The Latest: ICE chief defends immigration enforcement operations before Congress

The heads of the agencies carrying out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda delivered a staunch defense of immigration enforcement operations in a three-hour testimony to Congress on Tuesday.

Todd Lyons, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, faced the bulk of the highly charged questioning, with Democrats scrutinizing him and Republicans offering broad support.

Lyons stood behind ICE's tactics, refusing to apologize for the actions of his officers despite criticism that the enforcement operations have trampled on the rights of both immigrants and American protesters.

He was joined by the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rodney Scott, and the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, in speaking before the House Committee on Homeland Security in a hearing called after federal officers killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Their testimonies are unlikely to quell simmering tensions over the centerpiece policy of Trump's second term, as his immigration campaign finds itself both flush with cash from a 2025 spending bill and falling in public support.

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Trump EPA set to repeal scientific finding that serves as basis for US climate change policy

The Obama-era policy determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.

Legal challenges are certain.

The White House says the action ''will be the largest deregulatory action in American history'' and will save as much as $1.3 trillion in avoided regulations.

Environmental groups call it the single biggest attack in U.S. history on federal efforts to address climate change.

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Three families who are U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are suing after they and hundreds of others were detained during last year's raid.

They say state and federal law enforcement agencies conspired to use unconstitutional and illegal tactics, including detaining people because they appeared to be Latino; keeping adults and some children in zip ties for hours without food, water or bathrooms; and searching individuals without reasonable suspicion of a crime.

The October raid was part of an FBI-led illegal gambling investigation, but only five people were arrested in connection with the investigation. More than 100 were arrested on suspicion of immigration violations.

The FBI had a criminal search warrant for the gambling investigation, but the operation was essentially a ''fishing expedition for immigration violations,'' attorneys with the ACLU of Idaho wrote in the lawsuit.

Multiple law enforcement agencies that took part in the raid did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said he spoke Monday with border czar Tom Homan and Tuesday with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. Homan took over the Minnesota operation in late January after the second fatal shooting by federal officers and amid growing backlash over the operation.

''We're very much in a trust but verify mode,'' Walz said. He added that he expects to hear more soon about the future of what he called an ''occupation'' and a ''retribution campaign.''

While Walz said he's currently hopeful because ''every indication I have is that this thing is winding up,'' he added that things could change.

''It would be my hope that Mr. Homan goes out before Friday and announces that this thing is done, and they're bringing her down and they're bringing her down in days,'' Walz said. ''That would be my expectation.''

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hispanic adults' optimism for the short-term future also declined during Trump's first year in office, dropping from 69% to 63%, according to new Gallup polling.

That decrease was sharper than among white and Black Americans, something that could be tied to overall cost concerns, health care worries or alarm about Trump's recent immigration policies.

Last year, a survey by the American Communities Project found that people living in heavily Hispanic areas were feeling less hopeful about their future than in 2024. Trump's favorability fell among Hispanics over the course of 2025, according to AP-NORC polling, which also found that Hispanic adults reported higher levels of economic stress than other groups.

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Thune says votes aren't there to change Senate filibuster rules

Senate Democrats have promised to vote against the bill whenever it comes up, denying Republicans the 60 votes necessary to pass the bill in the 53-47 Senate. But some House Republicans say their Senate counterparts should try and change their chamber's rules to require a so-called ''talking filibuster'' that would require senators to stand at their desks and exhaust the debate before holding a simple majority vote.

Currently, the 60-vote threshold is triggered with a private objection from any senator.

Thune, along with much of his GOP conference, has long opposed changing the filibuster rules for legislation. He said Tuesday that he supports the bill, but the idea of changing the rules ''is something that doesn't have a future.''

''We'll see'' if there's another way of getting there, Thune said of the bill. ''That's a conversation we are having with our colleagues right now.''

Governors meeting at White House upended by Trump excluding Democrats

On Tuesday, 18 Democratic governors also announced they would boycott a traditional dinner at the White House.

''If the reports are true that not all governors are invited to these events, which have historically been productive and bipartisan opportunities for collaboration, we will not be attending the White House dinner this year,'' the Democrats wrote. ''Democratic governors remain united and will never stop fighting to protect and make life better for people in our states.''

