Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
52 terrorists heading toward U.S. blocked by Panama, congressman says
Panama has caught 52 people on terrorist watch lists who were en route to the U.S., a Republican congressman said in a new podcast Monday, citing a conversation with Panama's foreign minister. Published October 18, 2021
Democrats’ spending bills cut ICE and border wall, pump money into environment and abortion
Senate Democrats unveiled nine spending bills Monday that would surge domestic spending, pumping money into environmental protections and eliminating guardrails against taxpayer money for abortions. Published October 18, 2021
Haitians removed from Del Rio bridge camp say they suffered ‘racialized abuse’ by Border Patrol
Homeland Security is "infected" with anti-Black sentiment, a civil rights group complained Monday, saying that contributed to last month's horrific scene where thousands of Haitians erected an encampment on the U.S. banks of the Rio Grande. Published October 18, 2021
Facebook users allowed to share advice, tips on crossing border illegally
Facebook has acknowledged it allows people to share information on how to immigrate illegally or be smuggled into the U.S., saying it crafted the policy to give them a shot at asylum and prevent them from relying on human traffickers. Published October 17, 2021
Feds announce $1 million reward to disrupt immigrant smuggling network from Afghanistan, Pakistan
The federal government announced two $1 million awards for information leading to the arrest of Abid Ali Khan or for disrupting the immigrant smuggling network authorities say he oversees in moving people from Pakistan and Afghanistan into the U.S. Published October 14, 2021
Study undercuts sanctuary cities; fear of deportation doesn’t stop reporting of crimes
Immigrants report crimes at the same rate as native-born Americans, according to a new report that undercuts sanctuary cities' claims that cooperating with immigration authorities creates a "chilling effect," making migrants less likely to work with local police on their investigations. Published October 14, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: DHS drafts plan to allow fraudsters to keep citizenship
Homeland Security is circulating a draft proposal that would severely curtail the department's attempts to strip citizenship from people who were naturalized based on fraud. Published October 13, 2021
Surging inflation drives largest Social Security COLA hike in nearly 40 years
The one upside to surging inflation is that those getting some government checks will see bigger payments, with Social Security announcing a 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment Wednesday. Published October 13, 2021
Video shows smuggler abandoning 7-year-old girl at U.S.-Mexico border fence
New video depicts a smuggler lowering a 7-year-old girl down the border wall on his back Tuesday morning, then abandoning her on the U.S. side. Published October 12, 2021
DHS secretary orders ICE to stop targeting illegal immigrants at jobs
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued new orders Tuesday halting ICE from going after large numbers of illegal immigrants at job sites, saying it is a waste of resources and actually helps unscrupulous employers abuse unauthorized workers. Published October 12, 2021
Dems’ ‘Plan C’ for amnesty could protect 7.1 million illegal immigrants
As Democrats search for a way to legalize illegal immigrants in their massive budget bill, a new analysis Tuesday says they could grant a tentative foothold to some 7.1 million immigrants through the use of "parole" powers. Published October 12, 2021
Americans want border jumpers to have to get COVID-19 vaccine
Americans may be divided on whether to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on citizens, but when it comes to immigrants jumping the border illegally, there's little debate: Most people say the government should give them the vaccine. Published October 12, 2021
Shiite militiaman reached U.S. posing as Iraqi refugee
An Iraqi man admitted to immigration fraud last week, saying he cheated America's refugee system by lying about his past as a member of an Iranian-funded Shiite militia in order to win asylum in the U.S. Published October 11, 2021
Feds ran second-highest deficit ever in 2021: CBO
Uncle Sam ended fiscal 2021 deep in the red, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday, calculating the government ran a $2.8 trillion deficit, the second-worst on record. Published October 8, 2021
GOP lawmakers challenge Biden’s ‘obsession’ with ending Trump border crackdown
Republican members of Congress blasted President Biden in a letter Friday over his administration's "weak border policies" and prodded him to start complying with a judge's order to restart the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy. Published October 8, 2021
Senate probe: Trump pushed DOJ on election fraud but had ‘no impact’ on operations
Former President Donald Trump made "relentless" efforts to get the Justice Department to dig into reports of election malfeasance in the wake of the 2020 vote, but the department's leaders said he did not pressure them into crossing any lines, according to two new Senate reports Thursday. Published October 7, 2021
Kamala Harris faces pressure to deliver on amnesty
Activists are increasingly targeting Vice President Kamala Harris as they battle to inject a large amnesty for illegal immigrants into the Democrats' massive social safety net makeover, saying she has the power to make their dream a reality. Published October 6, 2021
DHS pleads for department volunteers to process Afghans
Homeland Security's legal-immigration agency issued a plea for volunteers to help "parole" Afghans into the U.S., saying they're seeing "an increasing number of requests" from people still outside the U.S. Published October 5, 2021
‘Humanitarian parole’: Outbreaks force feds to step up vaccinations of Afghan evacuees
More than 49,000 Afghan evacuees who have reached the U.S. have been vaccinated for chickenpox and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday, taking a victory lap after mass outbreaks had shut down airlift operations. Published October 4, 2021
Supreme Court erases anti-border wall ruling, sends case back to lower courts
The Supreme Court on Monday erased a lower court ruling that had found against President Trump's border-wall emergency and sent the case back to the judge to take another look, given the "changed circumstances" with President Biden now in office. Published October 4, 2021
