Latest news with #USCensus
Scoop
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Three Pacific Nations In Trump's Expanded Travel Ban List
Three Pacific Island nations are caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump's crackdown on foreign nationals from countries that fail to meet "established benchmarks and requirements" for remaining in the United States. Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have reportedly been included in an expanded list of 36 additional countries that the Trump administration is considering for travel restrictions on entering the US, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. Earlier this month, President Trump signed a proclamation that banned the entry of citizens from 12 countries, citing threats from "foreign terrorists" and other national security concerns. Reuters reports that the directive is part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term. The news agency said that, in an internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and called for corrective action. "The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days," the cable sent out over the weekend said. The cable was first reported by the Washington Post. The governments of Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have yet to respond to the issue. Kaniva Tonga reported that travelling to America had been a major concern for Tongans due to the high cost of obtaining a visa, which required having to travel to the US Embassy in Fiji. "It was one of the key issues Tonga used to negotiate the establishment of a US Embassy in Nukualofa last year," the news outlet reported. "In 2020, the US Census reported that 78,871 people in the US have Tongan ancestry." In February, Tongan Prime Minister Dr 'Aisake Eke had expressed concerns about Trump's immigration policies, saying that deported migrants would worsen existing challenges in the kingdom.
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Americans split on Trump's use of military in immigration protests, poll finds
Mr Trump has argued the military deployment in Los Angeles was needed due to protests there following a series of immigration raids in the city. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - Americans are divided over President Donald Trump's decision to activate the military to respond to protests against his crackdown on migrants, with about half supportive of the move, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on June 12. Some 48 per cent of respondents in the two-day poll agreed with a statement that the president should 'deploy the military to bring order to the streets' when protests turn violent, while 41 per cent disagreed. Views on the matter split sharply along partisan lines, with members of Mr Trump's Republican Party overwhelmingly backing the idea of calling in troops while Democrats were firmly opposed. At the same time, just 35 per cent of respondents said they approved of Mr Trump's response to the protests in Los Angeles, which has included sending National Guard troops and US Marines to the city and also threatening to arrest Democratic officials, including the governor of California. Some 50 per cent of people in the poll said they disapproved of Mr Trump's response. Mr Trump has argued the military deployment in Los Angeles was needed due to protests there following a series of immigration raids in the city. Some of the demonstrations in Los Angeles have turned violent - leaving burned out cars on city streets - and 46 per cent of respondents in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said protesters opposing Trump's immigration policies had gone too far, compared to 38 per cent who disagreed with that view. The protests have spread to other US cities including New York, Chicago, Washington and San Antonio, Texas - all of which have large immigrant populations and tend to vote for Democrats rather than Republicans. Mr Trump campaigned and won the 2024 election on a promise to increase deportations of undocumented immigrants and Reuters/Ipsos polls have shown that his support on immigration policy has been consistently higher than on other matters, such as his stewardship of the US economy. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which surveyed 1,136 Americans nationwide and has a margin of error of about 3 percentage points, showed wide support for increased deportations. Some 52 per cent of respondents - including one in five Democrats and nine in 10 Republicans - backed ramping up deportations of people in the country illegally. Still, 49 per cent of people in the poll said Mr Trump had gone too far with his arrests of immigrants, compared to 40 per cent who said he had not done so. The most heated protests have taken place in Los Angeles County, where one in three residents are immigrants and about half of people born abroad are naturalised US citizens, according to US Census estimates. Nationwide, Americans took a generally dim view of Mr Trump's threats to arrest Democratic officials like California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. Just 35 per cent of respondents said Mr Trump should order arrests of state and local officials who try to stop federal immigration enforcement. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
NDTV
11-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"900,000 Illegal Migrants": What Makes LA Hotbed For Immigrant Protests
Los Angeles: Why has Los Angeles, home to some of America's wealthiest and most powerful people, become the hotbed for US President Donald Trump's strictest immigration crackdown over the weekend? The answer lies in the city's ethnic, racial and demographic makeup. Los Angeles County, which spreads over 4,000 square miles of Southern California, includes the city of Los Angeles, along with posh Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Long Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, Santa Monica, among several other communities. It is home to nearly 10 million people-- a whopping 27 per cent of California's population-- a third of which are foreign-born individuals, according to the US Census. The heart of LA country, the city of Los Angleses, which is at the centre of volatile anti-immigration protests, is home to nearly 3.9 million people, over 35 per cent of whom were born outside the United States, the census data shows. It has nearly 900,000 undocumented immigrants, many of whom have lived in the United States for over a decade, according to a 2020 study by the University of Southern California Dornsife. Nearly