United States President Donald Trump’s first week in office is over, and he has already extensively exerted his influence on Washington.
During his first seven days, Trump deployed the military to the southern border and signed a series of executive orders – 26 issued within hours of taking office – addressing issues ranging from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes to renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
One of his biggest promises during this term is to tackle irregular immigration. Here are the latest updates from his presidency and what is expected on Monday:
Avoided: Trade war with Colombia
Trump declared a victory on Sunday after announcing that Colombia had backed down in a dispute over migrant deportation flights.
The crisis erupted when Colombian President Gustavo Petro earlier on Sunday had blocked US military cargo planes carrying undocumented migrants from landing.
Petro said he wouldn’t accept the flights unless the US treats deportees with dignity and respect. Trump retaliated with tariffs on all Colombian imports, a travel ban for Colombian citizens, the cancellation of visas for Colombian officials in the US, and the suspension of processing for both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas.
But after hours of tensions with Bogota, the US said Colombia had agreed to accept migrant deportation flights, including on military aircraft, and the tariffs would be put on hold. Trump allies bragged that the outcome was a win for the president and a loss for Petro.
Petro fell in line.
Thanks, President Trump! pic.twitter.com/FKTWKWrGlb
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) January 27, 2025
The use of US military aircraft for deportation flights was unusual until Trump took office. Two flights, each carrying about 80 deported migrants, were made to Guatemala on Friday. Mexico last week rejected a landing request for a US military plane with migrants on board. Previously, Trump suggested that he might impose 25-percent, across-the-board tariffs on Mexican goods starting in February.
Oliver Della Costa Stuenkel, an international relations professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said Trump may get his way with Latin American countries in the short term but his aggressive tactics could push leaders in the region to seek alternative partners to Washington.
“Leaders across Latin America will look at these moments and will, I think, be increasingly aware of the risk of being too dependent on the US,” Stuenkel told Al Jazeera.
“They will seek to diversify their partnerships because, for weaker countries, dealing with Washington is very challenging and the best way to increase your leverage when negotiating with Trump and expand your room for manoeuvre is to have alternatives to the US. It’s to not be in a situation where you are so dependent that you have nowhere to run,” Stuenkel said.
Trump’s ‘clean out’ Gaza proposal
On Saturday, Trump proposed relocating more than one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries and “cleaning out the whole thing”.
“I would like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”
Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees in the past and he told King Abdullah II: “I would love for you to take on more ‘cause I am looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.” Currently, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), more than 2.39 million registered Palestine refugees live in Jordan, which has a population of 11.1 million people.
Israel’s 15-month war on Gaza has displaced almost all of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents, some of them multiple times. Trump said Gaza’s inhabitants could be moved “temporarily or could be long term”.
The proposal was roundly rejected by Palestinians on Sunday.
“It’s impossible for people to accept this,” Palestinian Nafiz Halawa told Al Jazeera from Nuseirat in central Gaza. “The weak might leave because of the suffering they have endured, but the idea of us leaving our country, … it’s absolutely impossible.“
Some other things you might have missed:
JD Vance’s first interview: JD Vance gave his first interview since becoming the US vice president, discussing issues with CBS News that included Trump’s immigration policy and his executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship. While legal experts have said the US Constitution must be changed to end it, Vance doubled down on the Trump administration’s justification for the order.
“Temporary residents, people who come in here, whether legally or illegally, and don’t plan to stay, their children shouldn’t become American citizens,” he said. “I don’t know any country that does that or why we would be different.” However, many countries offer birthright citizenship, including Canada, Mexico, Belize and Argentina.
Pete Hegseth speaks to Benjamin Netanyahu: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, marking the Pentagon chief’s first call with a foreign leader since taking up his post. Hegseth and Netanyahu “discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
What’s next for Trump and his administration on Monday?
According to US media reports, Trump is expected to attend the annual retreat of Republican members of the House of Representatives at Trump National Doral Miami, his golf resort outside Miami, Florida.
Party retreats give lawmakers an opportunity to come together, discuss policies and strategise on the best ways to implement them.
House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, are expected to focus on crafting a bill that incorporates the administration’s key priorities – including energy, border security and tax policy.
Separately, a US Senate vote on the nomination of Trump’s Treasury secretary nominee, Scott Bessent, is planned for Monday afternoon.
The head of the Department of the Treasury has broad oversight of tax policy, public debt, international finance and sanctions.
Bessent, a Wall Street financier who once worked for George Soros, was an early backer of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, donating at least $3m to the campaign, according to records from the Federal Election Commission.
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