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Join Tony Perkins on this episode of Washington Watch as he delves into the rising tensions over the Department of Homeland Security’s budget and the fate of ICE enforcement in Minnesota. Discover how Senate Democrats aim to challenge the current funding bill and what this means for President Trump’s immigration policies.
SPEAKER 07 :
From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
SPEAKER 20 :
In the wake of ICE’s abuses and the administration’s recklessness, the Senate must not pass the DHS budget as currently written and must be reworked to rein in and overhaul ICE to ensure the public’s safety.
SPEAKER 12 :
That was Senate Minority Leader New York Senator Chuck Schumer earlier today. Welcome to this January 27th edition of Washington Watch. I’m your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks so much for joining us. Well, coming up, the threat of a government shutdown is growing as Senate Democrats move to block a funding bill over ICE enforcement in Minnesota. House Freedom Caucus conservatives are drawing a hard line demanding full funding for DHS and border security. The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Congressman Andy Harris, will join us shortly. Also, the Trump administration has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization. And Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson will join us to explain why this was the right call. Well, as it’s been reported, some ICE agents could soon be leaving Minneapolis. This comes as President Trump’s border czar, Tom Holman, just met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Holman has taken over the president’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Joining me now is Washington Stand reporter Casey Harper, who’s been following today’s top stories. Casey, can you walk us through what is happening there in Minnesota?
SPEAKER 08 :
Sure, Tony. Thanks. So what we’re seeing is Tom Homan playing a role he’s not necessarily known for, which is being the steady, gentle hand to rein in really the chaos that we’re seeing in Minneapolis. Of course, Tom Homan has been the go to ICE official for President Trump, often doing really architecting the strategy and doing the media appearances to sell the vision. for these deportations to the American people. And many think he’s done a pretty good job of doing that. But as you mentioned, things in Minneapolis have gotten out of hand. That clip you played from Chuck Schumer is showing just how much pushback the Trump administration is getting. And it’s not just from lifelong Democrats like Chuck Schumer. So in response to that, they’re removing the CBP official George Bovino and replacing him with Tom Holman to see if they can get this chaos under control. Of course, we had the recent killings of both Renee Good and Alex Pretty, both on video, which have further really tragic things that have further inflamed these tensions and made it a top focus for the White House. In fact, here’s what White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt had to say.
SPEAKER 02 :
Americans overwhelmingly want exactly what President Trump is delivering, strong borders and strict immigration enforcement against the worst illegal aliens, of which there are still hundreds of thousands to deport from the interior of our country. The most peaceful way to carry out this vital public safety mission is for Republicans and Democrats to do it together and for state and local law enforcement to work together with federal law enforcement.
SPEAKER 08 :
So Tony, when President Trump took office, he had wide, really a moral mandate to engage in these widespread deportations. But I think what’s going on in Minneapolis, especially these on-camera shootings that I mentioned, are in danger of eroding that support, and the White House is sensing that. Hence, these policy changes we’re seeing in Minneapolis.
SPEAKER 12 :
Very interesting. There were concerns over statements that were being made about the latest shooting involving Freddie that had a gun on him and a concealed carry permit. And that actually has some Second Amendment supporters up in arms.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, that’s right. I mean, as I mentioned, it’s not just Chuck Schumer who’s been pushing back on what’s going on in Minneapolis. It’s some on the right as well, one who are concerned with sort of the aggressive nature of some of the deportations, but even comments that came out of the White House suggesting that these protesters didn’t have a right to be armed while protesting. Now, of course, there’s sort of a common sense of if you’re armed and you’re around federal law enforcement, you know, you can’t. You know, there’s obeying lawful orders and being smart and things like that. But to say that they didn’t have a right to be armed really raised a lot of eyebrows and drew that pushback from Second Amendment supporters and many on the right, which I think further put the White House in crisis mode where they had to make some big changes, which is what we saw today.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. Thanks, Casey. Let’s switch gears now to Iowa, where President Trump will be discussing affordability and the economy as he speaks to U.S. farmers who have been impacted by the tariffs. Now, this comes ahead of the midterm elections. What are we anticipating now as the president is going to start taking to the road as we move toward the midterm elections?
