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Trump Suspends Tariffs on Colombia after Migrant Agreement; Israel Allowing Palestinians to Return to North Gaza; U.N. Urges Rebels to Stop Hostility, Withdraw from Goma. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired January 27, 2025 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you with me.

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Coming up on the show, an immigration crackdown across the U.S. is shaking up ties between the U.S. and its South American neighbors.

America's trans community is now in limbo. So, what can they do now after Donald Trump's executive order? A lawyer is going to join me to explain.

Plus, thousands of Palestinians look forward to finally going home. The latest on Israel and Hamas's ceasefire hostage deal.

Almost as soon as it began, a trade war fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown now appears to be off. He suspended a 25 percent tariff on Colombia after the country agreed to accept military flights carrying deported migrants.

It came after President Trump launched an immigration enforcement blitz over the weekend, deporting undocumented immigrants.

Almost a thousand arrests have been reported across the country, including in Chicago, Los Angeles and the Atlanta area. U.S. military flights deporting migrants began last week, but on Sunday, two of those flights were not allowed to land in Colombia. That caused a brief rift between the South American country and the U.S.

CNN's Steve Contorno explains how it all went down.

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STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: It started on Sunday when two U.S. military aircraft carrying deported migrants were blocked --

CONTORNO (voice-over): -- from landing in the country of Colombia.

Donald Trump retaliated quickly, posting on social media, quote, "This order was given by Colombia's Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people. Petro's denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States." Trump then outlined his plans for retaliation, including a 25 percent

tariff on goods coming from Colombia into the U.S., with the possibility of raising that to 50 percent by next week.

Trump administration officials telling CNN they were caught by surprise by Colombia's actions. They believed that they had clearance for these planes to enter the country and were caught off-guard when they were blocked.

But they responded quickly with these threats of tariffs and an early window into how --

CONTORNO: -- Trump's immigration crackdown may play out on the world stage.

Steve Contorno, CNN, Doral, Florida.

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HUNTE: Let's dig into this story a little bit more and bring in CNN contributor Stefano Pozzebon. He is with us live from Bogota, Colombia.

Stefano, thank you for being with me. Let's just start with how Colombia's president just apparently changed his mind twice. What is President Petro's thinking behind all of this? And what prompted him to accept these flights once again?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think, Ben, that President Petro was trying to send a message. The message was that they would not accept the military flights or what he calls an inhumane treatment of these migrants.

And one of the things that apparently was particularly hard to digest is that many times, migrants are being deported back from the United States, arrive here in Latin America in handcuffs, as if they've committed any crime.

And of course, the position of the Latin American government is that a migrant does not commit a crime just by crossing into the United States, however undocumented.

Now, of course, that is the same that happened over a few days with Brazil and Mexico, who have also protested these treatment. Petro tried to draw a line and then probably -- well, we've seen on one side the Twitter diplomacy -- or X diplomacy, we should call it -- with Petro posting his ideas and his state policies on X in real time, and Donald Trump doing the same on his own social media, Truth Social, as if the two leaders were almost messaging each other and bickering, frankly, in front of our eyes.

And on the other hand, we've seen the diplomatic back channels that have provided fruit and provided success.

Colombia has been a staunch ally of North America, of the United States over the last 50 years. These channels have always worked in the last few hours.

Throughout today, we were in touch with sources, with experts, with analysts, with diplomats who were telling us that the phones were really busy, as the professionals were trying to mend the rift that the two presidents had caused.

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And in the end, we're still seeing two different versions, the one -- on the one side, the White House saying that Colombia has caved, and they have accepted all of President Trump's terms.

And on the other side, the Colombian government saying that they will accept deportation flights with humane treatment. Maybe it's just a matter of using civilian aircraft rather than military aircraft, because this country has received more than 124 deportation flights over the last 12 months. So, it's not like that these flights are a new thing.

What really triggered this reaction was the use of military aircraft, and probably the handcuffs towards these migrants.

So, we're seeing there's -- I think we're in a moment where both the Trump White House that has just being newly installed, and the countries in Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Brazil are still adjusting to each other. They're still trying to understand how this new era of mass deportation will play out in this complex region, and how they can sort of like get to what they want without causing each other too much damage.

