Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Matthew Albence to retire as head of ICE
Matthew Albence, who's led U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the last 15 months, overseeing an agency at the center of the national immigration debate -- and increasingly under attack by Democrats -- will retire at the end of August. Published July 31, 2020
Vote rigging and hanging chads: A brief history of contested elections
President Trump set a pretty high bar Thursday when he said expanding mail-in voting during coronavirus pandemic would lead to the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history. Published July 30, 2020
Portland clears protesters from park as part of deal to get feds to leave
Police early Thursday cleared the park that had been used as the staging area for attacks on the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, as local officials began to make good on their promise to step up security so federal forces could draw back. Published July 30, 2020
Donald Trump suggests delaying elections to avoid ‘great embarrassment’ from mail-in vote fraud
President Trump suggested Thursday that the November election should be delayed due to "fraudulent" expanded mail-in voting and the coronavirus pandemic, sparking opposition from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and from former President Barack Obama. Published July 30, 2020
Michael Avenatti provided taxpayer-funded lawyer
Michael Avenatti, the flamboyant lawyer who used to dominate cable news shows with his threats to take down President Trump, is now so poor that he was awarded a court-appointed lawyer Wednesday. Published July 29, 2020
Judge George Daniels blocks Trump ‘public charge’ rule for immigrants
A federal judge issued an injunction Wednesday blocking the Trump administration's "public charge" rule aimed at making immigrants self-sufficient, ruling it would not be safe to try to punish migrants for using welfare or other benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. Published July 29, 2020
Senate investigation finds Russians shelter millions in assets through art purchases
Art's value is in the eye of the beholder — and, according to a Senate investigation, Russian oligarchs find it very valuable as a way to shelter millions in defiance of U.S. economic sanctions. Published July 29, 2020
Kate Brown blinks in Portland protest deal with Chad Wolf
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown agreed Wednesday to send in state police to protect the federal courthouse in Portland, and Homeland Security said it will remove its additional officers and agents, signaling a possible solution to months of violent clashes that have stained the city. Published July 29, 2020
DHS, Portland strike deal to quell violent protests, remove federal officers
Oregon has agreed to deploy state police to protect federal buildings in Portland amid violent racial justice protests, and once they have succeeded the additional federal forces deployed by Homeland Security will leave, the department announced Wednesday. Published July 29, 2020
William Barr revokes Obama-era legal opinion justifying DACA
Attorney General William P. Barr has finally revoked an Obama-era Justice Department legal opinion used to give legal backing to the DACA program. Published July 28, 2020
ACLU wants DHS secretary punished over Portland violence
The ACLU asked a federal judge on Tuesday to hold the top brass at the Department of Homeland Security in contempt of court after federal agents used chemical agents and other means to clear protesters from around a courthouse in Portland, catching journalists in the crossfire. Published July 28, 2020
Barr says Trump on good legal ground with census executive order on illegal immigrants
Attorney General William P. Barr defended the legality of President Trump's new executive order excluding illegal immigrants from apportionment of congressional seats after the 2020 census, saying Tuesday that Congress can define who gets counted and it has delegated that power to the Commerce Department. Published July 28, 2020
Trump cuts DACA time in half in major rewrite of Obama program
The Trump administration announced a major rewrite of DACA on Tuesday, saying it will keep the program going -- for now -- but all new applications will be rejected and those renewing their status will be limited to just one year. Published July 28, 2020
Ronald Bernard Hickey, Canadian man, charged with doxxing police in Portland riots
Federal officers arrested 22 people during another weekend of clashes in Portland, Oregon, the U.S. attorney said Monday evening, ranging from doxxing federal officers to flying a drone in restricted space. Published July 27, 2020
Chad Wolf blames coronavirus spike on Mexico border crossers
As COVID-19 cases surge across the border, new questions are being asked about the nexus of immigration and the spread of the coronavirus. Published July 27, 2020
Viral video of border wall falling over is old news: DHS
Homeland Security said Monday that a viral video claiming to be a section of the border wall toppling over during Hurricane Hanna this weekend is actually from a wind storm last month. Published July 27, 2020
Portland protesters shout N-word at Black DHS officers: Agent
A Homeland Security agent deployed to help quell the violence demonstrations in Portland says protesters shouted a racial epithet at a Black Federal Protective Service officer providing security at the courthouse, according to an account given to the Center for Immigration Studies. Published July 27, 2020
Molotov cocktails, rifle ammunition found near Portland protests; Nadler calls violence ‘a myth’
A day after a top Democratic congressman dismissed violent protests in Portland as "a myth," police in the Oregon city said they found a cache of loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails in a park across the street from where the worst of the clashes have occurred. Published July 27, 2020
Democrats take aim at Homeland Security spending bill
Democrats eager to take a swipe at President Trump's deployment of federal forces to quell protests against police brutality have a new avenue of attack -- the Homeland Security spending bill, which House leaders hope to bring to the floor in the coming days. Published July 26, 2020
Portland protesters using lasers targeted with increased force
Customs and Border Protection has authorized its personnel to use less-lethal force, such as riot guns firing pepper spray balls, against protesters who fire lasers -- an increasingly prominent tactic for rioters in Portland. Published July 26, 2020
