Trump and Asia, Deportations, and Oh, Canada: The Weekend Behind, the Week Ahead

While U.S. President Donald Trump was with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach residence (or, as he now calls it, the Winter White House), North Korea conducted a missile test.

The timing of Pyongyang’s provocative test likely wasn’t coincidence: Trump and Abe reportedly discussed defense and security issues amid rising tensions in East Asia.

Also while the president was golfing in Florida, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided homes and workplaces in at least six states, arresting hundreds of undocumented immigrants — including some without criminal records. The move, following Trump’s longstanding pledge to crack down on illegal immigration, is an apparent departure from raids conducted during former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Meanwhile, refugees are leaving the United States for Canada in record numbers, with some risking hypothermia and frostbite in the process. But that is unlikely to come up at the Monday meeting between Trump and his Canadian counterpart, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Their talks are expected to focus on trade. Trump repeatedly said he wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) binding the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican economies together. Trudeau’s foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, made clear during her visit to Washington last week that more than one North American country can negotiate.

The two leaders will also be discussing women in the workforce. Trudeau gave Canada its first half-female cabinet. Trump did not follow suit. But he did stand up for at least one working woman: his daughter, Ivanka, after Nordstrom’s dropped her clothing line from its stores.

Ivanka’s husband (and top White House adviser) Jared Kushner also has a full plate this week. Kushner is expected to be heavily involved in the Middle East peace process, a key agenda item for the White House this week as it prepares for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington Wednesday.

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