Thursday morning news: January 23, 2025

Pentagon deploys troops to border » The Pentagon has begun deploying about 1,500 active duty troops to the U.S. southern border.

Thad Cleveland is sheriff of Terrell County, Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border. He notes that the military cannot make arrests on US soil …

CLEVELAND:   But what we will see is we will see military helping us, um, in, in support roles, not actually getting out there and enforcing the law.

Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said the troops will fly helicopters to assist Border Patrol agents and help in the construction of barriers.

Defense officials say the department is prepared to provide many more troops if asked,

National Guard troops from Texas and other states have been supporting the Border Patrol for several years.

ICE arrests, deportations » Meantime, President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan says Immigration and Customs Enforcement — or ICE, for short, is wasting no time executing what the president has called a mass deportation effort. Homan said on Wednesday …

HOMAN: We're concentrating on the worst first. The public safety threats, the national security, uh, threats. And just yesterday, in the last 24 hours, ICE arrested over 308, 308 serious criminals. Some of them were murderers, some of them were rapists.

And the Justice Department is directing its federal prosecutors to investigate potential criminal charges against any state or local officials who stand in the way of immigration enforcement.

The Trump administration is also doing away with policies that limit migrant arrests at sensitive places like churches.

Democrats are blasting the move. Congressman Pete Aguilar:

AGUILAR:  Many states have taken positions on immigration in order to protect their communities. And one of the first steps Donald Trump does is allow raids in churches, workplaces, community centers.

The Department of Homeland Security said the change is designed to stop criminals from hiding in churches to avoid arrest.

Laken Riley Act » On Capitol Hill Wednesday …

AUDIO (Laken Riley vote): On this vote, the yeas are 263 and the nays are 156. The bill passed!

With that vote, the House sent the Laken Riley Act to President Trump’s desk. The bipartisan bill had already cleared the Senate.

The bill was named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan man in the country illegally. After being arrested for theft in New York, the man was released and later given a taxpayer-funded airline ticket to Atlanta.

GOP Congressman Brandon Gill:

GILL:  The Laken Riley Act would have saved Laken Riley's life. It merely directs DHS to detain illegal aliens who are burglarizing American citizens on American territory.

This will almost certainly be the first bill President Trump signs into law in the coming days, potentially as soon as today.

Refugee resettlement program suspension moved up » The Trump administration has moved up the suspension of the refugee resettlement program. Refugees who had been approved to come to the United States before its scheduled suspension next week just found out their travel plans were canceled.

Some Christian aid groups had urged President Trump to reconsider the suspension.

Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters:

 JOHNSON: What the president is trying to do right now is a reset and uh, I don't second guess his decisions on that. He's using his executive authority because desperate times call for desperate measures.

Refugees stranded, at least for now include more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America’s war effort.

Trump DEIs » In another executive order,  President Trump has directed all federal agencies to shut down divisions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion — DEI for short.

They're also putting all DEI staff on paid leave and shutting down websites associated with DEI initiatives.

His administration says DEI programs have “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”

Trump’s order declares that from now on, jobs and promotions will be awarded based on hard work and results.

Winter storms » Snow-covered palm trees have been swaying in some southern states with a winter front shattering snowfall records.

An Australian tourist in New Orleans said he certainly wasn’t expecting snow.

TOURIST:  In Australia, we don't get much snow at all, uh, and just to see this much snow is quite a treat.

In Destin, Florida, the weather created the rare spectacle of snow-covered beaches against almost Caribbean-clear turquoise waters.

Students at Florida State University in Tallahassee were among those enjoying the view.

FLORIDA STATE STUDENTS: So excited! I’m so excited. I didn’t think it was actually going to happen. I mean everyone was saying it, but … the fact that it’s actually snowing right now in

In Florida’s Panhandle near Pensacola almost 10 inches of snow fell, shattering the state’s all-time record from snowfall dating back to 1954. Ten inches also fell in the New Orleans area.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: changes to Title IX and protections for both Christian schools and women’s sports. Plus, relief efforts in Gaza, as a United Nations relief agency prepares to leave.

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