White House says some employees were fired by mistake

A class of 13 immigration judges in training who were about to be sworn in were fired by the Trump administration on Friday, according to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

The judges fall under the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a Department of Justice component that primarily handles removal hearings for those who are in the country illegally.

In addition, two judges were removed without cause, and five mid-level managers, some of whom hear immigration cases, were also fired.

The union says each judge would hear 500 to 700 cases per year, most resulting in deportation. The current backlog of cases stands at 3.7 million for roughly 700 judges, according to the union.

In January, there were five senior mangers also fired, according to the union.

“Look up the definition of ‘hypocrisy,’ it’s ‘when someone says one thing but does another,’” Matt Biggs the President of the IFPTE said in a statement. “The firing of immigration judges when we need more judges to enforce our immigration laws by this administration is a perfect example of hypocrisy.”

He said the firing of these judges will only make the backlog of immigration cases worse.

-ABC News' Luke Barr

In a press briefing Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about their discussions.

Both said threats from Iran were among the biggest challenges Israel is facing.

"It is the single greatest source of instability in the region, behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home," Rubio said.

Both leaders also called for Hamas to be "eliminated," and said Trump has a "bold" vision for Gaza.

"President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination between us," Netanyahu said. "We have a common strategy, and we can't always share the details of this strategy with the public, including when the gates of hell will be open, as they surely will, if all our hostages are not released until the last one of them."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented a proposal to Ukrainian officials that would have the United States own 50% of the revenue from Ukraine's rare earth minerals, according to a U.S. official.

A U.S. official said the Trump administration views this proposal as recouping American taxpayer investment, adding that it believes strong economic ties binding America and Ukraine more closely serve as a guarantee against further or future aggression from Russia.

Trump recently said Ukraine had "essentially agreed" to give the U.S. billions of dollars' worth of Ukraine's rare earth minerals.

A U.S. official noted that Ukrainian representatives are not expected to be part of the meetings in Saudi Arabia.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

Top Trump administration officials will head to Saudi Arabia next week to start peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, according to a source familiar with the matter.

National security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will be traveling to Saudi Arabia, the source said.

The trip comes just days after President Donald Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone about starting negotiations -- and after Trump said he expects to have an in-person meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia.

Rubio, Waltz and Witkoff are expected to meet with top Russian officials, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The specific timing of the trip is not clear, though it is expected to happen this week, and it is unclear whether Ukraine will be involved in the talks.

-ABC News' Selina Wang, Rachel Scott and Katherine Faulders