G7 urges talks to resume for deal on Iran nuclear program
Since April, Iran and the U.S. have held talks aimed at finding a new diplomatic solution regarding Iran's nuclear program. Tehran says its program is peaceful and Israel and its allies say they want to ensure Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon.
'We call for the resumption of negotiations, resulting in a comprehensive, verifiable and durable agreement that addresses Iran's nuclear program,' the G7 foreign ministers said.
Last week, Trump announced a ceasefire between U.S. ally Israel and its regional rival Iran to halt a war that began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran. The Israel-Iran conflict had raised alarms in a region already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
Before the ceasefire was announced, Washington struck Iran's nuclear sites and Iran targeted a U.S. base in Qatar in retaliation.
The G7 foreign ministers said they urged 'all parties to avoid actions that could further destabilize the region.'
U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff has said talks between Washington and Tehran were 'promising' and that Washington was hopeful for a long-term peace deal.
The G7 top diplomats denounced threats against the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Monday, after a hardline Iranian newspaper said IAEA boss Rafael Grossi should be tried and executed as an Israeli agent.
On June 12, the U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.
Israel is the only Middle Eastern country believed to have nuclear weapons and said its war against Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, says it has 'no credible indication' of an active, coordinated weapons program in Iran.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast.
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Winnipeg Free Press
21 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
What the Justice Department's push to bring denaturalization cases means
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is ramping up its plans to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who've committed crimes or pose a national security risk, according to a recent memo underscoring the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda. Efforts to identity and go after those suspected of cheating to get their citizenship are not new to this administration. But the public push is raising concerns from advocates, who have accused the administration of trying to use immigration enforcement for political purposes. It's receiving increased scrutiny after a Republican member of Congress suggested that Zohran Mamdani, the New York City Democratic mayoral candidate, should be subject to denaturalization proceedings. Here's a look at the denaturalization process and what the Justice Department's memo means: ___ Denaturalization cases are rare The U.S. government can strip a naturalized immigrant of their citizenship if they are criminally convicted of naturalization fraud or if the government proves through civil proceedings that they illegally obtained their citizenship through fraud or misrepresented or concealed facts on their application. For years, the government's denaturalization efforts focused largely on suspected war criminals who lied on their immigration paperwork, most notably former Nazis. The Justice Department filed just more than 300 total cases between 1990 and 2017. An initiative that began under the Obama administration called Operation Janus expanded those efforts by seeking to identify people who had used different identities to get green cards and citizenship after they were previously issued deportation orders. In 2016, an internal watchdog reported that 315,000 old fingerprint records for immigrants who had been deported or had criminal convictions had not been uploaded to a Department of Homeland Security database that is used to check immigrants' identities. The same report found more than 800 immigrants had been ordered deported under one identity but became U.S. citizens under another. The first Trump administration made such investigations a bigger priority, creating a Justice Department section focused on denaturalization cases. But even then, the number of denaturalization cases remained small, as the administration didn't have the resources to bring many amid an onslaught of legal challenges to immigration policies it had to defend against, said Matthew Hoppock, an attorney in Kansas who represents people in denaturalization cases. Justice Department says it will prioritize certain cases The push was announced in a memo from the recently confirmed head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. Shumate said the cases the department will prioritize include people who 'pose a potential danger to national security,' people who commit violent crimes, members of gangs and drug cartels and people who commit Medicaid fraud and other types of fraud. The benefits of the denaturalization process, Shumate wrote, 'include the government's ability to revoke the citizenship of individuals who engaged in the commission of war crimes, extrajudicial killings, or other serious human rights abuses; to remove naturalized criminals, gang members, or, indeed, any individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the United States; and to prevent convicted terrorists from returning to U.S. soil or traveling internationally on a U.S. passport.' Hoppock said the memo sort of 'blows the doors open' for the administration to file as many as many denaturalization cases as it has the resources to file. Lawyers raise alarm about the potential impact The broad language in the memo raises the prospect 'that any offense, at any time, may be used to justify denaturalization,' said Christopher Wellborn, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 'It is not difficult to imagine a scenario where the government invokes unsubstantiated claims of gang affiliation or uses an individual's criminal record to claim that citizenship was illegally procured,' Wellborn said in a statement. Others worry the administration's public push will stoke fear among naturalized immigrants. 'The more you talk about it, the more you frame it as 'we're coming after your naturalization, we're coming after you,' the more of a chilling effect we see on people applying for naturalization,' said Elizabeth Taufa, senior policy attorney and strategist at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. 'Even those folks that really are eligible for naturalization.' Critics have accused the Trump administration using immigration enforcement to go after people because of their speech — most notably in the case of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, whom it has sought to deport over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. 'One of our ongoing concerns is will they target these politically, will they start combing through people's immigration files if they don't like you or if they think you don't agree with the government,' Hoppock said. 'I think most Americans would support the idea of stripping someone of citizenship if they got it through fraud and they are also a dangerous person,' he said, but the concern is if they start going through 'regular folks' immigration files to find a T that is not crossed or an I that is not dotted so they can use it as a weapon.' Justice Department recently secured denaturalization in one case The department last month announced that it had successfully secured the denaturalization of a man who was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material. The British man had become a U.S. citizen after enlisting in the U.S. Army under a provision that provides a pathway to citizenship for U.S. service members, officials said. He only listed a speeding ticket when asked on his naturalization application if he had 'ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested,' and he became a U.S. citizen in 2013. Months later, he was arrested in Louisiana on child sexual abuse material charges and convicted, according to the department. 'The laws intended to facilitate citizenship for brave men and women who join our nation's armed forces will not shield individuals who have fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing their crimes,' Shumate said in a statement at the time. 'If you commit serious crimes before you become a U.S. citizen and then lie about them during your naturalization process, the Justice Department will discover the truth and come after you.'
Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
A more patriotic Canada Day in the age of Trump
By Cannon blasts rang out across Montreal's Old Port as dozens marked the moment they became Canadian citizens. Among the crowd, Dave and Yvonne Kyba — already Canadian — stood out in matching T-shirts they had printed at a local mall, bearing a message they felt had taken on greater urgency in the past year: 'Canada's Not For Sale.' 'We were so fired up after the comments were made initially, yeah, that we went out and got the shirts,' said Dave Kyba, referring to the latest remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about annexing Canada. 'We should be more positive, which is generally our character,' he added, 'but we just felt impassioned to say something back: no, we're not.' 'We don't want to be the 51st state. Point finale,' said Yvonne Kyba. This year's Canada Day has played out amid a trade war with the U.S. and a steady stream of jabs from its president. Thousands gathered at the Old Port, some waving maple leaf flags, others decked out in red and white. The Kybas said they came not to become Canadian, but to witness the ceremony and welcome newcomers. 'Trump has awakened everyone,' said Paulina Ambrose, who stood alongside the couple. Ambrose moved to Montreal in 1976 and had come to watch the event, too. 'People were sleeping. Now they're awake,' she said. Trump's offhand comments about Canada becoming 'the 51st state' have sparked a wide range of reactions, even as analysts continue to debate whether they're strategic or simply performative. Boycotts of Florida vacations and American-made goods have made headlines. At several public events this year, Canadian crowds have even booed the U.S. national anthem. 'There's a real sense of national pride that wasn't there before,' said Chrissy Krahn, also at the ceremony. A former British Columbian who moved to Montreal six years ago, she added: 'Because we're very nice, right? We're Canadians. But this has really awakened a little bit of a beast.' Amid the rhetoric from Trump, political changes in Ottawa have also followed this year. Though the governing Liberal Party held onto power in the April election, it did so under a new leader — Prime Minister Mark Carney — whose campaign emphasized standing firm in Canada's relationship with the United States. That stance has already been tested. On his first visit to the White House, Carney stated plainly: some things are 'never for sale.' But just this week, Carney withdrew a proposed digital services tax that would have targeted American tech companies, after Trump called for its removal. The White House described the move as 'caving.' However, Dave said he's hopeful the relationship can improve. 'There's always optimism that we're going to return to some sense of normalcy at some point,' he said. Asked why they think Trump keeps returning to the idea of absorbing Canada, Yvonne paused. 'I don't know what's going on between those two ears on his head,' she said. 'Maybe it's historical. I think that desire to overtake Canada has always been there.' Or perhaps, she said, 'he just doesn't like a more socialist attitude being successful. Our social programs, I think, should be lauded and appreciated — especially our health care.' Ambrose added: 'I want to ask him this question: why do you want to make Canada the 51st state when Canada is much larger than the whole of the United States? 'It just can't happen.' Despite the political backdrop, the mood in Montreal was upbeat. 'It's a ceremony we've never really seen before,' said Yvonne. 'And it's kind of like, why not? Let's go see what it's all about and welcome new Canadians with open arms.' 'I think it goes back to that whole idea of a mosaic, rather than the melting pot south of the border,' said Dave. 'Trudeau senior called it more of a tapestry. We're interwoven. We rely on each other. I think we should value that.'
