Summary

Media caption,

Trump: Canada could 'become a state' of the US to avoid tariffs

  1. Choppers, planes and 1,500 troops to be sent to borderpublished at 22:32 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Front of Air Force C-17 Globemaster on ground at a fairImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Air Force C-17 Globemaster

    We have more details on the US troops who will be deployed to the southern border.

    A senior military official tells BBC's US partner, CBS News, that 1,000 army personnel and 500 marines will move to San Diego in California and El Paso in Texas. They will work on the placement of barriers and other "border missions".

    They will not be involved in law enforcement, the official says.

    Two C-17 and two C-130 aircraft, along with helicopters, will also be sent to the US border with Mexico.

    Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses says the department will provide military airlift to support deportation flights of more than 5,000 people he describes as "illegal aliens".

  2. House passes bill on illegal immigration, Trump to sign soon into lawpublished at 22:27 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Rachel Looker
    Reporting from Washington

    The House just passed an amended version of the Laken Riley Act - legislation to crack down on illegal immigration - with a bipartisan vote of 263-156.

    This is President Trump’s first legislative victory since being sworn into office on Monday. Since it has already passed the Senate, the bill will now go to his desk to be signed into law.

    Named after a woman who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, the bill requires officials to detain undocumented immigrants who are charged, arrested or convicted with certain crimes. Two amendments were added to the final version in the Senate to expand the scope of offenses that could lead to detention.

    Over 45 House Democrats voted to support the amended version while a dozen Senate Democrats supported the bill, a sign that the party may be moving to the right on immigration.

  3. Mexico and US having ongoing immigration talks, Mexican president sayspublished at 22:15 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Immigration talks between Mexico and the U.S. have begun, according to Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.

    Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference today that Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón De La Fuente and Sec. of State Marco Rubio had their first phone conversation on Tuesday.

    Sheinbaum described the conversation as “cordial”, and said the two officials focused on immigration and security matters. This is part of what is set to be on-going conversations, according to the President.

    Sheinbaum also said Mexico has not agreed to Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy to require asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while claims are processed.

    Sheinbaum with hair pulled back in red and black top in front of red letters on white screenImage source, Getty Images
  4. House Republicans launch their own investigation into Capitol riotpublished at 22:08 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Mike Johnson in glasses at microphone in front of American flagImage source, Getty Images

    Speaker of the House Mike Johnson launched a new congressional subcommittee today to investigate what led to the 6 January attack on the US Capitol in 2021.

    "House Republicans are proud of our work exposing the false narratives peddled by the politically motivated Jan. 6 Select Committee, but there's more to be done," Johnson said on social media.

    Johnson said the subcommittee will "continue our efforts to uncover the full truth".

    It's unclear why Johnson - who said he didn't "second guess" Trump's decision to pardon rioters and dismiss federal charges against those accused of being involved in the violence - is looking further into the riot.

    But Trump was angered by the original select committee, which blamed him for the violence that day during a series of primetime hearings. Before leaving office on Monday, former President Joe Biden pre-emptively pardoned the committee members to shield them from future criminal prosecution by the Trump administration.

  5. Proud Boys celebrate – and talk about getting back into the ‘game’published at 21:41 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Mike Wendling
    US digital reporter

    A line of Proud Boys marchingImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Tarrio (centre, with sunglasses and holding cigarette) and other Proud Boys marching in Washington days before the January 6 riot at the US Capitol

    Members of the far-right Proud Boys group are celebrating on the communications channels run by their chapters, excited about the pardons that Donald Trump has granted to those in their ranks who were convicted for the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.

    Their former leader Enrique Tarrio received one of the pardons and has just landed back in his home city of Miami after being released from prison in Texas.

    The second Trump term could see a resurgence of the all-male group, which during Trump’s first term regularly brawled with far-left antifa activists on the streets of American cities.

    After the Capitol riot and the arrests of its leaders the national Proud Boys fractured, retreated to their local chapters and kept a relatively low profile, occasionally protesting LGBTQ events and drag story hours.

