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DHS formally broadcasts New Orleans immigration operation
The Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) introduced it had began its immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans as we speak.
In a press release, the division mentioned Operation Catahoula Crunch would goal “prison unlawful aliens roaming free due to sanctuary insurance policies”. New Orleans is the most recent Democratic-run metropolis (albeit in a Republican-led state) to see federal immigration brokers on its streets. Most just lately, the Trump administration focused Charlotte, North Carolina, and touted the arrest of greater than 300 undocumented immigrants.
At present, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin mentioned that “it’s asinine that these monsters had been launched again on to New Orleans streets to COMMIT MORE CRIMES and create extra victims. Catahoula Crunch targets embody violent criminals who had been launched after arrest for house invasion, armed theft, grand theft auto and rape.”
Key occasions
A White Home official confirms Fox Information’ reporting earlier that Donald Trump will unveil a “reset” of federal gas requirements that had been “heightened” beneath the Biden administration. A reminder that these are packages just like the Company Common Gasoline Economic system (CAFE), which embody rules for auto-makers to fulfill miles-per-gallon requirements for his or her autos.
Trump will make the announcement at 2.30pm ET within the Oval Workplace.
Hegseth speaks to new Pentagon ‘press corps’
The US protection secretary, Pete Hegseth, is now talking to the brand new batch of reporters who comprise the Pentagon “press corps”, in accordance with a photograph posted to social media by far-right activist Laura Loomer.
“He’s taking everybody’s questions with no scripts and no pre deliberate questions,” Loomer wrote. “The assaults on Hegseth by the Faux Information media are unfounded. He takes EVERY query.”
The protection division noticed a mass exodus of a minimum of 30 main information shops after they refused to signal a brand new restrictive press coverage.
Somali prime minister urges calm following Trump’s xenophobic White Home rant
Faisal Ali
Somali officers have largely remained diplomatically tight-lipped about Donald Trump’s frequent verbal assaults on the Somali neighborhood within the US and on Somalia itself, a sample of remarks that go proper again to his first time period.
In a press release as we speak, Somalia’s prime minister, Hamza Barre, saved to that method, noting that Trump had “insulted many international locations, together with Nigeria and South Africa”, whereas urging calm.
“There are issues that don’t want remark, we simply go away them and transfer on. It’s higher to disregard than to make his phrases seem like a problem,” Barre mentioned.
Barre’s tone contrasted with the federal government’s earlier response to a earlier string of assaults on congresswoman Ilhan Omar, throughout which Trump referred to as her “SCUM” and described Somalia as “affected by persistent poverty, starvation, resurgent terrorism, piracy, [and] a long time of civil conflict”, after she criticised Charlie Kirk’s views, following his killing.
On the time, defence minister Moallim Fiqi, who’s a extra outspoken Somali official, mentioned, Iif our daughter is being focused due to her identification, we stand firmly by her facet,” including that Omar had “elevated each her personal identify and the identify of her ancestral homeland to a spot of prominence.”
Per our earlier publish about Matt Van Epps’ victory in Tennessee, Donald Trump weighed in late on Tuesday to congratulate the representative-elect.
“The Radical Left Democrats threw every thing at him, together with Tens of millions of {Dollars}. One other nice night time for the Republican Celebration!!!” he wrote on Fact Social. The president had thrown his help behind Van Epps, who beat his progressive challenger, Aftyn Behn, by single digits.
Whereas it’s a wanted victory for the GOP, different congressional Republicans have mentioned race foreshadows a bitter struggle within the 2026 midterms.
“Tt’s going to be a turnout election, and the left will present up,” Republican senator Ted Cruz of Texas mentioned in an interview with Fox Information on Tuesday. “Hate is a strong motivator. They hate President Trump.”
DHS formally broadcasts New Orleans immigration operation
The Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) introduced it had began its immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans as we speak.
In a press release, the division mentioned Operation Catahoula Crunch would goal “prison unlawful aliens roaming free due to sanctuary insurance policies”. New Orleans is the most recent Democratic-run metropolis (albeit in a Republican-led state) to see federal immigration brokers on its streets. Most just lately, the Trump administration focused Charlotte, North Carolina, and touted the arrest of greater than 300 undocumented immigrants.
At present, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin mentioned that “it’s asinine that these monsters had been launched again on to New Orleans streets to COMMIT MORE CRIMES and create extra victims. Catahoula Crunch targets embody violent criminals who had been launched after arrest for house invasion, armed theft, grand theft auto and rape.”
Somali American councillor says ‘many households are fearful tonight’ however ‘Minneapolis stands with you’

Frances Mao
Jamal Osman, a Somali American metropolis council member in Minneapolis, additionally spoke alongside Mayor Jacob Frey eventually night time’s press convention, delivering a message in each Somali and English to his fearful neighborhood.
As experiences unfold on Tuesday that ICE brokers had been because of launch raids, he had visited affected neighbourhoods.
Osman mentioned: “I do know many households are fearful tonight, however the metropolis stands behind you and we’re right here to face with you.
“Our neighborhood has lived by worry up to now and we’re not going to let this divide us.”
He mentioned metropolis officers had been doing every thing so residents “know their rights, they know the place to show for assist … Minneapolis won’t abandon [you].”
He additionally mentioned that everybody knew President Trump is “racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic” and “we’re going to struggle that. America has a historical past of combating and stopping these varieties of people who proceed to divide individuals and divide communities.”
“Many Somalis that stay on this neighborhood are working, working at your groceries, working in your hospitals… they’re profitable people.”
The mayor and town’s police chief additionally pressured that no native police could be concerned in ICE operations.
Donald Trump is in Washington as we speak. He’ll participate within the White Home internship class photograph at 10.30am ET, which is closed to the press.
