‘I am pro-Palestine and pro-Ukraine' – Irish students cancel their J1 US trips in protest at Trump visa rules
Europe now has more appeal as travelling to America is 'just not worth it'
Yesterday at 21:30
Irish students are scrapping planned trips to the US over concerns about freedom of speech as the Trump administration rolls out social media screening of applicants.
Representatives from AMLÉ – the newly branded Students Union of Ireland – have issued guidance on J1 applications as the US government clamps down on students entering the country.
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Irish Examiner
32 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
National Guard deployed as Los Angeles protests against ICE agents continue
US President Donald Trump's administration said it would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops on Saturday as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilise active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert." Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" Trump signed a presidential memorandum to deploy the National Guard troops to "address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester," the White House said in a statement. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory." He posted on X that Trump was deploying the National Guard "not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle," adding: "Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully." Newsom said it was "deranged behavior" for Hegseth to be "threatening to deploy active-duty Marines on American soil against its own citizens." Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that if Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can't do their jobs, "then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Protesters throw objects as law enforcement drive a van past during a protest in the Paramount section of Los Angeles, Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. Picture: AP Photo/Eric Thayer 'VIOLENT INSURRECTION' "Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America's political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil," Vice President JD Vance posted on X late on Saturday. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act, two US officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. One said that National Guard troops can deploy quickly, within 24 hours in some cases, and that the military was working to source the 2,000 troops. The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the US military to enforce the law and suppress events like civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks at the Paramount protest, lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. Los Angeles police posted on X that "multiple people have been detained for failing to disperse after multiple warnings were issued." It did not give further details. There was no official information on any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of the immigrants' rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." Protesters confront Border Patrol personnel during a demonstration over the dozens detained in an operation by federal immigration authorities a day earlier in Paramount section of Los Angeles Saturday, June 7, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Eric Thayer TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday. Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depot stores, where street vendors and day labourers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said in a statement. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." -Reuters Read More Trump says he has no plans to speak to Musk as feud persists
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Coining it: Donald Trump's love affair with crypto
Donald Trump once dismissed cryptocurrency as "a scam" but in recent months he and his family have become heavily involved in the digital currency marketplace and have reportedly made billions of dollars in the process. The Trump administration has cut regulations for the crypto industry, while the Trump family is simultaneously profiting from the sector. There are calls for investigations into the US President's crypto business dealings amid claims of conflicts of interest, and accusations that Mr Trump is abusing his position to enrich himself. From crypto critic to crypto fan In July 2019, during his first term as US President, Donald Trump made his dislike of cryptocurrencies very clear in a post on Twitter, now X. "I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air," Mr Trump wrote. "Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity," he added. In June 2021, Mr Trump told Fox Business that bitcoin "just seems like a scam". In another interview with Fox Business later that year, he said that investing in cryptocurrencies was like a "disaster waiting to happen." "I like the currency of the United States," Mr Trump said. He claimed that investing in cryptocurrencies "hurts the United States currency" and "we should be invested in our currency." In the space of just three years, Mr Trump's views on crypto had utterly changed. "Bitcoin mining may be our last line of defense against a CBDC," he posted on Truth Social in June 2024. CBDC refers to a central bank digital currency, which is a digital currency issued by a central bank rather than by a commercial bank. "Biden's hatred of Bitcoin only helps China, Russia, and the Radical Communist Left. We want all the remaining Bitcoin to be MADE IN THE USA!!! It will help us be ENERGY DOMINANT!!!" Mr Trump wrote. As the presidential election race ramped up last summer, the Trump campaign announced that it was starting to accept crypto donations. "Demonstrating President Trump's success as a champion of American freedom and innovation, we proudly offer you a chance to contribute to the campaign with cryptocurrency," the campaign website stated. In July last year, Mr Trump addressed a bitcoin conference in Nashville vowing to be an ally of the crypto industry if he was returned to the White House. "This afternoon I'm laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the bitcoin superpower of the world and we'll get it done," Mr Trump told the conference. "The Biden-Harris administration's repression of crypto and bitcoin is wrong and it's very bad for our country," he added. World Liberty Financial