President Donald Trump's administration is reducing the number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota after state and local officials agreed to cooperate by turning over arrested immigrants, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday.
About 700 of the roughly 3,000 federal officers deployed around Minnesota will be withdrawn, Homan said. The immigration operations have upended the Twin Cities and escalated protests, especially since the killing of protester Alex Pretti, the second fatal shooting by federal officers in Minneapolis.
Homan pushed for jails to alert ICE to inmates who could be deported, saying transferring such inmates to the agency is safer because it means fewer officers have to be out looking for people in the country illegally.
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GOP senator resists plans for immigration detention center in his state
Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, is sending a letter to Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem to voice his opposition to plans that would turn a warehouse facility in a town in the northwest part of his state near Memphis into an immigration detention center.
Wicker notes that he supports “the enforcement of immigration law,” but that he is concerned the center would disrupt a site planned for “job creation, private investment, and long-term economic growth.” He also raised concerns that the local resources and infrastructure could not support a facility planned to hold over 8,500 people at a time.
Wicker's position is some of the highest-profile pushback to the Trump administration's plans to dramatically scale up immigration detention capacity. Local officials have been raising similar concerns across several states.
US military conducts new round of strikes on Islamic State members in Syria
The U.S. military has unleashed a new round of strikes against Islamic State members in Syria following the deadly December ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement Wednesday that U.S. aircraft conducted the attacks between Jan. 27 and Monday, destroying targets that included a communication site and weapons storage facilities.
“Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM’s commander.
The U.S. military said its multiple rounds of strikes since December have killed or captured more than 50 Islamic State members, including “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to the ambush.
Senators meet with Colombian President Petro
A bipartisan group of senators met with Colombian President Gustavo Petro to discuss ways to partner economically and address drug trafficking.
Petro’s visit to Capitol Hill comes a day after he met with President Donald Trump, and the pair emerged describing their meeting as friendly. Petro’s visit comes amid an intense focus on the Western Hemisphere by the Trump Administration.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, said the meeting revolved around ways to coordinate anti-drug trafficking efforts, as well as economic and infrastructure projects.
“I think he understands that there is a lot of potential that we could be working together,” Gallego added.
Man who tried to shoot Trump at a Florida golf course gets life in prison
A man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pronounced Ryan Routh's fate in the same Fort Pierce courtroom that erupted into chaos in September when he tried to stab himself shortly after jurors found him guilty on all counts.
Prosecutors had asked for life without parole, saying Routh is unrepentant and has never apologized. A defense attorney brought in for his sentencing asked for 27 years, noting that Routh is already turning 60.
Routh also received a consecutive seven-year sentence for one of his gun convictions.
Democrats say legislative proposals on ICE coming soon
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats aim to submit proposed legislation concerning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “within the next 24 hours.”
Democrats are demanding changes at ICE as part of a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Schumer said Americans are “appalled” at some of the ICE enforcement actions taking place in the country and that Democrats have “common-sense, tough objectives to rein in ICE.”
Among those, he said ICE agents should not be involved in what he called “roving patrols.” He said they also should not be allowed to engage in racial profiling or to enter certain facilities such as schools and churches.
“Finally, no secret police,” Schumer said, referring to the use of masks.
Delayed by partial government shutdown, U.S. jobs report is due next Wednesday
The Labor Department said Wednesday that it will release the January jobs report, delayed by the brief federal government shutdown, on Wednesday Feb. 11, nearly a week late.
It was originally scheduled for Friday.
Businesses, economists and policymakers rely on the numbers, which include the nation’s unemployment rate and the number of jobs created each month.
The department also said that its consumer price index — a closely watched inflation gauge — will come out Friday, Feb. 13, two days late.
Democratic Senators call Trump suit against IRS ‘shameless and transparent act of corruption’
Senate Banking leaders Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden wrote to Treasury and DOJ leadership asking for documentation related to President Trump's lawsuit seeking $10 billion from the IRS and Treasury over leaked tax information, arguing the lawsuit reeks of "bald corruption."
