The Trump administration will offer undocumented immigrants $1,000 to leave the US as part of its latest crackdown on immigration, drawing criticism for saying that participation in the program “may help preserve the option” for an individual to re-enter the US “legally in the future”.
“It is an incredibly cruel bit of deception for DHS [Department of Homeland Security] to be telling people that if they leave they ‘will maintain the ability to return to the US legally in the future’,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, in a social media post.
The White House meanwhile said it was “exploring all options” on protecting the US film industry, a day after Donald Trump triggered a drop in production company shares by announcing a 10% tariff on movies produced outside the US.
Here are the key stories at a glance:
Undocumented immigrants offered $1,000 to leave US
The Trump administration announced a new program offering a $1,000 payment to people in the US without immigration status as an incentive to return to their home country voluntarily. The Department of Homeland Security outlined the initiative, pledging “financial and travel assistance” to undocumented immigrants who agree to leave the country using an app called CBP Home.
White House says ‘no final decisions’ on foreign film tariffs
The White House said on Monday that no final decisions have been made about imposing tariffs on foreign films, just a day after Donald Trump declared a 100% tariff on all movies produced outside the United States – an announcement that sparked widespread alarm across the global film industry.
Trump to continue Biden’s court defense of abortion drug mifepristone
Donald Trump’s administration on Monday pushed forward in defending US rules easing access to the abortion drug mifepristone from a legal challenge that began during Democratic former president Joe Biden’s administration.
Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison
Donald Trump has said he is directing the administration to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on an island off San Francisco that has been closed for more than 60 years. California Democrats and civil rights activists were critical of the announcement and questioned the feasibility of converting the historic site back into a high-security prison.
App used by Waltz suspends service over suspected hack
The communications app used by Mike Waltz, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, says it is temporarily suspending services following a reported hack that exposed some of its potentially sensitive messages. Oregon-based Smarsh, which runs the TeleMessage app, said it was “investigating a potential security incident” and was suspending all its services “out of an abundance of caution”.
Advocates reject RFK Jr’s national autism database
Autism researchers and advocates are pushing back against the creation of an autism database – meant to track the health of autistic people in a major research study – and pointing to the ways such databases could be misused.
Trump cuts will lead to more deaths in disasters, expert warns
The Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to disaster management will cost lives in the US, with hollowed-out agencies unable to accurately predict, prepare for or respond to extreme weather events, earthquakes and pandemics, a leading expert has warned.
Michigan attorney general drops all charges against seven pro-Palestinian protesters
Michigan’s attorney general, Dana Nessel, announced on Monday that she was dropping all charges against seven pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested in May last year at a University of Michigan encampment, after a Guardian report detailed her extensive links to university regents calling for prosecution.
The announcement came just moments before the judge was to decide on a defense motion to disqualify Nessel’s office over alleged bias.
What else happened today:
A Trump ally who promoted hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 despite limited evidence has reportedly been appointed to a top US pandemic prevention role.
Mexico’s president downplayed growing fears of US military intervention to fight drug trafficking, citing good communication with Trump after a sharp weekend exchange heightened tensions.
As Elon Musk steps back from leading Doge, experts say it failed to actually improve public services for the American people.
A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general are suing in an attempt to block Donald Trump’s move to suspend leasing and permitting of new wind projects, saying it threatens to cripple the wind industry and a key source of clean energy.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 4 May 2025.
