Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Federal judge rules Biden’s lax deportation policy is illegal
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas broke the law when he wrote new rules limiting which illegal immigrants can be arrested or deported, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, slapping an injunction on ICE that will limit its ability to pick and choose whom to target. Published March 22, 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson says having women on Supreme Court ‘supports public confidence’
Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said Tuesday it would be "extremely meaningful" for four women to sit on the Supreme Court should she be confirmed. Published March 22, 2022
McConnell warns of ‘utter meltdown’ at border if Biden ends pandemic shutdown
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Tuesday of an "utter meltdown" at the southern border if the Biden administration ditches the Trump-era COVID policy allowing illegal immigrants to be expelled back to Mexico. Published March 22, 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson refuses to weigh in on court packing
Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson refused Tuesday to weigh in on whether there should be more than nine justices on the high court, a move progressive activists have advocated for in recent years. Published March 22, 2022
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson cites originalism as judicial philosophy
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday stressed her "limited" role as a federal judge, describing a judicial philosophy that resonated with even some conservative legal observers. Published March 22, 2022
Judge Jackson makes early overtures to Republicans during confirmation hearing
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson told senators Monday that she believes the Constitution grants a "limited" role to judges, kicking off her Supreme Court confirmation hearing with an early overture to Republicans who will decide how difficult a path she has to the high court. Published March 21, 2022
Documents show FAA ruled border drone ban illegal, then reversed the decision after DHS call
The Federal Aviation Administration had decided it was illegal to ban drones flying over the border in Del Rio, Texas, amid last year's surge of Haitian migrants, but imposed the ban after pleading by a Homeland Security official, according to emails obtained by House GOP investigators. Published March 21, 2022
Border Patrol union fears agents getting railroaded in DHS probe of ‘whipping’ Haitian migrants
President Biden was adamant after images of tense confrontations between horse-mounted Border Patrol agents and Haitian migrants emerged in September, vowing that the agents "will pay." Published March 19, 2022
Rep. Don Young, most senior member of Congress, dies at 88
Rep. Don Young, dean of the U.S. House of Representatives and one of Congress's more colorful characters, died Friday on his way back home to Alaska, his office announced. He was 88. Published March 18, 2022
Inspector general tells ICE to shut down migrant detention facility immediately
A private-operated ICE migrant detention center in Torrance County, New Mexico, is operating on a skeleton staff and conditions are so "egregious" that the migrants should be immediately pulled, an inspector general said in an emergency alert Friday. Published March 18, 2022
Border Patrol told it doesn’t have to expel Ukrainians who sneak into U.S.
Ukrainians who show up at the U.S. border without permission to enter can still be allowed in despite a pandemic border shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday. Published March 17, 2022
Feds have recovered less than 1% of $163 billion in bogus unemployment benefits
The federal government blew at least $163 billion on bogus pandemic unemployment benefit payments and has recaptured less than $1 billion of it, the program's inspector general told Congress on Thursday. Published March 17, 2022
Sheriffs vote ‘No Confidence’ in VP Harris over border chaos
The Western Sheriffs Association delivered a unanimous vote of "No Confidence" in Vice President Kamala Harris' handling of the migration crisis that's slammed the U.S. border, with the sheriffs calling for President Biden to sideline his No. 2. Published March 16, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: Secret ICE data shows drop in arrests of criminals, surge in arrests of non-criminals
The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement's deportation division arrested 48% fewer convicted criminals, deported 63% fewer criminals and issued 46% fewer "detainer" requests to other law enforcement agencies last year, according to data that ICE officials have tallied but have yet to release to the public. Published March 16, 2022
DHS grants new legal protection to Afghans in U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Wednesday he will grant Temporary Protected Status to many Afghans already in the U.S., giving them a new level of status. Published March 16, 2022
Mexicans surged as illegal immigration on border rose in February
The number of migrants caught crossing the southern border illegally rose in February as single adult Mexicans poured into the country at their highest rate in years, according to new Homeland Security data released Tuesday. Published March 15, 2022
Illegal immigrant in Kate Steinle sanctuary city killing pleads guilty to weapons charges
The illegal immigrant accused of shooting Kate Steinle seven years ago on the San Francisco waterfront, helping draw attention to sanctuary cities and giving then-candidate Donald Trump a major campaign issue, pleaded guilty Monday to weapons offenses. Published March 14, 2022
DHS fumbles restart of Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
At the height of President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy, agents were shunting more than a thousand people a day back across the southern border. Published March 13, 2022
Biden cancels COVID border shutdown for illegal immigrant children
The Biden administration moved late Friday to cancel the pandemic border shutdown as it pertains to illegal immigrant children who show up without parents, saying it had revisited the issue and decided children aren't as much of a risk as other unauthorized border jumpers. Published March 12, 2022
ICE announces massive drops in arrests, deportations
The Biden administration slashed interior immigration arrests by about half compared to the Trump years, according to an overdue report released Friday that details the massive changes at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Published March 11, 2022
