Key Highlights
- In February last year, the libertarian Cato Institute published a paper showing that native-born Americans consumed, on an average per capita basis, more welfare and entitlement benefits than all immigrants.
- The study found that immigrants consumed 21% fewer welfare and entitlement benefits than native-born Americans on a per capita basis in 2022. Trump administration halts immigrant visa processing from 75 countries“The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the state department wrote in a statement.
- “We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”The pause follows Trump’s December expansion of travel bans to 39 countries, suspension of asylum processing and halting of citizenship and green card applications for citizens of countries already subject to restrictions. Read the full storyUS Senate kills resolution that would have limited Trump action in VenezuelaThe US Senate has voted against a war powers resolution that would have prevented Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without giving Congress advance notice. Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana, who had joined three other Republicans to advance the resolution alongside Democrats last week, flipped after they said they received assurances from the Trump administration. Read the full storyTrump insists Greenland is crucial for national security after Denmark talksDonald Trump has said it would be “unacceptable” for Greenland to be “in the hands” of any country other than the US, reiterating his demand to take over the arctic island, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.“The US needs Greenland for the purpose of national security.
- Nato should be leading the way for us to get it,” the US president said on social media.
- The alliance “becomes far more formidable and effective” with the territory under US control, he said. Read the full storyIran signals quick trials and executions for protesters in defiance of US warningsThe Iranian government has signalled that detained protesters are to face speedy trials and executions, defying a threat by Trump to intervene if authorities continue their crackdown. Read the full storyTrump is making China – not the US – great again, global survey suggestsThe 21-country survey for the influential European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) thinktank found majorities in almost every territory surveyed expected China’s global influence to grow over the next decade. Read the full storyDoJ says ‘unnecessary’ to find whether seizing Maduro violated lawThe Trump administration received approval from the justice department to use the mi.
