DIPLOMACY
Trump launches sweeping border crackdown, mass deportation push
President Donald Trump on Monday kicked off his sweeping immigration crackdown, tasking the U.S. military with aiding border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum and taking steps to restrict citizenship for children born on U.S. soil.
Declaring illegal immigration a national emergency, Trump ordered the Pentagon to provide support for border wall construction, detention space, and migrant transportation and empowered the secretary of Defense to send troops to the border as needed.
Trump called for his administration to reinstate his “remain in Mexico” program, which forced non-Mexican migrants to wait in Mexico for the resolution of their U.S. cases.
Asylum seekers with appointments made through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP One application scheduled for the morning of January 20, the final asylum appointment in Piedras Negras before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, wait at the entrance of the Camino Real International Bridge in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Cheney Orr
Shortly after the inauguration, U.S. border authorities said they had shut down outgoing President Joe Biden’s CBP One entry program, which had allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter the U.S. legally by scheduling an appointment on an app. Existing appointments were cancelled, leaving migrants stunned and unsure of what to do.
Trump, a Republican, recaptured the White House after promising to intensify border security and deport record numbers of migrants. Trump criticized Biden for high levels of illegal immigration during the Democrat’s presidency, but as Biden toughened his policies last year and Mexico stepped up enforcement, the number of migrants caught crossing illegally fell dramatically.
Republicans say large-scale deportations are necessary after millions of immigrants crossed illegally during Biden’s presidency. There were roughly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally or with a temporary status at the start of 2022, according to a U.S. government estimate, a figure that some analysts now place at 13 million to 14 million.
“As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do,” Trump said in his inaugural address.
Trump’s critics and immigrant advocates say mass deportations could disrupt businesses, split families and cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars.
The American Civil Liberties Union said in a federal court filing on Monday that Trump’s decision to end the CBP One program removed the only avenue to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, an opening salvo by the civil rights group to fight Trump’s agenda in court.
Americans have grown less welcoming toward immigrants without legal status since Trump’s first presidency, but remain wary of harsh measures such as using detention camps, a Reuters/Ipsos poll in December found.
BIDEN ENTRY PROGRAM SHUT DOWN
In several Mexican border cities, migrants saw their appointments on Biden’s CBP One app canceled just after Trump took office. Some 280,000 people had been logging into the app daily to secure an appointment as of Jan. 7.
Migrants waiting in Ciudad Juarez scrambled to find short-term rentals, buy bus tickets and call family members back home.
Daynna del Valle, a 40-year-old Venezuelan, spent eight months in Mexico waiting for an appointment that would have arrived on Tuesday. In that time, she worked at a nail salon but earned so little that she barely managed to send any money back to her mother in Colombia, a cancer survivor who needed medical treatment for her blood pressure.
“I’m lost,” she said. “I don’t know what to do, where to go.”
Denia Mendez, a Honduran sitting in the courtyard of a migrant shelter in Piedras Negras – across from Eagle Pass, Texas – opened her email inbox 30 minutes after Trump became president. She stared at an email for several minutes, reading it over and over, before her eyes welled up.
“They canceled my appointment,” she said. Several other migrants, who just minutes ago were laughing as they fed potato chips to pigeons, huddled around her phone, their faces suddenly grave.
Mendez’s 15-year-old daughter Sofia kept trying to get into the CBP One app.
“They’re not going to let you into the app, baby,” her mother told her softly.
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP TARGETED
In his order focused on so-called “birthright citizenship Trump called on U.S. agencies to refuse to recognize the citizenship of U.S.-born children without at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident parent, applying the restrictions in 30 days.
His order prompted the swift filing of a lawsuit in federal court in New Hampshire by the ACLU and other groups, who argued that Trump’s order violated the right for anyone born in the United States to be considered a citizen enshrined in the Citizenship Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
“Denying citizenship to U.S.-born children is not only unconstitutional — it’s also a reckless and ruthless repudiation of American values,” Anthony Romero, the ACLU’s executive director, said in a statement.
In other orders, Trump suspended U.S. refugee resettlement for at least three months and ordered a review of security to see if travelers from certain nations should be subject to a travel ban.
The Republican president rolled back existing guidance for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers that prioritized serious criminals and broadened the scope of their enforcement, including targeting migrants with final deportation orders, a move that could help ramp up removals.
The nascent Trump administration took steps to gain control of the U.S. Justice Department immigration courts, firing four top immigration court officials, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Trump also kicked off a process to designate criminal cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and to utilize a 1798 law known as the Alien Enemies Act against foreign gang members.
