Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Judge orders DHS to un-deport illegal immigrant from Guatemala
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to un-deport an illegal immigrant it had sent to Mexico and who has since gone to Guatemala, saying the government made an "error" in booting him out. Published May 24, 2025
Noem gloats as ACLU drops one challenge to migrant deportations
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem crowed Friday after the American Civil Liberties Union dropped one of its myriad lawsuits trying to hinder the government's deportation efforts. Published May 23, 2025
Judge orders Trump administration to restore transgender health web pages
A federal judge has ruled that the administration went too far when it deleted medical articles from a government website because they ran afoul of President Trump's executive order banning the government from promoting transgender or gender identity ideas. Published May 23, 2025
Chief Justice Roberts rides to DOGE’s rescue in legal discovery dispute
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has given at least a short-term reprieve to President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, putting on hold a legal discovery process that the government says threatens to upend the separation of powers. Published May 23, 2025
Appeals court allows Texas library to remove books that triggered sex, race concerns
A federal appeals court reversed itself Friday and said a Texas county public library was on firm legal footing when it took 17 books off its shelves amid concerns about racial or sexual content. Published May 23, 2025
Judge blocks Trump’s attack on Harvard’s foreign student program
A federal judge has issued a restraining order blocking the Trump administration's move to kick Harvard University out of the foreign student program, saying the school faces an irreparable injury if the decision is allowed to go forward. Published May 23, 2025
Illegal immigrant charged with voting in 2024 election and stealing $400,000 in welfare
Federal prosecutors charged a Colombian migrant with stealing someone else's identity then using it to illegally vote, obtain a secure identification and steal $400,000 in welfare and other federal programs. Published May 23, 2025
Court rules that deportation of mother is not ‘cruel and unusual punishment’
A federal judge has ruled that being deported does not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Constitution, rejecting an illegal immigrant mother's request that her potential removal be rescinded. Published May 23, 2025
Harvard sues Trump, says move to boot foreign students is retaliation for school’s free speech
Harvard University has sued to stop the administration from shutting down its pipeline of foreign students, saying it was unconstitutional retaliation for the school not bowing to President Trump's wishes. Published May 23, 2025
Federal judge extends blockade on Trump’s Reductions in Force at federal agencies
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Thursday against President Trump's massive "reductions in force" for the federal bureaucracy, saying it looks like he's really trying to do the sort of agency reorganization that requires permission from Congress. Published May 22, 2025
Head of Harvard hospital’s morgue pleads guilty to selling human body parts
The manager of Harvard Medical School's morgue has pleaded guilty to selling human remains. Published May 22, 2025
Supreme Court grants Trump broad powers to fire agency leaders
The Supreme Court gave the OK on Thursday to President Trump to carry out firings of Democratic appointees at some major federal watchdog agencies, saying the chief executive has wide-ranging powers to shape the workforce that carries out his policies. Published May 22, 2025
DHS change will allow states to identify more noncitizen voters
Homeland Security's citizenship agency announced a change to its database Thursday that should allow states to identify more noncitizens who are illegally registered to vote. Published May 22, 2025
DHS bans Harvard from enrolling foreign students over school’s ‘pro-terrorist conduct,’ Noem says
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved Thursday to decertify Harvard University from the government's foreign student program, meaning the school can no longer host them and any students already enrolled must try to transfer. Published May 22, 2025
Illegal immigrant goes nuts on ICE officers
Three deportation officers trying to take an illegal immigrant into custody earlier this month suffered significant injuries after the man fought back, prosecutors said, describing a bizarre scuffle that included the migrant grabbing and twisting an officer's testicles. Published May 22, 2025
Maryland court issues automatic block on deportations for migrants who file habeas petitions
The federal district court in Maryland has announced a new policy that automatically blocks deportation for any illegal immigrant who files a "habeas" petition challenging their arrest and detention. Published May 22, 2025
Judge blocks Trump’s attempt to shut down Education Department
A federal judge blocked President Trump from unilaterally moving to shut down the Education Department, saying Thursday that Congress created it and only Congress can end it. Published May 22, 2025
Divided Supreme Court affirms Oklahoma decision to block nation’s first religious charter school
An evenly divided Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an Oklahoma high court ruling that halted what would have been the nation's first religious charter school. Published May 22, 2025
Judge orders Trump administration to continue ‘DEI’ grant for school desegregation aid
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration wrongly shut down a grant to promote desegregation of schools in the South by claiming it was a DEI program. Published May 21, 2025
Trump’s firing of feds’ civil liberties watchdog was illegal, judge rules
Yet another of President Trump's firings was found illegal Wednesday, when a federal judge ruled he overstepped in ousting members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a privacy watchdog. Published May 21, 2025
