The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 22nd, 2025: Trump's Immigration Crackdown Begins & Zelensky Calls On Europe To Commit 200,000 Peacekeeping Troops

Episode Date: January 22, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   First, we’ll begin with President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, as the U.S. Mexico border closes and mass deportations get underway.  Then, we’ll turn to the war in Ukrainian, as President Volodymyr Zelensky calls on European allies to commit a minimum of 200,000 troops to serve as a peacekeeping contingent should Kyiv reach a peace agreement with Russia. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First, we'll begin with President Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown as the U.S.-Mexico border closes and mass deportations get underway. Then we'll turn to the war in Ukraine as President Zelensky calls on European allies to commit a minimum of 200,000 troops to serve as a peacekeeping contingent, should Kiev reach a peace agreement with Moscow. But first, our afternoon spotlight. We'll begin with a look at President Trump's promised crackdown on immigration, which began just hours after he was sworn into office on Monday. Under an executive order, declaring a national emergency at the U.S. southern border, all crossings with Mexico have been officially shut down for migrants seeking asylum in the

United States. Refugee admissions are also being suspended, effectively cutting off all avenues to cross the border previously available under the Biden administration. That's according to our report from CNN. While Biden had moved early last summer to restrict asylum eligibility at border checkpoints, many migrants were still able to claim refugee status through the controversial CBP1 cell phone app, which has allowed at least 936,000 illegal immigrants to apply for asylum since January 2023 from within their home countries before then flying into the United States. But that program was shut down within minutes of Trump being sworn into office. Trump has also moved to suspend a program that allowed migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to be paroled into the U.S.

with sponsors. Some 800,000 migrants had been granted entry into the U.S. under the parole program since its implementation back in 2022. Additionally, Trump has suspended a refugee resettlement program for at least four months and issued an executive order seeking to end a birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-citizens. and parents. The sweeping immigration actions have brought traffic at the U.S. southern border to a virtual halt, leaving many migrants who were waiting along Mexico's northern border for asylum appointments well, in limbo. Andrew Selly, president of the Think Tank Migration Policy Institute, told CNN, quote, as of today, there's almost no way of getting protection at the U.S. border or anywhere

along a route to the United States. That's a huge shift, end quote. Well, yes it is. With the border secure, Trump has quickly moved to his next immigration agenda, and that would be mass deportations. Trump's borders are Tom Holman said Tuesday that immigration and customs enforcement agents, ICE agents, have been directed to begin seeking illegal immigrants living in the U.S. for removal to their home countries. Now, look, it's worth noting, given the hyperbole and the angst floating about in media and social media about this issue currently, deportations have been a part of U.S. policy for decades. As an example, during Barack Obama's tenure, 400,000 individuals were deported from the U.S.

Tom Homan said they've created what he called target sheets, prioritizing the arrest of illegal migrants who with a criminal record or who have been deemed a potential threat to public safety. The operation got off to a bit of a bumpy start after the administration's plans to arrest illegal immigrants in Chicago were leaked last week. But Hohman said they've since reworked their strategy to address concerns around the same. safety of their agents. Homan told Fox News on Tuesday, quote, ICE officers throughout the country were told today, go make arrests of those here illegally that have a public safety threat. So, they've deployed target sheets and operational plan to go out in the field. They're out there right now, looking for the most serious public safety threats throughout the country, end quote.

Homan noted that there are currently more than 700,000 illegal immigrants in cities across the U.S. with criminal records, saying, quote, that's who we're looking for right now. And, quote, now you wouldn't think that that would be necessarily controversial on either side of the political aisle. We should note there's been some pushback on Trump's efforts to reform the immigration system. His order to end birthright citizenship has already triggered challenges from 22 states, which argue that it violates the 14th Amendment. Coming up, with President Donald Trump's shifting America's stance towards the war in Ukraine, President Zelensky is calling on European allies to step up and play a more active role

in ensuring the continent's security and deterring Russian aggression. I'll be back with those details in a moment. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount, safe driver discount, new vehicle discount, storage discount, legacy. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points.

Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Ukrainian president Zelensky.

has called on European allies to commit to a minimum deployment of 200,000 troops to enforce any potential peace agreement with Russia, urging the continent to defend itself. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday, ugh, is it—is it Davos time already again? Zelensky framed Europe as the, quote, indispensable player for its own security, rather than relying on potentially shifting U.S. policies under President Trump.

Zelensky warned European leaders against complacency, citing battles near Ukraine's eastern border in the Kursk region where North Korean troops are fighting alongside Moscow's forces. Zelensky's call to action underscored Europe's vulnerability to Moscow's aggression, as he reminded leaders that Pyongyang is farther from Davos than the front lines of Ukraine. Central to Zelensky's Davos address was his vision of a multinational peacekeeping force. Zelensky stated, quote, from all the Europeans, 200,000, it's a minimum, otherwise it's nothing, end quote, dismissing smaller contributions, he said is insufficient to securing lasting peace. The Ukrainian president also rejected outright Russian peace demands to slash Ukraine's military to

one fifth of its current size. Well, now Putin's just trying it on, labeling such proposals as Kremlin power plays. Zelensky stated, quote, this is what Putin wants and we will not allow this to happen, adding that his administration is seeking a meeting with Trump who's pledged to end the conflict quickly. Trump, in his post-inaguration remarks, suggested that Russian President Putin should pursue a deal stating, quote, Putin is destroying Russia, accusing the Russian leader of weakening his own country with a prolonged war effort. While Zelensky welcomed the sentiment, he remains skeptical of a swift resolution without robust European and NATO involvement.

European responses to Zelensky's plea have been mixed at best. UK Prime Minister Kirstarmer, following a visit to Kiev last week, expressed Britain's readiness to, quote, play our full part, but refrained from committing troops, leaving the scope of future support open-ended. As we reported here on the PDB earlier this month, Zelensky discussed the possibility of deploying French troops inside Ukraine and non-combat capacities with French President Emmanuel Macron, but concrete commitments, well, they remain elusive. Talks with Poland and the Baltic states are ongoing as Zelensky builds momentum for broader European engagement. NATO membership

remains a cornerstone of Zelensky's strategy for peace, which he calls, quote, the best guarantee for Ukraine's security. However, opposition from the U.S., Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia complicates Ukraine's bid, as some nations remain wary of antagonizing Moscow further. In his Davos address, Zelensky cautioned that Russia, which has mobilized some 600,000 troops, could expand its military to upwards of 1.5 million. Such a force, Zelensky warned, would dwarf the capabilities of any single European national army and leave the continent vulnerable to Moscow's ambitions. He called on Europe to invest heavily in military technology, including drones and advanced air

defense systems to counteract Russian advances and prevent future invasions. As Europe ponderes its response, Zelensky's message is clear. The stakes extend far beyond Ukraine's borders. In his view, the continent's proximity to the conflict and Moscow's willingness to escalate make an action a dangerous gamble. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon Bulletin for Wednesday, 22 January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. As you may know, every month, the PDB team, including the sometimes compensated interns, gathers around the bar at our local watering hole at Busy's eight ball tavern, and after sufficient beverages, well, we select the month's top questions and comments for

inclusion in our monthly Ask Me Anything episode. And of course, as you probably heard, during the coverage of the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities. To listen to the show ad-free, well, it's simple. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. Couldn't be easier. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed.

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