SPEAKER 08 :
And that’s right. White House Chief of Staff Susie Weil said we can expect a speech like this every week for the foreseeable future, which I think you’re exactly right. This is really leading up to the midterms. Republicans, especially the Trump administration, are concerned about losing that majority. We’ve seen that incumbent presidents have struggled to hold on, particularly to their House majority while in office. So it’s going to take. It’s going to take a lot of work if Republicans want to keep that. Now, he’s speaking in Clive, Iowa, and that’s strategic for a couple of reasons. One, the president’s ongoing on and off love-hate relationship with China and their trade deal. Oh, there’s not much love there. But the trade war that’s been on and off there has hit farmers particularly hard. because some of the tariffs have made farming, not just food prices affected, but farming material like repair parts and different things have increased those costs. And we’ve also seen China retaliating on the US in this trade war by refusing to buy American products like soybeans. And of course, China is a huge market And so that’s hit farmers hard. So President Trump is going there to shore up the base. It’s a very red area, of course, but he is, you know, propelled by people like the farmers, like the working class that he is famous for garnering their attention. But this is really as much as there’ll be economic talk tonight, Tony, this is very much so a political speech as we are now somehow back in election season.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it seems like we never get out of it. Casey, thanks so much. Appreciate the update on what’s been happening. All right. What is happening in Minnesota is having a direct impact on what will happen in Washington, D.C. later this week as Congress faces a Friday night deadline to fund the government. Now, as we talked about earlier, Senate Democrats are vowing to defund ICE, putting the country on the brink of a partial government shutdown. Are other options being considered that could keep the vital elements of homeland security functioning? Join me now to discuss this and more. Congressman Dr. Andy Harris, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He represents the 1st Congressional District of Maryland. Dr. Harris, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 16 :
Good to be with you, Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
So the House Freedom Caucus released a letter today to President Trump commending him for the crackdown in Minnesota and calling for full funding of the Department of Homeland Security, saying we should negotiate with Democrats. Is that possible in the Senate with such slim margins?
SPEAKER 16 :
No, look, I think we have to just have the Senate pass the bill as it is. I think if it bounces back between the two houses, it’s in trouble. We could have a government shutdown that lasts a few days, perhaps even a couple of weeks. And it’s totally unnecessary. Look, the bottom line is the president is going to change gears a little bit in Minnesota. And we’ve got to get that funding to FEMA. FEMA, of course, is in the Department of Homeland Security. If we don’t pass that bill, FEMA shuts down. That’s not good with 20 states having emergency declarations right now and more snow heading to the East Coast. So anyway, we hope the Senate does the right thing, passes the bill, comes to an agreement with the White House on some, again, some changes in how they’re doing things, especially in Minnesota. But let’s keep the government open. Let’s get those bills passed out of the Senate.
SPEAKER 12 :
Some discussion, Congressman Harris, of just pulling out the funding for ICE and immigration enforcement, letting the other elements of the Department of Homeland Security go forward. Is that even viable? Is that a viable option?
SPEAKER 16 :
No. Look, ICE has to be – unless you think that the 10 to 12 million people who came in illegally under the Biden administration should be invited to stay forever, you need ICE. The bottom line is you need the detention beds funded. You need the deportation of criminal aliens funded. It’s just a bad idea to strip it out. Again, maybe come to some agreement on, and Mr. Holman is up in Minnesota, I think, figuring out how to come to that agreement. But let’s get the government funded. Department of Homeland Security has many more things in it than ICE. You can’t just strip out one thing. That’s dead on arrival in the House if that happens in the Senate.
SPEAKER 12 :
You’re speaking of the president kind of changing tactics. One of your colleagues, Congressman Jimenez in Florida today, making the comment that he’s concerned that the hardline approach to immigration, you know, cracking down on everybody, as we’ve seen in Minnesota and elsewhere, could endanger the Republicans in the midterm election. Do you do you agree with that?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, look, the Republicans were elected to the majorities with President Trump to close the border and to begin the deportation of, again, of the 10 to 12 million people who crossed the border illegally under the Biden administration. We have to get that done. In all the other jurisdictions around the country where ICE is doing that job, a lot of them have cooperation from local officials, so there are no problems. The problems are When you have a governor and a mayor openly telling people in Minnesota to, again, go against the Constitution, go against the ability of the federal government to enforce immigration law, that’s the deal between the states and the federal government and the founding of our country. When you have a rogue governor and a rogue mayor, that’s the problem in Minnesota.
SPEAKER 12 :
You have calls from both the Democrats and Republicans. Well, you have Democrats calling for the secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, to be fired. You have Republican members calling for investigations, wanting her to come testify before Congress. How do you see that playing out?
SPEAKER 16 :
You know, look, it’s up to the president. She obviously serves at the pleasure of the president. I do think that we should come up with a way to have independent investigations done when these shootings occur. You can’t have it within the same agency. And likewise, you can’t have Minnesota State or Minneapolis doing the investigation because, again, their leaders have prejudiced everything. They basically called this murder So you can’t have them do the investigation either. You have to have some impartial third party do it. We have to come up with some system like that that the American people can put their faith in.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, that’s a good point because you have some that before the facts are even out are prejudging this kind of on both sides. And you do need someone to look at the facts very objectively. I want to step back from that for a moment. You’re on the Appropriations Committee. I was talking with the House speaker on my weekend program about this. This is getting lost in all the other headlines. But the House, for the first time in a long time, has gone through the entire appropriations process. I mean, you approved 12 appropriations bills. That is something actually to be celebrated that we’re getting back to the regular order when it comes to funding our government.
