Trump hails ‘productive’ call with Turkiye’s Erdogan as visits planned
US President Donald Trump says he wants to work with his Turkish counterpart to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. United States President Donald Trump says he has had a “very good and productive” telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and they have discussed a wide range of topics, including how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Syria and Israel’s war on Gaza. During the call on Monday, Trump said Erdogan had invited him to visit Turkiye and he had extended an invitation for the Turkish leader to visit Washington, DC. No dates were announced. A readout of the call from the Turkish presidency confirmed Erdogan invited Trump for a visit. The Republican president, who described his relationship with Erdogan as “excellent” during his first tenure at the White House, said the two countries would cooperate on ending the war in Ukraine. “I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous but deadly, War between Russia and Ukraine ended – NOW!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform. NATO member Turkiye has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbours since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has twice hosted talks aimed at ending the war. Advertisement “Noting that he supports President Trump’s approach toward ending wars, President Erdogan expressed appreciation for the efforts exerted to maintain the negotiation process with Iran and stop the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Turkiye’s Directorate of Communications said in a statement posted on X. Erdogan also raised the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, warning that its humanitarian crisis had reached a “grave level”, the directorate said. The Turkish president also stressed the importance of the “uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid and the urgent end to this tragic situation”. On neighbouring Syria, Erdogan reaffirmed Turkiye’s commitment to preserving its territorial integrity and restoring lasting stability. He said US efforts to ease sanctions on Syria and its new government would help move that process forward and contribute to regional peace. Regarding bilateral ties, Erdogan said Ankara remained committed to strengthening cooperation with Washington, particularly in the defence sector. Trump is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week. Adblock test (Why?)
BIG revelation on Pahalgam attack! Locals involved? Know what former sleeper cell member said
He said the job of sleeper cells is to provide intelligence on Army movements and supply food and other essentials to terrorists.
White House says ‘no final decisions’ made on foreign moviemaking tariffs as Trump weighs ‘national security’
The White House said Monday “no final decisions” have been made regarding the Trump administration’s planned tariffs on foreign moviemaking, as one expert welcomed the potential action as a reprieve for the American film industry. “Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to Fox News Digital. President Donald Trump first announced in a Truth Social post on Sunday that he was authorizing the Department of Commerce and the U.S. trade representative “to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded on X, “We’re on it.” ACTORS GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES ON HOW TRUMP IS MAKING HOLLYWOOD GREAT AGAIN “The elite in Hollywood will largely hate this because they’ve sold out their workers in favor of maximum profits while shooting in insanely cheap labor environments,” Robby Starbuck, a former Hollywood producer and conservative activist, told Fox News Digital. “American workers who are referred to as ‘below the line’ in filmmaking are over the moon about getting more jobs back here and rental houses couldn’t be happier.” “Overall, while there will be short-term pain for studios, in the long run this will strengthen the American film business,” Starbuck said. “Also, communist China’s propaganda efforts take a major hit with this move.” On-location production in the greater Los Angeles area dropped by 22.4% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same time last year, according to FilmLA, a nonprofit that organizes film permits for the city and county. One movie producer told the New York Times last month that the Hollywood film industry is undergoing an “existential crisis,” as the newspaper noted that reality shows, indie films and even blockbuster films are increasingly making business decisions to film overseas to the detriment of the middle-class workers in the Los Angeles-area, such as camera operators, set decorators and lighting technicians. The newspaper noted that despite Hollywood’s many available studios, the game show “The Floor” chose to fly host Rob Lowe and 100 American contestants to Dublin, Ireland, rather than shoot the show domestically. TRUMP ANNOUNCES 100% TARIFF ON ALL FOREIGN-PRODUCED MOVIES: ‘WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!’ The BBC reported that several recent major films produced by U.S. studios were recorded overseas, including “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Wicked” and “Gladiator II.” “Mission Impossible” also was shot outside the United States. In his Truth Social post, Trump said the movie industry in America is “DYING a very fast death,” arguing that other countries “are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States.” “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!” Trump wrote. “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” Trump told reporters Sunday that other countries have been “stealing” the moviemaking capabilities from the United States, saying that he had done “some very strong research over the last week.” The president said the U.S. is “making very few movies now” and that Hollywood is “being destroyed.” “You have an incompetent, grossly incompetent governor that allowed that to happen, so I’m not just blaming other nations,” Trump said, making a dig at Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “But other nations have stolen our movie industry. They’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States and we should have a tariff on movies that come in,” Trump added. “Governments are actually giving big money. I mean they’re supporting them financially, so that’s sort of a threat to our country in a sense. And it’s been a very popular thing.… Moviemakers love it.” In January, Trump appointed stars Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Voight – who is Angelina Jolie’s father – reportedly has recently been meeting with movie executives and union representatives in Los Angeles while crafting a plan to revive the American moviemaking industry, Deadline reported. Trump’s Hollywood ambassador has met with the Directors Guild of America, Teamsters and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees so far, sources told the outlet.