Then he’ll make an announcement within the Oval Workplace at 2.30pm ET. We’ll carry you the important thing strains because it occurs.
Tennessee particular election takeaways
Voters might have elected Republican Matt Van Epps to fill the vacant seat within the state on Tuesday, however the single-digit win is being interpreted by some as a warning signal for the GOP forward of midterms subsequent 12 months.
Trump gained the district by 22 factors final 12 months, whereas Van Epps solely gained by 9 factors over Democrat Aftyn Behn – a safe lead however seen as underperforming. Behn ran an unapologetically progressive marketing campaign in a seat seen as safely purple.
Democrats are actually left questioning what might have been if that they had run a extra reasonable candidate, whereas Republicans are counting the prices of an costly race and the departure of some voters. The district’s former consultant Mark Inexperienced gained the seat by 21 factors final 12 months.
Van Epps’ win now pads out the Republican majority in the home to 220-214.
Trump and different senior officers had signalled tightening restrictions on immigration – it has been a flagship coverage of his second time period – however this was ramped up after the lethal capturing in Washington DC final week.
The principle suspect within the capturing, which killed one, is an Afghan nationwide who entered the US throughout mass evacuations as US and international forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
He pleaded not responsible to homicide costs on Tuesday.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Companies memo mentioned it “performs an instrumental position in stopping terrorists from in search of secure haven in the US”.
The nation had just lately seen “what an absence of screening, vetting, and prioritizing expedient adjudications can do to the American individuals”, it added, citing the Afghan homicide suspect.
Immigration halted for 19 international locations
Trump had threatened the dramatic crackdown on immigration from the 19 already-targeted international locations, following the capturing of two nationwide guard members by an Afghan suspect final week.
He mentioned he would “completely pause migration from all Third World International locations to permit the US system to completely recuperate”.
The affected nations are: Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen.
They’re among the many poorest in Africa, the Center East and central and south-east Asia.
‘We stand with you’: Minneapolis mayor helps Somali neighborhood
Minneapolis is house to the nation’s largest Somali inhabitants, with about 80,000 dwelling within the state. Most are US residents or authorized residents.
In response to Trump’s assault and the looming immigration crackdown reported, town leaders held a press convention on Tuesday.
Mayor Jacob Frey mentioned town stands with its Somali neighborhood, delivering the message first in Somali after which in English.
“To our Somali neighborhood, we love you, we stand with you and we aren’t backing down,” he mentioned. “That dedication is rock strong.”
He condemned the plan to focus on individuals who simply seem like they might be from the East African nation, saying it violates fundamental ideas of American democracy.
“Concentrating on Somali individuals implies that due course of can be violated, errors can be made, and let’s be clear, it implies that Americans can be detained for no different cause than they appear Somali,” Frey mentioned.
The town’s police chief has mentioned that his division had not acquired advance discover of any operations, and apart from, Minneapolis police don’t help federal brokers with immigration enforcement.
ICE planning operations focusing on Somalis -report
The New York Occasions reported on Tuesday that the Minneapolis-St Paul metro space, the place most Somalis reside, would see stepped-up deportation efforts this week, focusing totally on Somalis who’ve remaining deportation orders.
It might use “strike groups” of ICE brokers and different federal officers, bringing in about 100 brokers from throughout the nation, the Occasions reported. Different media shops, together with the Related Press, have confirmed the reporting.
The transfer comes after the precise has seized on a number of fraud instances, spanning a number of years, that contain dozens of Somali residents who prosecutors allege lied to the state to obtain reimbursements for meal disbursements, medical care, housing and autism companies. The Trump administration beforehand threatened to revoke momentary protected standing for Somalis in Minnesota, citing the state as a “hub of fraudulent cash laundering exercise”.
Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, additionally introduced on Monday that his company could be investigating whether or not taxpayer {dollars} from Minnesotans had “been diverted to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab”, sharing a current story from a rightwing outlet that made such claims.
Trump assaults Somali immigrants and calls Ilhan Omar ‘rubbish’

Rachel Leingang
In a cupboard assembly on Tuesday, Trump went off on Somalis and Ilhan Omar, the congressional consultant who’s from Somalia and is a US citizen. He mentioned Somalia “stinks” and is “no good for a cause”.
“They contribute nothing. I don’t need them in our nation, I’ll be trustworthy with you,” he mentioned. He referred to as Omar “rubbish” and mentioned “we’re going to go the flawed manner if we hold taking in rubbish into our nation”.
“These are individuals who do nothing however complain,” he mentioned. “They complain, and from the place they got here from, they received nothing … Once they come from hell and so they complain and do nothing however bitch, we don’t need them in our nation. Allow them to return to the place they got here from and repair it.”
“His obsession with me is creepy,” Omar responded in a social media publish. “I hope he will get the assistance he desperately wants.”
Welcome to US politics stay
Good morning and welcome to our US Politics stay weblog, as we observe the escalating assaults towards immigrants being launched by the Trump administration.
Yesterday, President Trump referred to as Somali immigrants “rubbish” in a xenophobic rant in cupboard the place he mentioned “I don’t need them in our nation” and they need to “return to the place they got here from”. It comes amid experiences ICE brokers are about to launch crackdowns focusing on the Somali communities in Minnesota.
The Trump administration yesterday additionally halted all immigration for individuals from 19 nations – together with Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen and Haiti.
The 19 non-European international locations have been beneath a partial journey ban since June – however this dramatic transfer brings to a halt all levels of the journey together with inexperienced card and US citizenship processing.
It’s a transfer that impacts numerous individuals, and with no phrase as to how lengthy the pause will final, it’s nearly sure that households will stay separated for longer, in limbo.
I’m Frances Mao, stick with me as I take you thru the important thing particulars.