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s right. That’s the way we should be dealing with it. And now we aren’t yet at individual bills, 12 individual bills coming to the floor, then being negotiated with the Senate. But we’re on the way there. What we call the Christmas omnibus bills are over. We don’t do that anymore. We don’t have these massive bills cooked up in smoke-filled rooms under the pressure of a holiday. That’s a bad way of doing business. We’re getting more toward the regular way we’re supposed to do business. And that’s certainly good news for the American people, because that’s the way representative government is supposed to work.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it also allows for more management of the funding. And I think when you, as we’ve gotten away from that for over really two decades, almost three decades of omnibuses, continuing resolutions, it’s wasteful. And I think it has fueled the debt spending that we have, has it not?
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s right, because you don’t have the ability to have, for instance, when I first came to Congress, we would have 100 to 200 amendments on the floor, a lot of them to look at programs that shouldn’t be there or overfunded. You don’t have that when you have the omnibus bills. So getting back to that regular order is good. It’s good for fiscal sanity, for return to that. And it’s just the way representative government ought to work.
SPEAKER 12 :
Progress is being made in the midst of all of the challenges. Progress is being made. Congressman Andy Harris, always great to see you, my friend. Thanks so much for stopping in today.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 12 :
You know, again, it’s simple. It’s the way it should be. But it hadn’t been that way in a long, long time. And that’s in large part due to the leadership of the House speaker and the Republicans. All right. Don’t go away. When we come back, the U.S. has officially withdrawn from the W.H.O., We have state leaders that want to keep the deadly drugs out of their states. Maybe if these abortion pills were coming by boat, the administration would change its tactics. It’s time to respect the rights of the states, and it’s time to end death by mail.
SPEAKER 23 :
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, alongside Senator Lindsey Graham, led a press conference on Capitol Hill, urging the Trump administration to end the Biden-era policies that have allowed dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped across state lines. They were joined by state attorneys general, pro-life advocates and multiple Republican congressmen.
SPEAKER 15 :
There are more abortions today in the United States than when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. And why is that? It’s because of the chemical abortion drug, Mifeprestone. Nearly 70% of the abortions that are committed in the United States today are committed because of Mifeprestone.
SPEAKER 03 :
The federal government is allowing a chemical abortion pill to be sent through the mail that wipes out every state unborn protection law in the land.
SPEAKER 18 :
It’s harder to ship alcohol in this country than it is to ship the abortion pill.
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And that should never be the case. This is a drug that takes the life of every child. So there is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. We think that we should require a doctor to be able to get access to this drug.
SPEAKER 04 :
As a doctor, I think it’s essential that there be human contact before the pill is prescribed.
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s not about a national abortion ban. It’s about validating Dobbs and preventing other states from nullifying the legislative policy choices that have been made by our states and facilitating the illegal, unethical, and dangerous drug trafficking of abortion pills into our states without any medical oversight whatsoever.
SPEAKER 03 :
We can simply fix this if we have the courage to do it. So what are all of us telling the administration? You’ve been a great pro-life president, Mr. President. It’s now time to deal with this issue.
SPEAKER 15 :
We want to protect life, and we want to give voice to the American people and their right to protect life state by state, city by city, and yes, here in the United States Congress. That’s what this fight is about.
SPEAKER 23 :
Let your voice be heard. Text LIFE to 67742. Sign the petition. Tell the Trump administration to act.
SPEAKER 25 :
Looking for a trusted source of news that shares your Christian values? Turn to The Washington Stand, your ultimate destination for informed, faith-centered reporting. Our dedicated team goes beyond the headlines, delivering stories that matter most to believers. From breaking events to cultural insights, we provide clear, compassionate coverage through a biblical lens. Discover news you can trust at the Washington Stand, where faith and facts meet every day.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in on this Tuesday. The website TonyPerkins.com. Lots of resources there for you. Check it out. TonyPerkins.com. All right. We’ve been advocating for this since COVID-19’s government power grab. Last week, it finally happened. The United States is formally advocating. out of the World Health Organization, ending its membership, participation in its governance, and funding contributions to a United Nations agency that many say has lost its way.
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We made this decision to reclaim our independence, to protect American sovereignty, and to free our public health policy from a system that no longer serves the American people.
SPEAKER 12 :
That, of course, was the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Kennedy. All right, so what does this mean for the U.S. and the rest of the world? Joining me to discuss this, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who has been a leading voice for transparency and accountability during and after COVID-19 pandemic. He serves on several Senate committees, including the Budget Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security. where he chairs a permanent subcommittee on investigations. Senator Johnson, welcome back to Washington Watch, and congratulations. You finally saw this happen.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, Tony, well, this preserves American sovereignty. And it’s not exactly like we got it right during COVID, but I would far prefer Americans making health decisions for Americans as opposed to, you know, one world government and, you know, people like the United Nations and the World Health Organization do it for us. So, again, this is a good day. I’m glad the Trump administration did this.
SPEAKER 12 :
But but so the folks understand we were so close to having the United States locked in to this pandemic agreement that WHO was pushing. And so this is I mean, this is one hundred and eighty degrees from where we were two and a half, three years ago.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, absolutely. They were passing amendments under the radar. People did not really realize the amount of freedom we would have lost had the Biden administration, Kamala Harris administration stayed in power and basically ratified these things. So this is very good. This is one of the things that people elected President Trump to do is withdraw from one world order of global governance.
