The Morning: The deportation rationale

Plus, attacks in Gaza, DOGE cuts and sushi in Ukraine.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 18, 2025 By German Lopez Good morning. We're covering Trump's immigration crackdown — as well as attacks in Gaza, DOGE cuts and sushi in Ukraine. Immigrants deported from the U.S. arriving in Panama City. Matias Delacroix/Associated Press Immigration crackdown President Trump's promised immigration crackdown is here. Over the past two weeks, his administration has pushed against the limits of executive power — and surpassed them, critics say — to kick more people out of the country. The administration has readied two facilities in Texas to again detain immigrant families, including children, my colleagues Jazmine Ulloa and Miriam Jordan reported yesterday. It invoked an arcane law, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, to deport hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a prison in El Salvador, despite a judge's order. It deported a kidney transplant expert who works at Brown University, also despite a judge's order. It detained a green-card-holding leader of last year's pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. Presidents have not traditionally treated illegal immigration as a national security issue, but Trump says migrants pose a threat. He claims without evidence that other countries have deliberately emptied their prisons and asylums to fuel an "invasion" of the United States. Today's newsletter examines the new rationale for the crackdown — and the way it is taking shape. Stretching powers In each of the examples above, the Trump administration has gone further, or plans to go further, than previous administrations felt they could: Family detention: The administration has indicated that it will contest a 20-day limit on how long child migrants can be detained. Trump's allies have long decried such limits as imposing a "catch and release" policy that forces the government to free unauthorized migrants. Venezuelan deportations: To evict migrants without a hearing, the administration cited a wartime law used most recently to intern Japanese Americans during World War II. (The United States is not at war with Venezuela.) It dispatched planeloads of migrants over the weekend despite a court order that tried to stop the deportations. White House officials argue that a judge can't restrict the president's national security powers, and even if one could, the order came too late. They stuck to those arguments in a court hearing. The nephrologist's deportation: The government deported Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese kidney transplant expert at Brown University, over the weekend. She had a valid visa, and a court tried to block the move. The administration said that it deported her because she attended a Hezbollah leader's funeral during a trip to Lebanon. The student activists: The administration detained Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of pro-Palestinian protests, this month. Another student activist at Columbia, Ranjani Srinivasan, fled to Canada after immigration agents revoked her visa and showed up at her home. Supporters of Khalil and Srinivasan argue that the First Amendment protects their right to protest. But the Trump administration counters that immigrants, particularly those it deems national security threats, do not enjoy the full freedom of speech. It suggests that the activists supported a designated terrorist group, Hamas. (Read more about Khalil's story and why he was targeted.) A proposed revival for the travel ban: During his first term, Trump repeatedly tried to ban visitors from mostly Muslim countries, citing the threat of terrorism. The courts blocked the first two attempts. But the Supreme Court eventually allowed a ban on eight countries, six of them predominantly Muslim, to remain. Last week, my colleagues Charlie Savage and Ken Bensinger reported on a plan to bring back the ban — and grow it to cover 43 countries. In some ways, these examples continue a longstanding executive tradition: Presidents often use national security concerns to expand their powers. George W. Bush, for example, pointed to worries about another attack like Sept. 11 to detain and torture people without trial, drawing criticism from civil rights advocates. Preparing for more The extraordinary measures are needed to deliver on a campaign pledge, Trump says. He has struggled to execute the mass deportations he promised. In fact, he has deported migrants at a lower rate than Joe Biden did, as this chart shows: Source: ICE | Data is through March 8, 2025; no data available for Dec. 2024. | By The New York Times (The Times broke down what the data shows about Trump's deportation efforts so far here.) Some of that failure is a result of the administration's success. Fewer people are crossing the border illegally, leaving fewer people to ship back. But Trump vowed to deport not just recent arrivals but also those who've been in the country for months or years. He has so far failed to kick out much of that second population, which enjoys stronger legal protections, such as rights to specific immigration court hearings, than people caught at the border do. By claiming major new executive powers, Trump has set the groundwork to bypass more legal protections and execute his vision. Before Trump's election, his allies talked about deporting at least one million people a year. Experts always doubted he could reach those numbers as quickly as hoped. But with a different view of what is legal, he eventually might. More on immigration A Justice Department lawyer refused to answer a judge's questions about the timing of the deportation flights. The judge asked officials to provide him a timeline by noon today. Two of the flights carrying Venezuelan migrants were in the air when the judge ordered them to turn back, and one had yet to take off, a Times analysis found. El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, boasted on social media about accepting Trump's deportees into his prisons. He has described himself in the past as the "world's coolest dictator." THE LATEST NEWS Israel-Hamas War In Gaza City. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Israel launched a major attack on Gaza, its first on that scale since the cease-fire with Hamas began roughly two months ago. Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the attack because Hamas refused to release its remaining hostages. Israel consulted the White House before attacking. The strikes killed at least 300 people, including children, according to Gaza's health ministry. The attack followed weeks of negotiations to extend the cease-fire. It was not clear whether Israel aimed to force Hamas to compromise or to start a new phase of war. The Israeli government says that 59 hostages are yet to be returned, and it believes that fewer than half of them remain alive. Government Overhaul In Asheville, N.C. Mike Belleme for The New York Times Town halls in Republican districts have become tense. Voters are expressing anger and anxiety over Trump and Elon Musk's government cuts. The Trump administration plans to eliminate the E.P.A.'s scientific research arm and fire as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists and other scientists. After a standoff involving the police, Musk's DOGE team entered the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent agency, and evicted its officials. The Department of Veterans Affairs halted most transgender medical treatments, citing a Trump executive order. Trump said he considered some of Biden's pardons invalid because Biden had used an autopen, a common automatic signing device. There's no power in the Constitution or case law to undo a pardon. The president also ended Secret Service protection for two of Biden's children, Hunter and Ashley. More on the Trump Administration Trump privately told auto executives to prepare to operate under tariffs. Trump says he will release thousands of files this afternoon related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The administration asked 20 prominent law firms for information about diversity, equity and inclusion practices in their recruitment, suggesting they could have discriminated against white candidates. Trump visited the Kennedy Center for the first time since taking over the organization. At a board meeting, he floated the idea that he might host its honors ceremony. Starlink, Musk's satellite internet service, is now accessible across the White House complex. More on Politics A conservative F.D.A. lawyer defended the Biden administration's position on the abortion pill. In retaliation, a Republican senator has forced her out of her role. Senator Chuck Schumer postponed his book tour because of backlash to his decision to vote with Republicans to prevent a government shutdown. War in Ukraine In his call with Vladimir Putin today, Trump will, in essence, negotiate how large a reward Russia will receive for its 11 years of aggression against Ukraine, David Sanger writes. Russia has sabotaged warehouses, railways and undersea cables, escalating its actions over the past two years to pressure the U.S. and Europe to curb support for Ukraine, a study found. In a town near Ukraine's front line, a popular sushi restaurant braves artillery strikes to bring in its fish. Other Big Stories The daughter of Gisèle and Dominique Pelicot uses the pen name Caroline Darian. Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times The daughter of Gisèle Pelicot believes her father drugged and raped her, too. Texas authorities arrested a midwife and an associate, and charged them with illegally performing abortions in greater Houston. Harvard will offer free tuition for students whose families earn less than $200,000. Other elite colleges have made similar changes in an effort to diversify their student bodies. A swath of the southern and central Plains faces severe fire danger, with dry air and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the NASA astronauts who have been stuck at the International Space Station for months, are headed back to Earth. Opinions China cracked down on fentanyl before Trump took office. His tariffs might make Beijing cooperate less, not more, Brandon Yoder writes. Andrew Cuomo understands better than his rivals what New Yorkers want from their transit system: for it to be as safe as it used to be, Nicole Gelinas writes. Here's a column by Michelle Goldberg on a Meta whistle-blower. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS Karsten Moran for The New York Times Across the Hudson: See a ferry terminal's faded grandeur before it's renovated. Blossom in winter: A Times critic explains why he loves Piet Mondrian's "Blue Chrysanthemum" — a delicate watercolor from a painter known for simple shapes and primary colors. Most clicked yesterday: "How do I know which jeans are best for me?" Lives Lived: Jesse Colin Young's sincere tenor vocals for the Youngbloods graced one of the most loving anthems of the hippie era, "Get Together," with a chorus that began, "Come on people now, smile on your brother." He died at 83. SPORTS N.F.L.: Derek Stingley Jr. agreed to a three-year, $90 million contract extension with the Houston Texans, making him the highest-paid defensive back in league history. College basketball: The N.C.A.A. tournament starts tonight with play-in games on the men's side. Read The Athletic's bracket advice. Women's basketball: Chelsea Gray and the Rose Basketball Club are the first-ever Unrivaled champions after defeating the Vinyl Basketball Club in the inaugural championship game. It ends a successful debut season for the league. ARTS AND IDEAS In Tokyo.  Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers star, is ubiquitous in Tokyo. He's on billboards, products and television ads. Talk shows dissect his diet, fashion choices and home décor. In Japan, Ohtani is a marketer's dream: sports icon, pop star and national hero rolled into one. More on culture Conan O'Brien will host the Oscars again next year. "I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech," he said in a statement. Jon Stewart joked about Trump's golf championship win. "Oh, he 'won the tournament' at 'Trump International'? How did that happen?" he said. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Bobbi Lin for The New York Times Try a classic Cantonese noodle dish, commonly enjoyed for breakfast or lunch at dim sum. Slather the best sunscreen on your face. Take photos or video in any situation with an action camera. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was notched. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. 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