USA

While announcing his country’s “reciprocal tariffs” on those who tariff the United States, Donald Trump recalled his brief remark to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding trade ties with India, when the two leaders met in Washington recently.

“You’ve not been treating us right,” he recalled as saying to PM Modi, when he spoke about India’s high import duties. The US has now decided to reciprocate India’s “52 per cent” tariffs by charging Indian goods half of that – 26 per cent, when they are imported to the United States.

Describing tariffs by New Delhi as “very very tough”, President Trump said, “Their Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) just left (US recently)…he is a great friend of mine, but I said to him that ‘you’re a friend of mine, but you’ve not been treating us right’. India charges us 52 per cent, so we will charge them half of that – 26 per cent.”

‘PM Modi Is My Friend But…’: What Trump Said While Announcing India Tariff pic.twitter.com/1DTtajbU8L

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 2, 2025

He however, did not specify how these will be levied, or which industries would be impacted how much. The White House later said that country-specific tariffs will be over and above a “baseline tariff” of 10 per cent that the US has decided to charge on all goods that are imported into the United States.

“Due to a national emergency which has stemmed from security concerns due to persistent trade deficits, the US is imposing a baseline 10 per cent tariff that would start at 12:01am local time (9:30 am IST) on April 5, while the higher country-specific tariffs would begin from 12:01 am local time (9:30 am IST) on April 9,” the White House said.

Calling himself “kind”, President Trump said, “America will charge other countries only half of what they charge us”. This, he said, is “fair”.

Making his reciprocal tariff announcement from the White House Rose Garden as attendees cheered him, President Trump said, “For far too long, other countries have looted and plundered us, while taking advantage of our policies. But no longer. April 2nd will forever be known as Liberation Day – when America reclaimed its industries. We will now impose reciprocal tariffs on countries that tariff us – Reciprocal means we do to them, what they do to us, as simple as that.”

“By doing this we will reclaim our jobs, we will reclaim our industry, we will reclaim our small and medium scale businesses…and we will make America wealthy again. Jobs will come roaring into America now,” he added.

Some of the country-specific “discounted reciprocal tariffs” include – China (34 per cent), European Union (20 per cent), Vietnam (46 per cent), Taiwan (32 per cent), Japan (24 per cent), India (26 per cent), United Kingdom (10 per cent), Bangladesh (37 per cent), Pakistan (29 per cent), Sri Lanka (44 per cent), Israel (17 per cent).
 

Britain’s finance minister said on Wednesday the UK would not “rush into action” over impending US tariffs, as the government hopes to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with Washington.

The UK government is working to secure a new economic deal with the United States which could ultimately help it avoid — or at least mitigate — a fresh raft of tariffs soon to be announced by President Donald Trump.

“The prize on offer is a good economic agreement between us and the United States, we won’t do anything to put that in jeopardy,” finance minister Rachel Reeves told a parliamentary committee.

Reeves added that discussions were ongoing with other countries and the European Union over an “appropriate response,” noting that she had spoken with EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.

She said the government wanted to avoid a tariff response that could amount to “posturing,” preferring instead to take a “clear headed” approach as it seeks to shore up the UK’s struggling economy.

As it stands, the United States is the UK’s single largest country trading partner.

Britain’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, has estimated that US levies of up to 20 percent would reduce the UK’s GDP by 0.6 percent in the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

UK media has reported that London may scrap a tax on tech giants to avert US tariffs under Trump and clear a pathway to a trade deal.

The digital tax is currently worth about £800 million ($1 billion) annually to the UK Treasury.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

US President Donald Trump will unleash his sweeping global tariffs today amid fears that equity markets could go on a whirlwind and force countries to take emergency measures. It will most likely result in an all-out trade war. Gripped by a stark frenzy, the world could see an economic meltdown due to Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, suggesting that this could essentially be the third world war that many anticipated would arise from the conflicts in the Middle East or Europe.

Trump has billed it as “Liberation Day” that will stop the US industries from being “ripped off” by the trading nations. He has appeared to expand his tariff plans to “all countries” but kept the world guessing about the details.

