US immigration judge allows Trump administration to move forward with deportation of Mahmoud Khalil
A US immigration judge in Louisiana has ruled that the Trump administration can proceed with the deportation of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested in New York City last month, Reuters reports.
We’ll bring you more on this as we get it.
Key events
Speaking at a press conference outside a Louisiana detention center, Mahmoud Khalil’s support team has issued a statement on an immigration judge’s ruling that he is “removable.”
“Today an immigration judge ruled that Mahmoud can be removed from this country. A decision as unjust as it is alarming. Despite the government’s failure to prove that Mahmoud broke any law, the court has decided that lawful permanent resident’s can have their status revoked for pro-Palestine advocacy. This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment and a dangerous precedent for anyone who believes in free speech and political expression. But this decision should not pacify you, it should embolden and encourage you. Those who know Mahmoud know him for his fierce commitment to justice and his refusal to back down from even the steepest of challenges. It is Mahmoud’s fighting spirit that we must embrace in the following days. While his deportation would devastate his wife and their soon-to-be-born child, it would also intimidate all who dare to speak for Palestinian liberation. In recent weeks, this repression has only intensifed, with the visas of students presumed to be pro-Palestine being revoked daily, we must not give in to this chilling effect.”
Here’s a more on the news that a federal judge has ruled the Trump administration can deport Mahmoud Khalil from my colleague Oliver Laughland in Jena, Louisiana:
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian organizer, is eligible to be deported from the United States, an immigration judge ruled on Friday during a contentious hearing at a remote court in central Louisiana.
The decision sides with the Trump administration’s claim that a short memo written by secretary of state Marco Rubio, which stated Khalil’s “beliefs and associations” were counter to foreign policy interests, is sufficient evidence to remove a lawful permanent resident from the United States. The undated memo, the main piece of evidence submitted by the government, contained no allegations of criminal conduct.
During a tense hearing on Friday afternoon, Khalil’s attorneys made an array of unsuccessful arguments attempting to both delay a ruling on his eligibility for removal and to terminate proceedings entirely. They argued the broad allegations contained in Rubio’s memo gave them a right to directly cross-examine him.
Khalil held prayer beads as three attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security presented arguments for his removal.
Judge Jamee Comans ruled that Rubio’s determination was “presumptive and sufficient evidence” and that she had no power to rule on concerns over free speech.
US immigration judge allows Trump administration to move forward with deportation of Mahmoud Khalil
A US immigration judge in Louisiana has ruled that the Trump administration can proceed with the deportation of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested in New York City last month, Reuters reports.
We’ll bring you more on this as we get it.
State department staff told to report colleagues for ‘anti-Christian bias’
Joseph Gedeon
The state department is ordering staff to report colleagues for instances of “anti-Christian bias” during the Biden administration, part of Donald Trump’s aggressive push to reshape government policy on religious expression in his first months back in office.
The internal cable, obtained by the Guardian, establishes a short seven-day window for employees to report perceived religious discrimination committed by state department officials, with particular emphasis on Christianity.
“The department is seeking submissions regarding any practices involving anti-religious bias during the last presidential administration,” the Friday cable reads, instructing staff to report to a specially created taskforce by 18 April.
The cable, first reported by Politico, points back to Trump’s February executive order aimed at ending “the anti-Christian weaponization of government”, and indicates that the department will offer preferential treatment for Christians.
One example of the “bias” the department wants reported includes “mistreatment for opposing displays of flags, banners or other paraphernalia” – a thinly veiled reference to Pride flags previously displayed at US embassies under the previous administration. The cable also specifically points to “policies related to preferred personal pronouns” as potentially discriminatory against religious employees.
Witkoff-Putin meeting ends after more than four hours, Russian media say
Talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff concluded late on Friday after more than four hours, Russian media reported.
The Kremlin posted a photo on its website of the two men shaking hands, saying the meeting had taken place. “The theme of the meeting – aspects of a Ukrainian settlement,” it said.
Interfax news agency said Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy for the Middle East and increasingly involved in Russian affairs, had left the site of the talks, the presidential library in St Petersburg. Tass news agency said Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev had returned to a hotel in the city.
We’ll bring you more details from the meeting as and when they arise.
