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Iran Says It's Closing Hormuz Strait After Israeli Attacks In Lebanon; U.S. Men Advance To Knockout Round After Beating Australia; Vance Heads To Switzerland For U.S.-Iran Peace Talks; Vance Heads To Switzerland For United States-Iran Peace Talks; Iran Says Closing Hormuz Strait After Israeli Attacks In Lebanon; DHS Drops Plans To Turn Warehouse Into Mega ICE Facility In Georgia. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired June 20, 2026 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:33]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

New tonight, Iran's military is warning vessels not to approach the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says Israel violated the ceasefire in Lebanon, prompting Tehran to announce plans to close off the critical waterway yet again.

But U.S. Central Command says Iran doesn't control the strait, adding that marine traffic is continuing to flow through the passage while U.S. forces monitor the situation.

This is just the latest snag, though, in diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran, as both sides look to continue negotiations after signing that Memorandum of Understanding.

That memorandum is just the first stage, though, toward an agreement. Signing it set off a 60-day clock for the U.S. and Iran to resolve outstanding issues, including what happens to Iran's nuclear program.

Officials from Washington and Tehran are set to meet in Switzerland for talks as Vice President J.D. Vance departed just moments ago.

CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It does seem from the sources I'm talking to in the region there, that there is, if you will, a certain amount of fighting that's allowed for.

What it seems that the Iranians are looking for, obviously, is a complete ceasefire in Lebanon. But on the ground in Lebanon, the ceasefire there is being interpreted it appears as if that border zone close to Israel's northern border, where Hezbollah operate the IDF have forces there. Now that that is still a conflict zone, the sort of backwards and forwards yellow line there, so to speak. But in terms of sort of big strikes at Hezbollah targets in and around

Beirut and other parts of the country, that seems to be what is understood as being off, you know, being off limits.

And I understand from my sources there that the U.S. has been very heavily involved in trying to get that drilled down and pushed through.

And of course, today in Tehran, you have had the Pakistani one of their key mediators there, the interior minister, meet with the foreign minister, who's one of the main negotiators on the Iranian side.

Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament, their top negotiator, also met with the president of Iran today. So that really -- that mission there was entirely focused on Lebanon, on the Lebanon issue, on trying to persuade the Iranians to come to the talks, which seems to be -- seems to be happening. They seem to be on the way for that.

And the reason to persuade them was to convince them that President Trump, having signed the Memorandum of Understanding, can -- which includes a ceasefire in Lebanon -- can bring enough pressure to bear.

But it does seem that the Iranians want a diplomatic stick in their hand. And this appears to be why the IRGC has closed -- said they're closing the Strait of Hormuz again.

So they're coming into the table here to talk, and they want the ceasefire in Lebanon. But they're coming in, having taken something off the table that they'd agree to opening the Strait of Hormuz.

That's powerful geo economic, geo diplomatic leverage, a big diplomatic stick they're bringing to the table now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Nic Robertson, appreciate it.

And not too long ago, Iran's delegation has landed in Switzerland for those talks, according to Iranian state media.

I want to bring in CNN political and global affairs analyst and Axios correspondent Barak Ravid.

So Barak, what is the latest you're hearing from your sources about this next round of negotiations? Who else is expected to take part?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: So I think we're in a very initial stage of these negotiations. I think that initial talks already started earlier today between the -- some of the U.S. team, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff are there. they had talks with the Qatari prime minister.

I think the IAEA director general is also there. The IAEA is going to play a key role in those -- in the implementation of any deal.

And tomorrow -- but tomorrow, the real talks are going to -- are going to start.

[17:04:47]

RAVID: And I think what we're going to see in the next day or two is mainly both sides trying to get an agreement on some sort of a framework of, you know, which issue is going to be tackled first, how long those negotiations are going to take place before they -- each side goes back to the capitals for consultations.

Are they going to keep working-level teams there in Switzerland to just continue hammering out different issues?

There's not a lot of time. We're talking about two months. This is not an agreement that will be easy to get, uh, in two months. It's going to be a very -- it needs to be a very detailed agreement.

And therefore, I think a lot of the discussions in the next two days will be about the practicalities of how to work together on trying to get this deal.

