Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Obama State Dept. used $600K in taxpayer cash for ‘ghost’ Facebook followers
Ghosts can bleed into the online world, as the Obama State Department found out earlier this decade when it paid $630,000 to boost its Facebook presence -- only to find out that most of those new followers were ephemeral. Published October 29, 2019
Feds spent $250,000 on ridiculous mascots
The federal government loves its costumes -- and not just at Halloween. Published October 29, 2019
Andrew R. Arthur, Center for Immigration Studies fellow, alarmed by provision in defense policy bill
A provision in House Democrats' defense policy bill would require the Pentagon to reveal locations of every troop deployment on the U.S.-Mexico border, including where they are housed, raising fears among activists that the language is intended to be a road map for antifa attacks on American soldiers. Published October 28, 2019
Illegal immigrants exploit border wall construction to gain entry
President Trump's border wall may eventually stop illegal immigrants, but right now it has created a new way for them to sneak into the U.S. thanks to the flurry of construction in Southern California. Published October 28, 2019
DHS strikes deal with El Salvador to protect 200,000 migrants in U.S.
The U.S. reached a deal with El Salvador on Monday granting more than 200,000 Salvadorans an additional year's grace period before they would become illegal immigrants, in exchange for El Salvador's cooperation in stemming this year's border surge. Published October 28, 2019
ACLU argues migrant families must be reunited despite criminal records
The American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal court last week to order the government to allow migrant children to be released directly parents with felony or violent misdemeanor records, saying it's more important families are quickly put back together. Published October 27, 2019
Virginia GOP deploys Justin Fairfax rape allegations in 2019 election
The rape allegations made earlier this year against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax are now an issue in the state's legislative elections, with Republicans running a hard-hitting ad against Democrats who refused to listen to the accusations. Published October 26, 2019
ICE deports Russian operative Marina Butina
Maria Butina was convicted last year of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, as part of the FBI's efforts to combat the Russian government's meddling in the 2016 election. Published October 25, 2019
DHS cuts welfare test for immigration fee waivers
Homeland Security's citizenship agency announced Friday it is streamlining the way migrants can apply for a discount on their immigration fees, saying that the old method unfairly gave an advantage to people living in some states. Published October 25, 2019
Obama DACA loophole gives ‘paroled’ illegal immigrant Dreamers path to citizenship
DACA wasn't supposed to be a pathway to citizenship, yet at least 14,000 illegal immigrant "Dreamers" managed to use the Obama-era deportation amnesty for exactly that purpose, the government revealed this week. Published October 24, 2019
Katie Hill under House ethics committee investigation amid alleged affair, nude photo leak
The House ethics committee said Wednesday it has opened an investigation intro freshman Rep. Katie Hill, after news reports that the California Democrat was involved in a three-way relationship with her husband and a female campaign staffer, even as she had an affair with a male staffer in her official congressional office. Published October 23, 2019
Bipartisan bill would streamline path to citizenship for children of U.S. military
Immigration politics may be cleaving the two parties, but lawmakers have found at least one bipartisan idea: easing the path for non-citizen children of U.S. troops and other federal employees to obtain U.S. citizenship Published October 23, 2019
Nancy Pelosi, Democrats produce more subpoenas than laws
Thanks to a flurry of Ukraine activity, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her new Democratic majority have approved more subpoenas to investigate President Trump than they've written new laws. Published October 22, 2019
ICE cancels fines on illegal immigrants in sanctuary
The government's deportation agency has canceled the fines of up to $500,000 it had tried to levy on some illegal immigrants who are living in protection in churches, the sanctuary movement said Tuesday. Published October 22, 2019
Elizabeth Warren’s health plan will require middle-class tax hike: Watchdog
Sen. Elizabeth Warren will have to raise taxes on middle-class families to fund her health care plans, a nonpartisan budget watchdog said Tuesday, countering her claims -- but those families could still come out ahead, depending on how the system is restructured. Published October 22, 2019
Los Angeles sanctuary policy releases 100 criminals a day: ICE
As many as 100 criminals a day are being released back onto the street in the Los Angeles area alone under California's sanctuary city law, ICE's top deportation official told Congress on Tuesday as he pleaded for lawmakers to do something. Published October 22, 2019
Democrats’ Supreme Court packing plans rejected; voters say Trump should fill any 2020 vacancy
The public rejects Democrats' plans to pack the Supreme Court with more members but are strikingly eager to impose term limits on the justices, according to a Marquette University Law School Poll released Monday that took a deep dive into Americans' views of the unelected branch of government. Published October 21, 2019
Justice Department proposes collecting DNA samples from detained migrants
The Justice Department announced Monday that it will require the Department of Homeland Security to collect DNA samples from the migrants it arrests, in a move that likely will add hundreds of thousands of names each year to the government's criminal databases. Published October 21, 2019
Immigration, border crime prosecutions top record
The Justice Department has brought more than 100,000 prosecutions for immigration-related border crimes in the past 12 months, setting an all-time record. Published October 20, 2019
Supreme Court to decide whether Obama-era Wall Street cop is legal
The Supreme Court said Friday it will hear a case challenging the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency President Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren set up to police Wall Street in the wake of the Great Recession. Published October 18, 2019
