Stephen Dinan

Migrant smugglers take advantage of Texas deep freeze

One consequence of the cold snap that's engulfed much of Texas is that some migrant smugglers are figuring it's the right time to try to sneak people north out of the border areas, figuring the Border Patrol has its hands full with other duties. Customs and Border Protection says it has recorded 15 migrant deaths in Texas so far this month, and seven of those have been blamed on exposure to the cold. Published February 20, 2021

Biden’s mass-legalization plan for illegal immigrants criticized, shows signs of trouble

Democrats unveiled President Biden's mass-legalization plan in Congress on Thursday, proposing legal status for perhaps 11 million illegal immigrants already here, fewer penalties on future illegal immigrants, and a major immediate increase in legal immigration. Published February 18, 2021

New ICE deportation rules make many illegal immigrants safe from deportation

ICE issued new guidance Thursday to grant deportation officers new leeway to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, moving to replace rules issued on the Biden administration's first day that had led to some embarrassing black eyes. Published February 18, 2021

Joe Biden’s immigration plan speeds legalization, lags on border security

President Biden's immigration bill cancels penalties for future illegal immigrants, speeds legalization of those already here and increases legal immigration levels. But the bill, which lawmakers will officially introduce on Capitol Hill on Thursday, backtracks on new border security and worksite enforcement compromises that have long been seen as key parts of any serious attempt to overhaul the immigration system. Published February 18, 2021

Alex Padilla, Zoe Lofgren nix ‘illegal alien’ from immigration lexicon

Now firmly in control of all the levers of political power in Washington, Democrats are moving to change the terms of debate over immigration -- in a literal sense. Published February 17, 2021

ICE almost released sex offenders under new deportation guidance: GOP

ICE canceled deportation requests for three convicted child sex offenders and was about to release them into communities until Texas law enforcement officials intervened and forced a reversal, two ranking Republicans charged in a letter Wednesday demanding answers from the agency's chief. Published February 17, 2021

Clark County votes to rename Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport for former senator Harry Reid

The Clark County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to strip the name of a "racist" former U.S. senator off Las Vegas's main airport and replace it with former Sen. Harry Reid, a giant of Nevada politics -- and no stranger to controversy himself. Published February 16, 2021

Donald Trump rips Mitch McConnell, promises MAGA primary challengers

Former President Donald Trump unloaded on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, calling him a "dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack," saying Republicans cannot win with him at the party's helm, and vowing to support candidates who will challenge GOP lawmakers in primaries. Published February 16, 2021

Biden national security adviser: ‘Our borders are not open’

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan insisted Tuesday that America's borders "are not open" as the White House moved to try to head off a growing migrant surge that threatens to undermine President Biden's immigration plans. Published February 16, 2021

DHS border officer caught smuggling illegal immigrant: Feds

A Homeland Security officer who works at a Texas border crossing used her job to smuggle a woman into the country under false pretenses to work as a housekeeper, internal affairs investigators said in charging documents. Published February 16, 2021

Immigrant fertility plunges in U.S., drops below replacement rate for first time

Immigrants' fertility rate in the U.S. has plunged in recent years, dipping below the replacement rate for the first time in history, according to a new report Tuesday that challenges claims that the country can use more immigration to solve the costs of its aging population. Published February 16, 2021

Bernie Sanders $15 minimum wage would affect budget, CBO says

The Congressional Budget Office has given a boost to Sen. Bernard Sanders' push to use the budget process to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour with a new analysis Monday showing the move would have significant effects throughout the federal fiscal picture. Published February 15, 2021

Iraqi refugee program paused after ‘insider threat’ at DHS immigration agency

Prosecutors had just revealed an almost unthinkable internal security breach: Two Homeland Security employees had been selling secret files from the Iraqi program for years, leaving security experts to figure out the damage, and the State Department to try to cauterize the wound. Published February 15, 2021

Pelosi announces commission to probe Capitol attack

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday she will create a "9/11-type" commission to investigate last month's attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying the country needs a full account of what went wrong if it is to regain its sense of security. Published February 15, 2021

Sierra Club, ACLU calls on Biden to tear down border wall

Immigrant-rights and environmental groups have a firm message for President Biden: Tear down that wall. Published February 14, 2021

Overwhelmed Border Patrol fears ‘mass migration’ under Biden’s catch-and-release policy

Border Patrol agents are being overwhelmed with a surge of migrants in parts of Texas and have had to restart "catch-and-release" policies, turning people loose into the U.S. as the first signs of a migrant surge emerge under President Biden. Published February 14, 2021

Audit finds DHS wastes millions on unused detention beds

Homeland Security spent more than $20 million for detention beds that went unused during just one month last year, according to a new congressional audit. Published February 13, 2021

ICE reveal: 1.2 million illegal immigrants awaiting deportation

ICE is currently monitoring nearly 1.2 million illegal immigrants who've been ordered deported but have not yet left the U.S. -- and nearly all of them are still free in the community, the agency told a federal court this week, revealing the monumental task of policing them all. Published February 12, 2021

DHS will admit 25,000 migrants waiting in Mexico

Homeland Security will allow tens of thousands of migrants who'd been mired for months in Mexico into the U.S. starting at the end of this week, erasing a Trump-era policy and sparking new worries over risks of coronavirus infections. Published February 12, 2021

Lawyer warns Black workers would be harmed by Democrats’ immigration plan

Hiking the minimum wage at the same time Congress is pondering granting legal status to 11 million undocumented immigrants would create a vortex of misfortune for Black workers, and particularly Black men, a member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission told Congress on Thursday. Published February 11, 2021