Deadline looms allowing left-wing court to select US attorney as state AGs urge confirmation of Trump pick
FIRST ON FOX: Twenty-three state attorneys general sent a letter to Senate leaders on Monday urging lawmakers to swiftly confirm President Donald Trump‘s nominee to serve as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, ahead of a May 20 deadline, when judges on a court led by Trump-antagonist Judge James Boasberg could select a temporary replacement. “To put it bluntly, the District of Columbia is broken. And four years of alleged corruption, mismanagement, and derelictions of duty in the U.S. Attorney’s Office under President Biden’s appointees are in many ways to blame. The District should be made safe again. The District should have a U.S. Attorney who replaces the rule of lawfare with the rule of law. Ed Martin is the man to achieve those goals. We strongly encourage the Senate to confirm him at the earliest possible date,” reads the letter, which was first exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. It was sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley on Monday afternoon. The letter comes as a May 20 deadline looms to confirm the Trump nominee, when his role as interim U.S. attorney runs dry after 120 days in the role. Martin, who previously worked as a defense attorney and represented Americans charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol in 2021, was named interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia beginning on Inauguration Day. If an interim U.S. attorney is not confirmed by the Senate within 120 days, judges on the federal district court for that district can name a new interim U.S. attorney until a nominee is confirmed, Department of Justice documents show. Trump antagonist Judge James Boasberg, an Obama-appointed judge at the center of legal efforts targeting Trump’s deportation efforts, is the current chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. TRUMP NOMINATES JAN. 6 DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR TOP PROSECUTOR ROLE IN DC Trump has previously slammed the entire D.C. District Court, saying it would be “virtually impossible” for him to get an “honest ruling” after Boasberg blocked Trump’s Venezuelan deportation flights in March. “Our Nation’s Courts are broken, with New York and DC being the most preeminent of all in their Corruption and Radicalism. There must be an immediate investigation of this Rigged System, before it is too late!” Trump posted to Truth Social in March. Indiana Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita spearheaded the letter and told Fox Digital on Monday that Martin has already shown in his few months serving on an interim basis that “he’s a proven leader.” “I am proud to lead this effort to support Ed Martin because he’s a proven leader who is already devoting all of his time to restoring the rule of law in our nation’s capital,” Rokita said. “His bold actions have had an immediate impact, which sent the disreputable D.C. news media into a full-blown meltdown – the Senate must act swiftly to confirm him and ensure his critical work continues uninterrupted.” TRUMP NOMINATES JUDGE TO SERVE AS NEXT US ATTORNEY FOR SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA The letter similarly argued that the Senate confirmation process should go smoothly as lawmakers can already examine Martin’s track record in the role. “The Senate does not have to wonder or speculate about whether Mr. Martin will lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office with honor and skill,” the state attorneys general continued in their letter. “As interim U.S. Attorney for the District since January 20, 2025, he has shown conclusively that he has what it takes to serve in that role with integrity and a fearless commitment to do what is right on behalf of the American people. And there are few offices in the American justice system that could use that kind of leader now as much as the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office.” The 23 states that joined the letter include: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. Martin’s confirmation has stalled, however, with Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, voicing concerns about the nomination during the committee’s May 1 executive business meeting. