Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
DACA ruling appealed by Trump administration
The Trump administration filed notice late Monday that it is appealing last week's ruling that ordered it to restart the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty in full. Published August 6, 2018
Refugee charged with murder was in ICE custody in 2016
An Iraqi refugee now charged with attempted murder of a Colorado police officer was actually in ICE custody in 2016, but was ordered released thanks to a court decision that ruled his previous convictions for assault and a host of other crimes weren't serious enough to deport him. Published August 6, 2018
Alex Jones/Infowars shutdown ignites debate over social media content policing, censorship
Facebook and YouTube shut down accounts Monday run by radio host Alex Jones, saying his charged rhetoric violated their policies and were detracting from their efforts to spawn a civil conversation. Apple also said it nixed Mr. Jones' podcast from its iTunes subscription lists, and Spotify erased the host's program from its feed, as social media companies began to take a more active role in policing their content. Published August 6, 2018
Homeland Security border wall prototypes fail to account for rough terrain
The Department of Homeland Security invested $20 million in the contest to build prototypes for President Trump's border wall, only to discover that most of them were impractical for the tough terrain along the U.S.-Mexico line, the government's chief watchdog said Monday. Published August 6, 2018
Ronald Vitiello picked to head ICE immigration enforcement
President Trump on Monday nominated Ronald D. Vitiello, a former head of the Border Patrol, to run ICE, tapping him to run the embattled agency responsible for deportations. Published August 6, 2018
Iraqi refugee charged with attempted murder of Colorado police officer
An Iraqi refugee now charged with attempted murder of a Colorado police officer was actually in ICE custody in 2016 but was ordered released thanks to a court decision that ruled his previous convictions for assault and a host of other crimes weren't serious enough to deport him. Published August 6, 2018
DHS cut corners to start building Trump’s border wall
Homeland Security cut corners in deciding where to build President Trump's border wall, and still hasn't been able to put any of the new designs the president demanded into operation, the government's chief watchdog said in a new report Monday. Published August 6, 2018
Federal judge rules that DACA must be restarted
A federal judge on Friday said the government must restart the entire DACA deportation amnesty, including accepting brand new applications -- but gave the administration a chance to appeal before his ruling takes effect. Published August 5, 2018
Secret Service: Moscow employee didn’t leak secrets to Russian government
The Secret Service said Friday that it had conducted a review and determined a Russian national formerly employed at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow did not have access to classified information to leak to the Russian government. Published August 3, 2018
Federal judge orders Trump admin to restart DACA program
A federal judge on Friday said the government must restart the entire DACA deportation amnesty, including accepting brand new applications -- but gave the administration a chance to appeal before his ruling takes effect. Published August 3, 2018
National Archives rejects Democrats’ request for Kavanaugh documents
The National Archives has rebuffed Democrats' attempts to force the release of perhaps 3 million pages of documents from Judge Brett Kavanaugh's time in government service, dealing a significant blow to Democrats' attempt to derail his elevation to the Supreme Court. Published August 3, 2018
Reunifying children, deported parents left to activists, Feds says
The Trump administration said Thursday it will largely be up to immigrant-rights advocates to track down deported parents who want to be reunited with their children still in the U.S. Published August 2, 2018
Illegal immigrants say Facebook discriminates against them
Facebook's attempt to stop Russian interference in the U.S. elections has enraged activists who say illegal immigrants will be banned from buying political ads on the internet platform. Published August 2, 2018
Senators unveil bill to stop visas, bring criminal charges for Russian election meddling
Senators announced legislation Thursday to impose a new set of sanctions on Russia, seeking to warn Moscow against future meddling while also reassuring European allies of American support, notwithstanding President Trump's unpredictable approach to them. Published August 2, 2018
3D-printed-gun design shared by activists despite judge order
A judge's attempt to halt the spread of blueprints for 3D-printed guns backfired Wednesday as the plans spread across the internet, posted and shared by people who said they were determined to strike a blow for free speech, to protect gun rights, or just to thumb their nose at the government. Published August 1, 2018
Chuck Grassley: Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation may take longer than we’d hoped for
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh may not be on the Supreme Court for the start of the justices' new term in early October, a key senator signaled Wednesday, suggesting a slightly slower schedule than some Republicans had hoped for. Published August 1, 2018
Illegal immigrant from Guatemala charged with distributing child porn
Federal authorities this week arrested an illegal immigrant from Guatemala on charges of distributing child pornography videos through Facebook. Published August 1, 2018
U.S. appeals court: Trump ‘sanctuary cities’ order is illegal
A federal appeals court ruled President Trump's executive order punishing sanctuary cities by withholding money is unconstitutional -- but in a twist, the court cleared the way for the government to carry out the policy in much of the country. Published August 1, 2018
Ohio joins battle to force Lois Lerner records be released
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine asked a judge Wednesday to release former IRS senior executive Lois G. Lerner's secret testimony about her actions during the Obama administration's tea party targeting, saying Americans deserve an "unvarnished publish accounting" of what Ms. Lerner did. Published August 1, 2018
Ted Wheeler, Portland mayor, refutes stand-down policy during anti-ICE protests
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says he never ordered police to ignore 911 calls from ICE employees who felt their lives were threatened during the June standoff between riotous protesters and employees who worked at the ICE building in Oregon's biggest city. Published August 1, 2018
