Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Harris on first trip to border: ‘We’ve made progress’
Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that the Biden administration has "made progress" in trying to gain control of the southern border, even as it tries to pave a more lenient path for migrants rushing to the U.S. in hopes of gaining a foothold. Published June 25, 2021
Kamala Harris makes first visit to southern border
Vice President Kamala Harris made her first pilgrimage to the border Friday, watching Border Patrol at work in El Paso handling processing of illegal immigrants, then making a snap visit to a border crossing where aides said she saw other migrants who hoped to claim asylum in the U.S. Published June 25, 2021
Restaurant that beat Biden in court faces affirmative action backlash
The Cajun wings at the Penn Hotel Sports & Raw Bar had always been a big favorite on Yelp. Now, it seems, all anyone wants to talk about is politics after the establishment's owner sued the Biden administration, alleging discrimination in the manner in which it prioritized COVID-19 relief. Published June 24, 2021
Biden administration using Supreme Court’s Obamacare ruling to justify border policies
The Supreme Court's recent ruling on Obamacare has quickly reverberated across the legal landscape, with the administration rushing to tell lower courts to shut down red-state challenges to President Biden's immigration policies. Published June 23, 2021
‘Frequent lice outbreaks’: Kids get Zumba classes, lack underwear, soap at migrant camps
Children have faced "frequent lice outbreaks" at one emergency shelter in Texas set up to handle the surge of juveniles jumping the border, a court-ordered audit says. Published June 23, 2021
Dollars over danger: Inside the mind of a smuggler
For Cecilio Rios-Quinones, life had always been about money -- and how little he had. Eventually, he and another brother, Ricardo, headed north to Tijuana, where Rito, another brother, was already hooked in with a smuggling organization, guiding people across the border into California. Ricardo and Cecilio were sentenced this spring to 66 months in prison each, and documents from their now-concluded case provide a unique and interesting look at the psychology of a smuggler. Published June 23, 2021
Report: DHS to readmit illegal immigrants ousted under Trump
Homeland Security will allow some illegal immigrants ousted under the Trump administration to reenter the U.S and renew their cases, according to a news report Tuesday. Published June 22, 2021
Voters not sold on Dems’ 800-plus page rewrite of election laws; bill doomed in Senate
Democrats have labeled their major election overhaul the "For the People Act" -- but when pollsters talk to the people themselves, many of them say they would rather take a pass. Published June 21, 2021
Mailman gets probation for attempt to interfere in 2020 election
A mailman who altered eight absentee ballot requests in West Virginia during last year's elections was sentenced Monday to six months' house arrest. Published June 21, 2021
Trump’s claims on construction of border wall system undercut by GAO audit
As the former president prepares to make his first trip to the border since leaving office, the Government Accountability Office has delivered a scorching report card on his border wall. It calculated that he completed only 69 miles of the wall system he promised Americans -- not the more than 450 miles he claimed. Published June 20, 2021
Juneteenth gives federal employees 44 paid days off each year: Study
Federal employees get 44 paid days off work each year, according to a new study by OpenTheBooks.com, a watchdog group. Published June 18, 2021
DHS chief Alejandro Mayorkas bristles at Republicans’ border questions
Republicans stumped Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday over the number of Border Patrol agents who are deployed to the southwestern border, in a testy hearing where he resisted charges that he and the administration have lost control of the boundary. Published June 17, 2021
Trump administration cut corners to speed wall money, auditors say
The Army Corps of Engineers cut corners in order to beat deadlines for President Trump's Mexico border wall and get money out the door before it expired, according to an audit Thursday by the Government Accountability Office, which identified $4.3 billion in no-bid contracts for the project. Published June 17, 2021
Biden administration faces record pace of lawsuits
President Biden came out of the starting blocks with the most sweeping agenda of any recent administration -- and he is drawing ferocious resistance in federal courts, where his opponents are filing lawsuits at what appears to be a record pace. Published June 17, 2021
DHS chief Mayorkas: ‘Unfair’ to ask why Biden, Harris haven’t been to border
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday it is "unfair" for a Republican congressman to ask why Vice President Kamala Harris laughed when asked whether she would go to see the border surge. Published June 17, 2021
DHS secretary says Biden policies didn’t cause border surge
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that President Biden's policies have nothing to do with the surge in illegal immigrants that has swamped his administration, insisting it's part of normal ups and downs. Published June 17, 2021
DHS secretary vows to be ‘ideology neutral’ in tackling domestic terrorism
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that his department will take a broad approach to domestic terrorism, realizing that it's not just right-wing extremists who engage in the violence. Published June 17, 2021
Justice Department deletes Trump-era decisions limiting asylum claims
The Justice Department on Wednesday expanded the types of cases that can qualify for asylum, revoking two Trump-era decisions that had restricted claims based on domestic violence or gang activity in migrants' home countries. Published June 16, 2021
Texas announces $250 million border wall down payment, online fundraiser
Gov. Greg Abbott announced a $250 million down payment Wednesday on his plan to have Texas build its own version of the border wall, and he said the state will also accept donations online from supporters who want to pay for more miles of wall. Published June 16, 2021
Smartphone smugglers: How social media is reshaping border crime
Mark Delgado told Border Patrol agents he had been scrolling through TikTok one day when he came across a video asking for drivers, saying they could make $4,000 a trip. Published June 16, 2021