Our live coverage of the Trump administration’s transition has ended for the day. Follow the latest updates or read through the posts below.
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Texas officials offer 1,400 acres to help Trump build deportation facilities
From CNN’s Gloria Pazmino and Jessie Yeung
Texas officials have offered 1,400 acres of land for President-elect Donald Trump to potentially build deportation facilities on, according to a letter reviewed by CNN.
Trump made large scale deportations a cornerstone of his campaign. He has promised to crack down on immigration as well as mass deportation of undocumented people.
The letter from the Texas General Land Office, sent by Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, said that the state had recently acquired land in Starr County, along the border near Rio Grande City.
Buckingham wrote her office is “fully prepared” to enter into an agreement with federal agencies and said the facility would be “built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”
According to the letter, the land’s previous owner had “refused” a border wall to be built and blocked law enforcement from accessing the property. Now that the land belongs to Texas, Buckingham said wall construction will begin.
“This is why I am offering President-elect Trump over 1,400 acres of state land on the southern border to aid his administration in carrying out their deportation plans to place the safety and well-being of all Americans first and foremost.”
In an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was asked about the offer to provide land for Trump’s deportation plans, and Texas’ other measures to crack down on immigration.
Abbott also said that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency had been “sidelined” under President Joe Biden, but that they would be “put back on the field under President Trump.” These efforts aim to send a message to any immigrants hoping to illegally cross into the US that they would be “subject to deportation,” he added.
CNN has reached out to the Trump transition team, the Department of Homeland Security, and Abbott’s office.
CNN’s Taylor Romine and Rashard Rose contributed to this report
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"This is a battle that is just beginning," Pete Hegseth tells Republicans
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, told Republicans on a prayer call Tuesday that “the battle is just beginning,” as he faces questions about his confirmation after a past sexual assault allegation surfaced that he denies.
Hegseth’s comments made during the call, which was hosted by the Republican National Committee and co-chair Lara Trump, are some of his first since he was announced as a pick for the president-elect’s Cabinet.
Hegseth asked those on the call to pray for Trump, incoming first lady Melania Trump and their family.
“This is a battle that is just beginning,” Hegseth said, noting his wife Jennifer was seated next to him as he was speaking. “I know in our family, we take that time to hold them up in prayer.”
The veteran-turned-Fox News host noted that his family has had “an outpouring of support” since he was named Trump’s selection for the defense post.
“That’s the reason why we can endure the attacks and the onslaughts,” he said.
Hegseth has not been charged in any criminal case or named as a defendant in any civil lawsuit in connection with the incident.
