1-year-old among victims of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Video shows a Palestinian father’s last moments with his child after his pregnant wife and 1-year-old son were killed.
In Yemen’s Sanaa, fear and defiance after US bombs
Sanaa, Yemen – Mukhtar Ahmed was riding his bike in northern Sanaa’s al-Jiraf area when the ground trembled beneath him. Thunderous explosions echoed through the air, followed by the sound of terrified screams. It was Saturday just after sunset, a time when people were home for iftar during the holy month of Ramadan “I got off the bike and darted towards an alley. I thought it would be impossible to survive,” the 26-year-old restaurant delivery courier told Al Jazeera. “The sheer terror of those explosions could kill.” Mukhtar had no idea what had caused the deafening roar heard across Yemen’s densely populated capital. But he later came to realise, the United States was bombing Yemen. A wave of American air strikes had killed more than 50 people. The bombs pounded the vicinity of the political office of the Houthi rebel group (officially known as Ansar Allah), the de facto rulers of Yemen’s populous northwest. It marked the beginning of an ongoing US bombing campaign that may usher in a new phase of war and instability for Yemen. Advertisement Who can stop the US? On March 7, a week before the US strikes began, the Houthis gave Israel a four-day deadline to lift its blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. If it did not, the Yemeni group promised to resume attacking Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Those attacks had stopped when the now-broken Gaza ceasefire began in January but for the 15 months before that, the Houthis had paralysed shipping in one of the world’s most important waterways and fired projectiles towards Israel. The United Kingdom and the US launched hundreds of air strikes on what were reportedly Houthi targets, including weapons depots, missile launch pads and airports. Israel has also attacked Yemen. The ostensible purpose of these attacks was to “degrade” the military capabilities of the Iran-allied Houthis. But the renewed US air strikes have hit residential areas where senior Houthi members are believed to reside, showing little regard for civilian lives. Second, the Houthis had not carried out any attacks despite their threat. With this shift under US President Donald Trump, fears of war, shortages, and displacement haunt Yemeni civilians, who have endured years of hardship since the beginning of the country’s civil war in 2014 between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed, United Nations-recognised government. The conflict on the ground in Yemen has been largely frozen since 2022 with the Houthis and Saudi Arabia involved in negotiations. But those talks have done little to end the humanitarian crisis in the country, where millions of people are hungry. Advertisement Many Yemenis now believe things are going to get worse, a fear strengthened by Trump’s rhetoric. “Hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before,” the US president said in a threat to the Houthis. And for Mukhtar, he fears Gaza has set a precedent for how bombing campaigns are conducted in the region. “The US is like Israel, and Hamas is like the Houthis,” Mukhtar said, “so if the US-Houthi war continues, the US will do to Sanaa like what Israel has done to Gaza. Who will stop them?” Fear of chaos In a bustling street in Maeen in western Sanaa, Faisal Mohammed carried a blue bag filled with new clothes for his five children, purchased in preparation for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which is expected to fall on March 30. But 38-year-old Faisal says Eid will be overshadowed by the US attacks. He is afraid of what is to come. “The Americans aim to kill Houthi officials who run Sanaa and other provinces,” he said. “Killing the [Houthi] leadership will spark chaos, and this will hurt us.” The Houthis took control of Sanaa in September 2014. Since then, the group has firmly embedded itself and proven itself on the battlefield. But as the US intensifies its attacks on Yemen, the Houthis rivals may see the tide turning in their favour – and that worries Faisal. “Pro-government forces could be motivated by the American air strikes and begin pushing towards Houthi-controlled provinces,” Faisal said. “This will mean an all-out civil war and an additional cycle of misery.” Advertisement Faisal has thought about leaving Sanaa and moving to a safer area. “The Houthis will not surrender, and their Yemeni rivals, if supported by America, will not back down,” Faisal said. “It will be disastrous.” Prices and explosions In Bani Hushaish on the northeastern outskirts of Sanaa, Ali Abdullah filled his gas cylinder at a cooking gas station, but he did not plan to use it. He was stocking up in anticipation