Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Smuggling suspect in mass migrant deaths was already on ICE’s radar
The man accused of orchestrating the smuggling journey that cost 53 migrants their lives was already under "active investigation" by ICE agents in Texas, according to court documents. Published July 1, 2022
Supreme Court conservative majority flexed its muscle on God, guns, abortion, climate change
The conservative majority on the Supreme Court flexed its muscle this term, delivering a blockbuster series of rulings that bend decades of jurisprudence to the right on issues such as religion, guns, abortion and climate change. Published July 1, 2022
Justices say DHS has power to end Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ border policy
The Biden administration has the legal power to end former President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday, delivering a significant win for the new administration's immigration policies. Published June 30, 2022
Two Americans face capital charges in Texas migrant deaths case
Federal prosecutors announced capital smuggling charges Wednesday against two men they say were involved with the truck found on the side of a San Antonio road with the bodies of dozens of dead illegal immigrants packed inside. Published June 29, 2022
Death toll rises to 53 in Texas migrant tragedy
The death toll for the migrants trapped inside a truck in the Texas heat this week has risen to 53, and 11 migrants are still hospitalized, federal authorities said Wednesday. Published June 29, 2022
Feds to release list shaming over-budget and overdue transportation projects
The Transportation Department will soon have to release its first name-and-shame list of federally funded projects that have ballooned a billion dollars over budget. Published June 29, 2022
Three smuggling suspects in custody after 50 migrants die in Texas
Federal investigators said they had three smuggling suspects in custody Tuesday and at least 50 migrants died of heat exposure after being trapped in the back of a truck in the hot Texas sun. Published June 28, 2022
Biden complains of ‘political grandstanding’ as Republicans blame him for migrant deaths
President Biden said Tuesday the deaths of 50 migrants in Texas this week were "horrifying," but insisted he's making progress in going after the smugglers who are leading a record number of illegal immigrants to their deaths. Published June 28, 2022
50 migrants found dead in tractor-trailer in San Antonio; Abbott blames Biden’s border policies
Authorities said they found 50 dead migrants in the back of a truck trailer in San Antonio, Texas, in one of the worst border tragedies in history. Published June 27, 2022
Biden’s ICE nominee withdraws from consideration
President Biden's nominee to be the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday he has pulled his name from consideration, delivering a blow to a Biden administration struggling to get a handle on its immigration policy. Published June 27, 2022
Union calls for DOJ to review its firing of Trump immigration judges
The union for immigration judges has asked the Justice Department to revisit its ouster of several judges hired during the Trump administration, questioning whether the firings were illegal -- and calling them unseemly at the very least. Published June 27, 2022
High court allows football coach’s prayer as private religious expression
The Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a public high school football coach who was fired after he prayed at the 50-yard line immediately after games, saying the government can't punish someone for what a majority of justices held was personal, private religious expression. Published June 27, 2022
Scammer who shut down Iraqi refugee program gets three years in prison
An Iraqi national whose fraud scheme caused the U.S. government to shut down a critical lifeline for Iraqi refugees was sentenced to a little more than three years in prison. Published June 27, 2022
Supreme Court justices apply originalism as test for constitutional challenges on abortion, guns
The Constitution became a little simpler with last week's decisions on guns and abortion, as the Supreme Court's conservative wing pared back decades of legal rule-making and declared that the founding document means what it says -- and only that. Published June 26, 2022
Abortion dissenters warn same-sex marriage, contraceptive rights could go next
Americans should fear what comes next, the three dissenting justices wrote Friday in excoriating the Supreme Court's ruling overturning nearly 50 years of abortion precedent. Published June 24, 2022
Trump: ‘I delivered’ Roe abortion victory with court picks
Former President Donald Trump said Friday that the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision establishing a national right to abortion because he was able to install three nominees on the bench during his term in office. Published June 24, 2022
Chief Justice Roberts strikes own path on abortion ruling
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. paved his own path in Friday's abortion ruling, siding with his fellow GOP-appointed justices in backing Mississippi's 15-week ban as constitutional, but saying he would not have gone as far as his colleagues did in unraveling all of Roe v. Wade. Published June 24, 2022
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, national abortion right
The Supreme Court on Friday overruled the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which gave women a national right to an abortion. Published June 24, 2022
Up to 33% of ICE catch-and-release migrants abscond: GAO audit
ICE's catch-and-release program has a high failure rate, according to a new government audit released Wednesday that found up to one-third of migrants abscond before their time is up. Published June 22, 2022
Backlog is ‘still crushing’ IRS, agency’s taxpayer advocate tells Congress
The IRS backlog has grown worse over the last year and millions of returns filed on paper this year have yet to be touched by the agency, the country's official taxpayer advocate told Congress in a new report Wednesday. Published June 22, 2022