    Their messages today - and a march by some members though Washington on Monday - indicate they may return to street-level activism.

    They communicate through dozens of public channels on Telegram, which are filling up with celebratory chatter and barbs and slurs directed at their enemies. But they also appear to have moved some of their communications to less public outlets as they regroup.

    When asked by reporters whether he was still a member of Proud Boys, Tarrio said: “We’ve made the decision four years ago not to tell the media what our structure is, but I'd suggest that the media should, should stop calling me ‘ex Proud Boy leader’.”

    Meanwhile some of Trump’s opponents and others across a wide swathe of the political spectrum have criticised the pardons.

    “Trump just OK’d political violence,” former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh told the BBC’s The Context programme. Referring to the Proud Boys, he said: “They now believe they are free to do what they want, because Donald Trump has their back.”

    Read more: Trump pardons give Jan 6 defendants nearly everything they wanted

  6. Trump monitoring Nashville shooting, White House sayspublished at 21:29 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    President Trump and his team are monitoring a school shooting in Nashville, according to the White House.

    According to US media reports, at least one student is dead and another wounded after a shooting in a school cafeteria. The suspect, also reportedly a student, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

    "As details unfold, the White House offers its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to those impacted by this senseless tragedy and thank the brave first responders responding to the incident," the White House said in a statement.

  7. White House press secretary says 1,500 troops headed to borderpublished at 21:18 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Reporters at the White House stopped White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to pepper her with questions about the latest Trump executive order.

    Leavitt confirmed reports of the latest immigration executive action were accurate and that 1,500 additional troops would be sent to the US southern border.

    "The American people have been waiting for such a time as this, for our Department of Defence to actually take homeland security seriously," Leavitt said. "This is a number one priority of the American people and the president is already delivering on that."

    Leavitt told reporters Trump is prioritizing "deporting illegal immigrants" from the US and rejecting those considering coming to the border.

    "You will be returned home, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted," she said. "Do not come."

  8. Trump 'sending a message' with new border announcementpublished at 20:53 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    As we've reported, we've just had another announcement from President Trump, this time "suspending the physical entry of aliens engaged in an invasion" of the US across the southern border.

    The executive action instructs various parts of the federal government - including the Justice Department, State Department and Homeland Security - to "immediately repel, repatriate and remove illegal aliens" across the southern border.

    Broadly speaking, this announcement can be seen as a formal mission statement, of sorts, under which some of the other changes we've been reporting today fall.

    This includes moves to expand the process to swiftly deport undocumented immigrants, as well as deploy 1,000 active duty troops to the US border.

    Just a few moments ago, the White House's new Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters outside that Trump is "sending a very strong message to people around the world".

    In the coming days, migrant advocacy organisations and communities across the country - particularly at the border - will be watching to see the on-the-ground impact of these orders and actions.

  9. Migrants crossing illegally will 'face consequences'published at 20:36 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, just spoke with Fox News and said Trump's latest border announcement - ordering multiple executive departments to take all necessary action to repel, repatriate and remove illegal migrants - is evidence he is using "executive powers to secure our nations borders".

    Leavitt says Trump is delivering on the immigration promises he made on the campaign trail.

    "If you are even thinking for a single second about illegally entering our country and breaking the laws of the United States of America, you will face consequences for doing so," she says.

  10. Trump ramps up border enforcement with new immigration actionpublished at 20:32 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January
    Breaking

    President Trump has signed another executive action on the border, Reuters reports.

    It directs Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and the State Department to take all necessary action to immediately repel, repatriate and remove all "illegal aliens" across the southern border, the news agency reports.

  11. Analysis

    Will Trump follow through on tariff promises?published at 20:03 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Anthony Zurcher
    North America correspondent

    One topic that President Trump has mentioned, but hasn't acted on yet, is tariffs.

    He had pledged to slap them on some of America's biggest trade partners on day one to protect American industries and generate new revenue to fund his favoured government programmes.

    Economists, including some in the Trump administration, have cautioned that tariffs could drive up consumer costs and hurt American businesses that rely on imports in their supply chain.