of a potential price rise. “We fear sudden price hikes. They are an ugly companion of war,” the 48-year-old told Al Jazeera. Even before the renewed US bombing, Washington’s actions have left Yemen – and particularly its Houthi-controlled regions – in a precarious position. In January, Trump redesignated the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation” (FTO) over their attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel. “The FTO squeezes the larger economy, limiting access to international financing, making it difficult for traders to acquire letters of credit and insurance to import everything from food, fuel to household goods and beyond,” wrote April Longley Alley, a senior expert on the Gulf and Yemen at the US Institute of Peace. Defiant The Houthis, having ridden out a years-long bombing campaign and motivated by belief in their ultimate victory, are unlikely to back down – at least not in the short term. The group’s supporters massed in Sanaa on Monday in defiance of the US, many of them brandishing firearms. Mohammed, a Houthi fighter who only wanted to give his first name, said the US bombing of Yemen was proof the US is “a habitual aggressor”. Advertisement “Americans seek to intimidate and humiliate us. But that won’t happen,” he said, standing with a rifle on his shoulder near a market in central Sanaa. “We were not born to
Mass protests in Turkiye over arrest of Istanbul mayor
NewsFeed Thousands of people in Turkiye are protesting the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Erdogan, on corruption and terror charges. The government has denied opposition claims that it’s staging ‘a coup’. Published On 20 Mar 202520 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
US air strikes hit residential area in Yemen’s capital
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Homes and buildings in a residential area in Yemen’s capital were hit in some of the latest air attacks by the US.
Will Trump’s policies pay off or will the US fall into recession?
President Donald Trump wants to restructure the US economy. He’s promising Americans a boom in wealth. President Donald Trump wants to transform the United States into a manufacturing powerhouse. His favourite tool to help him achieve that is tariffs. He believes the measures will help bring revenues and relocate factories to the US. The trade-off is many Americans will have to suffer short-term pain for long-term gain. Consumers are now downbeat on the outlook for the economy, and they are buckling down. Stock markets are flashing warning signs. Despite that, Trump seems intent on pressing ahead with his plans. Could the global shipping industry face a major crisis in the Red Sea? Plus, Ghana’s economic reforms. Adblock test (Why?)
Houthis claim missile launch at Israel amid renewed fighting in Gaza
Yemen-based group says hypersonic missile fired on Ben Gurion airport in second attack after Israel breaks Gaza ceasefire. The Houthis have launched a hypersonic missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, days after the Israeli army broke a ceasefire in Gaza, the Yemeni group said. “The Yemeni armed forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion airport in the occupied Jaffa region with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Thursday. He said the operation “successfully achieved its objective”, without elaborating. It was the second such attack since the United States began a new campaign of air raids against the rebels earlier this week. The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile before it entered the country’s territory early on Thursday. Sirens sounded in several areas in Israel after the projectile was fired, the military said in a post on Telegram. The Israeli police said sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel’s ambulance service said no serious injuries were reported. The US has targeted Yemen with waves of strikes since Saturday, and the Houthis have declared they will escalate their attacks, including on Israel, in response. The US attacks have killed at least 31 people. Advertisement On Tuesday, the Houthis said they had fired a ballistic missile towards Israel and would expand their range of targets in the coming days in retaliation for Israel breaking the ceasefire in Gaza. Israel’s renewed attacks since Tuesday have killed at least 710 Palestinians and injured more than 900 others, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on shipping since Israel’s war on Gaza began in late 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump renewed his call for Iran to end its support for the Houthis, pledging that the Yemeni group will be defeated by Washington. While the Houthis are allied with Iran, it is not clear how much they rely on Iranian support or whether Tehran can order them to stop their attacks. Adblock test (Why?)
