Immigration and Homeland Security
ICE arrests and CBP self-deportation offer
The Department of Homeland Security reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a series of arrests targeting what it described as “worst of the worst” criminal noncitizens. Those arrested included individuals with prior convictions for homicide, child sexual abuse, and drug trafficking in several states, including California, Florida, Colorado, and Texas.
DHS also promoted a year-end offer through the CBP Home mobile app: noncitizens in the U.S. without legal status who sign up to self-deport by the end of the year are eligible, according to DHS, for a $3,000 stipend and a free flight to their home country.
Housing and Economic Policy
HUD highlights 2025 housing initiatives
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) amplified an op-ed by Secretary Scott Turner in Fox News Digital asserting that homeownership is “making a comeback” under President Trump’s administration. In the piece and accompanying HUD summary, Turner said HUD:
- Supported more than 1 million Americans in buying homes in 2025 via FHA-insured mortgages.
- Facilitated liquidity for over 430,000 Veterans Affairs home loans through Ginnie Mae.
- Delivered about $12 billion in disaster recovery funds to communities affected by floods, storms, and other disasters this year.
- Sought to tighten eligibility so that undocumented immigrants no longer receive FHA-insured mortgages or other HUD housing benefits, and launched a hotline to report ineligible residents in HUD-assisted housing.
Turner also highlighted the administration’s focus on deregulation, the rescission of the Biden-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, and the use of Opportunity Zones and tax incentives to spur housing construction and investment.
US–Israel Relations and Middle East Diplomacy
Trade proclamation on agricultural products with Israel
President Trump issued a proclamation titled To Implement the United States–Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products and for Other Purposes. The action:
- Extends through December 31, 2026, duty-free access to the U.S. for specified annual quantities of certain Israeli agricultural products under the long-running U.S.–Israel Free Trade Area framework.
- Formally implements permanent modifications agreed with Israel on December 1, 2025, and a short-term extension agreed on December 4, 2025, to keep the 2004 agricultural agreement in force while changes take effect.
- Makes several technical corrections to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule related to prior free trade agreements and tariff classifications.
La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act signed
The White House announced that President Trump signed H.R. 1043, the La Paz County Solar Energy and Job Creation Act, into law. The act:
- Directs the Department of the Interior to convey about 3,400 acres of federally managed land in La Paz County, Arizona, to the county.
- Requires the land to be sold at fair market value.
The administration framed the law as facilitating local economic development, including potential solar energy projects, by transferring federal land to local control.
Secretary Rubio meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
The State Department released a readout of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida. According to the department:
- The two discussed regional security, economic cooperation, and efforts to combat antisemitism.
- They emphasized continued U.S.–Israel cooperation to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, aligned with President Trump’s “20-Point Peace Plan.”
Broader diplomatic context: Ukraine and Gaza
News outlets reported that President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met at Mar-a-Lago on December 28 to discuss a U.S.-backed peace plan aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both leaders suggested they had made progress, while indicating that major issues — including security guarantees and control of eastern Ukrainian territories — remain unresolved.
Coverage also noted that Trump is expected to meet with Netanyahu to review remaining elements of the administration’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, including possible arrangements for a ceasefire, disarmament of Hamas, and potential international security presence in the territory.
Defense and Security
Large U.S. Air Force contract linked to Israel
In its daily contract summary for December 29, the Pentagon listed multiple awards, including a major U.S. Air Force contract to The Boeing Company, St. Louis, Missouri. The award is described as a ceiling of approximately $8.58 billion under a hybrid contract structure (including cost-plus-fixed-fee and fixed-price incentive elements) for the F-15 Israel Program, a Foreign Military Sales effort supporting Israel’s air force. The contract involves work for several years and supports U.S.–Israel defense cooperation.
Tinker Air Force Base firefighter training
The Department of Defense highlighted recent training at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, where military and civilian firefighters completed an intensive course emphasizing speed, precision, rapid intervention, advanced search techniques, and fireground survival skills to better prepare for real-world emergencies on the installation.
Financial Regulation and Federal Personnel
SEC corporate finance leadership change
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Cicely LaMothe, Deputy Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, has retired. LaMothe served at the SEC for roughly 24 years in multiple senior roles overseeing corporate disclosure and public company filing reviews.
SEC enforcement leadership transition
Separately, the SEC said that Nekia Hackworth Jones, Deputy Director of the Division of Enforcement for the Southeast region, concluded her tenure with the agency on December 26, 2025. Jones had returned to the SEC to help oversee enforcement work in the region before stepping down.