
Perry Bacon: Waving guns, and arresting 3,000 people a day, is scaring Americans
President Donald Trump and his top aides have long favoured harsh immigration policies. But what's shifted in recent weeks is that the administration has set a specific goal of ICE arresting at least 3,000 people per day. Such a quota may help Trump accomplish his goals, but it is leading to overly aggressive tactics that are deeply unsettling Americans across the country.

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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Tánaiste told Trump trade representative tariffs ‘threaten' US-Ireland relationship
Tariffs 'threaten' relations between America and Ireland and are bad for those on both sides of the Atlantic, the Tánaiste has told US trade representative Jamieson Greer. Speaking after a virtual meeting with Mr Greer, Simon Harris , who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, said he will stay in touch with his Washington counterpart 'as we seek to bring this trade dispute to an end'. The meeting between the pair on Thursday was described as 'positive' and 'constructive' by the Irish side. A readout from the Office of the US trade representative is not yet available. The EU had been slated for a 20 per cent tariff under the reciprocal rates announced by US president Donald Trump in April. A temporary pause took the rate down to 10 per cent through July 8th. READ MORE In late May, Mr Trump expressed frustration with the pace of talks and threatened to raise the tariff rate to 50 per cent , although he later said he would hold off on the threat until July 9th . Thursday's discussion followed on from a meeting between Mr Harris and US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington in April. According to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the two politicians on Thursday 'discussed recent trade developments, including a constructive exchange of views on the ongoing negotiations between the US and EU.' Mr Harris said he outlined to Mr Greer the 'hugely successful two-way economic relationship between the US and Ireland'. 'I explained how tariffs threaten this relationship and are bad for business, bad for consumers and bad for workers on both side of the Atlantic,' Mr Harris said. The Tánaiste said he assured Mr Greer of Ireland's 'commitment to supporting a mutually beneficial agreement that works for the US and the EU'. He welcomed Mr Greer's positive meeting with European commissioner for trade and economic security, Maros Sefcovic, in Paris last week. After the meeting with Mr Sefcovic, Mr Greer said the EU had provided the US with 'a credible starting point for discussions on reciprocal trade' and the discussion showed Washington 'a willingness by the EU to work with us to find a concrete way forward to achieve reciprocal trade'. The European Commission is preparing to navigate another round of trade talks with President Trump's administration. Last week, the EU threatened to speed up retaliatory measures against the US if President Trump follows through on his threat to impose a 50 per cent levy on steel and aluminium imports. The Irish Government has been lobbying the European Commission to try to keep important domestic sectors like aviation, medtech, agricultural feed and whiskey out of the transatlantic trade war.


Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
US warns nations against attending UN conference on two-state solution
US president Donald Trump 's administration has discouraged governments from attending a United Nations conference next week on the implementation of a two-state solution to the Palestine - Israel conflict. The conference will take place in New York and will be hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. It will discuss ways of establishing a two-state solution – which would create a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem alongside Israel. On Tuesday, Washington sent a cable warning countries that unilaterally recognising a Palestinian state and taking 'anti-Israel actions' – such as sanctions and boycotts – would be seen as acting against United States interests and could yield diplomatic consequences. The message also said the conference undermined Washington's efforts with Egypt and Qatar to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and free Israeli captives held hostage by Hamas, according to Reuters news agency. READ MORE Washington has supported a two-state solution for decades, but on Tuesday its ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said it is no longer a US goal. While the original intention of the conference was to encourage unified multi-state recognition of a Palestinian state, the Guardian has quoted French officials as saying this would be the goal of a step-by-step process to halt the Gaza war, end Hamas rule in Gaza, release Israeli hostages, secure Palestinian Authority reform and launch economic reconstruction of Gaza. French president Emmanuel Macron's regional adviser, Anne-Claire Legendre, said the conference 'must mark a transformative milestone for the effective implementation of the two-state solution. We must move from words to deeds; we must move from the end of the war in Gaza to the end of the conflict.' Mr Macron has confirmed his attendance at the New York meeting while Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman has ordered aides to prepare for his participation if a plan is to be adopted. Other world leaders who will be in Canada for a G7 summit could also attend the UN conference. Israel has sharply criticised the conference and lobbied France against recognition of a Palestinian state, claiming it would 'reward' Hamas for the 2023 attack on Israel in which it killed 1,200 people and abducted about 250 hostages. The attack triggered the Gaza war, in which about 55,000 Palestinians have been killed. [ Israeli strikes kill at least 60 in Gaza, many at aid site, say health officials Opens in new window ] Of 27 European Union member states, 11 recognise Palestine, including Ireland. Israeli and international rights organisations have accused Israel of trying to thwart a two-state solution by illegally establishing 160 settlements which house 700,000 Israelis in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. Israel recently announced construction of a further 22 settlements, prompting Israeli independent rights group Peace Now to say this was 'the most extensive move of its kind' in three decades. It warned that the move would 'dramatically reshape the West Bank and entrench the occupation even further'. – Additional reporting: Reuters


Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Donald Trump 'wants trade deal with EU'
US president Donald Trump wants to reach a trade deal with the EU, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said. Mr Harris said there are now 'real and meaningful' trade talks underway between the EU and US, after a call with US trade representative Jamieson Greer. While Mr Harris said the talks are now moving in a more positive direction, he believed there is still a 'way to go' before a deal is reached between the EU and US on trade. I think it's fair to say there is a way to go in relation to this, but I am encouraged by the fact that engagement has now begun in earnest between the EU and the United States. "I know from an EU perspective and from an Irish perspective, we want a negotiated outcome. From my conversation with president Trump's trade representative today, I think he wants that as well." 'What we need to find out in the days ahead, is there a landing zone that can work for everyone. Quite frankly, there has to be, because this transatlantic relationship matters.' Mr Harris acknowledged the deadline would run out next month, adding it was important for negotiators to 'intensely engage' and there 'isn't a day to lose here'. He added: I do now think the mood music, in terms of trying to find a deal, trying to find an agreement, is somewhat better than it was days ago. 'This will require the US and the EU to be really willing now to work to try find some common ground.' Mr Harris said the trading relationship between the EU and US was worth more than €1.4 trillion and this should not be 'snuffed at'. In an Irish readout of the call between Mr Harris and Mr Greer, the two had a 'constructive exchange of views' on the ongoing negotiations. Mr Greer recently met with EU Commissioner for trade, Maros Sefcovic, while Mr Harris travelled to Washington DC in recent months to meet with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick. The ongoing negotiations come weeks after Mr Trump threatened to introduce a 50% tariff on all imports from the EU, after saying the talks between the two were 'going nowhere'. It led to a flurry of activity, with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen calling Mr Trump, before the US president opted to delay their introduction to allow for 'serious negotiations'. The deadline for negotiations to be completed are now July 9.