All to know about the IPL 2025: Captains, schedule, prize money, venues
EXPLAINER From big-name players to key talking points, Al Jazeera’s lowdown on cricket’s most lucrative franchise T20 league. The Indian Premier League is set to return for its 18th season on Saturday as the Kolkata Knight Riders open their title defence at their home ground, the Eden Gardens. The tournament will see 10 teams vying for the chance to win the world’s most lucrative franchise Twenty20 cricket league. Here’s what you need to know about IPL 2025: What’s the schedule of IPL 2025? The two-month-long tournament will begin on March 22 in Kolkata and conclude on May 25 in the same city. Day matches will begin at 3:30pm (10:00 GMT) and night matches will get under way at 7:30pm (14:00 GMT). Round-robin phase: March 22 to May 18 First qualifier: May 20, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad Eliminator: May 21, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad Second qualifier: May 23, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Final: May 25, 7:30pm (14:00 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Mark your calendars, folks! 🥳🗓#TATAIPL 2025 kicks off on March 2️⃣2️⃣ with a clash between @KKRiders and @RCBTweets 🤜🤛 When is your favourite team’s first match? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/f2tf3YcSyY — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 16, 2025 Advertisement What’s the format of IPL’s 2025 season? The tournament’s schedule has changed on a few occasions. The league started in a round-robin format, but it was changed to a group format and this season all 10 teams will play each other twice with the return of the league-style format. The top two teams at the end of the league games will play the first qualifier while the third- and fourth-placed teams will face off in the eliminator. The winner of the first qualifier will book a place in the final, while the loser will play the winner of the eliminator in the second qualifier. The winner of this match will become the second team to qualify for the final. Who are the team captains for IPL 2025? There has been some chopping and changing ahead of this season, with several new leaders taking charge. Here are the teams and their captains: Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins “𝘞𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵” 💙 pic.twitter.com/ms7Ij1vWZ5 — Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) January 20, 2025 Who are the biggest signings of IPL 2025? Wicketkeeper-batter Pant was the most expensive signing at the IPL 2025 auction held in November. The Lucknow captain was bagged for $3.2m. The $3m threshold was first broken by Punjab, as they bought Iyer for $3.17m, but Pant topped the list by the end of the auction. Advertisement The most expensive foreign player was Jos Buttler. The former England white-ball captain was signed by Gujarat for $1.8m. What are the key talking points ahead of IPL 2025? Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness: The world’s leading pace bowler has been on the sidelines since sustaining a back injury in January, and while India managed to bag the ICC Champions Trophy without him, Mumbai Indians will sorely miss their spearhead. Bumrah is expected to return to the Mumbai side after the first few games, but his absence could deal a substantial blow to the five-time champions, who finished last in the previous season. RCB’s voodoo: The franchise that’s been home to arguably India’s biggest cricket star, Virat Kohli, has failed to pass the final hurdle in 17 years. They have come close on nine occasions and ended up with the wooden spoon twice. Can the well-balanced squad deliver a trophy for its faithful fanbase after nearly two decades? MS Dhoni’s present and future: The former India captain enjoys a legendary status amongst the Chennai fans. Despite having hung up his boots for India six years ago, Dhoni has been going strong for his franchise and has led them in all five of their IPL titles. The wicketkeeper now plays as a specialist batter and while questions may be raised about his future, Dhoni is expected to turn up in the Chennai yellow once again. The Gill-Buttler show: Shubman Gill will lead the 2022 champions for the second season in a row, and after a disappointing season in 2024 that saw Gujarat finish eighth, the world’s leading one-day international batter will rely on a power-packed opening partnership with Jos Buttler will form the base of a strong season for the Titans. The Mumbai Indians had their worst season at the IPL in 2024 as they finished 10th [File: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters] What are the venues for IPL 2025? As each team will play the other nine teams twice, the tournament will be played in a home-and-away format. In addition to the 10 home grounds, three neutral venues will also host some games. Advertisement Team home grounds: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – Chennai Super Kings Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi – Delhi Capitals Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad – Gujarat Titans M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru – Royal Challengers Bengaluru Eden Gardens, Kolkata – Kolkata Knight Riders BRSABV Ekana Stadium, Lucknow – Lucknow Super Giants Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai – Mumbai Indians Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Punjab – Punjab Kings Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur – Rajasthan Royals Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad – Sunrisers Hyderabad Neutral venues: Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh What’s the prize money for IPL 2025? The prize money breakdown for the knockout rounds is: Champion: $2.32m Runners-up: $1.5m Third place: $810,800 Fourth place: $752,894 Who are past IPL champions? Chennai Super Kings: 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023Mumbai Indians: 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020Kolkata Knight Riders: 2012, 2014, 2024Rajasthan Royals: 2008Sunrisers Hyderabad: 2016Gujarat Titans: 2022Deccan Chargers: 2009 The Kolkata Knight Riders won their third IPL title in 2024 [File: Mahesh Kumar A/AP] Adblock test (Why?)