JIMENEZ: You know, outside of just the United States and Iran, the back and forth between Israel and Hezbollah and Lebanon has proven to sometimes be a little bit of a complicating factor in the U.S.-Iran negotiations.

And earlier this week, Vice President J.D. Vance issued a sort of warning to Israel, at least certain members of the cabinet, urging the country to respect the peace process, among other things.

Just bottom line, how are officials in Israel responding to all of this, including some of those comments from the vice president?

RAVID: So first, I think what we saw -- what we saw today, is that the Iranians traveled to Switzerland regardless of the situation in Lebanon. And at least as far as I understand their statement regarding the Strait of Hormuz is mostly a statement.

U.S. Defense officials told me that there's no change on the ground militarily from the Iranian side. So as far as the U.S. military is concerned, the strait is open. So I think there's a lot of posturing here on both sides.

But the issue of Lebanon is, you know, can be a hurdle because the ceasefire, a renewed ceasefire was announced on Friday, only to be broken after, I don't know, two hours. And to be announced again today.

And if I have to guess this ceasefire will be broken sometime in the next few days, and it will be announced again. Because -- but the bottom line is that as long as the Israeli military is still in southern Lebanon, and I don't see them going anywhere in the foreseeable future, there will be those clashes every other day.

And I think this will be a challenge to see how those negotiations can continue with ongoing clashes in Lebanon every 2 or 3 days.

And I think that what the Trump administration has been trying to tell the Israelis is that they need to play ball.

The Israelis, I think Prime Minister Netanyahu, on the one hand, he understands it. On the other hand, he has an election in three months. And his base wants the IDF to continue pounding Hezbollah.

So he needs to decide which one is more important to him -- what Donald Trump is asking him or what his base is asking him.

JIMENEZ: You know, as these talks seem like they're going to get going, we showed Vice President Vance departing and with Iranian officials also reportedly getting to Switzerland as well.

What are you looking for in the next days, potentially weeks that might signal some real significant forward progress?

RAVID: I think the main thing that the us wants to get out of those talks, that's what I hear from, you know, sources that are involved, is that the Iranians will announce that they're inviting IAEA inspectors, U.N. inspectors back to Iran to visit the nuclear sites.

Last time IAEA inspectors were in Iran was more than a year ago, before the 12-day war. And I think that that's what the U.S. wants to see. They want the Iranians bringing back the inspectors, allowing them to check the nuclear sites that most of them were bombed.

And this would be a signal from the Iranians that they're really ready to move down the path of getting rid of the enriched uranium, suspending their enrichment program, and accepting very harsh monitoring and verification by the IAEA.

What the Iranians would want to get in return for such a -- such a move, and I think the U.S. is ready to give it, is some kind of release of frozen funds that the Iranians have in Qatar. They have $6 billion there.

[17:09:39]

RAVID: I think the U.S. is seriously considering that in return for allowing the U.N. inspectors back to Iran, some of those $6 billion will be released so that the Iranians will be able to use them for humanitarian purposes, for food, for medicine, for other humanitarian equipment.

I think this is what we need to look at. Whether Iran invites the IAEA inspectors and whether the U.S. starts releasing some Iranian funds.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, it's interesting those inspectors, or at least that dynamic, was one of the core tenets of the previous JCPOA years ago. But obviously a much different situation right now in terms of trying to get toward a deal.

You know, the Gulf states around Iran and otherwise have been at points targeted over the course of this U.S.-Iran war. Do we have a sense for either their optimism or involvement in any way, even in an advisory role as part of these talks and what they may want to see out of any agreement? RAVID: So I think it's a mixed bag when you look, for example, at

Qatar. Qatar is one of the key mediators between the U.S. and Iran. So obviously it's pushing for a deal.

The Saudis are also involved and not -- they're not in the front seat, but they're in the back seat but they're involved.

On the other hand, countries like Bahrain and the UAE are highly skeptical of the Iranians. They're not against the negotiations, but I don't think they would shed a tear if those negotiations will break apart and the U.S. will resume the pressure on the Iranians.

Oman that used to be a mediator between the U.S. and Iran, was sort of sidelined by the Trump administration. It's not really involved, but it would like to see a deal.

So I think every country is a bit different.