If Colombia and the United States had gone into a trade war, we would have seen tariffs on goods that people consume regularly in the United States, mostly coffee, for example, but also on a lot of goods here in in Colombia. And of course, the -- the peso would plummet and -- and other -- and other things that would impact for the lives of millions of Colombia.

It seems that this time, that was averted through the work, through the back channels of the diplomats. And the fact is that these two countries remain very, very tied to each other -- Ben.

HUNTE: And what is the signal that Colombia is sending to other Latin American leaders about dealing with this Trump administration?

POZZEBON: Well, I think that Petro, in particular, is trying to grab the baton and say -- call himself a leader for the rest of Latin America.

There is -- it's interesting that, Ben, because there is a meeting of the CELAC, which is a multilateral regional body that will meet in Honduras on Thursday. It was an emergency meeting called up by the Honduran presidency to try to come up with a with a -- with a cohesive strategy.

And of course, Petro will bring to the table the fact that he tried to stand up, he tried to draw a line to -- towards Donald Trump. So, we've seen that time and again, there is a leader who tries to

speak for the rest of the other Latin American countries. It used to be Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, because of the diplomatic -- the economic weight that Brazil carries with himself this time is Petro, who tries to stand firm and to impose what he thinks is the right thing in terms of (AUDIO GAP) -- of Donald Trump.

Now we will see if the other countries will follow, for example, Ben.

HUNTE: Yes, we shall. I just learned so much from that. Thank you, Stefan, I appreciate that. Live in Bogota for us there. Thanks.

Several U.S. federal agencies are participating in the immigration crackdown, and sources tell CNN they've been given additional authority to arrest undocumented immigrants. They say field offices for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, have been told to meet a quota of 75 arrests per day.

That would pave the way to surpassing the number of daily arrests in the past year. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has said the Trump administration's threats to deport law-abiding immigrants were quite disturbing.

Here's what he told my colleague, Dana Bash.

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GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D), ILLINOIS: These are not people who are causing problems in our country, and what we need is a path to citizenship for them. We need to secure our border. We need to get rid of the violent criminals, but we also need to protect people, at least the residents of Illinois and all across the nation who are just doing what we hope that immigrants will do.

We're not going to help federal officials just drag them away because somebody pointed at them and said, oh, that person's brown, or that person's not from here. Check it out. Maybe they're undocumented.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Governor --

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HUNTE: President Trump's new border czar, Tom Homan, was in Chicago as raids were underway. He says there are consequences for entering the U.S. illegally.

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TOM HOMAN, TRUMP'S BORDER CZAR: If you're in the country illegally, it's not OK. It's not OK to violate laws of this country.

We have millions of people standing in line, taking the test, doing their background investigation, paying the fees, that want to come in the right way.

There's no number on it. So, my success can be based on what Congress gives us. More money, the better we're going to do.

I'm being realistic. We can do what we can with the money we have. We're going to try to be efficient, but with more money we have, the more we can accomplish it.

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HUNTE: The Drug Enforcement Administration says nearly 50 undocumented people were taken into custody during a Sunday morning raid near Denver.

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They say the raid targeted Venezuelan gang members, with agents also seizing drugs, weapons and cash.

He says only male and female exist. Oh, yes. U.S. President Donald Trump is abandoning his predecessor's efforts on gender identity. We're going to look into what he's planning later in the program.

Plus, displaced Palestinians are finally being allowed to return home to Northern Gaza. Details of the latest agreement between Israel and Hamas just ahead.

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HUNTE: You are looking at live pictures out of Gaza, where Israel is allowing thousands of Palestinians to finally return home to the North.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians waited for two days at roadblocks after Israel accused Hamas of breaching a ceasefire agreement and refused to open crossing points.

This comes after Hamas agreed to release Israeli hostage Arbel Yehuda, soldier Agam Berger and one other hostage on Thursday and free another three more hostages on Saturday.

The U.S. said on Sunday the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel would remain in effect until February 18.

Lebanese officials said at least 22 people were killed and more than 120 injured by Israeli forces, as thousands of people tried to return home to the South after a Sunday Israeli withdrawal deadline passed.

The IDF had released an order on Sunday prohibiting residents from returning to their villages.