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR VOWS TO PROTECT DOGE STAFFERS FROM ANY ‘THREATS, CONFRONTATIONS’ TARGETING MUSK TEAM “Last Friday, we received responses from Mr. Martin to our questions, and it raised even more questions. Mr. Martin made a number of false statements and contradictory statements that are easily disproven by the material he himself disclosed in his Senate Judiciary Questionnaire. And it wasn’t just to my questions—it was to Chairman Grassley’s questions as well,” Durbin said during the meeting. The AGs took specific issue with how crime has spiraled in the nation’s capital under the Biden administration, which they cited was related to the justice system and failing to prosecute criminals. “Under President Biden, public safety and the quality of life deteriorated in the District of Columbia. Matthew Graves—President Biden’s appointee as chief federal prosecutor for District—oversaw during his tenure a deeply troubling increase in crime in the nation’s capital. In 2023 alone, the number of homicides in D.C. increased by 35% over the previous year. Robberies were up 67%. Car theft skyrocketed by 82%. All the while, Mr. Graves declined to prosecute over two-thirds of all criminal cases brought to his office. In this way, President Biden brought to the District the same lax-on-crime policies that have benighted many of America’s largest cities for decades,” they wrote. Since taking over the position, Martin has overseen the dismissals of various Jan. 6 cases after Trump pardoned and commuted the defendants. Martin also published a fiery letter in February vowing to hold to account those who try to sabotage the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean the federal government of overspending and corruption. Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 Jan. 6 criminal defendants upon taking office earlier this year. TRUMP UNLOADS ON JUDGE BOASBERG, ‘RADICAL LEFT JUDGES’ FOR HALTING DEPORTATIONS
How are Chinese TikTokers fighting Trump’s trade war?
TikToks claiming luxury brand goods are manufactured in Chinese factories have gone viral in shoppers’ feeds. This comes after the closure of a major import loophole and 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. What do these videos reveal about American consumer culture and the course of this trade war? Adblock test (Why?)
US bill to ban Israel boycotts faces right-wing backlash over free speech
Washington, DC – A bill in the United States Congress that aims to penalise the boycotting of countries friendly to the US is facing opposition from allies of President Donald Trump over free speech concerns, putting its passage in jeopardy. According to Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a vote in the House of Representatives on the proposal, previously scheduled for Monday, has been cancelled. Although Trump’s Republican Party has been leading legislative efforts to crack down on boycotts of Israel, over the past days, several conservatives close to the US president voiced opposition to the bill, dubbed the International Governmental Organization (IGO) Anti-Boycott Act. “It is my job to defend American’s rights to buy or boycott whomever they choose without the government harshly fining them or imprisoning them,” Greene said in a social media post on Monday. “But what I don’t understand is why we are voting on a bill on behalf of other countries and not the President’s executive orders that are FOR OUR COUNTRY???” Advertisement Charlie Kirk, a prominent right-wing activist and commentator, also said that the bill should not pass. “In America you are allowed to hold differing views. You are allowed to disagree and protest,” Kirk wrote on X on Sunday. “We’ve allowed far too many people who hate America move here from abroad, but the right to speak freely is the birthright of all Americans.” Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser and influential right-wing media personality, backed the comments of Kirk and Greene, writing on the social media platform Gettr, “Fact check: True” and “Agreed” in response to their statements, respectively. IGO Anti-Boycott Act The proposed legislation was introduced by pro-Israel hawks in the US Congress, Republican Mike Lawler and Democrat Josh Gottheimer, in January, and it has been co-sponsored by 22 other lawmakers from both major parties. The bill would expand a 2018 law that bans coercive boycotts imposed by foreign governments to include international governmental organisations (IGOs). The original legislation prohibits boycotting a country friendly to the US based on an “agreement with, a requirement of, or a request from or on behalf” of another nation. It imposes penalties of up to $1m and 20 years in prison for violations. Expanding the legislation to include IGOs risks penalising individuals and companies in the US that boycott firms listed by the United Nations as doing business in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. While the bill itself does not explicitly mention Israel, its drafters have said that it targets the UN and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, which calls for economic pressure on