Transcript
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On the Throughline podcast from npr, Immigration enforcement might be more visible now, but this moment didn't begin with President Trump's second inauguration or even his first, a series from Throughline about how immigration became political and a cash cow. Listen to Throughline in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is using the government shutdown to punish and pressure his political opponents. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports. Trump is meeting today with the man tasked with carrying out those promises.
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The president is calling on Republicans to use the shutdown to, quote, clear out dead wood. He says billions of dollars can be saved. And Trump is sitting down with his budget director, Russ Vogt to determine which of the many, quote, democratic agencies may be cut. Trump writes in a social media post, I can't believe the radical left Democrats gave this unprecedented opportunity. Trump even cited Vote's work on the controversial Project 2025, where he advocated for a more activist approach to cutting spending and overhauling the federal workforce. The White House is pushing Democrats to negotiate, but Vote's work shows he's less concerned about Democrats and more focused on making the cuts. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.
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Federal workers are feeling the impact of the shutdown, with many furloughed or working without pay. And states are bracing for ripple effects. In Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear says health programs and food assistance could be among the first hit.
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I think that, at least for me, the reason to stand up and push back right now has to be one that directly impacts American families and certainly the cost of your health care is that important.
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Economists warn the longer the stalemate drags on, the more pressure it will put on local communities and the national economy. A key report on the job market will not be published on Friday is scheduled as a result of the shutdown. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant, made headlines earlier this year when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. NPR's Jasmine Gardz reports. An immigration judge has denied his latest bid for asylum and has given him 30 days to appeal.
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Deal Abrego Garcia's lawyers filed to reopen his asylum clays, claiming he now qualifies since he was sent out to El Salvador and later returned to the US that motion was denied on Wednesday for several reasons, including that the judge found Abrego Garcia was not singled out by guards while in detention. In 2019, Abrego Garcia requested asylum but was not eligible because over a year had passed since he'd entered the US illegally. Still, a judge ruled that he could not be sent to El Salvador because his family was the target of gang violence there. Nevertheless, in March of this year, he was detained and deported to El Salvador. A Supreme Court ruling got him returned to the U.S. the Trump administration then accused him of human trafficking, to which he has pled not guilty. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, New York.