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, is expected to travel to the region next week and to hold a summit with the foreign ministers of the six Gulf countries, the Gulf Cooperation Council.

And I think those countries want to see not only a nuclear deal, but also some, some kind of deal about Iran's missiles and Iran's support to proxies.

There're supposed to be a separate track, parallel track of negotiations between the GCC countries and Iran on those issues. I find it hard to see how they can reach some sort of an arrangement on those two very thorny issues.

But I think this is what we're going to see in parallel to the talks that are taking place in Switzerland.

JIMENEZ: A lot to watch for in the days to come. Barak Ravid, appreciate the time, as always.

So what will the peace talks with Iran look like? We're going to talk to one of the men who was in the room when the Obama White House negotiated with Iran back in 2015.

And depending on who's talking, the Strait of Hormuz is open or it's closed. So how tough will it be for ships to start using it again when it is open?

But next, Team U.S.A. moving on in the World Cup. How far could they go? We'll talk about it.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[17:12:37]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Man, nine days ago, would you believe the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team could be locked into the knockout round already of the World Cup after just two games?

Because that's what happened. Thanks to both the U.S. Men beating Australia two-nil in Seattle yesterday afternoon, and then Paraguay beating Turkey in the late game.

So now if the U.S. -- if they choose, could actually rest some players in Thursdays game against Turkey.

I want to bring in CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes, who joins us now from Seattle with more -- from my favorite park in Seattle. You can't beat that view. You see the whole city.

Andy, how was it yesterday? What should we be looking for moving forward?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I mean, Omar, yesterday an incredible day for the team. Incredible day for the fans. Even an incredible day for the media Like myself all around. It was just awesome.

And now, for the first time in modern World Cup history, the U.S. has won their group with still a game left to play. And as you mentioned, now that really changes things for that last group stage game against Turkey in L.A. on Thursday. The team can rest as many players as they want, including Christian Pulisic, who's dealing with that calf injury. Another week certainly going to do him some good.

But Mauricio Pochettino's squad, they were just dominant against Australia here yesterday in their second group stage game. They did so without Pulisic. They were able to get two goals in that first half.

Folarin Balogun didn't score but he created the opportunity that led to an own goal to get that first goal.

And get this, the U.S. is actually the first team in World Cup history to benefit from own goals in consecutive games.

The team then later got a header from Alex Freeman, the 21-year-old son of former Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman. He's really turning into a rising star.

Originally that was called offsides, but VAR overturned it, made it a goal. The whole stadium erupted.

Australia had some chances in that second half, but Team U.S.A. able to put up a clean sheet win two-nil.

And check out the fan zone in Atlanta, Georgia watching the U.S. get the win. I mean, they actually had to stop letting people into that fan zone because it became so packed.

Centennial Olympic Park there in downtown Atlanta. It's pretty big. So that's one impressive crowd.

[17:19:49]

SCHOLES: But the atmosphere here in Seattle, it was also just electric. And after the big win, I talked to the fans as they were leaving, and they are more confident than ever about a deep U.S.A. run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was unbelievable. They look -- they're looking so good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, they came out great today. They hit it and Australia didn't know what had it coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm starting to believe. I think we're pretty dominant. I think were dangerous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they have a really good chance of winning this whole thing.

SCHOLES: The whole thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole thing. Quarterfinals for sure.

SCHOLES: Ok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then we'll see.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got to say, all the way.

SCHOLES: All the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. All the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S.A. all the way. Red, white and blue. You know what I'm saying? No matter what, let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, Folarin Balogun has become one of the breakout stars of this World Cup and the story of how he came to play for Team U.S.A. it's pretty incredible.

So Balogun's Nigerian parents, they lived in London, they were visiting New York some 24 years ago, and Balogun's mother was seven months pregnant at the time.

And when it came time to get on the plane to go back to London, an airline employee would not let her board the plane because of health concerns due to how pregnant she was.

So Balogun ended up being born in Brooklyn before heading back to the U.K. when he was two months old. Balogun, he could have ended up playing for England or Nigeria, but he chose the U.S.A. after fans flooded him with messages saying they wanted him to be on the team.

