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Trump's Immigration Numbers; Rep. Yassemin Ansari (D-AZ) is Interviewed about Deportations; Ukraine Talks Underway; Doral Partnering with ICE; Chinese Vendors Brace for Trade War. Aired 8:30- 9a ET
Aired April 17, 2025 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00]
ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY FINANCIAL: And the H20 (ph), unfortunately the one they designed specifically for China with the specs that the United States government approved, they stockpile about $5.5 billion worth of those, and now they can't sell them to anybody.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Which is - which is - which also means buckle up for again today when the markets open. Art, thank you so much. It's good to see you.
Coming up for us, one Florida city, home to one of President Trump's golf courses, is now partnering with ICE to track - to crack down on immigration.
And there is new video coming in showing the fiery moment a United Airlines jet hit an - hit an animal during takeoff.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:35:19]
BOLDUAN: So, President Trump and his campaign promises. When it comes to immigration, he followed through with the sweeping crackdown that he campaigned on. He promised sweeping policy changes as well on the economy from the campaign. Two of his biggest campaign focuses were on immigration and the economy. And Harry Enten is running the numbers on those issues today, specifically on where the president is putting much of his focus right now and why.
Talk to me about immigration and how Americans feel about it right now.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, why is Trump focusing on immigration? Let me just tell you, this is where Trump wants to focus. Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top.
Why is that? Look at Trump's net approval rating on immigration. Compare where we are now. Compare where we were at this point in his first term. In his first term he was under water at minus 12 points. Look at where
he is today. He's actually above water. This is one of his strongest issues at plus one point. And more than that, on the net approval, the net approval for him on this issue has stayed steady in the positive. This is an area where Donald Trump wants to focus because the bottom line is, this is an area in which the American people, at least the bare majority of them, seem to like what he's doing.
BOLDUAN: And you've seen - you - and you've shown the impact on how people feel about his handling of the economy and what he's been doing. So, let's stay here with this. Compare where he is on immigration to where Biden was. We know that this was why he leaned - he leaned into immigration so much.
ENTEN: Yes. This is a big reason why. So, take a look here. This is on immigration. What track are we on? The right track or the wrong track? Look in December, look at the percentage who said we were on the wrong track, 62 percent of Americans when Joe Biden was in office, compared to just 14 percent who said that we were on the right track.
Flash forward to April. Well, hello, 45 percent say we're on the right track, compared to 42 percent who say we're on the wrong track. So, in a big switcheroo from where we were back in January, the plurality of Americans say that the country is on the right track when it comes to immigration policy. Back in December, when Joe Biden was president, the vast majority said that we were on the wrong track. Again, this points out that, on the whole, Americans like where we're going on immigration policy under Donald Trump, which is very different from where we were under Joe Biden.
BOLDUAN: And comparing the kind of then and now and the progression over time, what about on the specific issue of deportations? I mean compare it - maybe today Trump to first term Trump?
ENTEN: Yes, this, I think, is the big change. You know, we were talking about changes in policy and how Americans want policy to be carried out. Deport all undocumented immigrants. Voters favoring the government, trying to deport all 11 million of them. Back in 2016, just 38 percent of voters wanted the government to try to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants. Compare it to where we are in 2025, 56 percent, the majority, the American people have come a long way on this issue, much closer to Donald Trump. And I think that's a big part of the reason why Americans are increasingly saying the country is on the right track when it comes to immigration policy, and why Donald Trump's net approval rating on that issue is in the positive. Very much unlike his first term.
BOLDUAN: Great to see you, Harry. Thank you.
ENTEN: Thank you.
BOLDUAN: John.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, with us now is Representative Yassamin Ansari, a Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, and a member of the House Oversight Committee. Congresswoman, thanks so much for being with us today.
I don't know if you heard Harry's presentation right there, but it shows that Americans approve of the president's immigration policy and are in a very different place on the idea of deportation than they were a few years ago. You were going to El Salvador to address the issue of Mr. Abrego Garcia, who was deported there by mistake. I want to read you a quote that was in "Axios" from a House Democrat. "A House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Axios, with all due respect to some of those folks, I know it's an important issue," he's talking about Abrego Garcia, "but should it be the big issue for Democrats? Probably not."
What do you think about that?
