Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Supreme Court open to transgender sports bans, but some justices are grappling with issue for states
Republican-led states asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to uphold their laws that generally bar biological males from female sports, saying women and girls deserve leagues of their own. Published January 13, 2026
DHS to end deportation amnesty for Somalis
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday said she will allow the government's special deportation amnesty for Somali citizens to expire in March, leaving hundreds of them subject to deportation. Published January 13, 2026
Minnesota has released more than 400 ‘criminal’ migrants in 1 year: DHS
The Department of Homeland Security challenged Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to start cooperating with ICE to turn over illegal immigrants with criminal records from his prisons and jails, saying he's released hundreds of them back onto the streets over the last year. Published January 13, 2026
Lawmakers urge NIH to stop taxpayer money for ‘dangerous’ bat virus lab in U.S.
Republican lawmakers have asked the Trump administration to cancel its support for a controversial new lab being built in Colorado to research coronaviruses and other dangerous pathogens, saying it imports the risks of the Wuhan virus lab to the U.S. Published January 13, 2026
U.S. can’t give Venezuelan deportees due process, Rubio tells Judge Boasberg
The Trump administration says it is not feasible to carry out a judge's order to set up new methods for migrants already deported back to Venezuela to argue why they should be allowed to return. Published January 13, 2026
Jack Smith, special prosecutor who pursued Trump, to testify publicly to Congress
Former special counsel Jack Smith, who pursued two criminal cases against President Trump during the Biden administration, will testify publicly about the prosecutions later this month. Published January 12, 2026
Supreme Court grapples with Big Oil’s request to hear Louisiana coastal damage case in federal court
The Supreme Court grappled Monday with whether fossil fuel companies who provided oil to the federal government can force climate change-related lawsuits out of state courts and into more friendly U.S. courts. Published January 12, 2026
Fed audit says local police don’t report all terror watch list encounters to FBI
State and local police never report many of their encounters with people on the FBI's terrorism watch list, the government's chief watchdog said Monday, blaming the feds for failing to give better guidance on how to use the watch list. Published January 12, 2026
DOJ announces charges against illegal immigrant shot by Border Patrol in Portland
Federal prosecutors have charged one of the illegal immigrants shot by Border Patrol in Oregon last week with assaulting a federal officer, saying he repeatedly rammed his pickup truck into a government rental car, forcing officers to react. Published January 12, 2026
Judge rebuffs HHS for illegal retaliation against pediatricians over vaccine changes
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration likely engaged in illegal retaliation against the American Academy of Pediatrics for not kowtowing to the government's new position on childhood vaccines, and ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to restore $12 million to the outfit. Published January 12, 2026
Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate map survives legal challenge
The Southern Poverty Law Center survived one of its toughest courtroom challenges last week, when a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit accusing the group's vaunted hate map of libel for describing an immigration crackdown group as anti-immigrant. Published January 11, 2026
Democrats call for Kristi Noem’s impeachment amid clashes between Homeland Security and public
Democrats have called for the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying she has created a confrontational "culture" that has led to growing clashes between immigration authorities and the public that culminated in last week's shooting death of a woman in Minnesota and two people wounded in Oregon. Published January 11, 2026
Judge blocks Homeland Security from canceling ‘parole’ for migrant family reunification
A federal judge ruled Saturday that the Trump administration can't shut down "parole" status for some family reunification migrants, saying the Department of Homeland Security failed to properly notify them of their impending loss of status. Published January 11, 2026
ICE adopts new policy limiting congressional visits to detention facilities
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has revealed a new policy that makes it more difficult for members of Congress to make oversight visits to ICE facilities, requiring seven days' advance notice. Published January 11, 2026
New video shows protester taunting ICE officer before Minneapolis shooting
A new video from the perspective of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer involved in the shooting of Renee Good shows him being taunted by another protester just before the deadly interaction in Minneapolis. Published January 9, 2026
Feds detail 3 more noncitizen voting cases
Federal authorities this week won a guilty plea from an illegal immigrant who cast votes in Michigan, plus announced indictments against two men they accused of voting illegally in New Jersey. Published January 9, 2026
DNC threatens lawsuits against states that cooperate with feds to scrub voter rolls
The Democratic National Committee warned 10 GOP-led states Friday that it will sue them if they cooperate in a Trump administration effort to clean up their voter rolls. Published January 9, 2026
DHS launches massive probe of immigration fraud in Minnesota
The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday what it called a "sweeping" review of refugees in Minnesota, saying it would conduct new background checks and reverify their claims of persecution to ensure they deserved to be in the U.S. Published January 9, 2026
Federal immigration officer shoots 2 people in Portland, Oregon, authorities say
A federal immigration officer shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, a day after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis. Published January 8, 2026
Vance says ICE officer’s fatal shooting of victim in Minneapolis was ‘tragedy of her own making’
The White House rejected Democrats' demands to pull immigration enforcement out of Minnesota in the wake of the ICE shooting this week, saying that would "give in to terrorism," and blamed sanctuary city politicians for encouraging the victim to confront officers. Published January 8, 2026