You know, Omar, we don't know what the future holds for this World Cup, but that airline employee may have single-handedly changed the course of U.S. sports history. JIMENEZ: Get them to a match ASAP, because Balogun, we're glad to have

you, man. We're glad to have you.

Andy Scholes always glad to have you. Enjoy it out there in Seattle. Good to see you.

All right. Stay with us tomorrow night for CNN's new flash doc, "CHASING SOCCER GLORY AMERICA'S LONG GAME". We take a look at how the beautiful game has grown in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember when the World Cup was awarded to the United States. There was a lot of panic amongst the organizing committee about whether anyone would actually turn up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know what you're talking about. The cup. What cup?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The World Cup consists of a baseball, football.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. We're talking soccer here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, ok.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we've heard about that soccer. You know, they have the hooligans get in fights all the time in England.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A study came out a couple of weeks before the World Cup, which said that soccer was America's 67th most popular sport. And I crap you not. Tractor-pulling was number 66.

Going into 1994. There was this global perspective that the U.S. was just going to get run over, that they had no chance in this World Cup.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which country stuff sells the least?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would definitely say U.S.A.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Europe looked at American football as like, imagine the NFL looks at English quarterbacks like, yes, happy for you. Not interested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Be sure to tune in, a new CNN flash doc "CHASING SOCCER GLORY" airs Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

Still ahead, we've got a lot of news to follow, including new concerns surrounding U.S. efforts to end the war with Tehran after Israel launches strikes in Lebanon. We're going to talk to a former U.S. negotiator who helped with the Iran deal under President Obama.

Stay with us.

[17:23:11] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIMENEZ: Vice President J.D. Vance is on his way to Switzerland, where the United States and Iran are expected to work on formalizing a tentative peace agreement.

Iranian delegates have already arrived in Zurich, but state media in Tehran is urging the country's top diplomat not to make the trip.

State media wrote on Saturday there is quote, "no justification", end quote, for Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to meet with U.S. envoy, Steve Witkoff.

It alleges the first part of the deal, calling for an end to fighting on all fronts, has already been violated by Israel's latest attacks in southern Lebanon.

I want to bring in Alan Eyre, a diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute and a career senior diplomat. Alan, you were part of the U.S. team that conducted nuclear negotiations with Iran under President Obama. Do you feel the Trump administration has made any progress with Iran as a result of this war.

ALAN EYRE, DIPLOMATIC FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: No, I think strategically, we have set ourselves back tremendously, Omar. But I'm heartened by the fact that finally, the two sides seem to have at least a tentative ceasefire. I hope it holds.

But going forward, I also think it quite unlikely this administration will be able to get any type of effective nuclear agreement with Iran.

JIMENEZ: You know, one of the biggest points of controversy, even among Republican allies for the president, is that this Memorandum of Understanding gives Iran access to what would be a $300 billion reconstruction fund.

And the Trump administration says the money would come from other countries, not U.S. taxpayers. But you contrast that with the president's repeated and inaccurate claims that the Obama administration just point-blank gave Iran access to $150 billion in cash.

I just wonder how you see that aspect of either strengthening Iran's economy in any way needs to be part of any deal that is made here.

EYRE: Well, Omar, I think, first of all, the administrations numbers are off. But more importantly, I think the brutal reality is you're not going to get a nuclear deal with Iran without them getting some type of income. I don't think they'll get any of the $300 billion because as I said earlier I don't think there'll be a nuclear agreement.

But the first step is where the U.S. gives waivers so that Iran can export its oil. I think that's likely. It's likely that Iran will have some of its assets frozen.

[17:29:51]

EYRE: But as I said before, I don't think we'll ever reach the finish line where Iran will get access to $300 billion because frankly, who's going to invest in Iran as long as there's a possibility of a renewal of hostilities?

JIMENEZ:: You know there are 14 points in this that Iran and the U.S. have agreed to in the Memorandum of Understanding. Are there any that you see ultimately being a problem for either country or anything that surprised you.

EYRE: Well, the nuclear can was kicked down the road, Omar, in this MoU. So, there is really nothing substantive about Iran's nuclear program, other than both sides agreed to talk. To me, the only thing that's important about this MoU -- two things, actually. It's stopped the fighting, at least for the time being. And more importantly, it sets a pathway to increase maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is essential. Because every day that the strait remains closed or constricted, more economic pain. The bad news is we did that by essentially ceding Iran administrative control over the strait.