one in five people in LA live in mixed-status households, where at least one family member is undocumented. According to a USA Today report, more than half of LA's foreign-born residents are naturalised citizens. Over 1.8 million of Los Angeles residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, nearly half a million are Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Over 1.15 million people say they are "some other race," and more than half a million of them identify with two or more races. More than 56 per cent of people in the city speak a language other than English at home-- predominantly Spanish. This diversity makes Los Angeles uniquely vulnerable to Trump's immigration enforcement policies, which are being felt directly and deeply. How The LA Protests Started? The protests began on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers carried out raids in areas of the city with prominent Latino populations. These raids resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. City residents responded to arrests with chants and egg-throwing, prompting law enforcement to disperse the crowd using pepper spray and nonlethal ammunition. Protests have been going on for five days, spreading downtown and to the heavily Latino suburb of Paramount. The Trump administration has deployed nearly 700 Marines and over 4,000 National Guard troops in the Los Angeles area, stirring more street protests and raising alarm among Democratic leaders who warn of authoritarianism. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting a goal of at least 3,000 daily arrests.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
US agents, protesters clash again in Los Angeles over immigration raids
LOS ANGELES: Federal agents clashed with angry protestors in the Los Angeles area for a second day Saturday, shooting flash-bang grenades into the crowd and shutting part of a freeway amid raids on undocumented migrants, reports said. The standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators had gathered near a Home Depot that was being used as a staging area by federal immigration officials, the Fox 11 news outlet reported. They were met by federal agents in riot gear and gas masks, who lobbed flash-bang grenades and tear gas at the crowd, according to news reports and social media posts. The immigration raids are part of US President Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The Republican was elected to a second term largely on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants -- who he likened to 'monsters' and 'animals.' Following the latest clashes in Los Angeles, authorities vowed to prosecute offenders and warned of an escalating security presence. 'We are making Los Angeles safer. Mayor (Karen) Bass should be thanking us,' Tom Homan, President Trump's point man on border security, said on X. 'We are going to bring the National Guard in tonight.' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday's clashes. 'You bring chaos, and we'll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail,' he said on X. On Saturday, amid chants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to get out, some protestors waved Mexican flags while others set a US flag on fire, the Los Angeles Times said. Cement blocks and overturned shopping carts served as crude roadblocks. A crowd swarmed a US Marshals Service bus exiting a nearby freeway, with authorities later closing on and off ramps to keep protesters from taking over the highway. The tense standoff came a day after masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs. 'An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States,' White House deputy chief of staff and anti-immigration hardliner Stephen Miller said on X, sharing a video of protesters marching Friday outside Los Angeles's federal detention center. Los Angeles, the second-most populous city in the United States, is one of the most diverse metropolises in the country. The suburb of Paramount, home to about 50,000 people, is 82 percent Hispanic or Latino, according to US Census data.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Clashes Erupt in LA as ICE Raids Spark Mass Protests
LOS ANGELES: Federal agents clashed with angry protestors in the Los Angeles area for a second day Saturday, shooting flash-bang grenades into the crowd and shutting part of a freeway amid raids on undocumented migrants, reports said. The standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators had gathered near a Home Depot that was being used as a staging area by federal immigration officials, the Fox 11 news outlet reported. They were met by federal agents in riot gear and gas masks, who lobbed flash-bang grenades and tear gas at the crowd, according to news reports and social media posts. The immigration raids are part of US President Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The Republican was elected to a second term largely on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants -- who he likened to 'monsters' and 'animals.' Following the latest clashes in Los Angeles, authorities vowed to prosecute offenders and warned of an escalating security presence. 'We are making Los Angeles safer. Mayor (Karen) Bass should be thanking us,' Tom Homan, President Trump's point man on border security, said on X. 'We are going to bring the National Guard in tonight.' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said multiple arrests had been made following Friday's clashes. 'You bring chaos, and we'll bring handcuffs. Law and order will prevail,' he said on X. On Saturday, amid chants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to get out, some protestors waved Mexican flags while others set a US flag on fire, the Los Angeles Times said. Cement blocks and overturned shopping carts served as crude roadblocks. A crowd swarmed a US Marshals Service bus exiting a nearby freeway, with authorities later closing on and off ramps to keep protesters from taking over the highway. The tense standoff came a day after masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs. 'An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States,' White House deputy chief of staff and anti-immigration hardliner Stephen Miller said on X, sharing a video of protesters marching Friday outside Los Angeles's federal detention center. Los Angeles, the second-most populous city in the United States, is one of the most diverse metropolises in the country. The suburb of Paramount, home to about 50,000 people, is 82 percent Hispanic or Latino, according to US Census data.
