What's happening today
- President Donald Trump said he plans to impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico tomorrow. Goods from China would be subjected to a 10% tariff, compared with 25% for Mexico and Canada.
- The Trump administration forced out multiple senior FBI officials as part of the president's purge of bureau leadership.
- Some federal websites temporarily went down this afternoon after an order by the administration to remove references to "gender ideology" by 5 p.m. ET.
- Separately, the Defense Intelligence Agency paused activities related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month and other such observances as part of Trump's efforts to scrap federal DEI programs.
Trump’s stepped-up immigration arrests escalate need for more detention space
As arrests of immigrants increase, the administration is scrambling to make sure it has the room to house its detainees and keep Trump’s promise to deport them.
Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, told NBC News that Immigration and Customs Enforcement needs 100,000 beds total, more than double what it has currently. Trump alluded to the need for more room when he ordered the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday to prepare 30,000 beds at Guantánamo Bay for who he said would be detainees posing the greatest threat to Americans’ safety.
An immigration detention room is used to hold people until they are deported, and it “is really kind of a backbone of the mass deportation plan,” said Jesse Franzblau, a senior policy analyst with the National Immigrant Justice Center.
Trump signs Black History Month proclamation as agencies ban events recognizing it
Trump signed a proclamation today recognizing February 2025 as Black History Month, calling it “an occasion to celebrate the contributions of so many black American patriots who have indelibly shaped our Nation’s history.”
In the order, Trump said: “I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.”
Earlier today, several federal agencies banned activities and events celebrating Black History Month to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.
A Defense Intelligence Agency memo obtained by NBC News ordered a pause on events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day and other “special observances.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued written guidance saying no official work time or work spaces should be used for DEI-related activities, a separate memo obtained by NBC News said.
Democratic lawmakers condemn Trump's FBI purge
Democrats are condemning Trump’s purge of FBI agents and officials.
"By working to fire hundreds of dedicated career law enforcement agents and undermine the principled, patriotic public servants of the FBI, far-right extremists are once again proving that they are the party of lawlessness and disorder," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement tonight.
Rep. Jim Hines, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the president's move would “undermine” the country's ability to protect itself from national security and criminal threats, and “undermine the independence of our justice system.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., another member of the Intelligence Committee, called Trump's actions a “repulsive affront to the rule of law and our nation’s law enforcement officers.”
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called it a “brazen assault on the rule of law.”
“Unelected Trump lackeys are carrying out widespread political retribution against our nation’s career law enforcement officials. President Trump would rather have the FBI and DOJ full of blind admirers and loyalists than experienced law enforcement officers,” Durbin added in his statement.
Some federal websites temporarily go dark after order to comply with Trump DEI directive
Some government webpages briefly went dark today after federal agencies were told to comply with a White House order on removing certain language pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Pages for the Federal Aviation Administration, the Census Bureau and the Justice Department were among those that went blank. The FAA and Justice Department later came back online.
Trump signed an executive order this week that stated only the genders male and female are to be recognized by the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) distributed a memo, obtained by NBC News, ordering that all federal government references to “gender ideology” be removed by 5 p.m. today.
Second judge blocks Trump’s federal aid funding freeze
A federal judge today sided with a coalition of 22 states and temporarily blocked a federal aid funding freeze directed by the Trump administration — the second such order this week.
U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell, in Rhode Island, said in his ruling that the wide-ranging directive in the Office of Management and Budget memo that caused chaos and confusion this week in Washington and across the country appeared to violate the law.
“The Executive’s action unilaterally suspends the payment of federal funds to the States and others simply by choosing to do so,” the judge wrote.
Trump administration forces out multiple senior FBI officials
Trump administration officials have forced out all six of the FBI’s most senior executives and multiple heads of various FBI field offices across the country, current and former FBI officials told NBC News.
They included the high-profile leader of the Washington, D.C., field office, which was involved in the prosecutions of Trump.
It was not immediately clear why the officials had been ousted. The FBI declined to comment.
Asked by a reporter about the removals this afternoon, Trump said he was not aware of them.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to visit border tomorrow
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border tomorrow, according to a DHS news release.
It will be her first trip to the border as head of Homeland Security.
The former South Dakota governor will visit Del Rio, Texas, until Sunday, where she will meet with Customs and Border Protection workforce, review operations and tour the border, DHS said.
Republican senators introduce bill to restrict birthright citizenship
Three Republican senators introduced legislation that would restrict birthright citizenship by specifying who would be eligible for citizenship if they're born in the U.S.
The measure — introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and co-sponsored by Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas — would limit citizenship to children born to at least one parent who is either a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident or an immigrant performing active service in the armed forces. The provisions would apply only to children born after the date of the bill's enactment.
Its introduction comes after Trump’s executive order targeting birthright citizenship, which has prompted a series of lawsuits from state attorneys general and immigrant rights groups. A federal judge in Seattle last week issued a temporary injunction of Trump's order, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."
The 14th Amendment has long been interpreted as granting automatic citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil except the children of foreign diplomats.
Trump says DEI initiatives would have 'ruined our country'
Trump said diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, if he didn't roll them back, posed a threat to the country.
"DEI would have ruined our country, and now it’s dead," he said.
He also added that removing DEI initiatives from federal websites "doesn't sound like a bad idea."
Trump: Tariffs are not 'a negotiation tool'
Speaking to reporters today in the Oval Office, Trump said the tariffs he's set to impose tomorrow on China, Mexico and Canada are not a negotiating tactic.
He also said there's nothing those countries could do to avoid the tariffs taking effect. "No, we’re not looking for a concession. We’ll just see what happens," he said.
"In one case," Trump said, seemingly referring to China, "they’re sending massive amounts of fentanyl, killing hundreds of thousands of people a year with the fentanyl."
"And in the other two cases," he said, seemingly referring to Canada and Mexico, "they’re making it possible for this poison to get in."