Massive cuts to Nasa science and other key research centers proposed in early White House budget plan
Gabrielle Canon
Donald Trump shows no signs of easing his assault on climate science as plans of more sweeping cuts to key US research centers surfaced on Friday. The administration is planning to slash budgets at both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (Noaa) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), according to internal budget documents, taking aim specifically at programs that study impacts from the climate crisis.
If the plan is approved by Congress, funding for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric research (Oar) would be eviscerated – cut from $485m to $171m – dismantling a key part of the agency’s mission, the journal Science reported. All budgets for climate, weather, and ocean laboratories would be drained, according to the document, which reportedly states, “at this funding level, OAR is eliminated as a line office”.
Noaa is facing a $1.3bn cut to overall operations and research. Integrated Ocean Observing System Regional Observations, Competitive Research, Coastal Zone Management Grants, National Coastal Resilience Fund, or the National Estuarine Research Reserve System are all on the chopping block, and the National Ocean Service would be cut in half.
Science done outside the agency would also be undermined with cuts to Noaa’s climate research grants program, which provides roughly $70m a year.
Research at Nasa, the country’s space agency is also on the chopping block. The agency is slated for a 20% overall budget loss, but deeper cuts would be directed at programs overseeing planetary science, earth science, and astrophysics research, according to Ars Technica, which first reported on Trump’s plans when agency officials were briefed last month.
Now documents have been issued to back up those plans, halving funding for science at Nasa.
Still not set in stone, these “passback” documents are a part of how the government goes about budgeting. They are issued by the White House to federal agencies before discretionary budget is released and are seen as a guidance on presidential priorities. The numbers aren’t final and could be changed, and Congress will also have to act on the plans to finalize them.
But the drastic degree of these cuts shows the administration’s position on climate and its determination to hamper US research, experts say. Craig McLean, OAR’s longtime director who retired in 2022, told Science the move would take the country back to the 1950s, “all because the Trump administration doesn’t like the answers to scientific questions”.
Venezuelan deportees ‘forcibly disappeared’ by US and El Salvador governments
The governments of the United States and El Salvador have subjected more than 200 Venezuelan nationals to enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention, according to Human Rights Watch.
On 15 March, the US government removed 238 Venezuelans to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to the country’s notorious Cecot mega-prison known for its brutal conditions.
Since then, Human Rights Watch said, the Venezuelans have been held incommunicado. US and Salvadoran authorities have not disclosed a list of the people removed, although CBS News published a leaked list of names. Relatives of people apparently transferred to El Salvador told Human Rights Watch that US authorities said that they were unable to share any information on their relatives’ whereabouts, while Salvadoran officials have been completely unresponsive.
Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said:
These enforced disappearances are a grave violation of international human rights law. The cruelty of the US and Salvadoran governments has put these people outside the protection of the law and caused immense pain to their families.
Under international law, an enforced disappearance occurs when authorities deprive a person of their liberty and then refuse to disclose that person’s fate or whereabouts.
Mangione lawyers ask judge to prevent US prosecutors from seeking death penalty, calling it ‘politically motivated’
Luigi Mangione’s lawyers on Friday asked a judge to prevent the US government from seeking the death penalty, Reuters is reporting. Mangione is accused of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division, in New York last year.
Reuters reports that Mangione’s lawyers said in a filing in New York federal court that US attorney general Pam Bondi’s 1 April announcement that prosecutors would seek the death penalty was politically motivated, breached government protocols for death penalty decisions and “indelibly prejudiced” the process.
“The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt,” his lawyers said. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The day so far
US federal judge Paula Xinis said it is “extremely troubling” that the Trump administration failed on Friday to comply with a court order to provide details on the status of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom it illegally deported to El Salvador in March. Drew Ensign, an attorney with the Department of Justice, said the administration had said in court filings, that it would provide that information by the end of Tuesday, once it evaluated the supreme court ruling. While that ruling appeared at first to be a victory for Abrego Garcia and his family, it contained a line that Trump officials could ultimately use to reiterate their position that they could not be forced to bring him back from El Salvador. In their decision, the justices never defined what they meant by “facilitate and effectuate” his return, sending that question back to US district judge Xinis to flesh out. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers said in a Friday court filing “the government continues to delay, obfuscate, and flout court orders, while a man’s life and safety is at risk”. The Trump administration’s refusal to comply with Xinis’s directives put it on a collision course with the judge and threatens to erupt into a showdown between the executive and judicial branches.