    It could be a reason why Trump, with his eye on the stock market and economic growth, is treading more carefully when it comes to trade.

    But Trump's second term is just getting started. He promises more significant presidential actions in the days ahead – moves that will almost certainly test the limits of presidential power.

  12. EU response to US tariffs must be 'coordinated', says German business execpublished at 19:59 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Jessica Parker
    BBC News Berlin correspondent

    Europe is watching and waiting to see whether Donald Trump moves ahead with a well-advertised intention to hit the European Union with trade tariffs.

    Speaking to the BBC today, one German business group executive says a big question is whether the US President might pursue a more sweeping, universal tax on goods or take a more targeted approach.

    “Our fear is that if it’s sectoral or national, then it gets complicated,” says Wolfgang Niedermark, who is on the board of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

    He believes the EU must make sure that any response is both calm and coordinated.

    “Unity is key. If we lose that then we are half-lost already.”

    Germany’s car industry is one “very obvious” vulnerability, says Mr Niedermark.

    “Of course our big players have huge production sites in the US and they could think of expanding those… but that’s not good news for Europe as a business location.”

  13. 'Get over it' says JP Morgan CEO on Trump tariffspublished at 19:57 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie DinonImage source, Reuters

    The head of the world's largest bank, JP Morgan Chase, says Trump's potential tariffs are good for national security, adding that critics should "get over it".

    “If it’s a little inflationary, but it’s good for national security, so be it. I mean, get over it,” Jamie Dimon told CNBC at the World Economic Forum.

    “National security trumps a little bit more inflation," the JP Morgan Chase boss added.

    As a reminder, Trump on Truth Social threatened "high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions" on Russia over the war in Ukraine on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, Trump said he was considering imposing a 10% tariff on imports of Chinese-made goods as soon as 1 February.

  14. Watch: New migrant deterrents installed on US-Mexico borderpublished at 19:55 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    As we've been reporting, President Trump has announced several new immigration policies, including declaring a border emergency, suspending all refugees' travel to the US, and an order to end US birthright citizenship.

    In the video below we can see boats and cranes placing buoys on the Rio Grande river, which is situated at the Texas-Mexico border.

    Media caption,

    Watch: New migrant deterrents installed on US-Mexico border river in Texas

  15. New troops to integrate with roughly 2,200 personnel already at borderpublished at 19:45 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Samantha Granville
    Reporting from Los Angeles

    Yesterday at the border, as our team was trying to find a live location to broadcast from, we ran into soldiers from the US Army. They were sitting in a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) car at the top of a hill overlooking the US-Mexico border in San Diego.

    Both women we encountered both seemed very relaxed about our presence there. But within minutes, four CBP officers came zooming up on quad bikes, telling us we needed to leave immediately and that we were not authorised to be there.

    Approximately 2,200 active-duty personnel are currently stationed at the border as part of Joint Task Force-North, a US Northern Command mission based in El Paso, Texas.

    Their primary role is to support CBP by handling logistical and administrative tasks such as data entry, surveillance, vehicle maintenance, and monitoring operations.

    It remains unclear which specific units are being deployed to the border.

    Additionally, the Texas National Guard oversees Operation Lone Star, which currently includes approximately 4,500 National Guardsmen, according to the Texas Military Department.

    The new active-duty troops being sent this week are expected to integrate with these troops.

    We understand their duties will focus on maintaining operational readiness for CBP, assisting command-and-control centres, and providing enhanced intelligence support to analyse threats and track migrant movements, according to sources familiar with the plans.

  16. Little detail about where soldiers will be deployed to on borderpublished at 19:33 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Will Grant
    Reporting from the US-Mexico border

    There are few details about specific locations where the 1,000 additional active-duty troops will be deployed on the border - particular if they will focus on ports of entry or at more vulnerable spots.

    Assuming they arrive within the coming days, customs and border protection agents may welcome the support.

    However, although President Trump characterises the situation at the border as an emergency, the numbers of detentions of undocumented migrants is currently at its lowest level in years.