The tax leak was caused by a contractor who has pled guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison, and that the events occurred during Trump's first administration.
The lawmakers raise ethical concerns that Trump is effectively suing agencies he oversees, which could create a conflict of interest and potential collusion and question the timing of Treasury's decision to cancel contracts with the contractor's employer, suggesting it may be connected to the lawsuit.
“This lawsuit is a shameless and transparent act of corruption that should make any American’s head spin,” states the letter sent to agency leadership, Wednesday.
Democrats make demands for Homeland Security funding
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is laying out four demands for continued funding of the Department of Homeland Security after a short-term patch lapses on Feb. 13.
Jeffries said Democrats are seeking mandatory cameras for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. They also believe judicial warrants must be issued by a court before Americans are taken from their homes or cars.
He also said that Democrats believe enforcement officers should not be masked in “an arbitrary and capricious fashion.”
Also, he said ICE should not be able to detain and deport American citizens, “which we know is taking place right now.”
Treasury secretary has fiery exchanges with House Democrats during committee hearing
Testifying at the House Financial Services Committee, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has had several loud exchanges with House Democrats over inflation and Trump family cryptocurrency investments.
In one instance, after a back and forth over whether tariffs cause inflation or one-time price increases, California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters told committee leadership about Bessent: “can someone shut him up?”
And in a screaming match with Democratic New York Rep. Gregory Meeks over the Abu Dhabi royal family’s purchase of roughly 49% of the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency firm last year, Meeks shouted at Bessent, “stop covering for the president. Stop being a flunky!”
Bessent is expected to appear before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.
Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for 2 days of US-brokered talks
Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, as a Russian attack using cluster munitions killed seven people at a market in Ukraine.
The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the capital of the United Arab Emirates by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief who attended the meeting.
“The discussions were substantive and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions,” Umerov said on social media as the first of two days of talks wrapped up.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a breakthrough in the talks may not come for a while but the Trump administration has made great progress on negotiations over the past year.
The last US-Russian nuclear pact is about to expire, ending a half-century of arms control
It’s set to expire Thursday, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century.
The termination of the New START Treaty would set the stage for what many fear could be an unconstrained nuclear arms race.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared readiness to stick to the treaty's limits for another year if Washington follows suit, but President Trump has been noncommittal about extending it.
Trump has repeatedly indicated he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons and involve China in arms control talks, a White House official who was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity said Monday. Trump will make a decision on nuclear arms control “on his own timeline,” the official said.
Beijing has balked at any restrictions on its smaller but growing nuclear arsenal.
Xi also spoke Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Xi's engagement with Trump and Putin comes as the last remaining nuclear arms pact, known as the New START treaty, between Russia and the United States is set to expire Thursday, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century.
Trump, a Republican, has indicated he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons but wants to involve China in a potential new treaty.
“I actually feel strongly that if we’re going to do it, I think China should be a member of the extension,” Trump told the New York Times last month. “China should be a part of the agreement.”
Xi emphasizes Taiwan in phone call with Trump
In his phone call with President Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said China will “never allow Taiwan to be split” from the mainland, according to the official news agency Xinhua. Xi told Trump that Taiwan is the “most important issue” in the China-U.S. relations and urged the U.S. side to handle the Taiwan issue with prudence.
China claims sovereignty over the self-governed island and vows to take it by force if necessary, though the island has never been under Beijing’s rule. The U.S. takes no side on the sovereignty issue but opposes the use of force.
The Chinese side did not mention Trump’s April visit, but Xi said both countries will be hosting important international summits this year, which in the past have provided opportunities for the leaders of the world’s two largest economies to meet one-on-one.
Rubio says the US is ‘prepared to meet’ Iran despite last minute changes to venue and format
A day after a series of conflicting reports about the location and format of U.S.-Iran talks, Rubio said Trump officials are working on maintaining a meeting this week with Iranians as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
“I think the Iranians had agreed to a certain format, for whatever reason, this change in their system or what have you. We’ll see if we can get back to the right place. But the United States is prepared to meet with them,” Rubio said.