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Trump tours Florida immigration lockup, jokes about escapees having to run from alligators
'Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,' U.S. president said Published Jul 01, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 5 minute read U.S. President President Donald Trump waves as he visits a migrant detention centre, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Fla., on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP / Getty Images OCHOPEE, Fla. — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured a new immigration detention centre surrounded by alligator-filled swamps in the Florida Everglades, suggesting it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Trump said he'd like to see similar facilities in 'really, many states' and raised the prospect of also deporting U.S. citizens. He even endorsed having Florida National Guard forces possibly serve as immigration judges to ensure migrants are ejected from the country even faster. 'Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,' Trump said of the Florida site known as 'Alligator Alcatraz.' The president said the moniker is 'very appropriate because I looked outside and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon.' 'The only way out, really, is deportation,' Trump added. Hundreds of protesters converged outside the site — a remote airstrip with tents and trailers. They waved signs calling for the humane treatment of migrants as well as the protection of the expansive preserve that is home to a few Native American tribes and many endangered animal species. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The White House has delighted in the area's remoteness — about 50 miles (80 kilometres) west of Miami — and the fact that it is teeming with pythons and alligators. It hopes to convey a message to detainees and the rest of the world that repercussions will be severe if the immigration laws of the United States are not followed. Before arriving, Trump even joked of migrants being held there, 'We're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.' 'Don't run in a straight line. Run like this,' Trump said, as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion. 'And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%.' Alligator experts suggest it is better to dash in one direction in the rare situation when the reptile gives chase, according to a website run by the University of Florida. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump on his tour walked through medical facilities and other parts of the detention centre, then held a lengthy roundtable where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and assorted state and federal officials, heaped him with praise. Authorities originally suggested it could house up to 5,000 detainees upon completion, but DeSantis said it would actually hold around 3,000, with some starting to arrive Wednesday. The centre was built in eight days over 10 miles (16 kilometres) of Everglades. It features more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet (8,500 metres) of barbed wire and 400 security personnel. Trump dismissed concerns about impacts on delicate ecosystems, saying there was already an existing airstrip, meaning authorities won't be 'dropping dirt.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I don't think you've done anything to the Everglades,' Trump said. 'I think you're just enhancing it.' Other, though, are appalled, including Phyllis Andrews, a retired teacher who drove from Naples, Florida, to protest Trump's visit and called migrants 'fine people.' 'They do not deserve to be incarcerated here,' Andrews said. Some Trump supporters showed up near the detention centre as well, including Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys whom Trump pardoned for his conviction related to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. He suggested Trump won last year's election because voters wanted 'mass deportation' and 'retribution.' Part of a larger Trump immigration push Crackdowns on the U.S.-Mexico border and harsh immigration policies have long been a centrepiece of Trump's political brand for years. During his first term in 2019, Trump denied reports that he floated the idea of building a moat filled with alligators at the southern border. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump has more recently suggested that his administration could reopen Alcatraz, the notorious island prison off San Francisco. The White House similarly promoted the political shock value of sending some immigrants awaiting deportation from the U.S. to a detention lockup in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and others to a megaprison in El Salvador. His administration has vowed that mass deportations are coming, even if some of those notions are impractical. Transforming Alcatraz from a tourist attraction into a prison would be very costly, and Guantanamo Bay is being used less often than administration officials originally envisioned. Trump also mused Tuesday about deporting dangerous people born in the United States, like ones who 'knife you when you're walking down the street' or who kill people from behind with a baseball bat. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They're not new to our country. They're old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too,' Trump said. 'So maybe that'll be the next job that we'll work on together.' Alluding to his criminal indictments during President Joe Biden's administration, Trump said of the detention facility, 'Biden wanted me here,' using an expletive to describe his predecessor. Construction of the Everglades site came together fast Florida plans to offer members of the National Guard to be 'deputized' and assist immigration judges, as a way to loosen another chokepoint in the country's long-overburdened immigration court system. Guard personnel could provide site security along perimeter and entry control points, but also serve as staff augmentation while being ready to provide other support, officials say. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The detention center has an estimated annual cost of $450 million, but state officials say at least some of that will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. During his tour, Trump greeted around 20 FEMA employees and construction workers and bonded with DeSantis, who once bitterly challenged him for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. 'We have blood that seems to match pretty well,' Trump said of Florida's governor. When DeSantis suggested that members of the Guard could ease immigration judges' workloads, Trump offered, 'He didn't even have to ask me. He has my approval.' A spokesperson for the Guard said its members aren't currently tasked with detention or enforcement operations, and that doing so would require training from federal authorities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was also on the tour, said immigrants arriving to the site could still opt to 'self-deport' and board flights to their home countries rather than being held in it. She said she hoped 'my phone rings off the hook' with other states looking to follow Florida's lead and open similar sites. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are generally held for reasons like entering the country illegally or overstaying a visa. They are either waiting for ICE to put them on the next flight or bus ride home, or they're fighting their removal in immigration court. As of mid-June, ICE detention facilities held more than 56,000 immigrants, the most since 2019. During his visit, Trump was informed that the sweeping tax cut and spending bill the White House has championed had cleared the Senate, drawing applause. He suggested his being in Florida, rather than helping promote the bill in Washington, underscored how important immigration was as an issue. 'I'm here, and I probably should be there,' he said, shortly before flying back to the White House. — Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida, Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report. Ontario Toronto Blue Jays Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Sports
