Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Video shows smuggler abandoning 7-year-old girl at U.S.-Mexico border fence
New video depicts a smuggler lowering a 7-year-old girl down the border wall on his back Tuesday morning, then abandoning her on the U.S. side. Published October 12, 2021
DHS secretary orders ICE to stop targeting illegal immigrants at jobs
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued new orders Tuesday halting ICE from going after large numbers of illegal immigrants at job sites, saying it is a waste of resources and actually helps unscrupulous employers abuse unauthorized workers. Published October 12, 2021
Dems’ ‘Plan C’ for amnesty could protect 7.1 million illegal immigrants
As Democrats search for a way to legalize illegal immigrants in their massive budget bill, a new analysis Tuesday says they could grant a tentative foothold to some 7.1 million immigrants through the use of "parole" powers. Published October 12, 2021
Americans want border jumpers to have to get COVID-19 vaccine
Americans may be divided on whether to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on citizens, but when it comes to immigrants jumping the border illegally, there's little debate: Most people say the government should give them the vaccine. Published October 12, 2021
Shiite militiaman reached U.S. posing as Iraqi refugee
An Iraqi man admitted to immigration fraud last week, saying he cheated America's refugee system by lying about his past as a member of an Iranian-funded Shiite militia in order to win asylum in the U.S. Published October 11, 2021
Feds ran second-highest deficit ever in 2021: CBO
Uncle Sam ended fiscal 2021 deep in the red, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday, calculating the government ran a $2.8 trillion deficit, the second-worst on record. Published October 8, 2021
GOP lawmakers challenge Biden’s ‘obsession’ with ending Trump border crackdown
Republican members of Congress blasted President Biden in a letter Friday over his administration's "weak border policies" and prodded him to start complying with a judge's order to restart the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy. Published October 8, 2021
Senate probe: Trump pushed DOJ on election fraud but had ‘no impact’ on operations
Former President Donald Trump made "relentless" efforts to get the Justice Department to dig into reports of election malfeasance in the wake of the 2020 vote, but the department's leaders said he did not pressure them into crossing any lines, according to two new Senate reports Thursday. Published October 7, 2021
Kamala Harris faces pressure to deliver on amnesty
Activists are increasingly targeting Vice President Kamala Harris as they battle to inject a large amnesty for illegal immigrants into the Democrats' massive social safety net makeover, saying she has the power to make their dream a reality. Published October 6, 2021
DHS pleads for department volunteers to process Afghans
Homeland Security's legal-immigration agency issued a plea for volunteers to help "parole" Afghans into the U.S., saying they're seeing "an increasing number of requests" from people still outside the U.S. Published October 5, 2021
‘Humanitarian parole’: Outbreaks force feds to step up vaccinations of Afghan evacuees
More than 49,000 Afghan evacuees who have reached the U.S. have been vaccinated for chickenpox and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday, taking a victory lap after mass outbreaks had shut down airlift operations. Published October 4, 2021
Supreme Court erases anti-border wall ruling, sends case back to lower courts
The Supreme Court on Monday erased a lower court ruling that had found against President Trump's border-wall emergency and sent the case back to the judge to take another look, given the "changed circumstances" with President Biden now in office. Published October 4, 2021
Catch-and-release at border up more than 430,000% in August
In August 2020, the Trump administration managed something stunning. Border Patrol agents caught more than 47,000 illegal immigrants and immediately released just 10 of them into the interior. This August, under President Biden, the Border Patrol made more than 195,000 arrests and released 43,941 people -- an increase of more than 430,000%. Published October 3, 2021
Court revives government’s powers to expel illegal immigrants during pandemic
A federal appeals court issued an order Thursday preserving the government's powers to expel illegal immigrants who jump the border during the pandemic. Published September 30, 2021
DHS chief: Being in the U.S. illegally isn’t enough to earn deportation
Being in the country illegally is no longer enough to earn deportation, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday, releasing new guidelines that limit who ICE can target for arrest and ouster from the country. Published September 30, 2021
Senate shoots down attempt to impose more vetting for Afghan evacuees
Senators voted Thursday to give Afghan evacuees a speedier path to getting driver's licenses, overcoming objections of Republicans who said they were being granted a shortcut around the usual security checks. Published September 30, 2021
Biden’s DHS rebuilding Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it has formed a task force to "rebuild" the Remain in Mexico policy the Trump administration used to solve the last border surge -- though the department said it needs Mexico's cooperation in order to move forward. Published September 29, 2021
Illegal immigrants turn to drain pipes to sneak into U.S.
A group of illegal immigrants used a drain pipe Wednesday to sneak into the country in Hidalgo, Texas, according to Border Patrol agents who made the arrest. Published September 29, 2021
One month after Afghan airlift, answers hard to come by about what really happened
The Biden administration says the Afghanistan airlift was the largest rescue operation in history -- yet a month after it ended, officials still can't or won't say exactly who was left behind, who made it out of the country or why they were the ones rescued. Published September 29, 2021
Senate rules keeper rejects Democrats’ ‘Plan B’ to get amnesty for illegal immigrants
The Senate's parliamentarian shot down a second attempt by Democrats to shoehorn a large amnesty for illegal immigrants into the $3.5 trillion social welfare bill, leaving immigrant-rights advocates fuming and demanding action "by any means necessary." Published September 29, 2021
