Latest news with #BorderSecurity
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Swiss Exports to US Collapse as Shippers Wait for Tariff Deal
Swiss exports to the US plunged for a second month as cross-border shippers wait for a trade deal to cushion tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump. Foreign sales, adjusted for seasonal swings, declined 42% in May from April, the Swiss Office for Customs and Border Security said on Thursday. Imports from the world's biggest economy increased 6.5%. That resulted in a trade surplus of just 2 billion francs ($2.4 billion) — the narrowest gap in almost five years.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
PSNI to be given powers to seize electronic devices to combat immigration crime
Under the proposed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently progressing through Parliament authorities will have new tools to combat criminal gangs. Speaking on the legislation, Minister of State at the Home Office, Lord David Hanson, described it as a "turbocharge" to current enforcement capabilities. 'Our Borders Bill will turbocharge efforts to combat irregular migration and organised immigration crime,' he said. 'It will equip law enforcement across the UK with new tools to better identify, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks behind this vile trade.' Among the key measures is the expansion of powers to seize electronic devices such as mobile phones believed to contain intelligence on people-smuggling operations. These powers will be extended to police forces across the UK, including the PSNI, and are inspired by counterterrorism protocols. Lord Hanson highlighted that the enhanced authority will 'provide critical insights into the operations of smuggling gangs'. 'This change will deliver greater intelligence on these people smuggling gangs, enhancing investigations and strengthening the collective response to bring criminals to justice,' he added. The Bill draws directly from counterterrorism strategies, allowing earlier interventions in smuggling networks. It includes provisions to criminalise the supply or possession of materials suspected to be used in illegal crossings, such as parts for small boats, bringing immigration enforcement more in line with anti-terror practices. The proposed powers come in response to a recent report from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which welcomed the potential for electronic device seizures to yield valuable information on criminal activity. However, officials have stressed that any device seizure, retention, or data extraction will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and subject to strict oversight and safeguards. The measures are part of the Government's broader 'Plan for Change' strategy, which aims to restore order to the UK's asylum and immigration systems. Law enforcement agencies are said to be working 'round the clock' to dismantle smuggling operations. Last month, a major Home Office operation in Northern Ireland targeting people-smuggling networks led to more than 30 arrests and the seizure of assets worth £160,000. Simultaneously, the newly formed Border Security Command is working to 'deepen international collaboration in the fight against irregular migration'. The Government's efforts have also been underpinned by a substantial financial commitment. On June 11, the Chancellor announced up to £280m per year in funding for the Border Security Command. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill is scheduled to enter Committee Stage in the House of Lords next week.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Poll: Americans disapprove of Trump's performance as Republicans manage splits over spending plans
President Donald Trump's second-term approval rating remains stuck in negative territory, along with general attitudes toward his administration's policies, according to a new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey. But immigration and border security remains an exception, as the president tries to drive national attention back toward his strongest issue — though Americans are closely divided even on that area of relative strength. Americans' ratings of two of the other defining projects of Trump's second term, tariffs and the Department of Government Efficiency, are more negative. And as Congress works on another major Trump initiative, a massive tax and spending plan, the poll illustrates how Republicans must manage internal differences over competing priorities on taxes and government debt. A majority (55%) of all adults over 18 years old said they disapprove of the way Trump's handling his job as president, while 45% approve, unchanged from April's NBC News Stay Tuned Poll. While the overall number was stable, under the surface there are small signs of waning enthusiasm for the president, with the share of adults who strongly approve decreasing slightly since April. The share who strongly disapprove also fell slightly, though intense negative feelings remain stronger than intense positive feelings in this poll. Republicans were 5 percentage points less likely to say that they strongly support the president compared to April, with much of this movement coming from Republicans who say they identify as being part of the MAGA movement moving into the 'somewhat approve' category. The poll was conducted May 30-June 10, surveying 19,410 adults online nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. When asked to identify emotions about the president and his actions, fewer MAGA supporters picked 'thrilled' compared to April, too. Thirty-seven percent said they're thrilled about the actions the Trump administration has taken so far during its term, down from 46% in April. In contrast, a majority (51%) of Democrats say they are 'furious' at the Trump