His repeated remarks on India being one of the “highest tariffing nations” suggest New Delhi must brace for heavy impact as the mega trade plan rolls out this evening.

How India May Be Hit

New tariffs could significantly impact Indian exports, think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has warned. A uniform tariff could leave India facing an additional tax of 4.9% compared to the current 2.8%, impacting sectors like agriculture, electronics, and pharmaceuticals, according to the GTRI’s “Reciprocal Tariffs and India” report.

“If the US imposes a single tariff on all products from India, it would be an additional 4.9%. Currently, US goods face a weighted average tariff of 7.7% in India, while Indian exports to the US face only 2.8%, leading to a 4.9% difference,” the report explained.

However, if the US implements separate tariffs, the impact will be sector-wise.

Trump’s tariffs would pose the biggest risk to the agriculture sector – tariffs on shrimp, dairy, and processed food could go up to 28.2%, and pharma and jewellery industries by over 10%. The electronics industry could face up to 7.2%, the report said.

Sectors like petroleum, minerals, and garments may be the least impacted.

The report also highlighted that India’s tariffs remain consistent with the World Trade Organisation that allowed the developing nations to retain higher tariffs in exchange for trade regulations that favoured wealthy countries.

While India’s next move is not yet known, GTRI has listed the steps that a country facing high tariffs could resort to – an advance tariff order that adopts a “zero-for-zero” strategy and subsides any hard impact, retaliatory measures like China’s, address the trade date mismatches, or correct exaggerated claims of inflated tariffs.

Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s excellent camaraderie – which often featured in the two leader’s remarks about each other – is expected to play a big role in warding off any heavy damage – unlike in the Chinese case where mutual animosity has worsened any chance of resolution.

The Silver Lining?

Clouds come with a silver lining, and so do Trump’s tariffs. Experts remain optimistic that additional duties on US imports from countries like Canada would make them less competitive, creating opportunities for Indian exports.

According to GTRI founder Ajay Founder, the US tariffs threatened to turn Canadian products more competitive allowing Indian companies to source such products from Canada at lower costs. This came with two benefits: strengthened trade ties and a cut in dependence on other suppliers.

When Trump imposed additional tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico after his takeover, exporters had talked of similar opportunities for Indian sellers. Federal of Indian Export Organisations director general Ajay Sahai had listed sectors like electrical machinery, auto component, pharma, and chemical that were likely to gain from such import duties. But he said the extent of the benefit would depend on India’s production capacity.

A French appeals court said Tuesday it would examine Marine Le Pen’s case within a timeframe that could potentially allow the far-right leader to contest the 2027 presidential election if her conviction is overturned.

In a court ruling many commentators called a political earthquake, Le Pen on Monday was given a prison term and fine after being convicted of a fake jobs scheme at the EU parliament.

But the most serious part of the conviction was a five-year ban — effective immediately — on standing for office, which eliminates her from the race.

Addressing her lawmakers Tuesday, Le Pen, who considered herself the favourite in the 2027 election in which President Emmanuel Macron cannot stand again, accused “the system” of rolling out “the nuclear bomb” to end her presidential hopes.

“If they use such a powerful weapon against us, it’s obviously because we’re about to win an election,” said Le Pen, 56. “We won’t let this happen.”

The Paris Court of Appeal said later Tuesday that it would examine Le Pen’s case “within a timeframe that should allow a decision to be reached in the summer of 2026”.

This could mean that the new trial would be held by early 2026 at the latest, and that the decision would therefore be handed down well before the 2027 presidential election, in which Le Pen wants to run for the fourth time.

In a statement signed by the chief justice, Jacques Boulard, and the attorney general, Marie-Suzanne Le Queau, the court said it had received three appeals against the rulings handed down on Monday.

The announcement was made after Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, speaking during a tense parliament session, expressed hope that Le Pen’s appeal would be heard within the “most reasonable timeframe”.

“I personally hope that if Mrs Le Pen lodges an appeal, this new judgement at the Paris Court of Appeal can take place within the most reasonable timeframe,” Darmanin told parliament.

Analysts said the court decision could deepen France’s political crisis and cast a shadow on the upcoming 2027 polls.

