Border

Republicans deploy measure known as budget reconciliation to push through plan without backing from Democrats during lengthy late-night voteHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The Senate voted to adopt a $70bn budget plan to fund ICE and Border Patrol as part of a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America’s borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies.Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans should be working with Democrats to lower out-of-pocket costs.The Pentagon announced, without explanation, that “Secretary of the Navy John C Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately”. The head of the US navy, which is now enforcing a wartime blockade of Iranian ports, was replaced by a former Maga political candidate, Hung Cao, now acting secretary of the navy.The surprise announcement brought renewed attention to Cao’s 2023 comments that that “witchcraft” had “taken over” Monterey, California.Virginia’s attorney general, Jay Jones, promised to appeal an injunction issued by a circuit court judge that temporarily blocks the state from certifying the results of the Tuesday’s redistricting referendum.As jet fuel prices spike amid the ongoing energy crisis sparked by Donald Trump’s war on Iran, two Republican senators, Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, denounced a proposed US government bailout of budget carrier Spirit Airlines.Representative David Scott, a Democrat from Georgia, has died at the age of 80. He is the fifth member of Congress to die in office within the last year. Continue reading...

• Military delegations from Pakistan and India held their first formal border security talks in 18 months in Islamabad, marking a significant thaw in bilateral tensions following last year's cross-border skirmishes. • Both nations agreed to reinstate a communication hotline between military commanders and establish a joint investigation committee for monitoring ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. • The US quietly supported the initiative through backdoor diplomacy, viewing improved India-Pakistan relations as essential for regional stability and counterterrorism cooperation in Afghanistan.

Budget airline says change will take effect from November and will give passengers more time to clear securityRyanair will close airport check-in desks 20 minutes earlier to avoid passengers missing flights, it has announced, amid concern over border queues in Europe.The budget airline, which carries 200 million passengers annually, will require all passengers dropping bags or checking in at the airport to do so one hour before take-off rather than the current 40-minute deadline. Continue reading...

The rural Texas region, long spared, is being fast-tracked for the border wall amid bipartisan oppositionTractors suddenly appeared at the entrance to Chispa Road near the US-Mexico border in rural Big Bend, Texas, in late March. Contractors informed Yolanda Alvarado, a cattle rancher, that they were starting work to upgrade the rough county dirt road there into a “highway” – the first step needed for semi trucks to haul the 30-foot steel pillars used to build Donald Trump’s border barrier.“That fence line, that’s where the wall is going to be,” said Alvarado, hopping out of the front seat of her flatbed truck at the gate to the family property located directly along the path of the proposed wall. Continue reading...

• Artillery and small arms fire erupted along the Line of Control in Kashmir on April 17-18, marking the first significant border clash in eight months and resulting in at least 12 reported casualties on both sides. • Pakistan accused Indian forces of violating a 2003 ceasefire agreement with unprovoked shelling near the Siachen Glacier region; India's military claimed Pakistan-based militants initiated the exchange. • Both nations mobilized additional military units to their shared border; analysts warn the escalation could undermine fragile diplomatic channels reopened in late 2025.

• The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against cartel-linked casinos and key associates operating on the U.S.-Mexico border on April 14, 2026. • The action represents a continued enforcement effort targeting financial networks connected to organized crime along the southwestern border. • The sanctions highlight the Treasury's commitment to disrupting illicit financial flows and money laundering operations tied to criminal organizations.