President Donald Trump's administration is continuing its radical effort to cut much of the federal government and crackdown on immigration -- and is being met with dozens of legal challenges.
On the foreign policy front, Trump's press secretary said the White House believes it can reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine this week even as Trump attacks Ukraine's president and blames it for starting the war, which even some in his own party are calling him out over.
Meanwhile, heads of federal government agencies were telling employees not to reply to an email from Elon Musk, Trump's ally who he picked to cut government waste, which asked for them to list their accomplishments for the week or face termination.
President Trump has weighed in with his opposition regarding the Senate budget resolution.
In a new social media post, the president endorses the House resolution because he believes it implements his America First agenda.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to journalists at the Capitol, in Washington, Feb. 18, 2025.
Will Oliver/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
"We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to 'kickstart' the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL,'" Trump wrote.
-- ABC News' Kelsey Walsh
Feb 19, 2025, 7:00 AM EST
3 migrants that beat Trump admin in court deported the next day
The future looked bright for Luis Eduardo Perez Parra, Leonel Rivas Gonzalez and Abrahan Josue Barrios last week.
After being held in immigration custody for over a year and facing the possibility of transfer to Guantanamo Bay, the three men asked a federal court to intervene, warning they might have "disappeared into the legal black hole" of Guantanamo.
A Guatemalan migrant is greeted by a family member outside La Aurora Air Base upon arrival on a deportation flight from the United States, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Cristina Chiquin
Cristina Chiquin/REUTERS
Last Sunday, a federal judge in New Mexico handed down a surprise ruling blocking President Donald Trump's administration from sending the men to Guantanamo -- the first successful legal challenge to the policy since it was enacted last month.
But their victory was short-lived.
The very next day, the men were placed on the first deportation flight back to Venezuela in over a year, according to their lawyer Jessica Vosburgh.
"It's hard to imagine that it didn't have something to do with them filing a habeas piece and then stepping forward to challenge these threatened Guantanamo transfers," Vosburgh told ABC News.
"The court's order only applied to transfers to Guantanamo, this is just a slap in the face to get deported the next day."
-ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Armando Garcia
Feb 19, 2025, 6:54 AM EST
Families of migrants sent to Guantanamo speak out
Early this month, as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, the first flight carrying "high threat" migrants landed at Guantanamo Bay, home of the notorious U.S. prison camp that administration officials said would house the most violent "worst of the worst" migrants apprehended on American soil.
The Naval Base of Guantanamo in Cuba, Sept. 11, 2002.
Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images
ABC News, however, has spoken with the families of two migrants who say they're being held there despite having no criminal record.
"He told us he was being targeted because of his tattoos ... he was accused of being part of [the Venezuelan gang] Tren de Aragua, but that is not true," said Barbara Simancas, the sister of Jose Rodriguez Simancas who is reportedly one of the migrants in Guantanamo. "His tattoos have nothing to do with that ... they are of his children's names."
ABC News also spoke with Jhoan Lee Bastidas, the father of Jhoan Lee Bastidas Paz, who is being held at Guantanamo Bay. He was charged with "improper entry" into the U.S. in November 2023 and pleaded guilty. Court records also indicate he has "no criminal history" besides that charge.
Lee Bastidas told ABC News he found out about his son's detention when his other son saw a photo on social media of Bastidas Paz on a military flight to Guantanamo.
"We're thinking the worst things because on social media, they say Guantanamo is the worst ... that it's where they house the terrorists," Lee Bastidas said. "I am tormented."
-ABC News' Laura Romero and James Hill
Feb 18, 2025, 9:49 PM EST
Musk shares insight into DOGE employees' federal salaries
During President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s first joint interview since the election, Fox News host Sean Hannity asked if DOGE employees were getting paid for their work.
"Nobody at DOGE gets paid a penny, right?" Hannity asked.
"Some people actually are federal employees," Musk responded.
"It's fair to say the software engineers at DOGE could be earning millions of dollars a year, instead of earning a small fraction of that as federal employees," he added.