JIMENEZ: And we are even seeing right now some difference in comments in terms of Iran posturing that the strait is still closed, the United States military saying nothing has changed, that it remains open. So, clearly, it's going to be a dynamic that is very prominent as these discussions move forward.

But another dynamic that's been prominent has been what's going on between Israel and Hezbollah, and Israel not directly a signatory to this, not directly involved in negotiations, but can the U.S. make a deal with Iran that will hold without having Israel being directly involved?

EYRE: Omar, you put your finger on the weakest link of this whole scenario, which is that Israel was not a party to the agreement, and Israel does not want the war against Hezbollah to stop. Or for that matter, the war against Iran to stop.

It's very popular in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu is facing reelection later this year. So, he wants to continue the war against Hezbollah. He feels he needs to. And he also wants to reignite the war between the United States and Iran. So yes, that's the biggest challenge that any sort of sustainable peace agreement faces.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, along those lines, we saw just comments from the -- from the vice president this week, sort of pushing or seem directed at certain members of Netanyahu's Cabinet, essentially, saying don't push away the only allies that have been sympathetic to you in terms of Israel.

I wonder how you assess that, I mean, really strong wording and posturing from the U.S. government towards what has been a pretty consistent ally in Israel.

EYRE: Well, I agree with the vice president and the president on this. Here, Israel was traumatized by October 7th, but it cannot kill its way to security, which is something, I think, Vice President Vance said.

So, Israel is going to have to find a way to stand down in Lebanon. Yes, Hezbollah should be disarmed. I think the Lebanese government can work with Israel to do that. If the Lebanese-Israel peace talks continue. But we are at a point now where Israel is hurting itself by continuing to attack Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and this peace deal will not hold if that continues to be the case.

Lot of dynamics at play. Alan Eyre, appreciate the insight, as always.

EYRE: Thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. Coming up for us, a closer look at oil ships, once again left stranded, without access to the Strait of Hormuz. How might this impact your next trip to the pump? We'll talk to an expert coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:38:13]

JIMENEZ: With Iran warning cargo ships not to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, tanker ships fully loaded with oil are facing that dangerous decision of what to do next.

A lot of insurance companies won't even allow the ships to cross, though U.S. Central Command says Iran does not control the strait, and that 55 ships passed through earlier today, all this, though, is throwing a shadow over the world economy.

Oil analysts warn that supply has fallen to critically low levels, with the world and U.S. supply at their lowest levels in about 40 years.

I want to bring in Gene Seroka. He is the executive director of the busiest port in the United States, the Port of Los Angeles. Good to see you.

So, Gene, just on that last point, oil prices have remained relatively calm, but if the U.S. and China are burning through their supply, for example, is that sustainable?

GENE SEROKA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORT OF LOS ANGELES: Good evening, Omar. And it's a concern across a variety of sectors in our shipping industry that heavy fuel that's used for vessels while in good supply here in Los Angeles has seen sparse numbers across Asia and other locations.

Jet fuel, the refined product that is used in Vietnam, comes from the Arabian Gulf. That supply is low. And 75 percent of the E.U.'s jet fuel comes from that area as well. So, it's a concern across the board.

JIMENEZ: You know, at this point, I -- you know, we have been talking about, obviously, just getting to the place where a memorandum of understanding has been reached, sets off this negotiation period in the -- in the months to come. But what needs to happen to actually get shipping normalized again?

Because we know captains, companies, insurers, all have to sign off and feel comfortable. What is that process going to look like?

[17:40:00]

SEROKA: Omar, the information we are getting, and is up and down as it is, is doing very little to build confidence in the shipping industry. This is an area where you don't want to be first to transit the strait if you're not completely assured of the safety and security protocols being in place.

And of number one importance is the safety of those crews and the sea members. There are more than 20,000 seafarers that are still sitting on vessels in the Arabian Gulf. Much more to learn here, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Well, and you know, I think for a lot of people, the real question underneath all of this negotiating that's about to happen in Switzerland, for example, is what is this going to mean for gas prices?

And I wonder, just do you have a sense of how you all are thinking about it, or whatever it might be, of how long it might take before the energy market is actually normalized.

