Egypt, Saudi Arabia condemn establishment of Israeli agency to ‘voluntarily’ remove Gazans

(WASHINGTON) — Nearly 350,000 Venezuelans who gained relief from deportation and obtained work permits in 2023 under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will lose those protections in April, according to an unpublished notice filed in the Federal Register.

Last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced she was canceling a recent extension of the program by former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas which would have allowed nearly 600,000 current Venezuelan TPS holders to maintain their legal status until October 2026. She had until Feb. 1 to decide whether she’d extend protections for those who joined the program in 2023.

Now, nearly 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants may lose their legal status if they don’t have any other type of relief.

The program began in 1990 as a way to protect immigrants who are already in the United States when their home countries are deemed to dangerous to return to. TPS is under the DHS Secretary’s discretion.

In the notice, DHS acknowledges that some of the conditions in Venezuela that the Biden administration used to justify TPS designation in 2023, “may continue.” However, they claim things have gotten better in the country.

“There are notable improvements in several areas such as the economy, public health, and crime that allow for these nationals to be safely returned to their home country,” the notice file says.

The agency adds that Sec. Noem “has determined it is contrary to the national interest to permit the covered Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States.”

The notice is set to publish Feb. 5 and says the termination of the 2023 TPS Venezuela designation will be effective 60 days from date of publication, however, protections were already set to expire April 2 without an extension.

In a letter to Noem last week, a group of Democratic lawmakers said returning Venezuelan immigrants “to a dictatorship” would be a “death sentence.”

“Given Venezuela’s increased instability, repression, and lack of safety, and within all applicable rules and regulations, we demand more information on why the Department has made this decision,” the lawmakers said. “The only justification that has been offered by the Administration is the false claim that all Venezuelans are ‘dirt bags,’ ‘violent criminals’ or the ‘worst of the worst.'”

Immigrant advocates are also sounding the alarm about the move some consider “cruel” and “reckless.”

“Donald Trump’s attempt to revoke protections for 300,000 Venezuelans is as cruel as it is reckless — but we know he won’t stop here. His shock-and-awe approach to dismantling the immigration system is already devastating families and communities across the country, and we’re likely to see immigrants from Ukraine and Afghanistan targeted next,” Keri Talbot, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, told ABC News.

“Families who have built their lives here — who work, contribute, and play by the rules — are under attack, being thrown into crisis overnight and forced from their homes. This isn’t about policy; it’s about inflicting harm at any cost.” Talbot added.

The termination does not apply to Venezuelans who registered under the 2021 TPS designation, those protections will remain in effect until Sept. 10, 2025.

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(LONDON) — Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov riffed on President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Ukrainians “may be Russians some day,” as both Moscow and Kyiv maneuver for leverage in revived peace talks the White House hopes will end nearly three years of full-scale war.

Peskov told reporters at a Tuesday briefing that the situation in Ukraine “largely corresponds to President Trump’s words.”

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson was referring to remarks made by Trump during an interview with Fox News which aired on Monday. The president told Bret Baier of his plans to secure U.S. access to $500 billion worth of rare earth metals located in Ukraine in exchange for continued American backing.

“They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, in terms of oil and gas and other things,” Trump said. “I want to have our money secured because we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars and, you know, they may make a deal. They may not make a deal.”

“They may be Russians some day or may not be Russians some day,” Trump then added.

On Tuesday morning, Peskov said Trump’s remarks indicated the situation on the ground in Ukraine — often referred to by Putin and other Russian officials as the “new territorial realities” of Russian military occupation.

“The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and has already, is a fact,” Peskov told reporters, referring to Moscow’s claimed 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian regions, not all of which Russian forces actually control.

Asked if Trump’s peace proposals had a chance of success, Peskov replied, “Any phenomenon can happen with a 50% probability — either yes or no.”

Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the body’s foreign affairs committee, told ABC News of Trump’s comments, “It will never happen.”

“We saw what life under Russia might look like for Ukrainians in Bucha and Irpin,” Merezhko added, referring to the Kyiv suburbs briefly occupied by Russian forces in 2022 and where evidence of executions, torture and other abuses against civilians were uncovered after Moscow’s retreat.

“Trump’s statement means that he needs to communicate more with [President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy to understand the real picture,” Merezhko said.

Zelenskyy has expressed openness to Trump’s rare earth metals proposal. “The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with Reuters last week.

Zelenskyy this weekend told ITV News he “would be ready for any format for talks” if there was “an understanding that America and Europe will not abandon us and they will support us and provide security guarantees.”

Trump said Monday that his Ukraine-Russia envoy Keith Kellogg would visit Ukraine this week as the White House formulates a peace plan.

Zelenskyy is also expected to meet with Vice President JD Vance at next weekend’s landmark Munich Security Conference in southern Germany.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected any suggestion of territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace, though has acknowledged it may not be possible to free the occupied territories via military means.

ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.

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(LONDON) — American Keith Siegel has been released from captivity Saturday morning.

His release took place in Gaza City where he was taken onto a stage wearing a cap, flanked by masked and armed Hamas forces with the waters of the Mediterranean and the destroyed port behind them.

A crowd watched calmly from a short distance away while Hamas photographers on stage and drones above filmed the release.

Siegel walked on his own power, and he will now undergo medical checks before being reunited with his family shortly.

“According to information communicated by the Red Cross, one hostage was transferred to them, and they are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” read a joint statement from the IDF and the ISA.

Earlier on Saturday, two other hostages were turned over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas.

Both walked onto a stage flanked by armed and masked Hamas fighter and then taken into waiting while Red Cross SUVs where they were driven out and handed over to Israeli authorities.

The release on Saturday has looked different from previous releases and was done more orderly with the crowd kept back at a distance.

Keith Siegel, who is originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was taken hostage along with his wife, Aviva Siegel in 2023. She was released during the brief 2023 ceasefire and has waged a long campaign to free her husband and the other hostages.

“The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostage as he makes his way home to the State of Israel,” a joint statement from the IDF and ISA read. “The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit asks everyone to respect the privacy of the returning hostage and his family.”

“The Israeli government embraces the return of Keith Siegel,” read a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office. “His families have been informed by the designated authorities that he is a member of our forces. The government, together with all security agencies, will accompany him and his families. The Israeli government is committed to the return of all abducted and missing persons.”

Siegel’s family released a statement shortly after he crossed over into Israel, saying they are “filled with indescribable excitement” and thanked President Trump “for bringing our father back to us.”

“At this very moment, our father is setting foot on the soil of the Land of Israel, and we are filled with indescribable excitement. Finally, after 484 long, terrifying days and nights, full of immense worry for our father, we can breathe again,” the statement read.

“Thank you President Trump, for bringing our father back to us. There are now 79 hostages who are also waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. Our hope rests with you. We also wish to thank the governments of Israel and the United States for bringing this blessed deal to fruition—a deal that prioritizes human life and embodies Jewish and Israeli values.”

“We are grateful to the incredible IDF soldiers and security forces who risk their lives and bodies, and we send our condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their most precious loved ones for the sake of us all,” the statement continued. “You will forever be in our hearts. Only together can we bring everyone home!”

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