REP. YASSAMIN ANSARI (D-AZ): You know, if, as members of Congress of the United States, during a moment when the president of this country is defying a Supreme Court order, when he is putting us into a full- fledged constitutional crisis, we don't stand up and do something, I literally don't know what we are doing in Congress. So, I take this very seriously, not just because I'm on the Oversight Committee, as a daughter of immigrants, as a person who represents a district that is extremely diverse, with more than 64 languages spoken, in a very diverse immigrant and refugee population. The fact that this administration sent somebody illegally to a foreign country to be imprisoned there, admitted they made a mistake, had a Supreme Court ruling against them, and still denying and lying to the American people about the facts on the ground, that is so concerning to me.
[08:40:05]
And I think the fact that anyone would say that is alarming.
BERMAN: There was new information that came to light yesterday about Mr. Abrego Garcia, including a petition for a protective order that was placed by his wife in regards to some domestic violence allegations. Now, she didn't show up to court, and since then she's put out a statement saying that they reconciled and she very much wants him home now.
But does any of that new information give you pause?
ANSARI: It does not, because that is not the point. Am I saying - do I know Mr. Garcia personally? I do not. Am I saying he's a perfect person? I am not. But he is a person who was in this country, a union member, a father, a working class person, was illegally detained and deported to a foreign prison with no future, no due process. This country has always prided itself on due process. And the point here is the fact that we have an administration that is choosing to be authoritarian, to defy the courts, to defy the law, and that is what should be concerning to every single American in this country because what else did he say during that White House press conference? He was heard saying, next, we want to take on the homegrown. He's talking about U.S. citizens. So, he has no regard for the rule of law. And if we don't stand up to this administration now, in this moment, they will only be emboldened to keep going. BERMAN: Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland went down to El
Salvador to try to speak to Mr. Abrego Garcia. Didn't succeed. How will you get different results?
ANSARI: I highly commend his efforts. I think he really spearheaded, put the attention on this issue that it deserves. As a member of the Oversight Committee, several of my colleagues, as you know, have formally requested that Chairman Comer allow a formal delegation to go. We welcome Republicans to join us.
But our intent, no matter what, is to go to El Salvador, to attempt to meet with Mr. Garcia, to do a wellness check, to draw further attention on this issue, because there is nothing that this administration wants more than to be able to brush this under the rug, have 30 other news cycles and say that this is over. And that's what we cannot let happen because again, to me, this is a watershed moment in terms of where we are in - in - in the road to fascism in this country and the road to authoritarianism. And again, I - I have a personal story that I resonate with here. My - my parents fled an authoritarian regime. And so much of what has happened historically in other countries is happening here today, and we have to put a stop to it.
BERMAN: What role do you think the president of El Salvador, Bukele, is playing in this? And what message do you have for him?
ANSARI: My message is to Donald Trump. I think it is up to our president, our administration, to stop this, when they have admitted that this was an administrative mistake. To see them in the White House, you know, the two people who do have the power to put a stop to this. I know that when Senator Van Hollen was in the country yesterday, he was told that there is nothing that they can do because the United States government is paying El Salvador.
And recently we have now seen plans to expand these prisons even larger. I mean we already know that the prison - the industrial complex for prisons in this country is set to benefit from our immigration policies. Now we're going to be spending $20,000 per person to fund a foreign prison in a different country. This is unacceptable. It's un-American.
BERMAN: Congresswoman Yassmin Ansari from Arizona, we appreciate you getting up very early out there to talk to us. Thank you for your time.
Kate.
BOLDUAN: Today, in Paris, the U.S. and Ukraine are set to hold the highest level talks that have taken place really in weeks about the path forward to end Russia's war on Ukraine. Talks are also underway this morning between British, French and German allies, according to Ukraine's foreign minister.
Let's bring in CNN's Alex Marquardt for some perspective and some - for some more reporting on this.
It sounds like all the allies are setting up to try to really make their case to the secretary of state, Alex.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they really are, Kate. This is going to be an important meeting at a real crossroads in this effort to get to a peace deal in Ukraine. The Europeans, especially the Brits and the French, they've really been talking about what a European force could look like on the ground in Ukraine to deter Russia from future attacks. And, of course, the American side has been having all these conversations with the Russians. That top Kremlin aide, Kirill Dmitriev, he came here to Washington recently. And then Steve Witkoff, the presidential envoy, he went to Moscow - to St. Petersburg to meet for hours with Vladimir Putin. So, the Europeans are going to be very interested to hear from Witkoff what Putin had to say.