the Israeli government to end its abuses against Palestinians. Advertisement “This change targets harmful and inherently anti-Semitic BDS efforts at IGOs, such as the UN, by extending protections already in place for boycotts instigated by foreign countries,” Lawler’s office said in January. States and the federal government have been passing anti-BDS laws for years, raising the alarm about the violation of free speech rights, which are guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Numerous legal cases have challenged these laws, and some judges have ruled that they are unconstitutional, while others have upheld them. Rights groups and Palestinian rights advocates have argued that anti-boycott laws aim to shut down the debate about Israel and criminalise peaceful resistance against its violations of international law. Anti-BDS crackdown Over the years, leading UN agencies and rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have accused Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including imposing apartheid on Palestinians. But supporters of anti-BDS laws say the measures are designed to combat discrimination against Israel and regulate trade, not speech. Such laws have mainly faced opposition from progressive Democrats, but the IGO Anti-Boycott Act has generated anger from right-wing politicians, too. “Americans have the right to boycott, and penalizing this risks free speech. I reject and vehemently condemn antisemitism but I cannot violate the first amendment,” Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, wrote on X. I agree with @RepMTG .I’ll be voting No on this bill as well. https://t.co/YOPga59Xyc — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 4, 2025 Advertisement The right-wing rejection of the Lawler-Gottheimer bill comes as the Trump administration continues with its push to target criticism of and protests against Israel, especially on college campuses. Since Trump took office, the US government has revoked the visas of hundreds of students for activism against Israel’s war on Gaza. Several students, including legal permanent residents, have been jailed over allegations of anti-Semitism and “spreading Hamas propaganda”. Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University, has been detained since March, and the only known allegation against her is co-authoring an op-ed calling on her college to honour the student senate’s call for divesting from Israeli companies. Trump has also frozen and threatened to freeze federal funding for several universities, including Harvard, over pro-Palestine protests. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump says he had ‘productive’ call with Turkey’s Erdogan about Russia-Ukraine war, Gaza
President Donald Trump on Monday said he held a “productive” call with Turkish President Recep Erdogan on a range of topics, including the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump shared details of the call in a post on his TRUTH Social platform. “I just had a very good and productive telephone conversation with the President of Turkey, Recep Erdoğan, concerning many subjects, including the War with Russia/Ukraine, all things Syria, Gaza, and more,” Trump wrote. The president added that he is looking forward to working with Erdogan to end the “ridiculous, but deadly” Russia-Ukraine war. TRUMP’S 16TH WEEK IN OFFICE TO INCLUDE WH MEETING WITH CANADA, ONGOING TRADE NEGOTIATIONS Trump has vowed to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, though the U.S. has tempered expectations regarding recent peace talks it’s brokering between the warring nations. Gaza has also been a major issue for the Trump administration as Israel works to get its hostages returned after Hamas led a deadly attack on Oct. 7, 2023. As the fighting in Gaza has escalated, Trump has pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to be good to Gaza” because the people there “are suffering.” Trump noted that his relationship with Erdogan during his first term was “excellent,” adding that the Turkish leader invited him to Turkey at a future date. Trump said Erdogan will also visit Washington, D.C., though no date was immediately provided. ISRAEL APPROVES PLAN TO CAPTURE ALL OF GAZA, CALLS UP TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RESERVE TROOPS Trump also highlighted that he and Erdogan had “worked together closely on numerous things,” including the return of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who Trump said was freed “immediately upon my request.” Brunson was imprisoned and detained in Turkey for 735 days on terror and treason charges in October 2016 over his alleged ties to an outlawed group after a massive government crackdown following a failed coup months earlier.