Iranian state TV reported Wednesday that the talks would take place in Oman, not Turkey as originally planned.
Rubio says China must be part of future nuclear arms talks
Rubio said Wednesday that China needs to be part of any future talks to impose limits on nuclear weapons, noting the country’s “vast and rapidly growing stockpile.”
The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States is set to expire Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared readiness to stick to the treaty's limits for another year if Washington follows suit, while Rubio reiterated President Trump's stance that China needs to be involved in such discussions.
Trump said Wednesday that he spoke with President Xi Jinping of China, including on subjects involving the military. But Trump didn’t elaborate on whether those talks involved their countries’ nuclear arsenals.
Trump says he discussed Iran with China’s Xi as the US pushes Beijing and others to isolate Tehran
President Trump said Wednesday he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the situation in Iran in a wide-ranging call that comes as the U.S. administration pushes Beijing and others to isolate Tehran.
Trump, who continues to weigh taking military action against Iran, announced last month in a social media post he would impose a 25% tax on imports to the United States from countries that do business with Iran.
Years of sanctions aimed at stopping Iran's nuclear program have left the country isolated. But Tehran still did nearly $125 billion in international trade in 2024, including $32 billion with China, $28 billion with the United Arab Emirates and $17 billion with Turkey, according to the World Trade Organization.
Rubio says Ukraine-Russia peace talks have made ‘progress’ but ‘most difficult’ items remain
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that a breakthrough on Ukraine-Russia peace talks may not come for a while but that the Trump administration has made great progress on negotiations from this time last year.
“If you look at the checklist of open items that existed at this time last year and the checklist of open items that remain now in terms of reaching a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, that list has been substantially diminished,” Rubio said. “That’s the good news. The bad news is that the items that remain are the most difficult ones. And meanwhile the war continues.”
Border chief Homan defends federal officers and says protests are ‘a joke’
Despite nodding to mistakes in Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, Homan is still vigorously defending federal officers and pointing fingers at protesters.
“We will hold our officers to the highest standard,” he told reporters before shifting tone.
“Considering the hate, the rhetoric, the attack, I think they performed remarkably, and I’m proud of them,” he said.
Homan urged protesters to back off.
“The message to those folks: ‘What are you doing?’” he said. “You really think you’re going to stop ICE and CBP from doing their job? It’s a joke. The only people you are hurting is your own community. ... Stop. Stop.”
During that critique, Homan did not explicitly acknowledge that ICE and Border Patrols shot and killed two U.S. citizens in January.
Homan defends Minnesota immigration enforcement even before he arrived
Trump’s border czar described improved coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement after he arrived in Minnesota to oversee Trump’s immigration crackdown.
But Homan stopped short Wednesday of criticizing operations before he arrived, despite clashes between federal authorities and Minnesota residents, including ICE and Border Patrol officers killing two U.S. citizens.
The operation under the now-deposed Gregory Bovino was “very effective as far as public safety goes,” Homan said. “Was it a perfect operation? No,” he continued, later adding, “I’m not going to sit here and point the finger at anybody” and say “they failed.”
Homan said he “brought a different set of eyes” to Minnesota at Trump’s request.
"President Trump sent me here to help de-escalate what was going on," Homan said, without mentioning the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. "We're not surrendering our mission. … We're just making this more effective and more smart."
Prosecutors haven’t ruled out seeking the death penalty in National Guard shooting
A prosecutor says the Justice Department is still weighing whether to seek the death penalty against a man charged with shooting two National Guard troops near the White House, killing one of them.
Prosecutors may seek to add charges that would make Rahmanullah Lakanwal eligible for a death sentence if he’s convicted in the Nov. 26 ambush, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tortorice said Wednesday during the defendant’s court appearance.
“We’re pursuing those options,” Tortorice told U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta. “We’re continuing to look at that.”
Mehta said he wasn’t asking for any “firm commitments” from the government yet.
“I’d rather get to that point sooner rather than later,” the judge said before setting May 6 as Lakanwal’s next court date in Washington.