[08:45:03]
Wittkopf has not said publicly exactly what happened in that meeting, but he did say that he heard from Putin what it would take to get to a peace deal. Speaking broadly about territories that Russia has taken, Ukrainian membership in NATO. Those components, if they were to go Russia's way, of course, would be very worrying to the Ukrainians who are in Paris as well today.
Now, remember, Kate, it's been more than a month since the U.S. called for a blanket ceasefire in Ukraine. The Ukrainians immediately agreed. The Russians so far have not agreed. So, you can be sure that the Europeans today are going to be telling the Americans that they need to step up their pressure on the Russians to get them to the table, to get them to agree to a ceasefire. And at the same time, the Americans are probably going to be explaining to the Europeans where they see a compromise coming more into focus.
Kate.
BOLDUAN: Yes. It's great to see you, Alex. Thank you so much for your reporting.
John.
BERMAN: All right, new this morning, the city of Doral in Florida voted unanimously to give local law enforcement officers some of the same powers that ICE agents have, which is not sitting well with some immigrant families in the Miami-Dade suburb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every single one of you sitting on this dice is either an immigrant or the child of immigrants. Yet, today, you turn your backs on those walking the same path your families once did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not about politics. It's about people. It's about mothers too afraid to call 911 when they're abused, workers too afraid to report wage theft.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want my tax dollars to go to funding human rights abuses. It's bad enough its already happening with our federal tax dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right, let's get right to CNN's Isabel Rosales for the latest on this.
What does this mean for Doral?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John.
Now, ICE's 287G program is definitely one to remember because it is spreading like wildfire, especially in the sunshine state. So, this so-called task force model under 287G essentially allows for the deputization of local police officers to do duties, carrying on duties normally under the scope of immigration authorities. This includes questioning, detaining and processing people that they suspect of violating immigration laws.
Now, we counted and there's more than 130 Florida law enforcement agencies that have so far been approved to participate in this task force model, with more than 30 other agencies still pending. It's significant, this collaboration happening in Doral in this Miami suburb because Doral is affectionately known as (INAUDIBLE) due to it being the largest population of Venezuelan immigrants in all of the country. And, in fact, Venezuelan Americans helped boost Trump's win margins from 2020 to 2024 by more than 20 percentage points.
Now, I want you to listen to this response from a city councilwoman and the mayor of Doral, addressing concerns by the community that this is going to spread fear and will lead to undocumented people not reporting crimes that they have been a victim of.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLE REINOSO, COUNCILWOMAN FOR CITY OF DORAL, FLORIDA: Public trust should not be affected because of this MOU. The mission is very clear. Our police is here to serve and protect. And that immigrants, all people within our community, will be protected and taken care of.
MAYOR CHRISTI FRAGA, DORAL, FLORIDA: We have an obligation and a responsibility to follow the law. It would be hypocritical of us to tell any community, you need to follow the rules and follow the law, and then we go - go around and do something different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: And, John, last month there was this dramatic city council meeting over in Fort Myers where the council members rejected this ICE partnership. And then backtracked and reversed course, unanimously passing it. That is because they received this letter from Florida's attorney general threatening them, saying that they were going up against a Florida law, anti-sanctuary city law, and warned that the governor could actually remove them from office if they didn't agree to that collaboration, which they then agreed to.
It's also important to know that the city of South Miami is asking for legal guidance on whether they are actually obligated by state law to sign on to this collaboration. We're, of course, keeping a close watch on that.
John.
BERMAN: Yes, the big questions is what happens next.
Isabel Rosales, thank you so much for your reporting on this.
So, are Americans ready to give up their cheaper Chinese-made products? They may have to. New reports this morning that tariffs are encouraging China to take their business elsewhere.
In a surprise to pretty much no one, the Frye Festival two, the sequel to the infamous Fyre Festival, has been postponed after the city allegedly hosting it said they had no record of the event.
