Daily Roundup — January 23, 2026: Major winter storm, DHS enforcement, Iran sanctions, housing & water decisions

Snapshot (Jan 23, 2026)

Federal and state agencies prepared for a major winter storm while the federal government issued a string of law‑enforcement, sanctions, housing, water‑infrastructure and diplomatic announcements. Key items: NOAA/NWS storm warnings and FEMA surge preparations; multiple DHS/ICE enforcement releases; OFAC designations on Iranian "shadow fleet" vessels and operators; HUD citizenship‑verification directive; Interior approval of the Sites Reservoir Record of Decision; and a range of diplomatic travel and readouts.

Weather & federal preparedness

• NOAA/National Weather Service tracked a large, multi‑day winter storm beginning Jan. 23 that forecasters warned could bring heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain and life‑threatening cold across broad swaths of the United States, increasing risks of prolonged power outages, road closures and infrastructure damage. (NOAA)

• FEMA and DHS actions: FEMA activated response centers and pre‑staged generators, meals and water; federal officials described pre‑deployments to states in the storm’s path. CNN reported FEMA temporarily paused planned terminations of some disaster workers as the agency readied for the event. (NOAA; CNN)

• Department of Labor: ETA awarded $1 million in Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker grant funds to Washington state to support cleanup, temporary disaster‑relief jobs and employment services in storm‑affected counties. (DOL)

Homeland Security, immigration enforcement and public‑safety operations

• ICE / DHS enforcement releases: DHS published multiple press releases listing recent arrests it described as the "worst of the worst," including persons the department said were convicted of murder, rape, armed robbery and gang membership. DHS reiterated that, in its view, 70% of ICE arrests are of noncitizens charged or convicted of crimes in the U.S. The releases named specific individuals and convictions. (DHS)

• High‑profile local detainer: ICE lodged an immigration detainer for Juan Alvarado‑Aguilar after he was charged locally with death by vehicle and driving while impaired in Rowan County, N.C., in a crash that killed two people; DHS said Alvarado‑Aguilar entered on a temporary work visa in March 2020, overstayed and is in removal proceedings. (DHS)

• St. Paul church riot arrests: DHS (with DOJ) announced arrests of three people — Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly — charging them under 18 U.S.C. § 241 in connection with a Jan. 18 incident at a church in St. Paul. The DHS release also reiterated department counts of arrests and alleged increases in attacks against ICE personnel in Minnesota since Jan. 20, 2025. (DHS)

• Minnesota surge and targeted operations: DHS highlighted arrests from an "Operation Metro Surge" in Minnesota, naming individuals it said were convicted of sexual offenses, drug trafficking and assault, and called on state and local officials to honor over 1,360 ICE detainers the department states exist in Minnesota jails. (DHS)

• Human‑trafficking emphasis: DHS and DOJ observed National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and described Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) operations established under Executive Order 14159. DHS reported that an initial surge of HSTF operations produced 3,266 arrests and multiple seizures (including weapons, currency and narcotics) over a 43‑day period. (DHS)

Context/incentives: the department’s communications frame enforcement and task‑force activity as central to the administration’s public‑safety and border‑security priorities; these public announcements also serve to pressure local jurisdictions to cooperate on detainers and enforcement actions. (DHS releases)

Sanctions & foreign policy

• OFAC / Treasury on Iran: The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated eight companies and identified nine vessels the government says are part of Iran’s "shadow fleet" that move Iranian petroleum and petroleum products. Treasury and the State Department said the designations (pursuant to E.O. 13902 and implementing NSPM‑2) target revenue streams the U.S. contends finance the Iranian regime’s proxies and security services; designated property and interests are blocked under U.S. sanctions law. (Treasury; State Dept.)

Context/incentives: the administration said these measures are intended to reduce the regime’s export revenue and constrain its ability to finance external operations; blocking vessels and operators raises compliance and transaction costs for firms that would handle Iranian petroleum shipments. (Treasury; State Dept.)

