Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Border chief contradicts Biden DHS, says border is not under control
Homeland Security does not have "operational control" of the border, the top Border Patrol agent told Congress Wednesday, contradicting the words of his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Published March 15, 2023
Uzis, illegal immigrants and fentanyl: Feds charge men with selling guns to cartel
Federal prosecutors announced charges Tuesday against two men they say were trying to sell serious firepower to Mexican smuggling cartels. Published March 14, 2023
D.C.’s noncitizen voting law takes effect, faces first legal challenge
Washington's new law on noncitizen voting took effect Tuesday and drew its first legal challenge from the Immigration Reform Law Institute, which says it harms the voting rights of actual citizens. Published March 14, 2023
GOP senators blast DHS for hiking fees on farmers in order to fund asylum cases
Sen. Marsha Blackburn led a group of Republican senators Tuesday in blasting the Biden administration for trying to raise fees that businesses pay to bring in immigrant workers, saying the president wants farmers to pay the price for his border chaos. Published March 14, 2023
House panel rips federal agency’s ‘ecogrief’ training, warns of probe if ‘colossal waste’ continues
The House Natural Resources Committee demanded answers Tuesday from the Fish and Wildlife Service over its ecogrief training for employees and warned a full investigation could ensue unless the agency cancels the course and uses the money for more important priorities like saving endangered animals. Published March 14, 2023
‘Swinecraft’: Feds funded experiment to teach hogs to play video game
Sen. Joni Ernst released a new list of dubious government spending Tuesday, questioning why federal taxpayers had to foot the bill for studies that trained pigs to play a video game or dolphins to use an underwater touchpad to try to tap out their thoughts. Published March 14, 2023
Feds charge border officer with using excessive force
A federal grand jury has charged a Customs and Border Protection officer with using excessive force in two separate incidents at a border crossing in El Paso, Texas. Published March 13, 2023
Biden’s border ‘parole’ program in peril as congressional GOP plans vote to overturn
Sen. John Cornyn announced plans Monday to force a vote in Congress to overturn President Biden's new "parole" program, which seeks to admit migrants outside of the usual process established under immigration law. Published March 13, 2023
House Republicans’ unity, string of wins prove Washington pundits wrong
Chaos. Dysfunction. An abject disaster. Those were some of the more printable projections of the House GOP as it struggled to elect Speaker Kevin McCarthy in January. Two months on, however, Republicans have maintained a general sense of unity. Published March 11, 2023
IRS audit finds 42,000 feds cheating on taxes
More than 42,000 federal employees repeatedly failed to file their taxes with the IRS, according to a new audit that said the government is limited in its ability to punish the cheats. Published March 10, 2023
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says he needs more money to handle border
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas unloaded on immigrant rights activists Thursday, rejecting their suggestions that he has embraced Trump-style get-tough policies and saying he is managing as best he can with a chaotic border, adversarial court rulings and a "dismantled" legal immigration system. Published March 9, 2023
Biden’s budget calls for 350 more Border Patrol agents
President Biden's new budget calls for the hiring of 350 more Border Patrol agents, on top of the 350 that were in his last budget and that were approved by Congress in December. Published March 9, 2023
Federal judge unloads on Biden border policies as ‘divorced from reality’
A federal judge delivered a severe spanking to President Biden over the southern border, ruling Wednesday that there is an illegal immigration "crisis" and accusing the administration of reducing the boundary to "a meaningless line in the sand." Published March 8, 2023
Senator wants to send military to Mexico, declare war on cartels after Americans’ deaths
A leading senator on Wednesday called for the U.S. to declare a war on Mexican cartels, saying the killings of two Americans by gangs should earn a response by the full might of the U.S. military. Published March 8, 2023
Afghan allies ‘hunted down systematically’ by Taliban, U.S. troops tell Congress
The U.S. must renew its efforts to rescue Afghan allies who fought alongside Americans and were left behind in the chaotic withdrawal, veterans told Congress on Wednesday, calling the abandonment a moral stain. Published March 8, 2023
Majority of Americans believe COVID-19 came from Chinese lab: Poll
The majority of Americans now believe that COVID-19 sprang from a Chinese lab, according to a new poll that shows recent work by the FBI and the Energy Department has swayed the public. Published March 8, 2023
Sobbing spring: Feds struggle to fill seats for ‘ecogrief’ training session
The Fish and Wildlife Service's "ecogrief" training is more widespread than originally thought, having already been conducted in "many" of the agency's regions, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Times. Published March 8, 2023
Immigration activists rip Biden over get-tough border proposal
Immigrant rights advocates blasted the Biden administration Tuesday after a report that Homeland Security is thinking of reviving detention of illegal alien families to stem an expected migrant surge at the border this spring. Published March 7, 2023
Jordan subpoenas DHS’ ousted disinformation chief, school board officials who challenged parents
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued a subpoena Monday to Nina Jankowicz, the woman who first led then was ousted from the Homeland Security Department's disinformation board. Published March 6, 2023
Biden loses footing with Republicans now in power
President Biden's reversal on a House GOP-led measure exposed a White House still struggling to figure out how to operate in a Washington where Republicans have partial control over the agenda. Published March 5, 2023
