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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 22nd, 2025: Trump's Immigration Crackdown Begins & Zelensky Calls On Europe To Commit 200,000 Peacekeeping Troops
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- [00:12]
Mike Baker
It's Wednesday, the 22nd of January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First, we'll begin with President Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown as the US Mexico border closes and mass deportations get underway. Then we'll turn to the war in Ukraine as President Zelensky calls on European allies to commit a minimum of 200,000 troops to serve as a peacekeeping contingent should Kiev reach a peace agreement with Moscow. But first, our afternoon spotlight. We'll begin with a look at President Trump's promised crackdown on immigration, which began just hours after he was sworn into office on Monday. Under an executive order declaring a national emergency at the US Southern border, all crossings with Mexico have been officially shut down for migrants seeking asylum in the United States. Refugee admissions are also being suspended, effectively cutting off all avenues to cross the border previously available under the Biden administration. That's according to a report from cnn. While Biden had moved early last summer to restrict asylum eligibility at border checkpoints, many migrants were still able to claim refugee status through the controversial CBP1 cell phone app, which has allowed at least 936,000 illegal immigrants to apply for asylum since January 2023 from within their home countries before then flying into the United States. But that program was shut down within minutes of Trump being sworn into office. Trump has also moved to suspend a program that allowed migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to be paroled into the US with sponsors. Some 800,000 migrants have been granted entry into the US under the parole program since its implementation back in 2022. Additionally, Trump has suspended a refugee resettlement program for at least four months and issued an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US to non citizen parents. The sweeping immigration actions have brought traffic at the US Southern border to a virtual halt, leaving many migrants who were waiting along Mexico's northern border for asylum appointments well in limbo, andrew Selley, president of the think tank Migration Policy Institute, told cnn. As of today, there's almost no way of getting protection at the US Border or anywhere along along a route to the United States. That's a huge shift, end quote. Well, yes, it is. With the border secure, Trump has quickly moved to his next immigration agenda, and that would be mass deportations. Trump's border czar, Tom Holman, said Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, ICE agents, have been directed to begin seeking illegal immigrants living in the US for removal to their home countries. Now look, it's worth noting, given the hyperbole and the angst floating about in media and social media about this issue. Currently, deportations have been a part of US Policy for decades. As an example, during Barack Obama's tenure, 400,000 individuals were deported from the U.S. tom Homan said they've created what he called target sheets, prioritizing the arrest of illegal migrants with a criminal record or who have been deemed a potential threat to public safety. The operation got off to a bit of a bumpy start after the administration's plans to arrest illegal immigrants in Chicago were leaked last week. But Homan said they've since reworked their strategy to address concerns around the safety of their agents. Homan told Fox News on Tuesday, quote, ice officers throughout the country were told today, go make arrests of those here illegally that have a public safety threat. So they've deployed target sheets and operational plan to go out in the field. They're out there right now looking for the most serious public safety threats throughout the country, end quote. Homan noted that there are currently more than 700,000 illegal immigrants in cities across the US with criminal records, saying, quote, that's who we're looking for right now, end quote. Now, you wouldn't think that that would be necessarily controversial on either side of the political aisle. We should note there's been some pushback on Trump's efforts to reform the immigration system. His order to end birthright citizenship has already triggered challenges from 22 states, which argue that it violates the 14th Amendment. Coming up. With President Donald Trump shifting America's stance towards the war in Ukraine, President Zelensky is calling on European allies to step up and play a more active role in ensuring the continent's security and deterring Russian aggression. I'll be back with those details in a moment.
- [05:03]
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- [06:28]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Ukrainian President Zelensky has has called on European allies to commit to a minimum deployment of 200,000 troops to enforce any potential peace agreement with Russia, urging the continent to defend itself. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Ugh, is it Davos time already? Again, Zelenskyy framed Europe as the, quote, indispensable player for its own security rather than relying on potentially shifting US Policies under President Trump. Zelenskyy warned European leaders against complacency, citing battles near Ukraine's eastern border in the Kursk region, where North Korean troops are fighting alongside Moscow's forces. Zelenskyy's call to action underscored Europe's vulnerability to Moscow's aggression as he reminded leaders that Pyongyang is farther from Davos than the front lines of Ukraine. Central to Zelenskyy's Davos address was his vision of a multinational peacekeeping force. Zelensky stated, quote, from all the Europeans, 200,000. It's a minimum. Otherwise it's nothing, end quote. Dismissing smaller contributions he said is insufficient to securing lasting peace. The Ukrainian president also rejected outright Russian peace demands to slash Ukraine's military to one fifth of its current size. Well, now Putin's just trying it on. Labeling such proposals as Kremlin power plays, Zelensky stated, quote, this is what Putin wants and we will not allow this to happen, adding that his administration is seeking a meeting with Trump, who has pledged to end the conflict quickly. Trump, in his post inauguration remarks, suggested that Russian President Putin should pursue a deal, stating, quote, putin is destroying Russia, accusing the Russian leader of weakening his own country with a prolonged war effort. While Zelensky welcomed the sentiment, he remained skeptical of a swift resolution without robust European and NATO involvement. European responses to Zelensky's plea have been mixed at best. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, following a visit to Kyiv last week, expressed Britain's readiness to, quote, play our full part, but refrained from committing troops, leaving the scope of future support open ended. As we reported here on the PDB earlier this month, Zelensky discussed the possibility of deploying French troops inside Ukraine and non combat capacities with French President Emmanuel Macron. But concrete commitments? Well, they remain elusive. Talks with Poland and the Baltic states are ongoing as Zelensky builds momentum for broader European engagement. NATO membership remains a cornerstone of Zelensky's strategy for peace, which he calls, quote, the best guarantee for Ukraine's security. However, opposition from the U.S. germany, Hungary and Slovakia complicates Ukraine's bid, as some nations remain wary of antagonizing Moscow further. In his Davos address, Zelenskyy cautioned that Russia, which has mobilized some 600,000 troops, could expand its military to upwards of 1.5 million. Such a force, Zelenskyy warned, would dwarf the capabilities of any single European national army and leave the continent vulnerable to Moscow's ambitions. He called on Europe to invest heavily in military technology, including drones and advanced air defense systems to counteract Russian advances and prevent future invasions. As Europe ponders its response, Zelenskyy's message is clear. The stakes extend far beyond Ukraine's borders. In his view, the continent's proximity to the conflict and Moscow's willingness to escalate make inaction a dangerous gamble. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Wednesday 22 January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com as you may know, every month the PDB team, including the sometimes compensated interns, gathers around the bar at our local watering hole at Buzzy's eight Ball Tavern. And after sufficient beverages, well, we select the month's top questions and comments for inclusion in our monthly Ask Me Anything episode. And of course, as you probably heard during the coverage of the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities, to listen to the show ad free. Well, it's simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com couldn't be easier. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. It.