  17. US refugee decision to have ripple effectpublished at 19:21 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    News of the pausing of refugee processing and travel is likely to impact thousands of people around the globe who hope get to the US.

    AP News reports that an estimated 15,000 Afghan nationals are waiting in Pakistan to be approved for resettlement in the US.

    Already, refugees who had been approved to travel to the US have had their plans cancelled - impacting more than 1,600 Afghans who had already been cleared by US authorities.

    The move prompted an advocacy group called Afghan USRAP Refugees - named after the US Refugee Admissions Program - to send an open letter to Donald Trump stating that many of its members "risked our lives to support the US mission" in Afghanistan.

    "The Taliban regard us as traitors, and returning to Afghanistan would expose us to arrest, torture, or death," the letter added. "In Pakistan, the situation is increasingly untenable. Arbitrary arrests, deportations, and insecurity compound our distress."

    More than 3,000 other Afghan nationals are waiting in Albania to be resettled in the US.

  18. All previously scheduled refugee travel cancelledpublished at 19:11 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Tom Bateman
    State Department correspondent

    A memo sent by the US agency that processes refugee applications to its officials overseas says all previously scheduled travel of refugees to the US is being cancelled - and no new flights will be booked.

    President Donald Trump on Monday suspended the Refugee Admissions Programme, which sees some 100,000 people fleeing war or persecution accepted into the US each year.

    The cancellation is believed to include more than 1,600 Afghans whose assistance for the US military, as well as relatives of American soldiers, puts them at risk of retribution from the Taliban.

    In his first term, Trump also put tight limits on refugee numbers, which were then reversed by Joe Biden.

    This cancellation is not linked to the system for processing people seeking asylum who turn up at US land borders or make it into the country.

    It mostly affects those who apply for refugee status with the United Nations in the country to which they have fled and go through a rigorous vetting process before they are accepted for travel third countries, including the US.

    The State Department has not responded to a request for comment.

  19. How many refugees come to the US?published at 19:02 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    Asylum seekers, who had appointments made through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP One application, wait outside the National Institute of Migration (INM) office for information in Piedras Negras, CoahuilaImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Asylum seekers, who had appointments made through the now-cancelled US Customs and Border Protection CBP One application, wait outside the National Institute of Migration (INM) office for information in Piedras Negras, Mexico

    As we reported a little while ago, the State Department has cancelled refugee travel to the US and paused refugee processing after an executive order from Trump halting admissions into the US from 27 January.

    Each year, the US welcomes thousands of refugees who may be facing persecution or other difficulties in their home countries for several reasons, including race, religion or political opinion, according to the US government. The number of arrivals ranges greatly from year to year.

    For instance, the US allowed in 100,000 refugees last year, but only 25,000 in 2022. The number of new refugees fell consistently during Trump's first term beginning in 2017.

    Refugees go through a months-long process that requires several steps including gathering evidence to support their claims.

    Trump's new order halts all new refugee claims except certain cases approved directly by the secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

    But the executive order does not address special immigrant visas, a programme for people who worked with the US military as translators in Iraq or Afghanistan.

    That programme awards visas for up to 50 people each year.

  20. Migrants to be deported without asylum processing – reportpublished at 18:52 Greenwich Mean Time 22 January

    US border agents have been instructed to summarily deport migrants crossing into the country illegally without allowing them to request asylum, according to an exclusive report from the BBC's US partner CBS News.

    CBS cites internal government documents and agency officials.

    The changes on asylum requests follow a number of executive orders and decrees Trump has signed during his first three days back in office to crack down on immigration.

    Internal government documents indicate that nearly all migrants who arrive at the Texas-Mexico border would be subject to quick expulsion.

    Two Customs and Border Protection officials, who requested anonymity to discuss internal guidance, told the news outlet that migrants would not be allowed to see an immigration judge or asylum officer following the change.

    One official said Border Patrol agents were directed to swiftly deport migrant adults and families traveling with children, after taking biometrics and fingerprints, CBS reports, adding migrants who are not from Mexico will be detained pending deportation.

    There will be some limited exceptions, CBS reports, again citing internal documents.