Le Pen’s National Rally (RN), which is the largest single party in parliament, can complicate life for Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who does not have a majority in the lower house National Assembly.

If Le Pen loses her appeal, there is also a “plan B”, a candidacy by her protege and RN party leader Jordan Bardella, a 29-year-old with a slick television and social media presence.

‘No one is untouchable’ 

The atmosphere in parliament was particularly tense.

Le Pen, who remains an MP and head of her party’s parliamentary faction, attended the session and was seen laughing and chatting with her colleagues.

“I don’t want to let it be said here that our democracy is being undermined by the judiciary,” said Bayrou. “That’s not true”.

Le Pen’s conviction sparked angry reactions from far-right figures across Europe but also from the Kremlin, X owner Elon Musk and Trump, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed concern.

“She was banned from running for five years and she is the leading candidate. That sounds like this country,” said US President Donald Trump, comparing her conviction to the “lawfare” he says was waged against him before becoming president.

“No one is untouchable: she made a mistake, she must pay for it,” Nathanael Fichou, a waiter, said in the southern port of Marseille.

Nicole Prolhac, 78, said she was “annoyed” because Le Pen represented millions of French voters.

“But can we let someone who has committed embezzlement lead the country?”

‘I am counting on you’ 

The National Rally party said it would organise a rally in Le Pen’s support in Paris on Sunday.

“I’m counting on you!” she said on X.

Speaking to Europe 1 radio, Bardella said that Le Pen had been judged with “brutality and violence” and that her only mistake was to “have the capacity to take the national camp to victory”.

“Everything will be done to prevent us from coming to power,” he said.

He added that the situation could boost the fortunes of the RN.

“I tell the French do not lose hope.”

‘Not a political decision’ 

France’s prosecutor general Remy Heitz said the verdict was “not a political decision but a legal one”.

Le Pen took over the former National Front (FN) from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2011 and has since sought to clean up its image. Her father, who died in January, was often accused of making racist and anti-Semitic comments.

After three unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 2012, 2017 and 2022, polls had shown Le Pen to be on course to easily top the first round with a chance of winning the presidency in the second round run-off.

She was given a four-year prison term by the Paris court. Two years were suspended and the other two would be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet.

Le Pen was convicted for a scheme where the party was found to have eased the pressure on its own finances by using European Parliament monthly allowances to pay “fictitious” parliamentary assistants, who actually worked for the party.

Twenty-four people — including Le Pen — were convicted, all of them RN party officials or assistants.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A Florida influencer has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with her pet Chihuahua. Logan Guminski, a self-proclaimed ‘dog mom,’ recorded the act and posted it to her Instagram account. Major Crimes Detective Jordyn Batts made the arrest after the 27-year-old allegedly involved her pet dog in a sexual activity and filmed it, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

The influencer was placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail. She is facing two felony charges — one for having sex with an animal and the other for filming a sexual encounter with it. Guminski was released on a $10,000 bond on March 22 and is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing on April 22, according to court documents.

In January, police got an anonymous tip that Guminski had “posted a video to Instagram depicting sexual activity with a dog.” During the investigation, Ms Batts found several photos and videos of Guminski with the abused animal.

On March 21, Ms Batts and Detective Annemarie Larocque allegedly spoke with Guminski, who reportedly said that she was a ‘content creator’ who created sexually explicit images and videos to sell online. Authorities said she acknowledged “making and sharing the video with another social media user, who paid $500 (approx Rs 43,000) for it.”

Guminski also claimed she had engaged in sexual behaviour with another dog and that she still had the recordings of both incidents on her phone.

Numerous pictures of Ms Guminski lovingly caressing and cuddling her dogs can be found on her still-active Instagram account. A few days before her arrest, Guminski, on March 19, shared a video on her account introducing a new dog to her followers.

ChatGPT’s image generation feature is now available to free users, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said. The decision came after days of an unprecedented response to the new feature, generating AI images, particularly the iconic Studio Ghibli-inspired art, on social media.

Until now, the AI image generation feature was available only to paid subscribers under the ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team plans. Free users were restricted to generating a maximum of three images per day. Following the feature’s massive popularity among premium users, OpenAI has extended it to all free-tier accounts.

