Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Defense Department holding 20,000 evacuated Afghans in U.S., 43,000 more overseas
The U.S. is holding more than 17,000 Afghan evacuees on American soil and has nearly 40,000 more overseas eyeing a future entry to the U.S., according to a new report. Published September 1, 2021
COVID-19 pandemic eats into Social Security’s solvency
Social Security's revenue will begin to decline this year, crossing a critical fiscal threshold as the program begins a slide toward depletion of its trust funds in little more than a decade, the program's trustees said in a stark report Tuesday. Published August 31, 2021
Democrats urge DHS to waive fees for Afghan migrants
A group of Democrats is urging Homeland Security to cancel the fees that normally would have been charged for Afghans who are being evacuated to the U.S., saying they are worried the need to pay will hold up some applications and cost some would-be migrants their lives. Published August 31, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Convicted rapist reached the U.S. on Afghan evacuation flight
A man who had been convicted of rape and deported from the U.S. was allowed to board an Afghan evacuation flight and reach America, law enforcement sources say. Published August 30, 2021
Border deaths soar; 2021 could break all-time record
Rogelio Perez Gutierrez probably saw the lights of La Jolla from the boat in the minutes before he and 13 other illegal immigrants were ordered to strip off their life jackets, jump into the water and swim for it. That was as close as he would get. Published August 30, 2021
‘They can leave at any time’: Congressman expresses concern over unvetted Afghans at U.S. Army base
There are 2,000 Afghans at Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin, and not a single one of them is a Special Immigrant Visa holder, according to a congressman who toured the base Friday and said he was dismayed by what he heard. Published August 28, 2021
Smugglers caught using fake Border Patrol vehicle to sneak by agents
Homeland Security agents last week managed to catch a smuggler in Arizona who was using a fake Border Patrol vehicle and fake uniform to carry migrants deeper into the U.S. -- and who had bragged about how successful it had been. Published August 26, 2021
DHS approved thousands of ineligible immigrants to work in the U.S., audit shows
The Department of Homeland Security approved thousands of noncitizens to work in the U.S. even though its own system tried to flag them as probably ineligible, according to a new inspector general report that paints a grim picture of the government's best tool for weeding out undocumented immigrant workers. Published August 26, 2021
Supreme Court signals rough sledding for Biden’s immigration agenda
The Supreme Court's ruling this week reviving a Trump-era border policy sent shockwaves through the immigration debate, signaling that the justices will be a major hurdle for President Biden as he tries to impose his more relaxed approach to immigration enforcement. Published August 25, 2021
Supreme Court rejects Biden’s bid to delay ‘Remain in Mexico’ border policy
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed President Biden's request to halt a lower court order that revives the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" border policy, effectively forcing the new administration to make a "good faith" effort to push illegal immigrants back across the border. Published August 24, 2021
Mailed ballots were most popular last year, but 20 million weren’t returned
About 20 million ballots mailed out for the November general election were not returned, the federal government's Election Assistance Commission says in a report detailing the successes and hiccups of the voting. Published August 24, 2021
Judge declares mistrial in Avenatti case; disgraced lawyer wins weeks of delay
A judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the prosecution of Michael Avenatti, ruling that the Justice Department didn't turn over all the financial records it should have. Published August 24, 2021
ICE arresting two-thirds more serious criminals under Biden
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is arresting 65% more convicted aggravated felons under President Biden than it did last year under President Trump, the agency told a federal judge as it makes the case for its new deportation limits. Published August 23, 2021
Judge grants one-week reprieve to ICE on Biden deportation limits
A federal judge on Monday granted a reprieve to ICE, allowing it to revive its new deportation limits for the next week while the Biden administration asks appeals courts to step in and overturn the judge's ruling from last week. Published August 23, 2021
‘Silent amnesty’: Biden administration quietly dismissing thousands of deportation cases
Congress is starting work on legislation to legalize illegal immigrants, but the Biden administration is already working on what some analysts have termed a "silent amnesty," which would quietly suspend or dismiss thousands of deportation cases pending in immigration courts. Published August 23, 2021
DHS begs Supreme Court to block revival of ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
The Biden administration made an emergency request to the Supreme Court late Friday asking it to block a lower court ruling requiring restoration of President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy. Published August 20, 2021
DOJ appeals ruling that stopped Biden deportation limits
The Justice Department filed an appeal Friday a day after a federal judge delivered a withering blow to the Biden administration's anti-deportation policy, ruling the attempt to limit who can be arrested or deported flies in the face of federal law. Published August 20, 2021
New border asylum policy would strain DHS’s finances
Homeland Security says it doesn't know where it will get the money to handle the surge of border asylum claims it expects under its new plan to shift the work from immigration judges to department bureaucrats. Published August 19, 2021
Judge blocks Biden’s attempt to limit deportations
A federal judge issued an injunction Thursday blocking the Biden administration's attempt to limit the scope of illegal immigrants who federal agents can target for arrest and deportation, saying Homeland Security officials failed to give a good justification for the reasons behind the policy. Published August 19, 2021
DHS announces plan to speed asylum cases
The Biden administration unveiled plans Wednesday to speed up asylum decisions for illegal immigrants who sneak across the border then demand protection, a move that could result in hundreds of thousands more people winning asylum each year. Published August 18, 2021