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[08:54:25]
BOLDUAN: So, there is new video in showing a United Airlines jet with flames shooting out of one of its engines. So, this happened after the plane reported hitting an animal during takeoff from Denver. The FAA has not said what kind of animal was hit, but, regardless, maybe most importantly, the controlled tower had warned that rabbits were seen on the runway around the time that this happened. After the United jet took off, it - and this happened, it circled, returned then to the airport. The passengers were taken off and boarded on a new plane.
[08:55:02]
That is a very, very, very close call in Florida. Two officers were responding to a crash on a highway when, as you can very clearly see, an SUV came right at them, nearly slamming into them. The dash cam video shows officers were able to jump out of the way just in time. The SUV did hit their patrol car. And afterward, one of the officers said his life flashed before his eyes. I understand that. Police have not released really any further details about the incident or that driver.
And then there's the Fyre Fest. Fyre Fest 2 appears to be on pause. It's at least definitely not happening at the original location. You can no longer buy tickets on the website for the Billy McFarland-led music festival with a checkered past. The event was supposed to take place in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, at the end of May, but the city has been reported - has said it had no record of permits or really anything about the event. Organizers had insisted the party was still on, but now McFarland has sent two festival goers an email saying, quote, "we are vetting new locations and will announce our host destination soon." But also promising this, saying, -- promising an unforgettable, safe and transparent experience. It seems the definition of unforgettable is what needs to be debated now, because the first Fyre Fest in 2017 was also definitely unforgettable. It was a debacle that completely fell apart, leaving festival goers stranded with those now infamous cheese sandwiches as their only food. And the founder was convicted of fraud and sentenced to six - sentenced to time in prison in connection with that original event.
And then there's the colossal squid. It is the largest squid species that there is. And one was just caught on candid camera for the first time in its natural habitat since it was discovered 100 years ago. We're going to show you the video at some point. One of the craziest parts about this is that the scientists involved who captured this important scientific moment, they did so by accident. The remotely operated submersible was taking a dive near the South Sandwich Islands - a favorite destination of John Berman - and that is when they recorded - they recorded the footage. It - if it doesn't look colossal, because it really doesn't when you see the video, it is because it's a baby. It was about a foot long. It's kind of cute, as you can see, right? In its adult form, the colossal squid is larger than the giant squid or any other invertebrate on earth, and can grow to 23 feet and weigh up to 1,000 pounds. Which, as you can guess, John Berman, is maybe not so cute as the baby version of it.
BERMAN: No, no, and I know the squid appreciates all this focus it's getting this morning. It is a colossal squid, which is larger than a huge squid, as you correctly point out. And in no way in outer space, which the screen behind you at one point indicated there. No, this - this -
BOLDUAN: But it's - the deep is almost like outer space.
BERMAN: It is. It is. The unknown, that's the important thing.
BOLDUAN: Into it.
BERMAN: All right, new this morning, President Trump announced new tariff negotiation discussions on social media. It comes as some of the economic slowdown from tariffs are starting to show, as U.S. retailers cancel their orders of Chinese-made products.
CNN's Marc Stweart has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Its Christmas every day at this factory in eastern China. But the holiday cheer has soured since the start of President Trump's trade war.
STEWART: This is all going to the U.S.
STEWART (voice over): From Christmas signs to Santas, holiday decorations made here sell for just a few dollars in the U.S. But with tariffs, the prices are so steep it won't be worth it for American retailers to buy them.
STEWART: How much money have you lost because of canceled business?
RAN HONGYAN, BUSINESS OWNER (through translator): About more than 1 million yuan.
STEWART (voice over): That's about $135,000.
From the factory floor to her showroom, Ran Hongyan says she's lost revenue and relationships.
STEWART: How does that make you feel?
HONGYAN: It makes me feel sad because we have been working together for a long time. But our deals have stopped due to the tariffs.
STEWART (voice over): At first she offered to slash prices for her longtime American customers, hoping to absorb some of the costs. Now the tariffs are so high, most of her customers in the U.S. canceled orders completely.
STEWART: It's stories like this we're hearing from exporters here in Yiwu, one of the largest wholesale markets in the world. It's really ground zero in this trade war that's tearing apart the world's two largest economies.
So, how long has your family had this business?
LI XINYAO, BUSINESS OWNER: It's about 30 - more than 30 years. America has always impact the world. Yes, when they start the trade war, all the people will worry about that.
[09:00:03]
STEWART (voice over): But it's a two-way street.