Is US support for Israel complicating efforts to reach peace in Gaza?
Emboldened by Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu is intensifying the war. There’s been widespread international condemnation of Israel’s renewed bombing of Gaza, including from the United Nations. But the United States was the only country on the 15-member UN Security Council to back Israel’s air strikes at a meeting on Tuesday. Emboldened by US President Donald Trump’s support, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says negotiations with Hamas will only continue “under fire”. After Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza, Itamar Ben-Gvir was reappointed as Israel’s national security minister – a move likely to strengthen Netanyahu’s coalition government. Where does this leave Hamas and the mediators? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Brian Finucane – Senior adviser to the US Program at the International Crisis Group Danilo Della Valle – Member of the European Parliament for Italy’s Five Star Movement Yousef Munayyer – Head of the Palestine-Israel Program and a senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC Adblock test (Why?)
How Trump took credit for the Gaza ceasefire – and then let it unravel
Washington, DC – Images of Palestinian children killed by Israeli bombardment are back in the news after a brief reprieve that only lasted a few weeks. Nearly two months after United States President Donald Trump took office, the ceasefire that had halted Israel’s war in Gaza has shattered, and the region is once again at war. That comes despite Trump’s own pledge to pursue peace in the Middle East and across the world. Trump took credit for the truce earlier this year, but he is now backing Israel’s renewed assaults in a conflict that he once promised to end. Analysts say Trump – a staunch Israel supporter – was more interested in generating headlines about helping to secure the ceasefire than actually ending the war. He also floated plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza, by removing its residents to make way for a riviera-style resort. “We could see evidence of Trump’s insincerity in the ceasefire almost immediately after he took office – when he started calling for the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians from Gaza on a permanent basis,” said Josh Ruebner, a lecturer at Georgetown University’s Program on Justice and Peace. Advertisement “So, it’s not at all a surprise to see the Trump administration greenlight the resumption of massive Israeli violence against Palestinians in Gaza.” Early signs In the weeks leading up to the latest bombardment, there were signs that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never intended on fully honouring the ceasefire – and that Trump was not invested in upholding the deal, either. Early in February, Trump said he has “no guarantees that the peace is going to hold” in Gaza. Even before the ceasefire went into effect in January, Netanyahu claimed that the deal was “temporary” and that both Joe Biden – who was in the final days of his presidency – and Trump have given “their full backing to Israel’s right to return to fighting”. Moreover, Israel has repeatedly violated the deal by firing at Palestinians almost daily and blocking the entry of mobile homes into the territory, where many buildings have been levelled or rendered unsafe. Then, on March 2, Israel imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid destined for Gaza. The ceasefire agreement was supposed to include three phases. The first stage, which expired early in March, saw the release of about 30 Israeli captives and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as the guns fell silent. But Israel did not agree to move to the second phase of the deal that would see a permanent end to the war. A third stage would have eventually focused on reconstruction in the territory. Instead, Netanyahu and the Trump administration insisted on extending the first part of the ceasefire deal. But the Palestinian group Hamas has been clear in its position: There is no need for new initiatives because there is an internationally backed pact in place that all the parties have already agreed to. Advertisement Truce ‘served its purpose’ for Trump Ruebner said Trump only wanted a temporary ceasefire to free more Israeli captives without pressuring Israel to commit to ending the war. In a joint appearance with Netanyahu in February, Trump also expressed his desire for the US to “own” Gaza and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East”. But since Trump’s proposal was met with overwhelming international rejection, the