SEROKA: Yes, two pieces here, I think. Number one, for every dollar per barrel movement on the overall global market, that's about 2-1/2 cents at the gas pump, and while we have seen some relief over the past days and weeks, gas here in Southern California, as an example, is still up 20 percent.

The only important diesel blend that our truckers use at the Port of Los Angeles is still up by a third, as is that vessel fuel.

In our industry, typically, if a port is shut down for a day, it takes about three days to catch up on all the traffic coming in and out, as well as working those vessels that have been in port. We are now approaching four months of this war, and please remember, there are four other conflicts in the Middle East that add layers of complexity to this.

It's going to be months on end before the energy supply chain gets back to some semblance of normalcy, and then overlay that with a war- torn region. There is got to be repair to infrastructure and future proofing of these drilling facilities, as well as the natural gas plants around the Middle East.

JIMENEZ: You know, you are -- you are -- you've got me doing math here, just, you know, that one to three ratio. All of a sudden, you know, I'm forecasting that out, and we are talking past the holidays into early next year, potentially. You know, if that timeline sort of tracks.

And I just wonder, what does this mean for the holidays? I know it feels like early to talk about it. But companies are starting to make those purchases and decisions and preparations now.

SEROKA: That's right, Omar. And we are seeing that already. Probably, an earlier than normal peak season for retail goods here in the United States. The month of May was very strong for the Port of Los Angeles, just using that as one barometer. And it appears that June and July will also hit some pretty high numbers on the import side of the business.

So, many of those folks, whether they be retailers, importers alike, are trying to bring their inventory in just a little bit early as a hedge to what they don't know, because the planning horizons right now are so short, any piece of information coming out could really move supply chains in different ways.

JIMENEZ: Gene Seroka, always appreciate the time and insight. Thanks for being here.

All right, meanwhile, Georgia is taking center stage once again ahead of the Midterms. The Republican challenger going up against Democrat Jon Ossoff in this high-stakes race. We'll talk about it straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:47:58]

JIMENEZ: The Trump administration is canceling plans to turn a Georgia warehouse into a massive immigration detention center. The federal government paid more than $128 million for the property, and the Department of Homeland Security planned to use it to hold up to 10,000 detainees. That would have nearly doubled the population of the small city of Social Circle, which drew quick and fierce pushback from residents and local leaders.

CNN, Rafael Romo is in Social Circle right now. So, Rafael, you have been speaking with city officials. What are they telling you?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Omar.

Well, officials here in Social Circle told me, if you can imagine this, that they first learned about the Department of Homeland Security's plans to build a detention center for migrants the day after Christmas, so, almost six months ago.

Social Circle, Omar is a town of fewer than 6,000 about 45 miles east of Atlanta. The plan called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to open the detention center in a local 1 million square foot warehouse to hold as many as 10,000 migrants, nearly tripling the population, and that's without counting 2,000 to 2,500 employees.

The plan drew fierce opposition in Walton County, here where we are, where President Donald Trump won more than 72 percent of the vote in 2024.

Social Circle leaders said their main concern was the potential impact to their water and sewer infrastructure, which lacks capacity, concern, they say they tried to convey multiple times to federal officials. And then, unexpectedly, the city of Social Circle learned only two days ago the Trump administration is now backing away from its plans. And they learned that not from DHS officials, they say, but from Congressman Mike Collins.

And apparently, this is not happening only here in Georgia. The New York Times, citing documents it has obtained, reports that DHS is scrapping plans for conversion of a total of seven of 11 recently purchased warehouses into detention facilities from Roxbury, New Jersey, to Salt Lake City, Utah.

[17:50:03]

What changed? Well, Social Circle City Manager Eric Taylor told me earlier, the infrastructure capacity argument was something they highlighted in the only meeting they had with federal officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC TAYLOR, MANAGER, SOCIAL CIRCLE CITY: It is something that we were very vocal about from the very beginning. Every time we spoke out, that was a central point of our argument. And, you know, we did, you know, the one meeting that we did have with DHS, we told them that meeting that was our major concern, and I know that, you know, the congressman and both senators have reached out to DHS, and that has been central to their argument as well.