SPEAKER 12 :
As bad as COVID-19, that pandemic and the power grab that we saw, that was going to be kind of standard practice had the WHO succeeded in moving forward their pandemic agreement.
SPEAKER 10 :
We would have had travel bans and travel passports and vaccine mandates or injection mandates. Yeah, again, we didn’t get it right in the U.S. We blew an awful lot. We still need a COVID reckoning. We need to understand exactly what happened inside our health agencies, within hospitals, why we sabotaged early treatment with the generic drugs. So, again, we’ve got it. Yeah. A lot of things here in America as well. But the last thing we needed was to have the World Health Organization dictate to us how we handle the next pandemic scare.
SPEAKER 12 :
You’re absolutely right. We did not get it right here at home. But had we gone down this path, it would have put correction out, a course correction out of our reach. So at least now we have an opportunity to fix the way our government deals with these things in the future. Had it rested in the hands of the WHO, we would not have been able to do that in the future.
SPEAKER 10 :
And I still intend to use my subcommittee to try and obtain the records so that we can have a reckoning in terms of how things were mismanaged here in this country, what kind of information the CDC, the FDA, NIH had that they withheld from the American public or just outright lied. There’s still an awful lot of accountability to be had in terms of our own handling of COVID.
SPEAKER 12 :
So how do we do that, Senator, to ensure that we have safeguards in place so that we don’t see a repeat of that when we have, you know, if the day come when the day comes, we have another we have another Democratic administration that does not respect rights, the Constitution and the states. What do we put in place to keep that from happening again?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, we first have to expose the truth. You know, we in our subcommittee, we obtained records, showed that the Biden health agencies had a safety signal for myocarditis that they hid from the public. You know, they lied to the American people. They lied repeatedly during COVID that the injection would stay in your arm, you know, that masks would work, that, you know, social distancing, you know, had science backing it. None of those things were true. And so we need to expose the truth that we’ve gotten something like eight million documents from HHS. It’s difficult to that takes a lot of time. I’ve got six staff members trying to go through all that. Other people are trying to get information through FOIA. That’s a good news. So now we know that Anthony Fauci was well aware of an Israeli study that showed that natural immunity was far superior to the immunity provided through the injection. And they hid that as well. I mean, you remember all the, you know, Anthony Fauci claiming he was the science and that the injection was going to be better than natural immunity. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I know you will stay on this, but I encourage you to do that and not let go of it until we have safeguards in place so we don’t see a repeat of that in the future. I want to switch gears. We’ve got two minutes left, Senator Johnson. Democrats in the Senate, your colleagues, threatening to oppose legislation needed to avoid a government shutdown over funding for ICE. What’s the latest on that? How do you see this playing out?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, first of all, I understand the deaths in Minnesota are tragedies that never should have happened. But again, the deaths of people like Lake and Riley and the many, many, many, many victims of crimes from individuals who came to this country illegally never should have happened as well. So this is a mess created by the Biden administration, the Democrats’ open border policy. President Trump was elected to clean up this mess. It’s not an easy thing to do, and it’s even more difficult when you have governors and mayors in minnesota that are inciting people to obstruct and create violence against those you know federal law enforcement agencies that’s what caused this so you know we are enforcing the law throughout the country where states and cities are working with ice and border patrol to clean up the mess We have these strategies because the officials in Minnesota did not. Hopefully they come to their senses and start working with President Trump and his administration.
SPEAKER 12 :
So how do you see the funding playing out? Will will the Democrats agree at least enough of them to get the funding measures through the Senate?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, again, they’ve blown this, you know, they’ve made such an issue of this. OK, and again, these deaths were tragedies. There’s no doubt about it. But I have a hard time believing that the Democrats are going to support any funding measure with DHS, which I’ve been warning our leadership about for months. How are we going to fund DHS? It’s good that we’re past these appropriation bills. We should have included the Shutdown Fairness Act in the first tranche of bills passed easily. We didn’t do that. So, again, I don’t know how this plays out, but I have a hard time. You know, the Democrat base is just so anti-ICE, so pro-illegal immigration, that’s going to be hard for them to buck their base.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, hopefully this will help them get that provision in the future into our funding bills. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. Folks, stick with us. We’re back after this.
SPEAKER 08 :
From the beginning, America has understood that liberty flourishes only when grounded in faith, humility, and dependence on the Lord. America needs God. So in 2026, as our nation marks the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, we pause not simply to celebrate history, but to seek the God who gave it purpose. Family Research Council invites you to join us online February 4th at 7 a.m. Eastern Time for the fourth annual National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance in Washington, D.C. This sacred gathering will bring together members of the U.S. Congress, state leaders, evangelical leaders, and intercessors from across the nation. United as one voice, we will seek the Lord together, praying for all 50 states that God might bless the next 250 years of our historic nation. To watch the livestream, visit PrayDC.org. That’s PrayDC.org.
