ICE deportations get caught in a legal fight and an Easter ceasefire is tested: Weekend Rundown

Video from Friday night shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement buses full of Venezuelan migrants heading toward an airport in north Texas before abruptly turning around amid a legal battle to prevent their deportation.

At least 28 detainees — most, if not all, understood to be Venezuelan nationals — were placed on buses Friday evening at ICE’s Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, and then driven toward Abilene Airport about 30 miles away.

The video, obtained exclusively by NBC News, shows the ICE motorcade — including at least 18 squad cars from various law enforcement agencies with flashing lights — pass the airport’s exit and then turn around, looping back to return to the Bluebonnet detention facility.

Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., on Sunday accused President Donald Trump of sending the U.S. into a constitutional crisis, saying members of the Trump administration “are very much flouting the courts as we speak.”

The senator’s remarks on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” came days after he returned from a trip to El Salvador where he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who the Trump administration admitted was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month.

Kyiv celebrates an uneasy Easter

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s surprise offer of an Easter truce in Ukraine was tested as both sides accused the other of violating the one-day pause in fighting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the 30-hour pause in fighting was “enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures” as he tallied hundreds of Russian attacks since the ceasefire’s start. Russia’s Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of violating the truce with an “attempted” attack on Russian positions.

In Kyiv, as families gathered to mark the holiday, many voiced doubts about the gesture. “I do not believe in this,” Tatiana Yemets, a 36-year-old accountant, said. “You can say a lot of things, but actions speak for themselves. I do not believe in this.”

Analysts say the timing of Putin’s ceasefire declaration, as the U.S. threatens to walk away from peace negotiations without major progress, suggests a tactical move rather than any meaningful step toward de-escalation.

Peter Watkins, an associate fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, told NBC News that Putin’s declaration looks like opportunism “to give an impression of being constructive, flexible, ahead of the talks.”

‘Meet the Press’

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pushed back on Trump’s expressed interest in sending U.S. citizens who commit crimes to prisons abroad.

“We have our own laws. We have the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. We shouldn’t send prisoners to foreign countries, in my judgment,” Kennedy told moderator Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”

Kennedy also discussed Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who the Trump administration admits was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

Deporting Abrego Garcia “was a screw-up” Kennedy said, but added that he wasn’t concerned about the administration doing anything similar in the future.

The GOP senator said he doesn’t believe the administration is ignoring federal judicial rulings in this case. Democrats, who point to judicial decisions that ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S., are alleging the contrary.

“I don’t believe that President Trump will defy a federal judge’s order. If he does, I’ll call him out on it,” Kennedy said. “I love the rule of law. I love it like the devil loves sin.”

Politics in brief

• Told you so? A group of Senate Democrats took heat last month when they voted for a GOP bill to avert a government shutdown. Now, they feel vindicated.
• Life after Congress: Progressive former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee declared victory Saturday as the new mayor of Oakland, a San Francisco Bay Area city reeling from economic stagnation, crime and homelessness.
• More protests: A large number of people gathered near the White House on Saturday to protest Trump’s agenda, building on a widespread effort by anti-Trump organizers to galvanize voters.

Pope Francis makes Easter Sunday appearance

Pope Francis took to his open-topped popemobile to greet crowds on Easter Sunday, blessing babies and children in the wake of a serious health crisis that saw him spend five weeks in the hospital.

“Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter,” the pontiff, 88, said earlier from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, speaking to the crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square.

He did not lead the Easter Mass, with Cardinal Angelo Comastri, a retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, taking his place and delivering the homily that Francis has prepared.

On Sunday morning, Francis also held a brief private meeting with Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic. Last week, Francis publicly rebuked the Trump administration for its immigration crackdown and for slashing international aid, and in February, he had written an unusual open letter to U.S. Catholic bishops saying a “major crisis” was taking place in the United States, referring to “the initiation of a program of mass deportations.”

Notable quote

Christmas is in danger.

Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of the Toy Association

Toy industry officials are warning U.S. consumers to expect higher prices and fewer choices this year — including for the holidays — because of Trump’s tariffs.

In case you missed it

• Florida State University leadership has changed course on a proposed Monday return to campus following Thursday’s mass shooting that left two dead and six injured, after students insisted it was too soon.
• A second round of talks between the United States and Iran concluded with both sides seeking to ease growing tensions over potential military action and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
• The annual Lyrid meteor shower is back and will reach its peak Monday night and into the early-morning hours of Tuesday.
• Oklahoma claimed its seventh national gymnastics championship victory since 2014, with the Sooners besting teams boasting multiple Olympic medalists.
• A 12-year-old boy and a woman were killed in Oklahoma after their vehicle was swept under a bridge amid a severe storm system that brought large hail and strong winds to a region spanning from the South to the Northeast.
• Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia reported their first measles cases in 2025, and they say all three patients’ cases are linked to international travel.