Colombia will allow U.S. deportees into the country after Trump threatened tariffs as immigration crackdowns are underway around the country. A high-tech safety hazard poses a threat to the L.A. wildfires cleanup. And the Chiefs hold off the Bills to set up a Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles.
Here’s what to know today.
Colombia agrees to Trump’s deportation terms after tariff standoff, White House says
The White House said that Colombia has agreed to all of President Donald Trump’s terms after he threatened to impose retaliatory measures against it, including tariffs and visa sanctions, after it denied entry to two U.S. military deportation flights.
“The Government of Colombia has agreed to all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Other measures announced earlier Sunday, including visa sanctions and “enhanced inspections” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “will remain in effect until the first planeload of Colombian deportees is successfully returned.”
Colombian Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said that the country “will continue to receive Colombians deported, guaranteeing them dignified conditions as citizens subject to rights.”
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Colombian Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said in remarks delivered in Spanish that the country “will continue to receive Colombians deported, guaranteeing them dignified conditions as citizens subject to rights.”
The back and forth began earlier yesterday when Colombia denied entry to deportation flights from the United States, prompting Trump to threaten retaliatory tariffs, among other measures. The U.S. military aircrafts departed from California carrying about 80 Colombian migrants each, officials said.
In response, Trump announced sweeping retaliatory measures that include tariffs on Colombian imports, visa sanctions on government officials and allies, enhanced customs inspections and financial penalties, while accusing Colombia of violating its obligations to accept deported nationals.
The flights are part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, initiated through executive orders during Trump’s first week in office.
Read more:
- The White House is warning of political consequences for those who don’t support all of Trump’s nominees.
- The Trump administration is swiftly enacting retribution against political enemies.
- Democratic lawmakers have slammed Trump for not making good on his promise to “immediately” lower food prices amid an egg shortage.
- Vivek Ramaswamy has landed Vice President JD Vance’s top political advisers to guide his soon-to-launch bid for governor in Ohio, a source involved in the planning told NBC News.
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Immigration enforcement operations underway across U.S.
Immigration enforcement operations unfolded across multiple cities, marking what President Donald Trump has called the beginning of an era of mass deportations. The raids would primarily target migrants with criminal backgrounds, but there are concerns that migrants with no criminal histories will be swept up as well.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement that its operations aim to “enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.” Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, told NBC News that several people convicted of serious offenses, including murder and sex crimes, were apprehended. He added that collateral arrests — detentions of people without criminal convictions who were present during the raids — would occur.
ICE said that they made 956 arrests yesterday — the largest single-day number to date by the Trump administration. Since Trump was inaugurated last Monday, ICE has made at least 2,681 arrests. It was unclear how many of those arrested had criminal histories or convictions.
Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles advance to the Super Bowl
After the Philadelphia Eagles cruised past the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship, the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game. NFL reporter Andrew Greif breaks down how it all unfolded last night:
In the first game of the day, Philadelphia rushed for seven touchdowns, the most ever in an NFC championship game, to roll past Washington 55-23. While winning on the road the last two weeks at Tampa Bay and over top-seeded Detroit, the Commanders carried the quality of a team of destiny behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who became only the sixth rookie quarterback to ever start in a conference championship. Yet Washington’s upset hopes crumbled under its own mistakes. Eagles star Saquon Barkley rushed for a 60-yard touchdown on his team’s first play from scrimmage, and the stunning score ultimately was a harbinger; the Eagles gained 229 yards on the ground, with 6.4 yards per carry.
Buffalo had won its last four games in the regular season against the vaunted Chiefs, including a victory this fall that broke Kansas City’s unbeaten start. In the playoffs it has been a different story, with Buffalo now losing its last four postseason games against Kansas City, its January nemesis. Including yesterday, the Chiefs have won their last 17 consecutive games decided by a touchdown or less, including a 12-0 record this season.
Buffalo’s Josh Allen threw for 237 yards and ran for 39 more, but given the ball with a chance to land a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes, the Bills could not score.
Is a third consecutive Super Bowl championship by Kansas City, the first time any team has accomplished that, inevitable? Not necessarily. When these teams meet in New Orleans — in a repeat of 2023’s Super Bowl LVII, a Kansas City victory — the Eagles will arrive with one of the league’s best defenses, with excellent lineman, linebackers and defensive backs. If any defense could solve the riddle posed by Mahomes, Travis Kelce and head coach Andy Reid, it would be Philadelphia. The Chiefs must be able to stop Barkley and Philadelphia’s excellent blocking. Both teams appeared similarly vulnerable at several points during the regular season, only to be better than any other in their respective conferences at steadying themselves in clutch moments. We can’t wait for the matchup.
Read All About It
- Southern California is finally getting some rain thanks to a slow-moving low-pressure system that will linger over the Southwest.
- Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend the deadline for Israeli troops to depart southern Lebanon until Feb. 18.
- Multiple people were injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd in Philadelphia after the Eagles defeated the Commanders at home to advance to the Super Bowl.
- Health officials have advised pet food companies to take extra precautions to protect against bird flu.
Staff Pick: After the L.A. fires, lithium batteries pose an urgent safety hazard
One of the biggest challenges to cleaning up neighborhoods after the L.A. wildfires? A massive number of lithium-ion batteries — the kind used in e-bikes, laptops, cell phones, wireless earbuds, powerwalls and electric vehicles. Hybrid and electric cars were widely used in Pacific Palisades, and many of their damaged or overheated batteries run the risk of igniting or exploding. My colleague David Douglas and I spoke with federal and city officials about what it will take to remove the threat. One EPA official anticipated the largest lithium-ion battery cleanup “that’s ever happened in the history of the world.”
— Aria Bendix, health reporter
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