US immigration officers swooped on a New Jersey seafood business, detaining undocumented migrants, officials said Friday, as President Donald Trump deployed troops to the Mexican border.Trump has pledged a crackdown on migrants with the White House reporting that agents arrested 538 undocumented people nationwide Thursday, with hundreds removed from the country on military aircraft.”The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said that in a night-time operation in his city, a US Army veteran was among those detained at Ocean Seafood Depot, marking a resumption of workplace raids that were suspended under former president Joe Biden.”Some ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents raided a business in our city without a warrant,” Baraka told a briefing.”The problem with this is that none of these people were rapists or murderers or criminals — the problem is that ICE went in without a warrant.”Newark, New Jersey, like other major cities including New York, is a so-called “sanctuary city” meaning local officials and law enforcement do not typically cooperate with federal immigration agents.- ‘People are scared’ -Trump has threatened to curb federal funding for cities that uphold sanctuary policies.Immigration enforcement agents used raids on businesses and workplaces during Trump’s first term, and he has vowed to resume them, and to conduct operations at schools, churches and hospitals — also off-limits under Biden.”They caught three guys… everybody is afraid, I don’t know if this is normal. They were from Ecuador I think,” a witness to the Newark raid who declined to be named told NBC News.Baraka said he was “appalled, upset, angry that this would happen here, in this state, in this country — that this would be allowed.”Last year under Biden there were 270,000 deportations in total, which was a 10-year high alongside 113,400 arrests.On his first day in office, Trump signed orders declaring a “national emergency” at the southern border and announced the deployment of more troops to the area, vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”Active service troops began arriving on the US-Mexico border Friday, with soldiers working to build structures and barracks.There are an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security statistics.Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said “people are scared.””We knew this was going to happen, and what we learned from folks that stayed behind was that ICE walked in like it was their empire’s own conquered land,” she said.”They were heavily armed, there was no prior announcement. They were blocking off entrances and exits.”

Move over President Trump — the newest stars in Washington are two giant pandas who made their public debut on Friday in front of hundreds of adoring fans.Bao Li and Qing Bao rambled around their enclosure, played in the snow and munched on bamboo at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in the US capital.The pair, who arrived from China in October, have been in quarantine while their home was renovated with new climbing structures, water features and rock zones.Bao Li and Qing Bao — both three years old — are part of a 10-year agreement with China, after the previous pandas in Washington returned home in 2023.Their arrival is the latest chapter of so-called “panda diplomacy,” in which China’s black-and-white bears are sent across the globe as soft-power ambassadors.After Washington lost its last pandas, the lack of immediate replacements was viewed by many as a symbol of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.- ‘Won our hearts’ -Zoo officials said the two new residents have settled in well with Bao Li, a male, happy to eat anything, though female Qing Bao is pickier.”For over 50 years, giant pandas have been an integral part of the fabric and culture of Washington,” zoo director Brandie Smith said.”Bao Li and Qing Bao have won our hearts, and we’re excited to welcome panda fans back to the zoo.”Bao Li’s name translates as “active and vital power” while Qing Bao means “green” and “treasure.”They were flown from Chengdu to Dulles airport in Virginia aboard a FedEx cargo plane decorated with giant panda images.Under the zoo’s agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the pandas will remain in the United States for a decade for an annual fee of $1 million.The pandas are too young to breed, but will reach sexual maturity between ages four and seven. Any cub would leave for China when young to join in the country’s breeding program.Thanks to conservation efforts, the giant panda was downgraded last year from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the global list of species at risk of extinction.The new pandas are among just a few that remain in the United States, including a pair that arrived at San Diego’s zoo last summer.The Washington zoo relaunched its popular giant panda cam, with 40 cameras streaming images throughout the day.It is also selling panda-themed merchandise ranging from M&M candy to hoodies, pillows and notepads under the slogan “Pandas Are Here.”The first pandas were sent to Washington as a gift in 1972, following US president Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the Communist nation.

The US Senate appeared poised Friday to narrowly confirm former Fox News host Peter Hegseth for defense secretary, with opponents saying Donald Trump’s pick has nowhere near the experience for the huge job and a disturbing history of heavy drinking and domestic abuse.Hegseth’s resume is so thin and his list of alleged personal issues so long that he makes an unusual pick to lead the world’s biggest nuclear-armed military with about 2.9 million employees and an $850 billion budget.He has never led a large organization. He served as a major in the National Guard but is better known for his work until recently as a host on Trump-friendly Fox News.After his nomination, a slew of damaging allegations emerged about past drinking excesses and accusations of abusive behavior toward his second wife and one case of sexual assault.His former sister-in-law Danielle Hegseth said in an affidavit received by lawmakers that she was subjected to emotional abuse by him, and was told by his second wife that she once hid from him in a closet because she “feared for her personal safety.”According to the affidavit, Hegseth also told his ex-sister-in-law that women should not work or have the right to vote, and said that “Christians needed to have more children so they can overtake the Muslim population.”Hegseth denies any wrongdoing and Trump has stood by him, telling reporters Friday: “Pete’s a very, very good man.”Hegseth has a combative media personality, fierce loyalty and telegenic looks — common hallmarks in Trump’s entourage.Supporters say his deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq give him the insight to run the Pentagon better than the top brass typically considered for the job.- Tricky Senate math -In his Senate hearings and media appearances, Hegseth has aggressively driven home the need to make the US military less “woke” and more “lethal.” He has also focused on ending what he says has been lowering of standards to help women enter the military.He calls the allegations of improper personal behavior against him “smears” but has said he will stop drinking alcohol if confirmed to head the Pentagon.Republicans hold only a thin majority in the Senate and two of the party’s 53 senators — Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — are expected to vote against Hegseth, joining what is expected to be a unanimous “no” from Democrats.That would still allow Hegseth to squeak through. If one more Republican voted against, it would make 50-50 — with Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, coming to break the tie.On Thursday, the Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe to head the CIA, while a vote on Kristi Noem’s nomination to lead Homeland Security is expected Sunday morning.Focus then shifts to Treasury nominee Scott Bessent and Trump’s pick for Transport, Sean Duffy.Those votes are not expected to be difficult for the Republicans.However, the divisions exposed by Hegseth’s nomination will flare up again next week when three more of Trump’s most contentious nominees enter the spotlight.Kash Patel — Trump’s pick to lead the FBI — goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, the same day as Tulsi Gabbard’s hearing in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Both are facing major questions over their character, judgement and previous positions — including Gabbard’s echoing of Kremlin talking points on Ukraine. They are not expected to get any Democratic support.Thursday is likely to be a day of drama as the Senate holds the first of two scheduled confirmation hearings for Trump’s Health Secretary nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is likely to be grilled on his anti-vaccine statements and embrace of other conspiracy theories.