SPEAKER 21 :
What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash godandgovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, the open border policies of the previous Biden administration have undoubtedly let in some bad actors into the country, as we were just talking about with Senator Johnson. There is growing concern over the enforcement tactics and implementation of immigration laws, especially by ICE. Now, earlier today, Congressman Carlos Jimenez, a Florida Republican who chairs a House Homeland Security subcommittee, said the focus should be on deporting criminals that pose a threat. He warned that the hardline crackdown across the board could hurt Republicans this fall at the ballot box. Joining me now to discuss is Carlos Duran, who is the founder and president of the National Hispanic Pastors Alliance, which earlier today released a statement that in part reflects these concerns of Congressman Jimenez. Carlos, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us. Good afternoon, Tony, and thank you for the invitation. Pastor Duran, I want to ask you before we get started here, I’m going to put this out here at the beginning so that our listeners and viewers know where you’re coming from. Do you support illegal immigration, people coming into this country illegally?
SPEAKER 24 :
I personally do not support illegal immigration. Our organization, the National Hispanic Pastors Alliance, do not support illegal immigration. And I will go farther than that. I think the Hispanic community at large do not support illegal immigration. They actually voted, 45% of them voted for President Trump. And echoing what the Senator just said, President was elected with an agenda to deal with the illegal immigration and the criminals. So I think that at large, the Hispanic community understand that we have a problem with illegal immigration and we do want a solution to it. All right.
SPEAKER 12 :
I just wanted to get that out front so people realize that you are for law and order. I want to read from the statement that you read or that you released today and then let you comment on that. quote, we are grateful that the current administration is now addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Those who love this country rightfully desire a secure nation. And then you go on to say that NAVA is deeply concerned that certain enforcement practices appear to stretch, and in some cases, infringe upon the constitutional rights of citizens and lawful residents, including due process protections guaranteed by the Constitution. You want the law enforced. but there’s concerns. Talk about that.
SPEAKER 24 :
Well, when you have to—we work with churches across the country, and when parents are afraid of sending their kids to school, when they’re afraid to go to work, when our churches are empty because parents and families are afraid to go to church, there is a big issue, and fear is in our community. I think the way they are implementing the immigration laws right now need to be controlled and need to be— We need to show restraint. And we need to understand that we are not just… going after the criminals, where actually the whole community is being traumatized at this point, not just the Hispanic community, but we had to talk about the Somalians, the blacks, the whites. This is a problem that is eroding, at a certain point, our trust in our government entities and authorities. And I think in trying to enforce the law, we’re actually destroying the trust in our government entities that help us to hold these communities together.
SPEAKER 12 :
Now, Carlos, I want to be clear on this. You’re talking about fear within communities of people who are here legally.
SPEAKER 24 :
Legally, yes. Because there is… Clear example, my son. He actually, he looks white. You know, I’m talking about race here. He doesn’t look Hispanic. He calls me up. He’s an engineer in a very big company in the United States. And he says to me, Dad, I’m going around with my passport. because I’m concerned they’re going to stop me. And he’s an American citizen born in the United States. So this is just one of many examples. This is across the country. We are afraid to get in a plane, to be honest with you. And I’m telling you my personal testimony.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I know that that’s not isolated because I’ve been getting calls from pastors, not Hispanic pastors, I’ve been getting from Caucasian pastors, conservatives who have Hispanics in their church legally here in this country. And there’s this, just like a dragnet, just kind of sweeping up everybody into it and You know, it eventually works out. But, I mean, if you’re detained and you’re not able to go to work or your family doesn’t know what happened to you, it becomes problematic. And that fear, quite frankly, is not healthy.
SPEAKER 24 :
It stops the whole economy and the healthy growth of the community. President Trump himself, I heard him last week when he says, my purpose is to deport undocumented and illegal immigrants. They are criminals. They have broken the law. not families that have been here for 20 years, 15 years, 30 years. They are part of our community, they pay taxes, and they just need us to enforce the law with compassion. And we have to address the real issues, the real issues that the immigration system is broken, and the immigration issue have been weaponized by individuals, by agendas, and by political parties. And it’s not convenient for any of them to find a solution because it actually divides us. And so I think it’s time for us to stop marching, to stop complaining, and actually hold our elected officials accountable and said we need a solution to this problem that is actually affecting our communities, our churches, and our system, a complete system of the United States.
SPEAKER 12 :
We have about 45 seconds left, Carlos. Congressman Jimenez from Florida earlier today said that he’s concerned that this could put at risk the midterm elections for Republicans because Hispanics in the last election voted heavily for Republicans. Do you agree with that?
SPEAKER 24 :
Completely agree with that. The clear testimony of this, we lost Miami’s election. You know, Miami is a stronghold. It’s where the president lives. It’s his house. And we lost the mayor elections. The Hispanic community agrees with the president, 45% voted for him. But I think that these midterm elections, if we do not message this differently, we have a problem. Quick note, Obama had to quarter more people by this time than Trump.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, we’ve got to leave it. Carlos, we’ve got to leave it there. Thanks for joining us, folks. Stick around. We’re coming back with more.