Let's dig into this story. We're going to go live to Beirut, where Paul Salem, vice president of the Middle East institute, is up early to chat to me.

Paul, thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

PAUL SALEM, VICE PRESIDENT, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thank you, Ben. I -- personally, I'm doing well. The region, maybe not so much.

HUNTE: Well, but let's get into that. How successful do you think these ceasefire deals have been so far?

SALEM: Well, I think it's an interesting dynamic that both ceasefires were largely driven by the victory of Donald Trump in the elections in November and the deadline of his moving into the White House last Monday. And the ceasefire in Gaza was just concluded 48 hours before he moved into the White House.

But already in the first week of his administration, both ceasefires, while not ending, are certainly very complicated and very shaky on both sides.

And you add to that President Trump's statement that he favors relocation of people from Gaza to other Arab countries. It promises to be a bumpy road ahead.

HUNTE: Well, on it being a bumpy road, let's discuss some recent comments.

President Trump said he'd like to see Arab nations take more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially cleaning out the area to create a clean slate. Give me an idea of what sort of reactions that you've seen about that statement so far.

SALEM: Well, absolutely. I mean, both countries that President Trump mentioned, Jordan and Egypt, flatly rejected that proposal.

Keep in mind, the U.S. plan before this Monday, before last Monday was that the U.S. would work with Arab countries to build good governance or some reasonable governance in Gaza after the ceasefire, bring in Arab countries with some multinational troops, work with the Palestinian Authority.

So now the U.S. is going in a 180 degrees different direction.

HUNTE: And what does Israel's withdrawal delay mean to Hezbollah? And also, while we're on that, what should we be looking out for to see if things are still moving in a positive direction?

SALEM: Well, I think on the Israeli-Lebanese side, certainly, there's been a lot of loss of life yesterday, but I don't think the ceasefire will fall apart.

Hezbollah is in a very weakened position. It has a very big interest that the ceasefire hold and to try to get financial aid, to begin rebuilding towns and villages. But certainly, the delay in the withdrawal complicates political life in Lebanon.

HUNTE: I just want to break down for me how important Donald Trump actually is to all of these ongoing talks.

SALEM: Well, very important. Obviously, the U.S. is the main external player other than the local players themselves, in any pathway for Israel and Palestine. And the future of governance in Gaza and the West Bank.

The U.S. will have a very large say in that. And it's alarming to many Arab countries that the U.S. seems to be lining up between the extreme right-wing hardliners who want to depopulate Gaza and certainly want to annex most of the West Bank to Israel.

That will inflame tensions and possibly armed conflict between Israel and Palestinians, will put Arab friends of the United States, presidents, kings in the region in a very difficult situation with their own population.

The same is true in Lebanon, that the U.S. is the main supporter of the Lebanese army, and that process of trying to move forward in Lebanon and rebuild sovereignty, and make sure Hezbollah moves towards disarming and so on, that does require very basic U.S. support.

HUNTE: Yes. Yes, indeed. Well, Paul Salem, thank you for joining us. We appreciate it. Let's see what happens next.

SALEM: Thank you, Ben.

HUNTE: So welcome.

After the break, the U.S. transgender community is bracing for a government crackdown on so-called gender ideology.

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The real impacts that could be coming for trans people, next.

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HUNTE: U.S. President Donald Trump is reversing efforts made by former President Joe Biden to broaden gender identification.

Under a new executive order, the federal government will only recognize two sexes, male and female. Here's what's in the order.

Government agencies will ensure that official documents like passports and visas will, quote, "accurately reflect the holder's sex, while departments running facilities like federal prisons and migrant shelters are directed to protect single-sex spaces for privacy.

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And an administration official says agencies will no longer promote gender ideology or use public funds to do so.

Trans people have told CNN they're terrified. Gender politics is something Mr. Trump has been very vocal about.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will get critical race theory and trans gender insanity the hell out of our school.

And we will, of course, keep men out of women's sports.

Have you ever met anybody that said, We want men playing in women's sports? You know, I've never met anybody. I know there's got to be some kind of a movement. I'm going to terminate that immediately. I'll terminate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: For more, let's bring in our panel. Jennifer Levi is a senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLAD Law, and Kyle Davy is a transgender social media activist.