US president allowed Israel to “resume this frightening scale of violence” against Palestinians, Ruebner said. In the days since Israel renewed its assault on Gaza, hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including children, have been killed with the support of the US president, who had promised in his inauguration speech to leave the legacy of a “peacemaker”. Annelle Sheline, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said she was surprised that the truce lasted for weeks even after it “served its purpose” for Trump. “Trump’s motivation in pushing for the ceasefire was to show that he could achieve what Biden could not, and he did so before even reentering the White House,” said Sheline. “At the time the ceasefire was enacted, there was a lot of scepticism that it would reach phase two, as this would involve negotiations around a more permanent cessation of hostilities, which Israel and specifically Netanyahu had no interest in agreeing to.” The Center for International Policy (CIP), a US-based think tank, also said Trump “bears considerable responsibility” for the collapse of the ceasefire. Advertisement “While Trump’s team had an early success in assisting the administration of former President Joe Biden in negotiating the hostage release and ceasefire, he has since enabled this massive failure in his own diplomacy through a series of brazen missteps,” Dylan Williams, CIP’s vice president for government affairs, said in a statement. A ‘showman’ Williams cited Trump’s “obscene proposal” to force Palestinians out of Gaza, as well as the president’s backing of Netanyahu’s push to re-write the ceasefire deal, as decisions that make him a “full partner in this bloodshed”. Despite the civilian death toll, the Trump administration has voiced unqualified support for Israel and its military campaign in Gaza. YL Al-Sheikh, a Palestinian American writer and organiser for the Democratic Socialists of America, described Trump as a “showman” who wanted a “big thing” to brag about. But Al-Sheikh underscored that the US president has failed to get Netanyahu to permanently end the war and to get Hamas to release the remaining captives. “So he just wants to pummel on somebody,” Al-Sheikh said. Palestinians, he added, are “the natural target”. So, what happens next? Analysts fear that the Israeli offensive will intensify, leading to more death and destruction, in a campaign that leading rights groups and United Nations experts have already described as a genocide. “Trump and Netanyahu are aligned in their desire to remove Palestinians from Gaza, either by killing them or through ethnic cleansing and forced removal,” said Sheline. Advertisement Al-Sheikh also predicts that the violence will persist: “We’re going to go in this merry-go-round until either Netanyahu fails to keep
Advocates decry Trump administration effort to deport immigration activist
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed it detained and plans to deport Jeanette Vizguerra, a prominent immigration activist who has drawn attention to the plight of undocumented people in the country. Immigration advocates, lawmakers and human rights groups have decried the move, pointing to the mother of four’s deep ties to the Colorado community where she has lived for 30 years. The arrest appears to be the first time US authorities have targeted a prominent immigration activist for deportation during President Donald Trump’s second term. Supporters say Vizguerra’s detention is aimed at silencing dissent. It comes amid a wider deportation push by the Trump administration, which has rolled back enforcement protections and invoked an 18th-century law in an effort to eject undocumented people from the US. In a social media post on Wednesday, ICE’s bureau in Denver, Colorado, justified Vizguerra’s arrest by pointing to her past convictions. She has a 2009 misdemeanour for using a forged Social Security number to find work, as well as a second misdemeanour from 2013 when she briefly returned home to Mexico to visit her dying mother. She was convicted at the time of illegal entry. Advertisement “She will remain in ICE custody until her removal from the United States,” ICE said in the post. However, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, questions whether Vizguerra’s meagre arrest record warrants such treatment. He acknowledged that she “has a few low-level offenses as a result of her being undocumented”. “But she’s no dangerous radical. That’s just ridiculous,” he wrote on the social media platform X. Instead, he pointed out that she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2017. “She is a well-respected advocate in