Monday morning news: January 27, 2025

Chicago immigration crackdown » The Trump Administration has launched an enhanced crackdown on illegal immigration in Chicago.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -ICE, for short- says the immigration blitz started Sunday, and confirms it’s getting help from the FBI, ATF, Customs & Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals service.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan tells ABC’s This Week that while his teams are prioritizing those with violent criminal pasts:

HOMAN: If you’re in the country illegally, you’re on the table because it’s not okay to, you know, violate laws of this country.

Homan says sanctuary cities like Chicago will see what he calls collateral arrests of non-violent immigrants, as his teams run across them while pursuing those who are threats to public safety.

That’s drawing criticism from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

PRITZKER: They’re going after people who are law-abiding, who are holding down jobs, who have families here, who may have been here for a decade or two decades, and they’re often our neighbors and our friends. Why are we going after them?

ICE reported more than 1,400 immigration arrests nationwide in the three days leading up to Sunday.

Trump orders tariffs on Colombia » President Trump is announcing retaliatory tariffs on Colombia… after its president blocked U.S. military deportation flights from landing.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro says he blocked the flights because the U.S. needs to establish better protocols in its treatment of migrants.

Trump responded with a social media announcement of emergency 25 percent tariffs on Colombian imports, adding that’ll go up to 50 percent in a week.

Petro countered by ordering his country’s commerce department to raise tariffs on U.S. imports by 25 percent.

That’s one woman in Colombia expressing concern that the tariff standoff will affect the entire country and bring commerce with the U.S. to a halt.

Petro has left the door open to receiving repatriated migrants on civilian planes.

California rain, potential for toxic debris runoff » That’s the sound of members of the California Conservation Corps laying storm drain sock guards and sandbags. It’s a last ditch effort to stop toxic debris runoff, left behind by the recent wildfires, from running into the Pacific Ocean, amid weekend rain.

All told, the Los Angeles area could get about an inch of rain between Saturday and Tuesday. That should help firefighters put out several wildfires still burning.

But it’s also sparking concern about mudslides, flooding, and health hazards. The local government has urged people cleaning up in and around their homes to wear protective gear.

Tense Gaza ceasefire holds » It looks like the fragile ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas will hold, after a dispute put it at risk.

Qatar, which is helping mediate the ceasefire talks, says the two sides have reached an agreement to release an Israeli civilian hostage, and allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.

Under the deal, Hamas will release the civilian and two other hostages Friday, while Palestinians can start returning to Gaza today.

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal tells Fox News Sunday it’s critical for the deal to hold.

BLUMENTHAL: We need to keep our eye on the ball because this ceasefire agreement can lead to normalization, expansion, of the Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords are a series of normalization agreements between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors. The first Trump Administration brokered them, and now the president hopes to expand them in his second term.

Also Sunday, the White House ended the Biden Administration’s hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. The potential use of those bombs had become a point of conflict in the Israel-Hamas war.

Trump wants Jordan, Egypt to accept more Palestinians » President Trump wants Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries to accept more Palestinian refugees from the war-torn Gaza Strip.

TRUMP: “I’d like Egypt to take people and I’d like Jordan to take people. You’re probably talking about a million and a half people. And we just clean out that whole thing.”

That’s the president talking to reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday, saying he’s already discussed the idea with the king of Jordan, and he’ll be talking to Egypt’s president soon.

Trump says the resettling could be long term or temporary.

Jordan’s foreign minister, however, told reporters his country has rejected the proposed transfer, and called that position “firm and unwavering.”

Israeli forces open fire on Lebanese protesters » Gunfire rang out in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops opened fire on protesters Sunday.

Lebanese health officials say 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured. The protesters were demanding the Israeli troops’ withdrawal, in line with the recent ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Later in the day, Israel and Lebanon said they’re extending that deadline to February 18th. That’s to give the Lebanese army more time to deploy and ensure Hezbollah doesn’t reestablish a presence there.

The Israeli military says it fired warning shots to remove threats in several areas Sunday where suspects were approaching its troops.

I'm Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: the Supreme Court must decide the power of the FDA to limit vaping companies. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat with David Bahnsen.

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