Sam Altman wrote on X, “ChatGPT image gen now rolled out to all free users.”

chatgpt image gen now rolled out to all free users!

— Sam Altman (@sama) April 1, 2025

Before the announcement, he said he wanted “everyone to use it.” “We will not do anything silly like saying that you can’t use our open model if your service has more than 700 million monthly active users. We want everyone to use it,” he wrote on X.

we will not do anything silly like saying that you cant use our open model if your service has more than 700 million monthly active users.

we want everyone to use it!

— Sam Altman (@sama) March 31, 2025

The rollout began on March 26, and as of April 1, all ChatGPT users – regardless of subscription – can now access the tool. The feature is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o model.

Mr Altman said the rollout of image generation to free-tier users triggered an explosive surge in new accounts. He said, “The ChatGPT launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments I’d ever seen, and we added one million users in five days. We added one million users in the last hour.”

the chatgpt launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments i’d ever seen, and we added one million users in five days.

we added one million users in the last hour.

— Sam Altman (@sama) March 31, 2025

Earlier, Mr Altman, in response to the mounting pressure on OpenAI’s infrastructure, appealed to users, saying, “Can y’all please chill on generating images? This is insane, our team needs sleep.”

To manage the situation, OpenAI introduced temporary rate limits on image generation. Mr Altman explained the issue in another post saying the number of requests had put immense strain on the company GPUs (graphics processing units) and were “melting.”

How To Use Image Regeneration In ChatGPT

1. Generate an initial image using a text prompt.
2. Modify the prompt (like, “Make the sky red instead of blue”).
3. Hit the “regenerate” option to get an updated version of the image.
4. Compare and refine – repeat the process until the desired result is achieved.

Turkey has been witnessing widespread protests, on a scale not seen in more than a decade, following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on charges of corruption. Authorities have detained more than 1,500 people, including many journalists covering the protests; a BBC reporter has even been deported from the country. A massive protest on Saturday called by the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) saw hundreds of thousands of protesters taking to the streets to press for early elections, three years before the expected schedule in 2028. 

President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the rallies, labelling them as “street terror”. “Those who spread terror in the streets and want to set fire to this country have nowhere to go. The path they have taken is a dead end,” he said. 

The Crash After A High

The uprising has been a dampener, coming just when Erdogan was riding on the glory of stellar foreign policy achievements. He had just secured a huge diplomatic victory in Syria, a vindication of its decade-old position on the country’s civil war. With the ouster of Bashar Al Assad, Turkiye’s protégé, Mohammed Al Sharaa has been ensconced in Damascus. In the Ukraine conflict too, Turkey has deftly balanced its relations with both Russia and Ukraine, benefiting from both. And, in the South Caucasus, it has gained a firm foothold by helping Azerbaijan achieve a resounding victory over arch-rival Armenia in the Karabakh war. It has played a successful role in the Somali civil war and is playing a defining role in Libya as well. South and Southeast Asia have also seen a widening Turkish footprint under Erdogan. Just last month, he concluded a successful three-nation tour in the region, where he signed lucrative trade deals with Pakistan and Malaysia, as well as a landmark defence deal with Indonesia for joint drone production. And now, with US President Donald Trump threatening the Euro-Atlantic Alliance, Turkey sees itself filling the gap with its large standing army. Along with this, its soft power through literature, Sufi culture, tele-serials, and Erdogan’s Islamist orientation has earned the country praise across the world.

Will The Strongman Bow?

Erdogan, who has won five parliamentary and two Presidential elections, is a shrewd politician who has perfected the art of survival and that of turning any adversity into an opportunity for himself and his AK (Justice and Development) Party, or ‘AKP’. This time, however, he may find that it is often easier to gain success abroad than at home. Though he has been in power in Turkey for more than 25 years, his hold on the country of late has become increasingly autocratic and simultaneously tenuous. True, Erdogan and his party had won the 2023 general elections, but it was with a much slimmer margin. The elections themselves were contentious, with his coalition failing to secure the 50% mark. His presidency had to be decided by run-off elections, ultimately, with his victory marred by widespread allegations that fair and free campaigning had been prevented.