Colorado and nationwide,” Reichlin-Melnick said. “The literal president of the United States has a more serious criminal record.” Jeanette Vizguerra speaks after leaving a church’s sanctuary on May 12, 2017 [David Zalubowski/AP Photo] Who is Jeanette Vizguerra? Vizguerra initially came to the US from Mexico City in the 1990s with her husband, who had faced several kidnappings in Mexico. She settled in Colorado, where she began working as a janitor and became involved in labour organising. Her first brush with US law enforcement came during a traffic stop in 2009, when she was found to be carrying a document with the fake Social Security number. Her conviction kicked off a years-long battle against her deportation – and propelled her to take on more immigration advocacy work, as she endeavoured to protect other undocumented people in Colorado. She became associated with groups like Colorado’s Rights for All People and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, and she founded the Colorado branch of the organisation Dreamer’s Mothers in Action. Advertisement But in 2017, President Trump took office for the first time, with pledges to implement a sweeping immigration crackdown. Fearing imminent deportation, Vizguerra sought refuge in two Denver-area churches, an act that catapulted her into the national spotlight. A longstanding government policy forbade immigration raids at sensitive locations like churches at the time. “I decided not to hide my battle against deportation but to fight publicly to draw attention to the unfairness of the system,” Vizguerra wrote in a 2017 op-ed published by The New York Times. “I wanted to inspire my community to step out of the shadows and raise its voices.” In May 2017, she received a temporary stay of deportation that allowed her to leave the church’s sanctuary. But she felt forced to return again in 2019 after her visa application was reportedly denied. She eventually moved out of the church in 2020. The administration of US President Joe Biden later granted her a temporary “stay of deportation”. In Time Magazine’s 2017 profile of Vizguerra, actress America Ferrera praised the activist for making the “bold and risky” decision to go public with her struggle. “The current Administration has scapegoated immigrants, scaring Americans into believing that undocumented people like Jeanette are criminals,” Ferrera wrote. “She shed blood, sweat and tears to become a business owner, striving to give her children more opportunities than she had. This is not a crime. This is the American Dream.” Vizguerra was arrested on Monday in the car park of the Target where she worked. Aura Hernandez, centre, holds her one-year-old daughter Camila Sanchez and laughs with Jeanette Vizguerra on March 29, 2018 [Seth Wenig/AP Photo] Deportation push Vizguerra’s arrest comes amid a mass deportation push under Trump, who campaigned on promises to stop undocumented migration and surge the number of removals. Advertisement Since taking office, Trump has swiftly moved away from Biden administration policies that de-prioritised immigration actions against low-level and nonviolent offenders. Recent ICE enforcement sweeps have seen the arrests of thousands of individuals with no criminal record, despite Trump’s claim he would focus on those considered threats to public safety and national security. In January, the Trump administration also rolled back a longstanding policy that prohibited immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, including churches, schools and medical facilities. Earlier this month, it began invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to increase expulsions, although a federal judge has temporarily paused its use. That act has only been used three times prior, and only in cases of war. Critics have also accused the Trump administration of targeting foreign nationals – including legal permanent residents – for their political views. That includes the attempt to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card holder who led pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, as well as the expulsion of Brown University professor Rasha Alawieh, who was teaching in the US on a work visa. Jeanette Vizguerra speaks outside the Denver church where she has sought sanctuary on June 19, 2019 [Jim Anderson/AP Photo] What has the response been? Some of the most strident condemnations of Vizguerra’s arrest have come from local elected officials. In a widely shared video statement on Tuesday, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said her detention was not “intended to keep our country safe”. Advertisement “This is Putin-style persecution