The United States begins the expulsion of hundreds of illegal migrants

The United States has begun expelling hundreds of illegal migrants, sent back on military planes, with the White House boasting of having launched “the largest mass expulsion operation in history”.

The Trump administration arrested 538 illegal criminal migrantsannounced White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on X, adding that hundreds had been deported on army planes.

The largest mass expulsion operation in history is underwaywrote the spokesperson, adding: promises keptjust days after Donald Trump’s inauguration.

L’HIM reacted quickly on Friday by reminding Washington that the right to asylum was universally recognized.

All states have the right to exercise jurisdiction along their international bordersmore they must do so in accordance with their human rights obligationsrecalled the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani.

The announcement of the expulsions comes as the new American president makes his first trip on Friday, to North Carolina (southeast) and the Democratic stronghold of California (west), two states hit by natural disasters for which the Republican leader has is a subject of intense controversy.

Series of decrees

Donald Trump committed to a vast offensive against illegal migrants during his campaign and he began his second term on Monday with a series of decrees intended to stem their influx into the United States.

He thus declared a state of national emergency on the southern border with Mexico, and announced the deployment of troops while promising the expulsion of criminal aliens.

Shortly before the White House announcement, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement Thursday that agents [des services de l’immigration] had raided a local establishment […] arrested residents and also citizens, without showing a warrantin this town near New York.

The same day as Trump’s inauguration, the Republican-majority US Senate passed a bill that requires the detention by federal law enforcement of illegal immigrants suspected of certain crimes.

Tariffs and North Korea

In a sudden turnaround, Trump said in an interview broadcast Thursday evening by Fox News that he might finally abandon the tariffs he had been threatening to impose on China.

We have a very big power over China, it’s the tariffs, and they don’t want it, and I would prefer not to have to use ithe said.

However, Trump declared on Monday that customs duties of 10% on all Chinese imports could come into effect as early as 1^is FEBRUARY.

In the same interview, Trump said he was keen to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, un type intelligentwhom he had met three times during his first mandate, but without any progress on nuclear power.

First trip as 47^e president

The most followed part of his first trip as 47^e President of the United States, which will also bring him to Nevada (west), will be the one which will take place in California, whose governor wants to lead the résistance facing the president, who threatened to cut federal aid to fight the fires in Los Angeles.

North Carolina was hit in October, in the middle of the presidential election campaign, by Hurricane Helene, which left 104 dead.

Donald Trump had virulently criticized the crisis management of President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, his unsuccessful Democratic rival.

In the sights of the 78-year-old billionaire: FEMA, a federal agency for responding to natural disasters.

This organization is going to be the subject of a big discussion shortly, because I would prefer to see the States take care of their own problemsthe American president told Fox News.

In this same interview, he also repeated his threats against the Californian authorities: I don’t think we should give anything to California until they let the water flow from north to south of the state to fight fires in Los Angeles.

This climate skeptic has repeatedly said that California is running out of water because of Democratic environmental policies.

According to the press, the president will be greeted when he gets off the plane, as is customary, by the governor of the state, Gavin Newsom.

This hope of the Democratic Party is one of the privileged targets of the Republican, who treated him ofidiot in his Wednesday interview with Fox News.

The governor has positioned himself as one of the great leaders of the opposition against Donald Trump. He wishes defend [la] Constitution and upholding the rule of law.

California, with its progressive morality policies and climate change initiatives, has long been in the sights of the hard right.