While positioning Turkey as the rightful heir and inheritor of the Caliphate legacy, President Erdogan took Turkey on a path quite different from that envisaged by the republic’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Erdogan’s administration lifted rules banning women from wearing headscarves in state-run institutions, with the exception of the judiciary, military and police, ending a decades-old restriction. He also tried to (unsuccessfully) criminalise adultery, and introduce alcohol-free zones, discouraged family planning, and advocated for larger families. Educational reforms were initiated, which banned Darwin’s Theory of Evolution from the curricula, while incorporating Islamic teachings. In 2020, the Hagia Sophia cathedral in Istanbul was turned into a mosque.

A Lesson To Learn

But none of this—not even the soaring Turkish arms exports under Erdogan’s watch—translated into economic prosperity for the country. The economy remains sluggish, with inflation standing at 44.38% in December 2024, a weakening lira, and soaring prices. The media has been censored, and hundreds of dissidents incarcerated.

The continued high-handedness of the administration has only served to fuel support for the opposition, whose manifesto has promised to put Turkey back on the path of secularism, make it a parliamentary democracy, do away with the presidential system, mend ties with NATO, prioritise relations with the West, fix the economy, and ensure press freedom and independence of the judiciary.

In local elections held in March last year, the CHP had emerged as the leading party for the first time in 47 years, winning 35 out of 81 provinces. The results sent shockwaves across Erdogan’s AKP party. Moreover, Imamoglu, deemed as Erdogan’s most powerful rival, is a more popular leader than the presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, fielded in 2023. Right after his arrest and amid the massive protests, his university degree was revoked, effectively barring him from contesting elections in the future (in Turkey, presidential candidates are required to possess a university degree to run for office).

Whether the ongoing protests in Turkey will be successful in forcing early elections remains to be seen. But Imamoglu’s arrest, which has come just days before the presidential primaries, may prove to be counterproductive. Here’s something that Erdogan must bear in mind: the downfall of his arch-rival, Bashar Al Assad of Syria, began with his administration’s high-handed response to legitimate protests. A lesson to learn, perhaps. 

(The author is a journalist and political analyst)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

US President Donald Trump, on Sunday (local time), addressed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s intentions regarding the rare earth deal with the US and his aspirations for NATO membership.

Trump warned that Zelenskyy could face “big problems” if he attempts to back out of the agreement, suggesting that Zelenskyy’s push to renegotiate the deal is tied to Ukraine’s NATO ambitions, which Trump dismissed outright.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “I think he wants to make a deal. And I think Zelenskyy, by the way, I see he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal. And if he does that, he’s got some problems. Big, big problems.”

“We made a deal on rare earth, and now he’s saying, well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal. He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that,” Trump elaborated.

“So if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems,” he added, emphasising the potential consequences of altering the existing agreement.

According to CNN, the Rare Earth Deal is an agreement between the two nations where the US will be tapping into the rare mineral resources of Ukraine in exchange for USD 350 billion, military equipment and ‘the right to fight on”.

When asked if his relationship with Russian Vladimir Putin was at its lowest point amid the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said that he doesn’t think so and that they have always “got along well”.

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. You’re talking about Putin. I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well, despite the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Trump issued a stern warning to the Russian President giving him two options: to either cooperate on ending the Ukraine war or face additional tariffs on Russian oil, CNN reported.

During a telephone interview with NBC news, Trump stated he’s “pissed off” with Putin’s actions and may impose additional tariffs on Russian oil if Putin doesn’t cooperate in ongoing negotiations to end his war in Ukraine.

“I was very angry – pissed off – when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location, you understand?” Trump said in the interview with “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker.

“But new leadership means you’re not going to have a deal for a long time, right?” Trump said.

Trump further warned that a failure to reach a deal could result in significant consequences, including secondary tariffs on Russian oil, as per CNN.

Rescuers freed a woman from the ruins of a hotel in Myanmar, officials said on Monday, a glimmer of hope three days after a massive earthquake that killed around 2,000 as searchers in Myanmar and Thailand raced against time to find more survivors.

