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Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Stephen Dinan

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on the topic of illegal immigration during a press conference on the border at Anzalduas Park, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Mission, Texas. (Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP)

Biden administration, Texas move to get tough at the border

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday authorized the National Guard to help arrest those involved in immigrant smuggling along his state's border with Mexico, marking the latest get-tough approach officials are trying as the border situation deteriorates. Published July 27, 2021

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press conference with Guatemala's Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo in Guatemala City, Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Mayorkas is in Guatemala for a two-day visit. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) **FILE**

DHS chief Mayorkas says grim border numbers are misleading

The border situation isn't as bad as it is being portrayed, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told senators on Tuesday, saying that the 20-year high of Border Patrol apprehensions is misleading because many of the migrants are repeat-offenders who are making multiple attempts each month. Published July 27, 2021

In this Thursday, June 10, 2021, photo, a pair of migrant families from Brazil pass through a gap in the border wall to reach the United States after crossing from Mexico to Yuma, Ariz., to seek asylum.  (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia) **FILE**

DHS approves new work on border wall

Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it will do some repairs and "reinforcing" of the border wall, marking the first upgrades under the Biden administration to former President Donald Trump's signature initiative. Published July 27, 2021

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Phoenix is seen here on Aug. 5, 2008. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

EXCLUSIVE: Homeland Security would need years to prepare for new amnesty

The massive immigrant-legalization program that Democrats plan to include in their upcoming budget would overwhelm the government's citizenship agency, adding millions of new cases to an agency that, according to a secret internal study, is already running well above its red line. Published July 26, 2021

Tucson Samaritans check the border wall, including a small gap in the new construction, near Sasabe, Ariz., on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Opponents that seek to control immigration, such as the Washington-based think tank Center for Immigration Studies, contend the border wall and other barriers are a better way to keep deaths down by keeping migrants out. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

DHS cancels 31 miles of border wall in Texas

Homeland Security Department officials on Friday officially canceled contracts for 31 miles of border wall construction that had been planned for Texas, saying the barriers were "not necessary" to save lives or help the environment. Published July 23, 2021

A young migrant girl from Venezuela stands with her mother as they wait with Border Patrol after turning themselves in after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. Record numbers of Venezuelans are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as overall migration swells. They're fleeing turmoil in the country with the world's largest oil reserves and pandemic-induced pain across South America. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Audit finds DHS falls short on medical care for migrants at the border

The lack of clear guidance means agents are confused about who qualifies as "at-risk," how often migrants should be checked while in custody of Customs and Border Protection, and when migrants should be given a second medical screening, the report said. Published July 23, 2021

FILE - In this May 26, 2010, file photo, men sit in the sun in the health ward at the Otay Mesa immigration detention center in San Diego. Thousands of immigration detainees have been moved around the country, far from their homes, for reasons like bed availability or medical care, according to federal officials. San Diego County has approved a plan to provide attorneys to immigrants facing deportation proceedings. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, approved a $5 million, one-year pilot program. It would provide lawyers for free to those detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center, the local federal immigration detention facility. San Diego will be the first southern border county in the U.S. to provide such legal representation. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

ICE deported at least 70 potential U.S. citizens: GAO audit

ICE deported at least 70 people who had a possible claim to U.S. citizenship, according to a new audit by the Government Accountability Office that dinged the deportation agency for failing to do a good enough job investigating and tracking the issue. Published July 20, 2021

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas talks to the media, Friday, June 25, 2021, after he and Vice President Kamala Harris toured of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas. Harris visited the U.S. southern border as part of her role leading the Biden administration's response to a steep increase in migration. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Anti-DACA court ruling sets Democrats scrambling to protect ‘Dreamers’

A federal judge's decision against the DACA program injected new urgency into Congress's desire to give "Dreamers" a permanent legal solution -- but the court ruling did nothing to overcome the deep divisions that have blocked every attempt over the last decade. Published July 18, 2021

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent looks on near a gate on the U.S.-Mexico border wall as agents take migrants into custody, in Abram-Perezville, Texas, March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ** FILE **

Mexican migrant dies from border wall fall

An illegal immigrant who fell from the border wall in Texas last month has succumbed to his injuries, the Border Patrol said Saturday. Published July 17, 2021