administration's actions, showing a disparity in the intensity of feeling between the two parties. Indeed, Republicans shifted 7 percentage points away from being thrilled toward more neutral feelings about the president since April. This type of intensity gap has played a major role in past nonpresidential election cycles, and it may prove notable in off-cycle elections in New Jersey and Virginia this November, which generally see relatively lower turnout. Congressional Republicans and Trump will want to drive up enthusiasm among their base as they prepare to defend seats in the 2026 midterm elections. A majority of independents said they feel dissatisfied, angry or furious with the actions of the administration. That's reflected in independents' approval rating of the president, with 65% saying they disapprove of his performance. A majority of Americans said they approve of Trump's handling of border security and immigration, though the public is closely split on even his strongest issue, with 51% approving of his handling of immigration and border security and 49% disapproving. While the survey was being conducted, Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines to the Los Angeles area due to mounting protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the county. He has spoken repeatedly about the issue in recent days. While the public overall is divided on Trump's immigration policy, his base is motivated by the issue and his handling of it. While 9% of Americans overall said immigration is the issue that matters most to them right now, 20% of MAGA supporters said immigration is the most important issue, second only to the economy. Trump's overall numbers on immigration were similar to the April poll, but Republicans, MAGA Republicans and independents were all slightly more likely to say now that they strongly approve of the way Trump is handling border security and immigration. In recent months, the administration's immigration policies have overlapped with its higher education policies, especially those aimed at foreign students across the United States. The poll found a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of issues related to college and universities, with 56% disapproving of Trump's actions toward universities, including a 42% plurality who said they strongly disapprove. Trump's base, however, strongly approves of his handling of universities. MAGA supporters overwhelmingly approve, including 72% who said they strongly approve. Most Republicans also approve, including 57% who strongly approve of Trump's handling of the issue. On the question of how institutions like Harvard University affect the U.S., a plurality of Americans said they help the country (44%) and about a quarter (24%) said they hurt the country. Another 31% said colleges and universities like Harvard are not making a difference. Harvard has been at the forefront of legal battles with the Trump administration over grant money and the ability to enroll foreign students. A majority of MAGA supporters (65%) and Republicans (53%) said universities like Harvard are mostly hurting the country, whereas three-quarters of Democrats said they help the country. Among independents, 46% said colleges and universities aren't making a difference and 42% said they're helping the country. Americans gave Trump negative ratings on how he's handling several other issues, including tariffs (40% approve, 60% disapprove), cost of living and inflation (39%-61%) and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts (44%-56%). A slight majority of Americans (51%) said maintaining current spending levels on programs like Medicaid is the most important matter as Congress considers Trump-backed budget legislation this year. But it's closely split, within the margin of error, against a combined 49% who say a pair of Republican-aligned priorities are most important to them. The poll also illustrates how Republicans are trying to balance priorities and the demands of different parts of their narrow congressional majorities as they design the package. Mirroring the divisions among the Republican lawmakers negotiating the bill, 40% of Republicans said they care most about ensuring the national debt is reduced, while an almost identical share (39%) said they care most about continuing and expanding income tax cuts and credits enacted in 2017 by Trump. Another 2 in 10 Republicans said maintaining current spending is their most important budget priority. The findings come after a brief but explosive online feud between Trump and his former billionaire adviser, Elon Musk, who tarred the Republican legislation as a 'disgusting abomination' over its spending levels. Several Republican senators have also expressed concerns about spending levels in the bill, even while backing the idea of extending the 2017 tax breaks and enacting some new ones. Senate Republicans, who have a 53-seat majority, are aiming to pass their version of the legislation by July. Democrats surveyed in the poll overwhelmingly said their priority is maintaining current spending levels on programs like Medicaid (79%), as do a slight majority of independents (53%). Meanwhile, Americans' assessment of Musk's efforts with DOGE to reduce spending and the size of the federal government declined slightly since April. In the most recent survey, 44% rated it as a success or partial success, down from 47%, while 56% rated it a failure or partial failure, up from 52%. The change included an erosion among Trump's most fervent supporters on DOGE, with 49% of MAGA supporters now saying the effort is a success, down from 66% in April. The survey was in the field during Trump and Musk's recent feud, though the results on this question did not change appreciably over time. Economic ratings remain lukewarm: 45% of Americans said their