Lakanwal, an Afghan national, pleaded not guilty to nine counts, including first-degree murder, in the shooting that killed West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Staff. Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
Homan says the Twin Cities immigration crackdown is now focused on ‘targeted’ operations
State and local officials, along with Minnesota officials, have harshly criticized the federal government’s roving patrols in the streets of Minneapolis and the surrounding area.
“When we leave this building, we know who we’re looking for, where we’re most likely to find (them), what their criminal record is,” Homan told reporters Wednesday in Minnesota.
Still, when pressed on whether ICE and CBP officers would stop random requests that people prove their U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status, Homan declined to rule out spontaneous arrests beyond an original “criminal target.”
“We will not turn a blind eye to illegal immigration,” he said.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, says a drawdown of federal officers is beginning in Minnesota
Homan says its a mix of 700 ICE and Border Patrol agents leaving. The remaining federal footprint will be more than 2,000. Homan says he would like to return to the metro area’s normal federal immigration footprint, which he said was about 150 officers.
Japan signs on to US critical minerals initiative, says deeply concerned about supply chain disruption
Representing the Japanese government, minister of state for foreign affairs Iwao Horii told the meeting that Japan was fully on board with the U.S. initiative and would work with as many countries as possible to ensure it’s a success.
“Japan shares a deep sense of concern and urgency about the risk of disruptions to critical mineral supply chains,” he told a ministerial meeting on critical minerals co-hosted by Vance and Rubio at the State Department.
“Critical minerals and (their) stable supply is indispensable to the sustainable development of the global economy,” he said.
Trump spoke with Chinese Leader on phone, Chinese embassy spokesperson says
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday spoke with President Trump, said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington. He said details weren’t immediately available.
The phone call came just as Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened a ministerial meeting with ministers from several dozens of countries to discuss how to rebuild supply chains of critical minerals to counter China. Vice President JD Vance proposed a trading bloc without China at the meeting, which is being held at the State Department.
Georgia’s Fulton County seeks return of 2020 election documents seized by FBI
Fulton County has filed a motion in federal court seeking the return of all documents from the 2020 election that were seized last week from a warehouse near Atlanta by the FBI, officials in the Georgia county said Wednesday.
The motion also asks for the unsealing of a law enforcement agent’s sworn statement that was presented to the judge who signed off on the search warrant, county spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez said. The county isn’t releasing the motion because the case is under seal, she said.
The Jan. 28 search at Fulton County’s main election facility in Union City sought records related to the 2020 election.
Rubio says every country has a role to play in global initiative for critical minerals
He proposed frameworks that will serve as “platforms for coordinating policies” to ensure countries can have abundant and affordable access to critical minerals.
“So we stand ready and intend to work with each country here today to find a specialized role that you can play,” Rubio said, as he was hosting a ministerial meeting at the State Department with dozens of nations to build a bloc to rebuild global supply chains of the critical minerals without China. “Everyone here has a role to play, and that’s why we’re so grateful for you coming and being a part of this gathering that I hope will lead to not just more gatherings, but action.”
Vance calls for a trading bloc among allies and partners
He called for the “trading bloc” among allies and partners to build supply chains of critical minerals to counter China.
“We want members to form a trading bloc among allies and partners, one that guarantees American access to American industrial might while also expanding production across the entire zone,” he said at a ministerial meeting at the State Department on Wednesday. “What is before all of us is an opportunity at self-reliance that we never have to rely on anybody else except for each other, for the critical minerals necessary to sustain our industries and to sustain growth.”
Vance says US government and a trading bloc should back rare earths
He defended the government’s push to ramp up production of the rare earths metals used in electronics, military hardware, phones and other goods.
Vance said markets have been unable to deliver on key economic priorities at a State Department conference on building out the rare earths supply chain that is now dominated by China.
“But even in some cases, even in the United States, some of these projects are struggling to attract investors,” Vance said. “This is crazy.”
The vice president added: “We in the Trump administration believe it is the business of the government.”
Vance said the U.S. government will create baseline prices for rare earths to ensure that foreign competitors are unable to undercut domestic producers and a trading bloc among the U.S. and its allies.
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