Diplomacy & official travel

• Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau will travel Jan. 24–Feb. 1 to Cairo, Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Djibouti. Readouts say he will meet U.S. companies and Egyptian officials in Cairo; promote U.S. commercial engagement and discuss regional peace and AU cooperation in Addis Ababa; meet Kenyan officials on commercial ties, counterterrorism and Kenya’s contributions to security in Haiti; and discuss security and counterterrorism cooperation in Djibouti. (State Dept.)

• Deputy Secretary Michael Rigas traveled Jan. 22–24 to Thailand to dedicate the new U.S. Consulate General compound in Chiang Mai and meet senior Thai officials in Bangkok on bilateral ties and regional security. (State Dept.)

• Secretary Marco Rubio held readout calls with Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Fils‑Aimé. The Colombia readout said the calls were preparatory for a presidential bilateral meeting in February 2026 between Presidents Trump and Petro. The Haiti readout reiterated U.S. support for stability, urged dissolution of the Transitional Presidential Council by Feb. 7, and warned the U.S. would impose costs on corrupt actors who support gangs. (State Dept.)

Housing, finance and infrastructure

• FHFA audit: The Federal Housing Finance Agency published its FY2025 Performance and Accountability Report and said the U.S. Federal Housing agency received an unmodified GAO audit opinion with no material weaknesses for the 17th consecutive year. FHFA noted it supervises Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and 11 Federal Home Loan Banks, entities the agency says provide more than $8.5 trillion in funding to U.S. mortgage markets. (FHFA)

• HUD tenant‑eligibility directive: HUD announced an immediate, nationwide review requiring Public Housing Authorities and HUD housing owners to verify citizenship and immigration status for all tenants after a HUD/DHS audit that HUD said found nearly 200,000 tenants needing verification, roughly 25,000 deceased tenants and about 6,000 ineligible non‑American tenants. PHAs and owners were given 30 days to act; HUD said it will recapture payments and may sanction noncompliant agencies. (HUD)

• Interior approves Sites Reservoir: The Department of the Interior approved the Record of Decision for the Sites Reservoir Project (a 1.5‑million acre‑foot off‑stream reservoir in Northern California) and authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to provide up to 25% of total project costs. The department framed the decision as part of an agenda to expand water supply reliability and streamline federal actions on water projects. (DOI)

• Continuance of FEMA Review Council: The White House issued an executive action continuing the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council (created by EO 14180) until March 25, 2026 and directing that the Secretary of Homeland Security perform specified presidential functions under the Federal Advisory Committee Act for the Council. (White House)

Incentives: HUD’s verification mandate shifts administrative and compliance incentives for PHAs and housing owners (verification, reporting and potential repayment), while Interior’s cost‑sharing commitment signals federal leverage to advance large water infrastructure projects. (HUD; DOI)

White House & domestic policy notes

• First Lady: The White House announced First Lady Melania Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange opening bell on Jan. 28, 2026. The White House release highlighted her role promoting the TAKE IT DOWN Act (federal online protections for children from deepfakes), a $25 million housing‑support item for youth transitioning out of foster care in the President’s FY2026 Budget, a Presidential AI Challenge, and international foster‑care/reunification initiatives. (White House)

• Administration policy items: A White House article summarized a range of administration actions described as pro‑life policy moves, including changes to foreign assistance restrictions, NIH research policy, HHS guidance withdrawals, and enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The piece is a White House representation of policy actions and priorities. (White House)

What to watch next

• Winter storm impacts and federal/state response coordination through the weekend (NOAA; FEMA).
• Implementation timelines and compliance outcomes from HUD’s verification directive and any PHAs or owners that receive sanctions or funding recoveries (HUD).
• Follow‑through on Treasury/OFAC listings: enforcement, secondary‑market effects and any legal or commercial responses by designated shipping operators (Treasury; State Dept.).

Sources for items above are listed below. Items are drawn from federal agency press releases and reporting noted in the source list.