SPEAKER 18 :
On a cold January day in Washington, D.C., thousands still gathered on the National Mall for the 53rd National March for Life. Participants came from across the United States and beyond. United under the event’s simple theme, life is a gift. The event began with powerful speeches linking faith, the sanctity of life from conception, and America’s founding principles to defending the vulnerable. House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the crowd and expressed his thankfulness for the gift of life.
SPEAKER 05 :
I was the product of an unplanned teen pregnancy exactly one year before Roe in January of 1972. And a lot of people try to convince my very young parents that they should just take care of that problem. But I am eternally grateful that they allowed me the chance at life. Think of the millions of children that did not have that same opportunity. And every single child deserves the opportunity to fulfill their God-given potential. And it is up to us to defend that freedom and that right.
SPEAKER 18 :
The stage welcomed numerous members of Congress, as well as Vice President J.D. Vance, who highlighted God’s design for the family.
SPEAKER 17 :
We know that family is not just the source of a great joy, but it’s part of God’s design for men and women, a design that extends outward from the family to our neighborhoods, to our communities, and to the United States of America itself.
SPEAKER 18 :
Representative Andrew Clyde stressed the government’s duty to secure and defend life.
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s in the birth certificate of our nation that says that government’s responsibility is to protect life. And for so long, government has been giving people the authority to destroy life through Roe v. Wade. And the Dobbs decision, the incredible Dobbs decision, reversed that from the federal level. And so, you know, finally, government is here under the Trump administration defending life. And that’s what we’re supposed to be doing.
SPEAKER 18 :
Representative Michael Cloud urged perseverance in the battle to protect life.
SPEAKER 19 :
Our job is to be the watchman on the wall, so to speak, and to stand for life, to stand for principles of truth and righteousness. And so there’s never going to be a point where we can think our job is done. We don’t get weary in well-doing. We know we’ll get the rest of that scripture goes, you’ll reap a reward if you don’t faint.
SPEAKER 18 :
Family Research Council will always march and stand for life because every life is a gift. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, much has been achieved in this March for Life, but the work is far from finished. We must remain unwavering in our commitment to stand for what God has given, this precious gift of life.
SPEAKER 12 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for tuning in. Let me encourage you to download the Stand Firm app if you’ve not done so. That way you have access to Washington Watch no matter where you are. You also have our news and commentary from a biblical perspective, the Washington Stand, and my daily devotional, Stand on the Word. Speaking of that, our word for today comes from Job chapter 19. For I know that my Redeemer lives and He shall stand at last on the earth. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold Him and not another, how my heart yearns within me. In the darkest of places, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, this is what Job is anchored to. My Redeemer lives. He knows there is life after this and that he will see God. If Job had that kind of faith in the Old Testament before the mystery of the gospel, as Paul called it, was revealed in Christ Jesus, our Redeemer, how much stronger should our faith be? Our Redeemer lives, and no matter what Satan does or is allowed to do in this world, nothing can change the fact that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will see Him and be with Him for all eternity. That hope can sustain us through the painful storms of this life. These trials are temporary and passing. but eternity is forever. To find out more about our journey through the Bible, text Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. A four-day ceasefire between the Syrian government and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces was extended by 15 days over the weekend and is reportedly holding for the most part, though both sides have accused the other of violations. Now, earlier today, President Trump was on the phone with Syrian President Ahmed Asharar, and he said the situation is working out well. So we’re very happy about it. but is it really? Joining me now to discuss this is Nadine Mayanza, former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. She is presently co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and board chair of the Institute for Global Engagement. Nadine, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us again this week.
SPEAKER 22 :
Thanks for having me. Thanks for keeping people’s eyes on Syria right now.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, it’s very important. You know, when you and I were on the commission together, this was one of the bright spots in the Middle East outside of Israel where religious freedom, people from different backgrounds coming together, working together, living together, worshiping freely without threat. That is hanging on by a thread. Give us the latest.
SPEAKER 22 :
Yeah, so just five hours ago, the Syrian government sent seven suicide drones into one city in a village. And these are the kind of things we’re continuing to see attacks from the Syrian government Although this new agreement today, the conversation with the Syrian President al-Shar was important. But what’s at risk is religious freedom. And as Congressman Stutzman said in December, bringing religious freedom into Syria is the only way the country will be fully stabilized. And there is this belief among some, and it seems to be among Ambassador Tom Barak, that an authoritarian centralized government will somehow bring stability to Syria. where actually Northeast Syria was the only part of Syria that was that bright spot you mentioned, the only part of Syria that has stability and peace. And they’d already built that social cohesion among all the religious communities they governed together. And we weren’t seeing any community attack one another for the last several years, many years in Northeast Syria. So now we’re bringing in this other, you know, the government from Damascus with a history of attacks against religious minorities, literally trying to take the Northeast by force and somehow pretending that they’re bringing peace and stability to Syria in the process doesn’t add up. And, of course, who pays the biggest price? The Christians and the other religious minorities.