VALERIE WALTHART, ONE CIRCLE COMMUNITY COALITION: I had a couple of big concerns. Obviously, I personally -- on a humanitarian level, I'm very concerned. I don't believe that 10,000 human beings should be housed in a warehouse.

I had a lot of other concerns about my town, as we had mentioned before, and as has obviously made the news before, our infrastructure simply is not in a place to handle that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: DHS told CNN in a statement that it is still focused on removing what it calls the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. "These heinous criminals, once arrested," the statement says, "should be removed at lightning speed and not housed on American soil at the taxpayer's expense, DHS is moving swiftly to utilize existing detention space with our state and county partners."

Several crucial questions remain, Omar. The deed shows that the federal government paid more than -- this is what you were talking about at the beginning: $128.5 million for the Social Circle property. More than four times the $29.4 million it sold for in 2023.

A source told CNN in April that DHS began rethinking the more than 700 million program to expand immigration detention after Markwayne Mullin succeeded Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary. But the administration is still not publicly giving specifics on where the program goes from here. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Something to monitor moving forward. Rafael Romo, appreciate the reporting from there in Social Circle.

And meanwhile, Georgia Congressman Mike Collins is now turning his attention from the warehouse to one of the most crucial Midterm races this November. The Trump-backed candidate secured the GOP Senate nomination Tuesday, after defeating Derek Dooley in a runoff election. But he will face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November for what's expected to be one of the most closely watched Midterm races this year.

I want to bring in Tia Mitchell, Washington bureau chief at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who is with us now.

So, Tia, can you just lay out why this race is so important?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Well, the race is important for both parties, because it's all about the Senate majority. Democrats want to retake the Senate majority, and they not only need to flip Republican seats, but Democrats need to hold on to the seats they currently have, including Jon Ossoff's seat.

Whereas, Republicans, it's their number one target for flipping a Democratic seat in order to not only preserve their majority but to grow it.

So, there is a lot of attention on this Georgia Senate race.

JIMENEZ: Yes, there is also, I think, a lot of symbolism in terms of Georgia and what it means to both Republicans and Democrats, especially being such a large state in the south, and I think it probably sets up why we might see one of the most expensive campaigns we have seen for Midterms.

Can you just talk a little bit about the enthusiasm we have seen on both sides, and just the money involved?

MITCHELL: Yes, you're right. I mean, it would be bragging rights for both parties, whoever wins this race. Particularly, in this Midterm year, where there is so much attention on enthusiasm, whether President Trump's approval ratings are going to drag down Republicans and of the like.

Now, Georgia, our senate races have become very expensive races. In 2020, when Ossoff and Warnock were on the ballot, they were setting records back then. We expect this 2026 senate race to set another record. Jon Ossoff has already amassed a huge war chest, he has raised more than any other candidate on the ballot this year. But now, Mike Collins is going to have to catch up, and of course, there is going to be a lot of outside spending. Again. both political parties, we think, are going to spend heavily, as well as third party groups that are aligned with each candidate. So, it's definitely going to be a lot of money spent.

Right now, the enthusiasm, I would say is on the Democrat side, mainly because of so many concerns and displeasure with President Trump, but that is another thing that Mike Collins knows he has to work on, getting his base energetic and making sure they turn out in November. [17:55:07]

JIMENEZ: And maybe, just indicative of being what's become a swing state in Georgia. It's got Democratic senators, but a Republican governor in Brian Kemp.

There is also an election there this year. What can you tell us about the race to replace Governor Kemp?

MITCHELL: Well, it's a quite an interesting race now. So, on the Democratic side, you have former Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, who, if she is elected, would become the first black female governor in America ever.

On the Republican side, you have a relatively unknown. He launched his campaign four months ago, and before that, Rick Jackson was a health care executive who was not well known. He was not a household name in Georgia. But he came in, you know, kind of at the 11th hour, launched a campaign, and now he is the Republican nominee, running as an outsider. He has never held political office before. He is very conservative, as far as the campaign is -- the very conservative campaign.

What he does have is a lot of money. He is a billionaire. He spent over $100 million of his own money already before the general election season began.

JIMENEZ: Tia Mitchell, appreciate you being here.

Thanks, everyone. We'll be right back.

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