Thank you both so much for being with me. I really, really appreciate it.

Kyle, I'm going to come to you first. We're seeing all of this happen over the past few days. I just wonder, how are you actually feeling right now as a trans person in the U.S.?

KYLE XAVIER DAVY, TRANSGENDER SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVIST: Honestly, it's devastating. It makes me feel horrible. It makes me worry for not only myself, but the trans community in general. I see a lot of negative coming from this with our mental health. There's just -- there's no -- there's no real words to put into how I feel and how all of us feel together.

HUNTE: And, Jennifer, maybe we can just talk about what is actually happening. So, what are the impacts that these executive orders are going to have on trans people?

JENNIFER LEVI, SENIOR DIRECTOR, TRANSGENDER AND QUEER RIGHTS, GLAD LAW: Yes, I mean, I just want to step back and say, I mean, it is unprecedented for a president to come in and roll back existing nondiscrimination provisions for an entire vulnerable community.

So, I just want to state that at the outset and also acknowledge that the intention is to put barriers in transgender people's way of living their lives every day. And we're going to see that happen, and we're starting to see that happen already.

And it's -- it's -- it's baseless. It's part of a politically focused effort to stigmatize a community. And yes, I think it's been certainly demoralizing for a lot of people.

HUNTE: And talk me through some of these executive orders and the things that are actually happening, then. What are people scared of?

LEVI: Yes, I mean, a lot of things. I mean, for one thing, the order reverses existing policy that allows transgender people to get federal documentation that reflects who they are, to allow them to freely move about the country.

The order directs federal agencies to reverse existing policies that provide protections for students in school, that provide protections for people accessing health care facilities, for people accessing shelters. I want to make it clear that no executive order can actually reverse

the scope of federal law. So, what the president is trying to do doesn't have legal -- he doesn't have legal authority to do it. You'll see legal challenges to this for sure.

But absolutely, in the meantime, what we're seeing is people individually targeted and being seriously hurt.

HUNTE: Kyle, coming back to you, how scared are your followers in the community that you've built up?

DAVY: They're very scared. I get questions all the time asking me personally, what do I think is going to happen? Are we going to continue to be able to receive our HRT? Are we going to have to move?

Not everybody has that privilege of being able to just up and move. So, there's just a lot of up-in-the-air questions. We don't really know what's going to happen.

HUNTE: And before this executive order, Kyle, had you faced barriers in just being trans in the U.S.?

DAVY: Absolutely. Specifically, just the way we're treated. Lots of bullying all over social media. It's just every time we try to get one step forward, there's something that pushes us ten steps back.

And I just feel like, because everyone is so misinformed, they're treating us poorly because of that, and we all feel it and experience it every single day.

HUNTE: And Jennifer, coming back to you, what can the trans community actually do to push back against this?

LEVI: Yes, I mean, it's such a good question. And I want to make it really clear that transgender people live and work throughout all of the communities in which we live. Transgender people are doctors, first response -- first responders, judges, teachers, librarians. I mean, you know, all throughout all of our workplaces. And no executive order is going to change that.

What the executive order is going to do is make it harder for people to live their lives and for -- and, you know -- and to be able to contribute to their communities.

But in terms of what people can do, No. 1, reach out to LGBTQ legal organizations who are ready to step forward and challenge the lawfulness of this unprincipled and unfounded order. Reach out to other individuals in your community. Get the support that you need. Look for the support of families and churches and synagogues in our communities.

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There is Congress, and we need to reach out. I understand it's a -- you know, it's a really difficult time politically, but there is a lot to do to change hearts and minds and also meet people where they are at. And, you know, attack the unlawful steps that this administration is -- is taking.

HUNTE: I just want to get one point from each of you on what anyone watching this who may not be trans can do to support your communities.

Kyle, let's start with you.

DAVY: I think a little goes a long way. So, even just starting by using proper pronouns. If somebody tells you, hey, this is what I go by, like, make sure you make it known to correct yourself. And don't be afraid to do it in front of other strangers, because the more we do that, the more we can normalize our existence.

HUNTE: Love that.

Jennifer, what say you?

