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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Trump deploys 2,000 National Guard troops as Los Angeles protests against immigration crackdown continues
US President Donald Trump has announced that the federal government would deploy 2,000 National Guards troops in Los Angeles, after an immigration crackdown triggered a massive protest with police in riot gear using teargas on bystanders on Saturday as well. The White House in a statement said that President Trump was deploying National Guards to 'address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester' in California. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, objected to the move by the Trump administration deploying the troops and said that the decision by the Republican president was 'purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.' Newsom added that the federal government was 'moving to take over' the California national guard, adding 'This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.' 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!' –President Donald J. Trump — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 8, 2025 The tensions between immigration authorities and demonstrators began on Friday when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials conducted raids on multiple locations in downtown Los Angeles. The federal government is taking over the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles — not because there is a shortage of law enforcement, but because they want a spectacle. Don't give them one. Never use violence. Speak out peacefully. — Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 8, 2025 On Saturday, the enforcement officials expanded the area of investigation to Paramount, south-east of Los Angeles, where they were met with more protests outside an industrial park. The protests by demonstrators on the second day were met with Border Patrol personnel in riot gear in Los Angeles' Paramount as White House announced to ratchet up the crackdown response with National Guards. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated the Trump administration's aggressive approach in a post on X to deploy the US military. 'If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,' Hegseth said. The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Saturday evening accused California's Democratic leadership of having 'completely abdicated their responsibility to protect their citizens'. Defending the work being done by immigration officials, Leavitt added the work the immigration authorities were doing when met with protests is 'essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why Trump Fears Musk's Epstein Bomb Most of All: Biographer
Donald Trump and Elon Musk's war has reached critical mass—and according to author Michael Wolff, Musk just dropped one of the biggest bombs yet. Wolff appeared on an 'emergency' episode of The Daily Beast Podcast with Joanna Coles on Thursday to discuss the jaw-dropping developments between the world's richest man and America's commander in chief. Following days of fiery barbs from Musk, Trump finally retaliated on Thursday, prompting an all-out escalation from his former pal. In an afternoon post on X, Musk wrote that it was 'Time to drop the really big bomb.' The billionaire claimed Trump 'is in the Epstein files' and 'that is the real reason they have not been made public.' 'Have a nice day, DJT!' he added. Wolff said the feud had 'escalated into nuclear territory' on Thursday afternoon. According to Wolff, the bestselling author behind multiple books chronicling Trump's rise, Trump and the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were the 'best of friends' for 15 years. 'They shared girlfriends, they shared airplanes, [and] business strategy,' he claimed. Wolff claims he has seen damning evidence from those years that Trump would not want made public, including alleged lewd images of Trump and the sex offender, who died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 ahead of his trial on sex trafficking charges. 'I have seen these pictures. I know that these pictures exist and I can describe them,' Wolff alleged. 'There are about a dozen of them. The ones I specifically remember is the two of them with topless girls of an uncertain age sitting on Trump's lap. And then Trump standing there with a stain on the front of his pants and three or four girls kind of bent over in laughter—they're topless, too—pointing at Trump's pants.' The Daily Beast has reached out to The White House for comment. In a Truth Social post shortly after Musk dropped his explosive Epstein claim, Trump wrote, 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago.' He criticized Musk's objections to his spending bill, but did not address the Epstein accusation. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded: 'This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill' because it does not include the policies he wanted.' Wolff said he's not certain what specifically Musk was referring to, but speculated that there may have been incriminating material, such as photos or documents, retrieved during an FBI raid of Epstein's home in 2019. 'But I think in general, it could also be the Epstein file writ large,' Wolff commented. 'The scope of the Jeffrey Epstein life intersects with the Donald Trump life in a very meaningful, in fact, profound way. These guys kind of made each other.' After Trump's inauguration, his administration vowed to disclose more documents related to the Epstein case. But when the first batch was shared with conservative influencers at the White House in February, it drew backlash for offering little beyond what was already public. Trump was pictured with Epstein multiple times during the height of their association, and in 2002 told a magazine reporter he's a 'terrific guy' who is a 'lot of fun to be with.' 'It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,' Trump told New York magazine at the time. The two reportedly had a falling out a couple of years later over a real estate dispute. The president has distanced himself from Epstein in the decades since, saying he ended the relationship in the early 2000s and had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes. In the days before the November election, the Daily Beast first published audio recordings by Wolff, which he says were made during a 2017 interview with Epstein. Epstein described himself as Trump's 'closest friend for 10 years' and claimed the first time the president slept with his wife, Melania Trump, was on his plane. He also claimed the president was repeatedly unfaithful in his marriages. At the time, the Trump camp denounced the tapes as 'false smears' that amounted to 'election interference.' Wolff said he has up to 100 hours of recordings of interviews with Epstein, including after using him as a source for his 2018 book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Trump and Wolff have been publicly sparring this past week over a different matter, after Wolff claimed the president didn't get in to Harvard. Trump denied it and called Wolff a 'Third Rate Reporter' on Truth Social.
Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Trump imposes ban on people travelling to US from 12 countries
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping new travel ban that blocks entry into the United States for nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, and Haiti – reviving a controversial policy from his first term. The White House says the ban, which takes effect Monday, is in response to a recent flamethrower-style attack in Boulder, Colorado. Authorities have blamed the attack on an Egyptian man who was reportedly in the U.S. illegally after overstaying a tourist visa and later applying for asylum. Under the new proclamation, all travel to the U.S. is prohibited for citizens of the following countries: Afghanistan Myanmar Chad Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan Yemen Additionally, nationals from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela – will face partial restrictions, primarily affecting temporary work and student visas. US president Donald Trump. Pic:Trump's order specifically exempts athletes participating in major upcoming international competitions. Participants in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, will be allowed entry regardless of nationality. In a separate measure, Trump announced a visa ban for incoming international students accepted to Harvard University, framing it as part of a broader crackdown on what he described as 'liberal strongholds.' This latest action draws strong comparisons to Trump's 2017 travel ban, which targeted several Muslim-majority countries and faced widespread backlash and legal challenges. Trump defended that earlier ban as having 'prevented terror attacks like those seen in Europe,' and said the new measures are necessary to maintain national security. 'We cannot have open migration from countries we cannot safely and reliably vet,' Trump said in a video message posted to social media. 'We don't want them.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by The White House (@whitehouse) The president emphasized the recent attack in Boulder as a wake-up call, calling it a reminder of the dangers posed by inadequately vetted foreign nationals. Legal analysts say the ban is likely to face court challenges, as have many of Trump's hardline immigration policies. The announcement was made without a traditional press event and came minutes after Trump addressed political appointees at a 'summer soiree' from a White House balcony. The move has already triggered diplomatic pushback. Venezuela, which is partially targeted under the new order, condemned the ban, calling the U.S. a dangerous destination. 'Being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just Venezuelans,' said Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, warning citizens against travel to the US. US president Donald Trump. Pic: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, warned that the ban would once again disrupt families and communities. 'Americans will again be denied the chance to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child,' Abdi said. Despite excluding Egypt – the home country of the Boulder suspect – from the travel ban, Trump's administration insisted the measures are part of a broader effort to 'protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors.'
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Trump imposes new US travel ban on 12 nations
Afghan refugees queue outside a distribution and donation center at Liberty Village on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, U.S., December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Barbara Davidson/Pool/File photo Listen to article US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning the nationals of 12 countries from entering the United States, saying the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats. The directive is part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has also included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members and efforts to deny enrollments of some foreign students and deport others. The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The entry of people from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, will be partially restricted. "We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm," Trump said in a video posted on X. He said the list could be revised and new countries could be added. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen... That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others." –President Trump — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2025 The proclamation is effective on June 9, 2025 at 12:01 am EDT (0401 GMT). Who does it apply to? The proclamation states that the full and partial travel bans apply to foreign nationals of the designated countries who: - are outside the United States on June 9, and - do not have a valid visa on June 9 The proclamation also states: No immigrant or non-immigrant visa issued before June 9 "shall be revoked pursuant to this proclamation." Are there any exceptions to the trave bans? Exceptions to the travel ban include: - Any lawful permanent resident of the United States - Dual nationals - Diplomats traveling on valid non-immigrant visas - Athletes or members of an athletic team and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event - Immediate family immigrant visas - Adoptions - Afghan Special Immigrant Visas - Special Immigrant Visas for United States government employees - Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran During his first term in office, Trump announced a ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed that ban on nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen in 2021, calling it "a stain on our national conscience." Trump said the countries subject to the most severe restrictions were determined to harbor a "large-scale presence of terrorists," fail to cooperate on visa security and have an inability to verify travelers' identities, inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the United States. "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States," Trump said. He cited Sunday's incident in Boulder, Colorado in which an Egyptian national, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, has been charged in the attack. Federal officials said Soliman had overstayed his tourist visa and had an expired work permit - although Egypt is not on the list of countries facing travel limits. Somalia immediately pledged to work with the US to address security issues. "Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised," Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the United States, said in a statement. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, responded on Wednesday evening by describing the US government as fascist and warning Venezuelans of being in the US. "The truth is being in the United States is a big risk for anybody, not just for Venezuelans ... They persecute our countrymen, our people for no reason." A spokesperson for the Taliban-led Afghan foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pakistan's foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment on how it would handle the thousands of Afghans waiting in Islamabad who had been in the pipeline for US resettlement. Calls early on Thursday to the spokesperson of Myanmar's military government were not answered. The foreign ministry of Laos did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump campaigned on a tough border strategy and previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from Gaza, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and "anywhere else that threatens our security." Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats. That order directed several cabinet members to submit a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their "vetting and screening information is so deficient."
