Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
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
Texas authorizes National Guard to help make arrests at border
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a letter Tuesday ordering National Guard troops deployed to the border to help state police make arrests to combat the surge of illegal immigrants. Published July 27, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: ICE officers blast Biden’s pick to lead agency, say confirmation vote is premature
President Biden's pick to lead ICE faced new hurdles this week as the labor union for deportation officers accused Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez of calling whistleblowers liars when he discounted their tales of being blocked from enforcing immigration law. Published July 27, 2021
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
DHS fire alarm disrupts Mayorkas committee hearing
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' testimony to the Senate was interrupted Tuesday by a fire alarm at his office. Published July 27, 2021
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
DHS to expand use of speedy deportations as border crisis deepens
Homeland Security announced a stiffer approach toward some illegal immigrant families Monday, saying they will be put in speedy deportation proceedings as the government tries to figure out ways of stemming the migrant surge. Published July 26, 2021
Sex offender arranged to smuggle child across border, DHS says
Border Patrol agents say they have broken up an attempt by a registered sex offender to try to sneak a Guatemalan girl into the U.S. and take custody of her. Published July 26, 2021
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
Audit finds Border Patrol did not mistreat pregnant migrant, undercutting Kamala Harris’ claims
Border Patrol agents did not mistreat a pregnant migrant who began to give birth immediately after being caught, the agency's inspector general said Friday, shooting down a story that then-Sen. Kamala Harris seized on during the presidential campaign. Published July 23, 2021
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
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
Ballooning number of ‘gotaways’ poses public safety, national security risk
At least 270,000 migrants have sneaked into the U.S. and burrowed into communities across the country so far this fiscal year, according to the latest Border Patrol data. Published July 23, 2021
Biden’s border crisis gets worse; surge of illegal juveniles, fentanyl and migrant deaths
The border crisis is worsening, undercutting President Biden's early assurances that the chaos along the U.S.-Mexico boundary was just a seasonal blip. Published July 20, 2021
House Republicans challenge caught-and-released migrants’ ability to fly on U.S. airlines
House Republicans demanded answers from Homeland Security on Tuesday on why undocumented immigrants caught and released at the border are able to board commercial flights, going deeper into the U.S. Published July 20, 2021
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
Audit finds Trump Cabinet official misled Congress over census citizenship question
Then-Secretary Wilbur L. Ross Jr. "misrepresented" his reasons for why he wanted to add a citizenship question to last year's full census, according to an inspector general's investigation that found he misled Congress in testimony on two occasions. Published July 19, 2021
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
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
Biden calls DACA ruling ‘disappointing,’ urges Congress to act
President Biden on Saturday called on Congress to create a citizenship path for illegal immigrant "dreamers," after a federal judge declared the Obama-era DACA program violated federal law and blocked new applicants. Published July 17, 2021