In September last year, Donald Trump formally announced his support for a Trump family crypto venture called World Liberty Financial. The company's homepage describes itself as being "Inspired by Donald J Trump" and shaping a new era of finance. Visitors to the site can purchase a crypto token called $WLFI. In March 2025, World Liberty announced it would launch USD1, a dollar-backed stablecoin. "We're leading a financial revolution by dismantling the stranglehold of traditional financial institutions and putting the power back where it belongs: in your hands," the site states over a large photo of Mr Trump. The US President is listed as 'Chief Crypto Advocate' in the 'Meet our Team' section of the website, along with his sons Eric, Donald Jr and Barron. One of the co-founders of World Liberty Financial is Mr Trump's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. He has been accused of blurring the lines between diplomacy and business amid claims that he and his son have been promoting World Liberty's crypto interests while on visits to the Middle East. Last month, it was announced that an Abu Dhabi state-backed investment firm would make a major $2 billion investment using the USD1 stablecoin. $TRUMP meme coin In January 2025, days before his inauguration, Donald Trump announced the launch of his new meme coin $TRUMP. "Join my very special Trump Community. GET YOUR $TRUMP NOW," Mr Trump posted on Truth Social. Meme coins are cryptocurrencies inspired by internet memes, jokes, or cultural trends. "Their value is largely driven by community sentiment, social media hype, and celebrity endorsements," according to Forbes. Days after her husband announced his new meme coin, the US First Lady Melania Trump launched a cryptocurrency token of her own with $Melania being offered for sale. Last month, Mr Trump hosted a black-tie event at his golf club just outside Washington DC for the top buyers of his $TRUMP meme coin. Weeks earlier, the US President had begun promoting a competition that would reward 220 buyers of the crypto token with a private dinner. The top 25 investors were invited to an additional "exclusive private VIP reception" with Mr Trump. Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, has demanded the release of the guest list of invitees at the dinner, claiming they had "purchased access to the President". Mr Raskin said a majority of the buyers were likely foreign nationals who would have been barred from donating to the Trump campaign. "I write today to demand that you release the names of all the attendees at this dinner and provide information about the source of the money they each used to buy $TRUMP coins, so that we can prevent illegal foreign government emoluments from being pocketed without congressional consent," Mr Raskin wrote in a letter to the president. "Publication of this list will also let the American people know who is putting tens of millions of dollars into our President's pocket so we can start to figure out what - beyond virtually worthless meme coins - they are getting in exchange for all this money," the letter stated. The White House has insisted that there is no conflict of interest for President Trump, as his assets are held in a trust managed by his children. Asked recently about potential conflicts of interest, Donald Trump Jr told CNBC that the family got into crypto out of necessity as they had been "de-banked". "We got into politics and all of a sudden (the banks) wouldn't take our call," he said. Trump's crypto assets valued at $2.9 billion A recent report from the US watchdog State Democracy Defenders Fund found that as of mid-March 2025, Mr Trump's crypto assets were valued at $2.9 billion, representing approximately 37% of his total wealth. This included assets from the $TRUMP meme and the $WLFI governance token. The State Democracy Defenders Fund said Mr Trump's entanglements with the cryptocurrency industry could pose serious risks to democratic institutions and public trust. The report entitled 'Trump's Crypto Conflicts of Interest' found that Mr Trump and his allies are embracing crypto as both a fundraising tool and policy agenda. "Rather than divest his crypto assets to avoid any possible conflict of interest, President Trump seems to have positioned himself to maximise profiting from them by adopting a less aggressive regulatory and enforcement programme than his predecessor," said Virginia Canter, Chief Anti-Corruption Counsel for State Democracy Defenders Fund. "Reduced oversight could undermine US national security interests by emboldening terrorists and extremists, who have increasingly used crypto for anonymous financing, while foreign governments may view his crypto businesses as an open invitation for corruption," Ms Canter said. The report concludes that the Trump administration has taken a more lenient approach towards crypto enforcement. It points to a change in criminal policy at the Department of Justice, and highlights recent cases being dropped or stayed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), signaling a favorable regulatory and enforcement stance toward digital assets. During his first presidential campaign, Donald Trump successfully wooed blue-collar union members, coal miners and steelworkers who felt abandoned by the Democrats. Winning over these disaffected voters helped him to claim the White House in 2016. Eight years later, in a similar way, he focused on the crypto community, promising to undo the regulations and restrictions introduced by Joe Biden. He secured their votes and millions in crypto donations. But this was not just about getting elected. Mr Trump has deregulated an industry that his family now profits from, investors can get access to the president by buying his cryptocurrency and his envoy has been accused of blurring the lines between official Government diplomacy and business promotion. He may have once dismissed cryptocurrency as a scam used by criminals, but the man who likes to see himself as the ultimate dealmaker may well have found his biggest earner yet.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘The figures for 2025 are correct, but the 2024 figures were wrong': Why the tourist industry is staying optimistic about the outlook
'If anyone asks, Irish tourism is doing very well, thank you very much,' Alva Pearson Downey, CEO of the Inbound Tourism Operators Association (ITOA), said at the end of May.