personal financial situation is the same as one year ago and 34% said it's worse. Another 21% said they're financially better off than they were a year ago. The findings were almost identical in April. A bare majority of Americans (51%) think Trump's tariffs will make their personal finances worse in the next year. This number is slightly down from April, and most groups shifted toward saying that the tariff policies will result in their finances being 'about the same.' That finding comes as inflation was largely steady in May, with the impact of many on-again, off-again tariffs and ongoing negotiations with trade partners still unclear. The NBC News Decision Desk Poll is powered by SurveyMonkey. It was conducted online May 30-June 10 among a national sample of 19,410 adults ages 18 and over. Reported percentages exclude item nonresponse and round to the nearest percentage point. The estimated margin of error for this survey among all adults is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. This article was originally published on
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Darren Jones refuses to apologise for suggesting most Channel migrants are women and children... after 'clarifying' that he was only talking about passengers on TWO boats
A Cabinet minister today refused to apologise for suggesting most Channel migrants are women and children. Treasury Chief Secretary Darren Jones insisted there is no need for him to say sorry despite anger at his comments on the BBC 's Question Time last week. In interviews this morning, Mr Jones acknowledged that he could have been 'more specific'. He said he had only been referring to passengers on two boats he had seen during a visit to Border Security Command. Pressed on Times Radio whether he needed to apologise, Mr Jones said: 'No, because I'd started the sentence by saying, on a visit to the border security command, this is what I was being told. 'Now, look, could I have been more specific and said the two specific boats I was being shown on that day on the visit? 'Evidently, probably, yes, I should have been a little bit more specific in my language there, but I was very clear that that's what I was talking about.' He suggested his words had been 'misrepresented' as a claim that small boats arrivals were predominantly women, children and babies, 'which isn't the case'. Analysis of Home Office data indicates that adult males made up 73 per cent of small boat arrivals from January 2018 to March 2025, where details of age and sex were recorded. During a debate on the BBC programme on Thursday, Mr Jones said: 'When you're there on the site seeing these dinghies put together by these organised criminal gangs which are clearly not safe. 'And when you see that the majority of people in these boats are children, babies and women…' he said. When Reform's Zia Yusuf intervened to say that was wrong and 'more than 90 per cent' were adult males, Mr Jones said: 'I'm saying that's not true.' He later added: 'When there are babies and children put into that position by human trafficking gangs who are coming across on the Channel with skin burns from the oil from those boats mixing with the salt seawater. 'I would ask any of you to look at those babies and children and say 'go back where you came from'.' Mr Jones moved to 'clarify' his remarks on Friday evening as a backlash grew He also said that the immigration system was 'left out of control' by the Conservatives. Amid a backlash on Friday, Mr Jones took to the X social media to 'clarify' his remarks. 'Of course the overall majority of people arriving illegally on small boats are men – but not 'north of 90 per cent' as Reform claimed. 'On BBC Question Time, I shared a story from my visit to the Border Security Command about a dinghy that arrived mostly carrying women, children and babies who had suffered horrific burns. 'I'm happy to clarify this given how this is now being misrepresented.' Asked about Mr Jones's comments, a Downing Street spokesman said on Friday: 'The Government is absolutely focused on tackling these vile smuggling gangs that risk lives in the Channel.' Asked if the Prime Minister had confidence in Mr Jones, the spokesman said: 'Yes.'
Belfast Telegraph
7 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
More than 900 people arrived in small boats on Friday
Data from the Home Office indicated 919 people made the journey in 14 boats on June 13, taking the provisional annual total to 16,183. This is 42% higher than the same point last year and 79% up on the same date in 2023, according to PA news agency analysis. It is not the highest daily number so far this year, which came on May 31, when 1,195 people arrived. People thought to be migrants were pictured being brought into Dover on an RNLI lifeboat on Friday, while others were brought ashore by the Border Force. Rachel Reeves announced earlier this week that the Government will end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this parliament. Unveiling her spending review on Wednesday, the Chancellor set out how funding will be provided to cut the asylum backlog. She told MPs: 'I can confirm today that led by the work of the Home Secretary, we will be ending the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this parliament. 'Funding that I have provided today, including from the transformation fund, will cut the asylum backlog, hear more appeal cases and return people who have no right to be here, saving the taxpayer £1 billion a year.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. 'That is why this Government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage, and why we are investing up to an additional £280 million per year by 2028-29 in the Border Security Command. 'Through international intelligence-sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders.'