SPEAKER 12 :
Does President Trump have any reason to trust the new Syrian president? Has he done anything that would suggest that he is going to, A, number one, respect fundamental human rights, including religious freedom?
SPEAKER 22 :
He so far has not given the inclusive government he’s promised. He met with Christian leaders when he first took over and he promised an inclusive government, but instead has only appointed pretty much Sunni Arabs to almost every position with just a few exceptions. And what I’ve been told by senior advisors to him is that we’re doing him no favors. And these are people that are close to him if we don’t put pressure on him to build an inclusive government. and to not be attacking the Northeast, because he is getting enormous pressure from Islamist base. As you know, his security forces are made up of HTS, which were terrorists or long history of terrorism, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army. And these forces, these brigades, many of them have been sanctioned by the US for horrific violations. and human rights abuses against religious minorities. And then the third part of that would be the foreign fighters who literally answered the call to jihad, came to Syria, demanded an Islamic state. So he’s got a lot of pressure coming from these forces. And the U.S. and the international community needs to balance that out. I’ve been told this myself. In order to give him the ability to be the pragmatist he says he wants to be, if he does want to be a pragmatist and he does want to build an inclusive government, we need to demand that so he has cover to be able to push back on his own basis. And right now, I don’t think that’s happening.
SPEAKER 12 :
Nadine, there are rumblings of an emerging threat in Syria from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, ISIS. What have you been hearing? Is there a resurgence there?
SPEAKER 22 :
Absolutely. You know, what happens is these vacuums develop when you eliminate bad guys. So when we, you know, when ISIS was eliminated in the Nineveh Plains, Iranian-backed militias filled those voids. They set up checkpoints and they took over. In northeast Syria… The Syrian Democratic Forces empowered the local communities to build self-governance, so they filled the void. There always is going to be a voice. If you’re going to move out the Syrian Democratic Forces, you’re going to dismantle this governance that has held the ground and brought peace and prosperity and some of the best religious freedom conditions in the Middle East. churches of Christian converts everywhere. If you’re going to remove that, there’s going to be a void, and ISIS is going to fill that void. And we already see ISIS patches on the security forces, some of them. And of course, there was even a member of the Syrian security forces himself who was aligned with ISIS ideologically, like some of them are, who killed two U.S. servicemen and a translator in December. So we’ve already seen ISIS rising again. We have, of filled with 30,000 ISIS families. The gates opened. They are all let free. So this is a dangerous situation where actually this chaos and free Islamists, in addition to eliminating the one force that was stopping it, is a dangerous situation.
SPEAKER 12 :
A final question for you, Nadine. This is my take on this, and we see this a lot, that they’ll just kind of step back and push the pause button until we stop watching, and then they’ll move forward with what they were attempting to do. And so I think with the president making this phone call today, I think everything’s kind of on pause. What concrete steps would you say are needed in order to assure us that true change is being made by the Syrian government?
SPEAKER 22 :
I think the U.S. has to demand that no Syrian security forces, no Syrian government forces at all go into these Kurdish areas. And that is an easy thing to watch and to know if it happened. Number two, I think we have to have local members. be leading their own communities. We need Yazidis, Christians, all the Kurds to be mayors, to be administrators, to be part of those councils, keep the governance they have built. They can integrate into the government that way. And there needs to be changes to the constitution. These are all easy things to ask for. They’re things I think could even be done if we demand them because they need that balance or they’re going to end up being an Islamist authoritarian government. And the desire for them to want to be wealthy, somehow this idea that if we help them become… prosperous, that they’re going to become more like us. We tried that in China. It didn’t work out so well. That’s not a good argument in Syria.
SPEAKER 12 :
Didn’t work. Nadine, thank you so much. Thanks for staying focused on this. Always appreciate your insights and your commitment to religious freedom.
SPEAKER 22 :
Thanks for having me. And I appreciate the same with you. Really appreciate your voice on this.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right. Thanks so much. All right, I want to turn now to another part of the Middle East, and that is Israel, which yesterday celebrated the return of the final deceased hostage, Master Sergeant Ron Gilevy, who died fighting to save a kibbutz.
SPEAKER 01 :
We said we’d bring him back. He was the first to come in. He’s the last to leave, a hero of Israel. Ronnie is back. There are no more hostages in Gaza.
SPEAKER 12 :
That was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday speaking at the second international conference on combating anti-Semitism. With all the hostages now out of Gaza, is the end near for Hamas? That’s required for the second stage of the president’s 20-point peace plan. Joining me now to discuss this and more is Dr. David Wormsmer. senior analyst for the Middle East policy, Middle East policy at the Center for Security Policy. David, thanks so much for joining us today. Appreciate you stopping in.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thanks for having me. It’s an honor.
