake.

“We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for,” his cousin Shelah Venegas said. “He has his REAL ID and then they see him and I guess because his English isn’t fluent and/or because he’s brown, it’s fake.”

Shelah Venegas, in a post to social media, alleged that the federal authorities refused to let him identify himself and held him in handcuffs “for almost an hour” despite him yelling that he was a citizen.

The Department of Homeland Security alleged in a statement to NBC News that Garcia had interfered with an arrest that was being carried out at the job site.

“He physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary.

The brief video shared by Noticias Telemundo and Shelah Venegas on social media does not appear to show Leonardo Garcia Venegas getting between two agents as described.

“Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including U.S. citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest,” McLaughlin said.

A spokesperson for the agency told Newsweek that “there was no mistake” made by authorities during the encounter.

May 24 (UPI) — A record number of Americans applied to become British citizens during the first three months of this year after Donald Trump re-took office as president, according to official data.

The last time American applications for British citizenship spiked was in 2020 during Trump’s first presidential term early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes as the British government is toughening requirements for legal migrants and extending the wait for newcomers to claim citizenship.

Britain’s Home Office on Thursday reported 6,618 U.S. citizens applied for British citizenship over the past 12 months through March, the highest annual figure since records began in 2004. That includes 1,931 applications between January and March — the highest number for any quarter on record.

There also is a record number of Americans seeking to live and work indefinitely in the country as a necessary precursor to citizenship. Of the 5,521 settlement applications granted last year, most were for people eligible because of their spouses, parents and other family links. And a substantial portion had originally arrived in Britain on temporary visas for “skilled workers” and want to remain.

For the year through March, there were 238,690 applications worldwide, an increase of 238,690 for the same period last year.

Some people might qualify “more swiftly” for permanent settlement in Britain depending on the “contribution” they made, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said in Parliament on May 12.

Since Trump was elected president again, immigration lawyers told The New York Times they had received an increased number of inquiries from people in the United States about possibly relocating to Britain.

“People who were already here may have been thinking, ‘I want the option of dual citizenship in the event that I don’t want to go back to the U.S,'” Muhunthan Paramesvaran, a senior immigration lawyer at Wilsons Solicitors in London, said.

There also have been increased applications from non-U.S. citizens living there seeking to go to Britain.

“We’ve seen increases in inquiries and applications not just for U.S. nationals, but for U.S. residents of other nationalities who are currently in the U.S. but looking at plans to settle in the U.K.,” Zeena Luchowa, a partner at Laura Devine Immigration, a law firm that specializes in American migration to Britain, said. “The queries we’re seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship – it’s more about seeking to relocate.”

This comes as British authorities under a Labor government are trying to reduce immigration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain has to take “back control of our borders” and warned uncontrolled immigration could result in “becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”

British figures show net migration dropped by almost half in 2024 to 431,000 compared with 2023.

The British government had extended the qualification period from five years to 10 before they could apply for settlement.

Also, the government wants to raise English language requirements across every immigration route. In 2021, nine out of 10 migrants reported speaking English well, according to analysis by the Oxford University Migration Observatory.

On May 5, European Union nations announced they would spend $566 million from 2025 to 2027 to attract foreign researchers after the Trump administration cut funding to universities in the United States. Britain left EU in 2020.

Under Trump’s direction, there will be a “gold card” at a cost of $5 million, as an extension of the EB-5 program that extends green cards to foreign investors and their families.

“We’re going to be selling a gold card,” Trump told reporters on Feb. 5 in the Oval Office, which is adorned by items in gold.

The current program grants green cards to immigrants who make a minimum investment of at least $1.050 million or $800,000 in economically distressed areas.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday: “I expect there will be a website up called ‘Trump card dot gov’ in about a week. The details of that will come soon after, but people can start to register.”

May 23 (UPI) — The Pentagon is sending an additional 1,115 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Northern Command announced Thursday.

The troops are being deployed to Joint Task Force-Southern Border to provide sustainment, engineering, medical and operational capabilities, USNORTHCOM said in a statement.

Securing the border has been a top priority of President Donald Trump. On Jan. 20, his first in office, Trump declared a controversial emergency at the southern border, claiming “America’s sovereignty is under attack.”

Two days later, the Defense Department announced the first deployment of some 1,500 troops to the border.

With the announcement Thursday, the deployment grows to some 10,000 troops.

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon for more than 20,000 National Guard members to support Trump’s crackdown on immigration.