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who chairs the NGA, told fellow governors in a letter on Monday that the White House intended to limit invitations to the association's annual business meeting, scheduled for Feb. 20, to Republican governors only.

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Jimmy Lai case is important to Trump, Leavitt says

''It is important to him,'' Leavitt said. ''He looks forward to visiting China in April.''

China has yet to confirm the state visit.

Lai, 78, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison after being convicted on national security charges in a Hong Kong court, drawing condemnations from Western governments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the sentencing ''an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case'' and urged Chinese authorities to grant Lai humanitarian parole.

FBI search of Georgia offices tied to probe of possible 2020 election ‘defects,' affidavit says

An FBI search of the elections hub in Fulton County, Georgia, is part of an investigation into possible ''deficiencies or defects'' in the vote count in the 2020 contest lost by President Donald Trump, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday.

Audits, state officials, courts and Trump's own former attorney general have rejected the idea that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election that could have altered the outcome.

Appeals court lets Trump end legal protections for 60,000 from Nepal and Central America

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the administration will likely win its appeal of a lower-court ruling that blocked the end of Temporary Protected Status for people from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. It paused the lower court ruling while the appeal moved ahead.

Attorneys for the TPS holders said the ruling placed thousands of people who had lived in the country for more than two decades at immediate risk of detention and deportation.

The secretary of Homeland Security can grant TPS to countries where conditions are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangers. While it grants TPS holders the right to live and work in the U.S., it does not provide a legal pathway to citizenship.

Leavitt doesn't rule out a Maxwell pardon

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn't rule out whether the president would grant Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of Jeffrey Epstein, clemency in exchange for her testimony.

''This is not something I've discussed with the president recently, because, frankly, it's not a priority,'' she told reporters during a White House briefing Tuesday. ''He's focused on many of the issues that the American people are dealing with and providing solutions to those issues.''

Maxwell's lawyer has said she would be willing to cooperate with a House probe if the president grants her clemency.

White House says Trump ‘floated' the idea of naming Penn Station and Dulles airport after himself

Leavitt confirmed reports from last week that Trump told Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer he'd be willing to unfreeze $16 billion in funding for critical infrastructure projects in Schumer's home state of New York if Schumer endorsed the idea of naming New York City's Penn Station and Dulles airport in Virginia in Trump's honor.

''It was something the president floated in his conversation with, with Chuck Schumer,'' Leavitt said.

The Trump administration paused funding that would have allowed for building a long-delayed railway tunnel between New York and New Jersey after blaming congressional Democrats for last fall's government shutdown.

Trump ‘fully supports' Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick despite Lutnick's ties to Epstein

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Lutnick ''remains a very important member of President Trump's team, and the president fully supports the secretary.''

Lutnick is the highest-profile U.S. official to face calls for his resignation from lawmakers in both political parties amid revelations of his ties to Epstein.

White House won't confirm reported Trump call on Epstein

Leavitt said she did not know if the call had occurred, saying it is something that ''may or may not have happened in 2006.''

According to a newly released document, the police chief in Palm Beach, Florida, told the FBI that he'd gotten a call from Trump in 2006 about Jeffrey Epstein and that Trump reportedly said, ''Thank goodness you're stopping him.''

Even though she couldn't confirm the call, Leavitt said its reported contents confirmed Trump's repeated claims that he ended his relationship with Epstein decades ago, and that he himself had done nothing wrong.

Trump urges anyone with information about Nancy Guthrie's disappearance to contact the FBI

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said her briefing started late because she and the president were watching the new surveillance footage released by the FBI in the case.

''The president encourages any American across the country with any knowledge of the suspect to please call the FBI, who continue to assist state and local authorities who are leading this investigation on the ground,'' Leavitt said. ''And once again, I will reiterate that the prayers of this entire White House are with Savannah and her family at this time, and we hope this person is found soon and that her mother is brought home safely.''

Leavitt said the president's reaction to the disappearance was ''pure disgust.'' She said he would like anyone involved to be punished to the ''fullest extent of the law possible.''

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump will hold an event Wednesday afternoon to ''tout clean, beautiful coal'' and lead a separate event on Thursday about ending a 2009 endangerment finding to regulate the greenhouse gases fueling climate change.