Fear and intimidation at Newark airport
I am no stranger to political repression and censorship. I have lived in Germany for five years now, and as a Palestinian journalist involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy, I have experienced repeated harassment at the hands of the German authorities. My husband, a German citizen, and I, an American citizen, have grown accustomed to being held for hours at a time, subjected to invasive interrogations about our travels, and having our belongings thoroughly searched without clear justification. But we were shocked to find out that these tactics, designed to intimidate and deter, have now been taken up by the United States to target Palestinians amid the ongoing genocide. I always knew that citizenship offered only limited protection, especially when dissent is involved. But deep down, I still believed that freedom of speech, the right to speak without fear, meant something in my country of birth. I was wrong. The harassment we endured on March 24 upon arriving in the US shattered that illusion. Our Palestinian identity, our political work, our family ties – all of it makes us permanent targets, not just in Germany, but now in the US, too. Advertisement Prior to departure, while we were at our gate in Frankfurt airport, four agents approached me and identified themselves as officers from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They said they were specifically looking for my husband, who had just stepped aside to buy water and juice for our sons. “We just want to make sure your ESTA visa is in order,” one of them said. They took his passport, flipping through it and photographing every single page while one of them stayed on the phone, relaying information. They asked about our visit to Gaza in 2022, after seeing the Rafah border stamp. “Where did you go in Gaza?” one agent asked.“Khan Younis,” my husband replied.“Where does your family live now?”“All over,” he said. “They’re living in tents across the Strip, you know, because of the war.”“What did you do while you were there?”“Visited family,” he answered. It was clear we were targeted. I did not see any other passengers undergoing a similar check. This meant that either DHS was actively researching passengers before their departure to the US, or – even more troubling – the German authorities were communicating directly with DHS to flag the background and political activity of “suspect” travellers. Upon arrival at Newark airport in New Jersey, my husband and I were separated and individually interrogated, each of us still holding a sleeping child. The men questioning us did not identify themselves; I believe they were DHS agents, not border police. They first asked me about the purpose of my trip and my travel to Gaza. They wanted to know who I had met in Gaza, why I had met them, and whether anyone I encountered was affiliated with Hamas. At one point, an officer deliberately became ambiguous and instead of referencing Hamas, asked if “anyone from [my] family was a part of the government in Gaza”. Advertisement At one point, they asked whether I experienced violence from Israeli soldiers, to which I responded: “Israeli soldiers weren’t in Gaza in 2022.” “Did anyone in your family experience violence during this war?”“Yes,” I responded. “Fifty were killed.”“Were any of them Hamas supporters?” was the response I received. As if political affiliation could justify the incineration of a family. As if children, elders, mothers, reduced to numbers, must first be interrogated for their loyalties before their deaths can be acknowledged. They knew I was a journalist, so they demanded to know the last article I had written and where it was published. I told them that it was a piece for Mondoweiss about the abduction of Mahmoud Khalil, in which I also warned about the dangers of the Trump administration’s policies. This seemed to heighten their scrutiny. They demanded my email address, my social media accounts, and jotted down my phone number without explanation. Then they took our phones. When I asked what would happen if I refused, they made it clear I had no choice. If I did not comply, my phone would still be taken from me, and if my husband did not comply, he would be deported. When they finally returned our electronics, they issued a chilling warning to my husband: “You have been here seven times without an issue. Stay away from political activity, and everything will be fine.” Subsequently, I was advised by legal counsel not to attend any demonstrations, not even by myself, during our stay. Our movements, our words, and even our silences were under watch, and anything could be used against us. Advertisement What happened to us was not random; it was intentional. It was meant to scare and intimidate us. Whether it is in Germany, in the US, or elsewhere, the goal of these tactics is the same: to make us feel small, isolated, criminalised, and afraid. They want us to doubt the worth of every word we write, to question every protest we join, to swallow every truth before it reaches our lips. They want us to forget the people we have lost. Fifty members of our family were murdered in the US-backed genocide in Gaza. Fifty souls, each with their own dreams, laughter, and love, extinguished under the roar of bombs and the silence of the world. Our family’s story is no different from thousands of others – stories that vanish from headlines but live forever in the hearts of the survivors. They expect us to carry this unbearable weight quietly, to bow our heads and continue living as if our world were not ripped apart. But we do not bow. And that is why they fear us; they fear a people who refuse to disappear. Palestinians who dare to speak, to organise, to simply bear witness are marked as dangerous. I was warned that speaking about our experience at the airport would make the next encounter even harsher, even more punishing. But we must