Elsewhere:
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Donald Trump claimed his tariff policy was “doing really well”, calling it “very exciting” for the US and the rest of the world, despite ongoing market volatility that continues to rattle investors. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that more than 75 countries have now reached out to the Trump administration to discuss trade. She credited for this a need to discuss the “trade issues that have exploited America and hurt our workers”, rather than Trump’s tariff policy chaos.
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Democratic senators have called for an investigation to determine whether Donald Trump, any members of his cabinet, or other donors, insiders, and administration officials engaged in insider trading, market manipulation, or other securities laws violations. Elizabeth Warren, minority leader Chuck Schumer and colleagues sent a letter to the chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) asking its chair to find out. The US president posted on social media that it was “a great time to buy” just hours before abruptly pausing his tariff impositions for most countries on Wednesday. The timing of his posts and subsequent huge share jumps has sparked accusations of market manipulation. The senators’ letter requests answers by 25 April.
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The White House said “there will be hell to pay” if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, while Iran said it seeks a “real and fair” agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman. Leavitt said “all options are on the table” and “Iran has a choice to make” ahead of the talks on Saturday. Meanwhile there is still some confusion about whether the talks are going to be direct or indirect. Iran said again on Friday the talks would be indirect, whereas the White House doubled down that they would be direct.
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Donald Trump is optimistic about reaching a trade deal with China, Leavitt said, amid the escalating trade war between the two nations that has battered markets. Levitt told reporters: “The president has made it very clear he’s open to a deal with China. If China continues to retaliate, it’s not good for China.” She did not elaborate when asked to explain the reasons behind Trump’s optimism.
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Iowa’s deeply popular Republican governor, Kim Reynolds said she will not seek a third term in office in 2026. Reynolds announced the surprise decision on social media, citing family reasons. Reynolds broke neutrality to endorse Ron DeSantis during the presidential race, saying she did not believe Trump could win. “I think it’s just really important that we put the right person in office,” she said at the time.
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The Trump administration has moved to classify more than 6,000 living immigrants as dead, canceling their social security numbers and effectively wiping out their ability to work or receive benefits in an effort to push them to “self-deport”.
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Nearly two dozen US law firms quietly scrubbed references to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from their website and revised descriptions of pro-bono work to more closely align with Donald Trump’s priorities, a Guardian review found, underscoring the Trump administration’s successful campaign of intimidation against the legal profession.
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Alina Habba, the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey said she has launched an investigation into Democratic governor Phil Murphy and state attorney general Matt Platkin over the state’s directive to local law enforcement not to cooperate with federal agent conducting immigration enforcement. Habba, appointed last month by Trump as the interim US attorney for the state, announced the investigation as “a warning for everybody” on Thursday evening.
Iran seeks ‘real and fair’ deal in ‘indirect’ nuclear talks with US
Iran seeks a “real and fair” agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman, AFP reports.
Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Saturday aimed at reaching a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Donald Trump last month wrote to Khamenei urging negotiations, but has warned of possible military action if Iran refuses.
Khamenei adviser Ali Shamkhani posted on X:
Far from putting up a show and merely talking in front of the cameras, Tehran is seeking a real and fair agreement, important and implementable proposals are ready.
He confirmed that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was heading to Oman “with full authority for indirect negotiations with America”, adding that if Washington showed goodwill, the path forward would be “smooth”.
Asked if Donald Trump wants the president of El Salvador to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia with him when he visits the US on Monday, Karoline Leavitt said the supreme court’s ruling “made it very clear that it’s the administrations responsibility to ‘facilitate’ the return, not to ‘effectuate’ the return”. (More on that here).
Trump optimistic on reaching deal with China, White House says
Donald Trump is optimistic about reaching a trade deal with China, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, amid the escalating trade war between the two nations that has battered markets. Levitt told reporters:
The president has made it very clear he’s open to a deal with China. If China continues to retaliate, it’s not good for China.
Pressed to explain the evidence behind Trump’s optimism, Leavitt moved swiftly on.