-Reuters
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Four Moroccan truck drivers were abducted earlier this year in northeastern Burkina Faso. They have been released unharmed. The Malian government announced their release.
According to an official statement read on Mali’s national television, the drivers were kidnapped on January 18, 2025. This happened near the Burkina Faso-Niger border. They were freed on Sunday evening, August 3.
“The government of the Republic of Mali informs the national and international community. Four Moroccan truck drivers were kidnapped on January 18, 2025, and released unharmed on the evening of Sunday, August 3,” the statement declared.
Authorities confirmed that the abductees had been held by the Islamic State terrorist group in the Sahel Province, the regional affiliate of the so-called Islamic State (Daesh).
The successful rescue operation was the result of a joint effort between Mali’s National Agency for State Security and Morocco’s General Directorate of Studies and Documentation (DGED).
Both agencies had reportedly launched a coordinated investigation from the early hours of the abduction and maintained close collaboration throughout the months-long effort.
The Malian government commended the professionalism and determination of the security services involved. The outcome marks a significant victory against terrorist networks. These networks operate in the volatile tri-border area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Further details about the circumstances of the drivers’ release were not disclosed.
DIPLOMACY
Zuma Backs Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, Hails It as Path to Peace and Stability
Former South African President Jacob Zuma has voiced his support for Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal on Western Sahara, describing it as a pragmatic framework that promotes local governance while safeguarding Morocco’s sovereignty.
Speaking after a high-level meeting with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, Zuma emphasised that his party, Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), supports Morocco’s territorial claims based on historical and legal grounds.
Former South African President, Jacob Zuma, makes his stand clear on Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal on Western Sahara
“Our party believes that Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal allows for significant local governance by the populations of the Sahara region, while ensuring that Morocco retains its sovereignty,” Zuma stated in a press release issued after the talks.
Zuma, now leader of the MK Party, further noted that Morocco’s efforts to reclaim full territorial integrity align with the MKP’s broader commitment to African sovereignty and unity.
“The historical and legal context that underpins Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara cannot be ignored,” he said. “Morocco’s approach is consistent with our party’s platform aimed at preserving the sovereignty of African states.”
Zuma highlighted the growing international and continental support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, which he called “a balanced path forward that promotes stability, peace, and development in the region.” He urged the global community to rally behind the initiative as a viable solution to the long-standing Sahara issue.
This position reflects the MK Party’s strategic policy framework titled “Strategic Partnership for African Unity, Economic Emancipation, and Territorial Integrity,” released last month. The document supports Morocco’s claim to the Sahara based on historical allegiance of the region’s tribes to the Moroccan Throne before Spanish colonization in the late 19th century.
It also refers to Morocco’s 1975 Green March as “a unique and non-violent liberation movement,” hailing it as “an act of decolonization” and a powerful symbol of the bond between Morocco and its southern provinces. Over 350,000 unarmed Moroccans participated in the mass mobilization to reclaim the Sahara.
Zuma’s latest statement marks a notable shift in rhetoric compared to past South African leadership stances on the Sahara issue. It follows his 2017 meeting with King Mohammed VI on the sidelines of the AU–EU Summit in Abidjan, which helped reset bilateral ties between Morocco and South Africa after years of diplomatic tension.
The MK Party’s endorsement adds to a growing list of African and international actors supporting Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the basis for a negotiated political solution to the Sahara conflict under United Nations auspices.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has sent a message of condolence to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the people of Nigeria following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In his message, the Moroccan monarch expressed deep sorrow over the passing of the former Nigerian leader, describing him as “an illustrious son” who worked tirelessly for the progress and prosperity of his nation.
“On this sad occasion, I extend my sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to President Tinubu, the bereaved family, and the entire people of Nigeria,” King Mohammed VI stated. “Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the bereaved.”
The King also reflected on his personal working relationship with the late President Buhari, recalling collaborative engagements that, he said, resulted in the launch of key development projects between the two countries. He hailed the efforts as laying the foundation for a new era of strengthened friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and Morocco.
“I share your grief and want you to know how much I appreciated the working sessions I had with the deceased,” the King added. “They culminated in the launch of promising development projects that have ushered a new era grounded in friendship and close cooperation between our two sister nations.”
King Mohammed VI’s message highlights the close diplomatic and economic ties that grew between Nigeria and Morocco during Buhari’s presidency, including landmark agreements in energy, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
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