Gunmen kill three police officers in southern Russia’s Dagestan region
Assailants open fire on police in Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, leaving several dead and injured. Three police officers have been killed and at least four others injured after gunmen opened fire on traffic police in southern Russia’s Republic of Dagestan, according to regional authorities. The attack took place on Monday in the capital, Makhachkala, when police attempted to stop a car, Dagestan leader Sergei Melikov said. The shooting began at about 14:20 local time (11:20 GMT), the Interior Ministry confirmed. Two assailants were shot dead at the scene. Local officials identified the men, both born in 2000, but did not say how many others were involved. State media reported that additional attackers fled in a vehicle, prompting a wider manhunt. Footage circulating on Telegram, verified by the Reuters news agency, showed bodies lying on the road beside a police car. Gunshots could be heard in the background as onlookers gathered at the scene. At least two other attackers, alongside injured officers and civilians – including a 17-year-old girl – were taken to hospital. One later died, state media reported. Officials have launched a criminal investigation. Advertisement Dagestan, a majority-Muslim region bordering the Caspian Sea, has witnessed a number of deadly attacks in recent years. In March, Russian security forces said they killed four alleged ISIL (ISIS) fighters who were planning to attack a local Interior Ministry office. The latest violence in Dagestan follows a separate security operation last week, when Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed to have killed a man suspected of planning bombings on the Moscow metro and a Jewish religious site in the capital region. In June 2024, at least 20 people were killed after armed men attacked a synagogue, churches and police in the Dagestan region. That attack came three months after at least 133 people were killed in a March 2024 attack on a concert in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall. While the Afghanistan-based ISIL affiliate in Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the worst attack to hit Russia in years, Moscow at the time claimed without evidence that Ukraine had a played role. Though both Russia and the United States declared the territorial defeat of ISIL (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria by 2019, offshoots of the group – especially ISKP – have re-emerged, posing renewed threats across Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Adblock test (Why?)
US offers $1,000 stipend to migrants who self-deport
The administration of US President Donald Trump says it is going to pay $1,000 to undocumented immigrants in the United States who return to their home countries voluntarily as it pushes forward with its plans for mass deportations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a news release on Monday that it’s also paying for travel assistance and people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government they plan to return home will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by immigration enforcement. “If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. The stipend and airfare for people who voluntarily depart would cost less than an actual deportation, the agency said. The average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting someone without legal status is currently about $17,000, according to the DHS. Advertisement Trump took office in January pledging to deport millions of people but so far has trailed deportations under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. Biden’s administration faced high levels of undocumented immigration and quickly returned many people caught crossing the border. The Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since it took office on January 20, according to the DHS, lower than the 195,000 deported from February to April last year under Biden. Trump’s administration has tried to encourage migrants and asylum seekers to leave voluntarily by threatening steep fines, trying to strip away legal status, and deporting people to prisons in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and El Salvador. Trump previewed the stipend plan in April, saying the US would consider allowing migrants and asylum seekers to return. “If they’re good, if we want them back in, we’re going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can,” he said. In the announcement on Monday, the DHS said people who choose to leave “may help preserve” the ability to return legally but did not cite any specific pathway or programme. Adblock test (Why?)