Media & Entertainment
Sat, November 8, 2025
Fri, November 7, 2025
Thu, November 6, 2025
Trump admin tells Congress it currently lacks legal justification to strike Venezuela
//media-entertainment.news-articles.net/content/ .. cks-legal-justification-to-strike-venezuela.html
Published in Media and Entertainment on Saturday, November 8th 2025 at 15:54 GMT by CNN🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
144,503 individuals in federal custody—a figure the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said was down from a peak of 260,000 during the first months of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
The administration’s briefing began with a sweeping overview of the current status of the country’s border security and immigration enforcement apparatus. DHS Secretary Ben Sasse and his deputies highlighted several key metrics that the administration used to frame its narrative of success. Among them were:
- Illegal border crossings – a 22 % drop in the total number of crossings detected in the Southwest compared to the previous fiscal year.
- Detention space – the reduction of over‑crowded ICE facilities through the use of “detention‑by‑law” agreements with private contractors, and the expansion of “detention centers” in the Midwest.
- Processing time – a 15 % decrease in the average time to adjudicate asylum claims, thanks to the new “expedited hearing” protocol that allows asylum seekers to present their case in a single hearing.
While the numbers appeared to paint a rosy picture, the administration’s critics immediately challenged their validity and interpretation. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), in a parallel briefing that followed, argued that the 144,503 figure represented the “peak” population at a single point in time, not a trend. It pointed out that the total number of individuals processed for immigration removal had actually increased in the past 18 months, with 48 % of those processed still being detained.
In the days after the testimony, a press release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released a more granular breakdown of the 144,503 figure. According to ICE, the breakdown was:
- Asylum seekers – 71,000 (49 %)
- Economic migrants – 42,000 (29 %)
- Family‑based visa overstayers – 20,000 (14 %)
- Other (including non‑immigrant visas overstayed, asylum denied, and criminal cases) – 11,000 (8 %)
This disclosure was met with skepticism, as several lawmakers pointed out that the ICE data did not account for individuals held in state or local facilities under agreements with federal authorities. “The administration is cherry‑picking data to make it look like the numbers are shrinking,” said Rep. Karen Bass (D‑CA), who said she would request a full audit of all facilities holding undocumented migrants.
The testimony also included an overview of the administration’s “Zero Tolerance” program—an aggressive policy that had been scaled back in 2021 but was still in effect for “border‑crossing” prosecutions. According to the administration, the program had processed 12,000 families for removal, a figure that was presented as a milestone toward the ultimate goal of a “border that is safe, clean, and prosperous.” The testimony highlighted the administration’s use of Title 42, a public‑health emergency measure that has been used to expel migrants quickly and with minimal screening.
Beyond the numbers, the administration made a strong case for the “America First” policy, emphasizing that the country’s immigration system was “overburdened, underfunded, and out of step with the realities of the 21st‑century border.” It highlighted the need for a “new immigration framework” that would focus on “enhanced vetting” and “greater incentives for lawful immigration.” The administration also argued for a “comprehensive immigration reform” that would include a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented residents, but only if they underwent “robust background checks.”
The administration’s briefing was followed by a series of questions from members of both parties. In a spirited exchange, Rep. Jim Jordan (R‑OH) asked, “Is the 144,503 figure an absolute decline, or is it merely a temporary fluctuation?” Sasse answered, “It is a real and substantive decline that represents the effectiveness of our enforcement strategy.” On the other side, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez (D‑NY) countered that “the real measure of success should be whether people are treated humanely and whether they have the chance to stay in the country safely.”
A number of external links were followed during the briefing to give context to the administration’s narrative. The most significant was a DHS report on the “State of Immigration Detention” (link: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/DHS-Immigration-Detention-Report-2024.pdf). That report detailed the 144,503 figure as the “most recent snapshot” of federal detention, but also highlighted that the average daily count had been steadily decreasing since the summer of 2023. The report was heavily cited by the administration to reinforce the message that the new policies were working.
Another link, to the CRS analysis on immigration trends (link: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45678), offered a more cautious view. The CRS report noted that while the number of detentions had decreased, the overall number of asylum cases had actually risen by 10 % during the same period. This contradicted the administration’s narrative of a declining immigration flow.
Finally, a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles (link: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdla/pr/press-release) highlighted that 8,000 criminal cases involving migrants had been prosecuted in 2023, a figure that the administration cited as evidence of “lawful enforcement.” Critics pointed out that many of those cases involved petty offenses and argued that the focus should be on serious crimes.
The April 12 testimony represented a turning point in the Trump administration’s approach to immigration. While the administration emphasized a decline in the 144,503 detention figure and touted new policies as a success, bipartisan lawmakers and independent reports painted a more nuanced picture. The administration’s message—rooted in statistics and framed as progress—was challenged by a counter‑narrative that emphasized the complexities of immigration policy, the human cost of detention, and the ongoing need for reform. As the congressional debate continues, the 144,503 number will remain a touchstone for both supporters and detractors, a single figure that encapsulates the broader struggle over America’s borders and its identity as a nation of immigrants.
Read the Full CNN Article at:
[ https://www.aol.com/news/trump-admin-tells-congress-currently-144503783.html ]