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Donald Trump's New Travel Ban: Why These 19 Countries Have Been Targeted
Last Updated: 19 countries face new US travel restrictions. The reasons go beyond just national security In the wake of the Colorado attack on a pro-Israel group, US President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping new proclamation imposing travel restrictions on citizens from 19 countries, citing national security threats. The attack, carried out by an Egyptian man who set fire to peaceful protesters seeking the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, was directly referenced by Trump as he announced the decision on his social media platform, Truth Social. The New Ban: Who's Affected? The proclamation fully bans entry from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. An additional seven countries — Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela — face partial restrictions across both immigrant and non-immigrant visa categories, including B-1, B-2, F, M, and J visas. According to a statement from the White House, the countries facing the full ban were found 'to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and were determined to pose a very high risk to the United States." National Security Concerns And Terrorism Threats Central to the administration's justification is the claim that many of these countries pose heightened risks due to terrorism links, extremism, or state-sponsored activities: Trump stated while signing the order: 'We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others." 'We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others." –President Trump — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2025 Fragile Or Failing States Beyond direct terrorism links, many of the countries targeted in Trump's travel ban share one common trait: deep state fragility. This limits their ability to maintain civil registries, criminal databases, or cooperate with international law enforcement — core issues for US visa screening. The 2024 Fragile States Index, which ranks countries on political, security, economic, and humanitarian stability, places several of the fully banned nations among the world's most unstable: Somalia (Rank 1): Racked by decades of civil war, Somalia has no fully functioning central government, with large swathes controlled by Al-Shabaab militants. Law enforcement capacity remains minimal, with rampant corruption and limited border control. Yemen (Rank 2): Still locked in a brutal conflict between Houthi rebels and a Saudi-backed coalition, Yemen's infrastructure has collapsed. Its civil registry and identity databases are virtually non-existent in many regions, making background checks extremely difficult. Sudan (Rank 5): Engulfed in a devastating power struggle between military factions (RSF vs SAF), Sudan's state institutions have broken down, leading to lawlessness, mass displacement, and zero functional cooperation with international law enforcement. Congo (DRC) (Rank 6): Plagued by multiple armed groups, internal displacement, and ongoing instability in its eastern provinces, Congo faces chronic governance failures. Border controls are weak, and internal vetting mechanisms unreliable. Chad (Rank 8): Marked by authoritarian rule, weak security infrastructure, and frequent insurgencies along its borders, Chad's institutional capacity for identity verification is severely limited. Afghanistan (Rank 9): Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan's legal and civil systems have collapsed. The US has cut nearly all security cooperation, and Taliban-controlled ministries offer little transparency or credible data on citizens. Libya (Rank 16): With rival governments competing for power and various militias controlling key regions, Libya's state institutions are fragmented. The absence of centralised governance makes security vetting highly challenging. Even beyond these top-tier fragile states, several others on Trump's list — including Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, and Myanmar — are viewed as authoritarian or dysfunctional states with limited transparency, cooperation or control over security vetting. Eritrea operates under a closed authoritarian regime with strict exit controls but little external cooperation. Equatorial Guinea has been cited for widespread corruption and opaque governance. Haiti faces political paralysis, gang violence, and frequent disruptions to government functions. Myanmar remains internationally isolated following its 2021 military coup, with sanctions and political repression further weakening state capacity. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the new order fulfils Trump's promise to 'protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm." President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or… — Abigail Jackson (@ATJackson47) June 4, 2025 Visa Overstay Violations The partial bans also heavily cite immigration violations, particularly high visa overstay rates, as a factor for restricted entry. Other countries like Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Burundi, Cuba, and Venezuela have been flagged for non-compliance with US visa tracking and insufficient cooperation with law enforcement. A Revival Of Trump's 2017 Travel Ban The latest order revives and broadens Trump's earlier 2017 travel ban, which initially targeted seven Muslim-majority nations, including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. That policy was rescinded by former President Joe Biden in 2021, who called it 'a stain on our national conscience." President Trump reinforced the rationale behind the decision, saying: 'We will restore the travel ban, some people call it the Trump travel ban, and keep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country that was upheld by the Supreme Court." top videos View all Conclusion While officially framed as a national security measure, Trump's revived travel ban reflects a combination of terrorism threats, fragile state risks, and visa enforcement failures. The move also aligns with his broader 'America First" approach to immigration and border security. With implementation set to take effect at 12:01 am on Monday (June 9), thousands of travellers, students, and families across these nations will now face an uncertain future. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @ More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : donald trump Travel ban Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 05, 2025, 09:51 IST News explainers Donald Trump's New Travel Ban: Why These 19 Countries Have Been Targeted