LEVI: Yes. Reach out. Reach out to your family members. Reach out to your friends. Reach out to others in your community, and speak out your opposition to this unprincipled attack on a vulnerable community. Provide support where you can. Look for other, you know, local folks in your community to really create the networks that transgender people need to continue to be able to contribute and thrive over, you know, the next coming years where it is certain to -- that we will be facing more challenges like this and more.

HUNTE: Well, we'll see what happens. Thank you so much, Jennifer Levi and Kyle Davy for joining me. Really appreciate it.

DAVY: Thank you.

HUNTE: A database detailing the criminal charges and successful convictions of January 6th rioters has been removed from the U.S. Department of Justice's website.

This coincides with President Donald Trump's decision to pardon all convicted January 6th defendants. Though records of the cases still exist, it's now much harder to track them all down.

While J-6 rioters are obviously celebrating the move, U.S. judges are accusing the Trump administration of, quote, "whitewashing" the mob's attack on the Capitol.

The U.S. attorney's office has declined to comment on the issue.

The United Nations is sounding the alarm over a growing humanitarian crisis as rebel forces make gains in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The story after the break.

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HUNTE: The United Nations is urging Congolese rebels and allied Rwandan forces operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo to halt all hostile action immediately. The M-23 rebel group has entered the outskirts of Goma, near the

Rwandan border surrounding the city and closing its airspace. The U.N. Secretary [SIC] Council held an emergency meeting on Sunday.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is strongly condemning the M-23 offensive, which is causing havoc among the civilian population.

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HUNTE (voice-over): Civilians hurried towards Goma with everything they can carry on their backs. The fighting between the M-23 rebel group and the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo, hot on their heels as panicked residents flee outlying areas to seek shelter.

The U.N. says the encroaching violence has already displaced some 400,000 people in the region since the beginning of the year, and there are fears, as the clashes continue, there will be many more.

MARCELINE KACHARANGA, DISPLACED BY FIGHTING (through translator): We are fleeing without knowing where we're going, as if we have nowhere to return. Look, my older sister, she gave birth yesterday. She has a baby, and we don't know what to do.

HUNTE (voice-over): After a lightning offensive that began just weeks ago, M-23 rebels have made significant territorial gains and have encircled Goma, which is located near the border with Rwanda.

Flights from the city's airport have been grounded, and gunfire and artillery fire can be heard across the city.

South African and U.N. authorities say at least 13 peacekeepers from the U.N. and other international forces have been killed, and the U.N. says it's temporarily relocating non-essential staff out of the area.

Medical staff in a hospital in Goma say they're overwhelmed with patients and have had to set up emergency tents to treat the wounded, some who say they narrowly escaped the fighting.

JEANNETTE NEEMA MATONDO, WOUNDED IN FIGHTING (through translator): We packed our bags, took our children, and left. When we reached the checkpoint, a bomb fell on us. I was thrown backward in the direction I had come from. I still had my baby on my back, and my belongings were next to me, but everyone around me was dead.

HUNTE (voice-over): International groups warn that the violence could escalate into a wider regional conflict.

The DRC recently severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda, which it says funds and supports M-23 rebels. Rwanda denies this but says it does have troops and missile systems in the Eastern DRC for its own security.

For decades, the Eastern part of the DRC has been infiltrated by militias and armed groups, many stemming from Rwanda's 1994 genocide and lingering hostilities between Hutu and Tutsi groups. Aid agencies say many people in this area have been displaced before

by ongoing conflicts. And with the pitched fighting, uprooting them once again, the humanitarian crisis in the DRC can only get worse for those surrounded by fighting, with no place left to go.

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HUNTE: An undersea fiber optic cable linking Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday. Early evidence suggests the cable was struck by an external force, according to Latvian officials.

NATO forces in the Baltic Sea are working with local maritime patrols to determine the cause of the damage, and whether it was intentional or not.

NATO recently ramped up its efforts to protect critical undersea infrastructure in the region, suspecting a campaign of sabotage. Multiple cables have been cut in recent months.

OK, well, that's all I've got for you. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. It's been real. Thank you for being with me. Let's do it again in 15 minutes.

WORLD SPORT is next. See you in a bit.

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