SPEAKER 12 :
So all hostages dead and alive were supposed to be returned in phase one of the Gaza peace plan. It’s now taken more than three months. Do you see phase two being dragged out as well? Because this is where we’re supposed to see Hamas disarmed.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I think you really hit the nail on the head. The first phase was supposed to be done in 72 hours, and it took three, four months. And that was ostensibly to get done what Hamas had agreed to and was willing to do. Then phase two, we have to remember, Hamas has never really agreed to disarm. They never agreed to phase two. So my sense is not only will they drag this out, but they’ll sabotage it. And unfortunately, I think Qatar and Turkey are similarly of the same mindset. They don’t really want Hamas to be dismantled, disempowered, and disarmed. So they will drag it out with the intent of dragging it out forever and having Hamas survive. So we’re in somewhat of a strategic conundrum right now.
SPEAKER 12 :
So, David, how does that work out, Turkey, Qatar, with President Trump’s peace, a board of peace that became official last week? How does that work with both Turkey and Qatar possibly playing roles on that board?
SPEAKER 06 :
It doesn’t really work out, but that’s exactly what the United States and Israel just worked out. Apparently there’s an understanding between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel that both have now essentially said, which is they’re going to give a deadline for Hamas to disarm, after which, if Hamas doesn’t meet it, there will be a green light to Israel from the United States to go ahead and do it by force. So there seems to be a situation where Israel and America are on the exact same page in terms of Hamas’s disarming. Unfortunately, though, on the board of peace, there is some light of day. Israel sees Turkey and Qatar as the Muslim Brotherhood, which is an inimical force. They see them as hosting and coordinating with Hamas. They see them essentially as the patrons of Hamas. So therefore, having them on the Board of Peace is an oxymoron for them. It’s putting a wolf on a sheep’s counsel. So they are against it, but on the other hand, they defer to the United States. Now, the board is not in Gaza. They’re not the force in Gaza. They’re not boots on the ground in Gaza. They’re sort of the governing board. So the Israelis… may be able to live with that with quite a bit of grumbling, but they don’t want that board to appoint a force that goes into Gaza that is to the taste of Turkey or a gutter.
SPEAKER 12 :
I mean, Turkey, Erdogan, President Erdogan has made very clear his intentions. I mean, you may have just heard me talking about northeast Syria. Turkey’s behind that. Turkey has a hand in what is happening in northeast Syria. Turkey is about destabilizing Syria. They wanted control of Syria, but they also would like to have a piece of Israel.
SPEAKER 06 :
we are absolutely right that segment you had with uh… nadine was really one of the best the most important for people to watch it really really commend it uh… and i think you’re really nailing it you really getting to the essence here which is israel is on the verge america may be on the verge of dealing with the final blows to the shiite problem that we’ve been living with the islamist problem that has the shiite flavor for the last forty five to fifty years but now we’re entering a period where there’s a civilizational momentum to the Sunni Islamist problem, because it is now an Islamist Arab Sunni government in Damascus that has taken over. And that evokes these historical images. A thousand years has not seen an Islamist Arab government in Damascus, the epicenter of Sunni Islam. This is very dangerous. There’s sort of a head of steam also Europe’s flailing with the Islamic question. This is giving them a sense that they are on the move, that Sunni Islam will take over the world. You’re seeing it manifest with the minorities in Syria, the various rampages that this government in Syria have had against the Druze and the Christians and the Alawites and now the Kurds. Well, putting that government and its mentor, Turkey, onto the situation in Gaza, which is a dagger in Israel, when Erdogan, the president of Turkey himself, says that Israel won’t exist anymore very soon. He called them, quote, goners. That is a prescription for conflict, not peace.
SPEAKER 12 :
I would think, David, that history has told us that when people say stuff like that, we should believe them. Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER 06 :
Absolutely. And I think the president means well, but Turkey is not our ally in this stuff.
SPEAKER 12 :
Very quickly, we’ve got about a minute left. Some clear things that could be put out to, for instance, this peace board and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, which I was a part of some of those early meetings, grateful to see peace in that region. But I would think one of the first things that we should call upon these potential partners from these Islamic countries is to take care of the Hamas problem.
SPEAKER 06 :
Precisely. Now, the UAE, which is part of the Abraham Accords, is very aggressively going after not only Hamas, but also its parent ideology, the Muslim Brotherhood. It’s illegal there. They’re very aggressive. Similarly, the Moroccans on the other end and so forth. But you’re right. There’s a lot of countries that are at peace with Israel, so to speak, cold peace, but at peace. And a lot of countries that are sort of on the edge of the Abraham Accords, who are now drifting toward that Muslim Brotherhood camp. And this is very dangerous. There’s no coming to terms with that ideology, this Islamist, and especially now that there is this sort of civilizational confidence and momentum that we’re seeing in Sunni Islamism. the challenges, the very existence of the West and Christianity and Judaism.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s a moment filled with potential, but grave danger as well. David, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate your insights. Absolutely. Thank you, Tony. Folks, a lot to pray about and pray intently. A lot happening, unfolding right now on our watch. Thanks for joining us. Until next time, keep standing.
SPEAKER 07 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