Coal has the dirtiest carbon footprint of the major fuels and is a significant source of planet-warming emissions, which scientists say are contributing to more extreme weather, including droughts, floods and wildfires.

But the administration has played down the health and financial risks of climate change while claiming that its efforts will lower energy and auto costs for the American public.

Leavitt said that the use of coal will lower electricity bills, while the EPA's removal of the finding on greenhouse gases will create average savings of $2,400 for light-duty cars.

Affordability continues to be a top concern for voters going into this November's midterm elections.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president and first lady Melania Trump will use the trip to meet with military families and special forces members who were involved in the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last month.

Leavitt said both were ''greatly looking forward to this visit.''

Democrats say Trump administration is hijacking celebrations related to America's 250th anniversary

Democrats are accusing the Trump administration of using the National Park Foundation to solicit money from private donors under the auspices of celebrating the nation's 250th birthday. They said the administration intends to use the money for some of the president's pet projects, including his planned massive arch in the nation's capital.

During a House subcommittee hearing on America's 250th birthday, Democratic Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon voiced concern that a White House-led initiative is taking public money earmarked for a separate, congressionally chartered commission and co-mingling it with private donations. She also said the White House initiative is using the money to push ''Christian nationalist propaganda.''

The White House initiative, named Freedom 250, did not immediately respond to a request for details on its funding, but indicated that nonprofits are not required to disclose individual donors.

Lyons defends treatment of 5-year-old in Minneapolis

The case of Liam Conejo Ramos has sparked controversy over the administration's crackdown in Minnesota.

Rep. Brad Knott, a Republican from North Carolina, asked Lyons about the case and whether the boy was used as bait to get one of the parents out of the house, as neighbors and school officials have alleged.

Lyons denied that, saying that DHS took care of the boy after his father fled.

▶ Read more about the boy's case

Lyons says ICE is committed to a ‘safe and secure event' for World Cup

Noting that her New Jersey district will host matches in this year's FIFA World Cup, Democratic Rep Nellie Pou asked Lyons if he would commit to pausing ICE operations during the events, saying it would ''hurt this entire process'' if visitors feared they may be ''wrongfully incarcerated or wrongfully pulled out.''

Saying he realized her concerns, Lyons said his agency was ''dedicated to the security of all our participants as well as visitors,'' but did not commit to suspending operations.

Pou warned that ''visitors' confidence is plummeting'' given federal activity ahead of the tourney.

Under questioning from Democrats, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick once again downplayed his relationship with Epstein during a Senate subcommittee hearing. He described their contact as a handful of emails and a pair of meetings that were years apart.

''I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with him,'' Lutnick told lawmakers.

But the recent release of case files on Epstein contradicted Lutnick's claims on a podcast last year that he had decided to ''never be in the room'' with Epstein again after a 2005 tour of Epstein's home that disturbed Lutnick and his wife.

Lutnick said Tuesday that he and his family actually had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 and he had another hourlong engagement at Epstein's home in 2011. Lutnick is the highest-profile U.S. official to face bipartisan calls for his resignation amid revelations of his ties to Epstein.

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Americans' attitudes toward the future tend to shift when a new political party enters the White House. For instance, Democrats became more positive about the future after Biden won the presidency, while Republicans' outlook soured.

Toward the end of Biden's term and the start of Trump's second term, Democrats' optimism fell from 65% to 57%. Republicans grew more hopeful, but not enough to offset Democrats' drop.

''The regime change in the White House almost certainly was a big driving factor in what's happened,'' said Dan Witters, the research director of the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. ''And a lot of that was just because the people who identified as Democrats really took it in the chops.''

Lyons won't force officers to take off masks

Democrats repeatedly brought up the issue of immigration enforcement officers wearing masks as they carry out their jobs.

Lyons answered with one word: ''No.''

Kennedy called that a ''sad response.''

''People who are proud of what they do aren't hiding their identity,'' Kennedy said.

Lyons has said repeatedly that he supports officers who feel that they need to wear a mask to protect their identities and their families.

Democratic rep says ICE is acting like a ‘fascist regime'

The ICE chief interjected that the congressman was asking ''the wrong type of questioning,'' but Goldman cut him off.

''If you don't want to be called a fascist regime or secret police, then stop acting like one,'' Goldman said.

''This is not the America I know and love,'' he said.