The woman was pulled from the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel in the city of Mandalay, according to a Chinese government post on Facebook.

Mandalay is near the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday that wreaked mass devastation in Myanmar and damage in neighbouring Thailand.

In Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, emergency crews on Monday resumed a desperate search for 76 people believed buried under the rubble of an under-construction skyscraper that collapsed.

After nearly three days, fears were growing that the rescuers would find more dead bodies, which could sharply raise Thailand’s death toll that stood at 18 on Sunday.

In Myanmar, state media said at least 1,700 people have been confirmed dead. The Wall Street Journal reported the death toll had reached 2,028 in Myanmar. Reuters could not immediately confirm the new death toll.

A rescue team carried a woman out of the rubble of the Great Wall Hotel in Mandalay nearly 60 hours after the quake hit, the Chinese embassy in Myanmar said in a Facebook post, adding she was reported to be in a stable condition.The United Nations said it was rushing relief supplies to estimated 23,000 quake-hit survivors in central Myanmar.

“Our teams in Mandalay are joining efforts to scale up the humanitarian response despite going through the trauma themselves,” said Noriko Takagi, the U.N. refugee agency’s representative in Myanmar. “Time is of the essence as Myanmar needs global solidarity and support through this immense devastation.”

India, China and Thailand are among Myanmar’s neighbours that have sent relief materials and teams, along with aid and personnel from Malaysia, Singapore and Russia.

The United States pledged $2 million in aid “through Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organizations”. It said in a statement that an emergency response team from USAID, which is undergoing massive cuts under the Trump administration, is deploying to Myanmar.

The quake devastation has piled more misery on Myanmar, already in chaos from a civil war that grew out of a nationwide uprising after a 2021 military coup ousted the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

One rebel group said the military was still conducting airstrikes on villages in the aftermath of the quake, and Singapore’s foreign minister called for an immediate ceasefire to help relief efforts.Critical infrastructure – including bridges, highways, airports and railways – across the country of 55 million lie damaged, slowing humanitarian efforts while the conflict that has battered the economy, displaced over 3.5 million people and debilitated the health system rages on.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A massive crowd marched through downtown Dallas today, protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and demanding the release of students who have been detained by immigration officials across the country, as reported by CNN.

The sea of demonstrators, stretching several blocks, carried American flags as a symbol of unity and patriotism.

The march began at a cathedral and ended at City Hall, where protesters gathered in front of a stage to make their voices heard. Daniel Beltran, a 60-year-old marcher, emphasised the importance of catching the authorities’ attention “in a good way” to show that they’re “good people” seeking a better life.

“We need to catch the attention of the authorities in a good way because we’re good people,” Beltran said, adding, “Most of us, we come here because we want a better life.”

According to CNN, many protesters carried signs specifically referencing Mahmoud Khalil, Khan Suri and Rumeysa Ozturk, all foreign national students at prestigious US universities arrested for what the Trump administration claims were activities related to terrorist organizations.

After reaching city hall, the crowd recited the pledge of allegiance, and a mariachi performer led the group in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Hector Flores, a past national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, addressed the crowd, saying, “Latinos are the backbone of this great state.”

He highlighted the significant contributions of Latinos to various fields, including architecture, art, cuisine, healthcare, education, and science.

“We build the buildings. We paint the murals. We cook the meals from every culture and every corner of this country. We are the architects, the artisans, the chefs, the caregivers, the teachers, the scientists,” Flores said.

Meanwhile, during his campaign for Trump’s second term, he outlined an assertive plan for his second term, pledging sweeping policy changes and controversial actions on immigration, criminal justice, and executive leadership.

Further emphasising his ambitions to reshape immigration policy, Trump pledged to eliminate birthright citizenship, a constitutional guarantee under the 14th Amendment that grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

While legal scholars have largely dismissed this as unconstitutional, Trump said, “We’re going to have to get it changed,” leaving open the possibility of pursuing executive actions or constitutional amendments. “We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it,” he added. He inaccurately claimed, “We’re the only country that has it,” despite 34 other nations also offering unrestricted birthright citizenship, reported the New York Times.