Undocumented immigrants "paid an estimated $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes in 2022," The New York Times, reported January 13. "Since unauthorized workers cannot collect retirement and other Social Security benefits without a change in their immigration status, the billions they pour into the program effectively act as a subsidy for American beneficiaries." "A federal appeals court (January 17) declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy unlawful, casting a cloud of uncertainty over more than half a million unauthorized immigrants brought to the U.S. as children ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration." — CBS News, January 17, 2025 Illegal entry at the U.S.-Mexico border has "slowed significantly as President Biden prepares to leave office." — The New York Times, January 11, 2025 "The activist behind the U.S. Supreme Court case that largely ended affirmative action in college admissions is now targeting Chicago-based McDonald's in his ongoing attacks on corporate racial diversity efforts. Edward Blum and his American Alliance for Equal Rights sued McDonald's (January 13) over its nationwide HACER college scholarship program for Latino high school students." — Crain's Chicago, January 13, 2025 José "Cha Cha" Jiménez, a human rights activist and former leader of the Young Lords, who allied with "other organizations in Chicago to uplift minority and low-income communities," died. He was 76. Chicago Sun-Times, January 11, 2025 "President Biden will remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism … as a part of a deal that is expected to free protestors jailed during a 2021 crackdown on dissent by the Communist government." — The New York Times, January 15, 2025 Mexico sent "firefighters to California (January 11) to help teams battling the raging wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles." — Reuters, January 18, 2025 Online betting in Brazil is now drawing "over $23 billion in wagers each year." — The New York Times, January 13, 2025 "Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in …until 2031 despite protests and credible evidence that his opponent won the election." — The Associated Press, January 10, 2025