Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
ICE deports man who smuggled terrorist suspects into U.S.
The U.S. announced this week that it has deported Sharafat Ali Khan, a man convicted of running a major smuggling network for illegal immigrants from terrorist havens in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Published December 20, 2018
DHS: Jesus, Mary and Joseph could have earned asylum in U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen assured members of Congress Thursday that Jesus, Mary and Joseph would have qualified for asylum in the U.S. as they fled King Herod. Published December 20, 2018
DHS to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico in attempt to end ‘catch-and-release’
Asylum-seekers who crossed Mexico to reach the U.S. will be shipped back to Mexico to wait while their cases are being processed, the Trump administration announced Thursday, taking a bold and controversial step to try to head off new waves of illegal immigration. Published December 20, 2018
Trump threatens to blow up spending deal
President Trump lashed out at Congress Thursday, blasting lawmakers for failing to fund his border wall demands -- and throwing into doubt the chances of passing a bill to fund the government by Friday's deadline. Published December 20, 2018
Ultralight aircraft used to smuggle illegals from Mexico to U.S.
Border Patrol agents tracked an ultralight aircraft as it crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and made it 30 miles into the country early Tuesday morning -- and when they got to the landing spot, they found two Chinese men who had been smuggled in by the aircraft. Published December 19, 2018
Times Square billboard says DHS ‘murdered’ Guatemalan girl
An immigrant-rights group said it's bought space for a billboard in Times Square in New York to run a message accusing the Border Patrol of murdering the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died after crossing the border earlier this month. Published December 19, 2018
Paul Ryan complains of ‘broken politics’ in farewell to Congress
Paul Ryan, who first came to Congress as a college intern and rose to become House speaker, delivered his farewell Wednesday, warning colleagues of a cancerous approach that threatens the American democratic experiment. Published December 19, 2018
Senate passes anti-lynching bill after nearly 200 failed attempts
After more than a century of failed attempts, the Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation making mob lynching a federal civil rights crime. Published December 19, 2018
Judge blocks Donald Trump’s asylum crackdown
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempts to speed up deportations for people with bogus asylum claims, ruling Wednesday that the president and his team had gone beyond what Congress intended. Published December 19, 2018
Prison reform bill passes Senate
The Senate on Tuesday approved the most sweeping prison reform bill in years, voting to cut sentences of tens of thousands of inmates while also boosting access to programs designed to keep them from ending up back behind bars again. Published December 18, 2018
Illegal immigrant children set for release by Christmas after U.S. waives fingerprint check
The Trump administration said Tuesday it's eliminating some of the checks it makes before releasing illegal-immigrant children to homes in the U.S., clearing the way for thousands of the kids to be released by Christmas. Published December 18, 2018
Government shutdown: Trump retreats on border wall, Congress seeks stopgap spending bill
Members of Congress resigned themselves Tuesday to another short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown and get the government through the holidays and into the new year after Democrats rejected a new Republican offer to give President Trump half the border wall money he's seeking. Published December 18, 2018
Support for Trump border wall sets record — though still a minority: Poll
Support for President Trump's border wall hit a record high in a new Quinnipiac University poll Tuesday, but a majority of Americans still oppose the project, saying it's a waste that isn't needed to improve border security. Published December 18, 2018
Voters don’t buy Democrats’ impeachment push: Poll
Most voters say Democrats have yet to prove a convincing case tying President Trump to Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, according to a new poll being released Tuesday. Published December 18, 2018
Government shutdown threatens federal employees’ holiday vacations, but could result in double pay
More than 400,000 essential government employees could be forced to stay on the job throughout a government shutdown -- even if they'd already planned to take holiday vacations. President Trump has demanded that Congress find $5 billion in new money to pay for more sections of his border wall plans. Published December 17, 2018
Prison reform bill advances after bipartisan deal
Senators linked arms and voted Monday to advance a new bill combining sentencing and prison reforms, setting up final passage later this week and creating the groundwork for a major bipartisan compromise. Published December 17, 2018
DOJ asks appeals court to block look at Donald Trump’s finances
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Monday to stop an attempt to get a look at the Trump Organization's tax returns and other business data, saying the case is moving too fast and needs more arguments. Published December 17, 2018
Lamar Alexander announces retirement from Senate
Sen. Lamar Alexander said Monday he won't seek re-election in 2020, in the first big GOP retirement of the new election cycle. Published December 17, 2018
Jakelin Caal death sparks debate on blame
The death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl after a lengthy journey with her father through Mexico to the U.S., then into the hands of the U.S. Border Patrol, has ignited a furious debate over who's to blame. Published December 16, 2018
Dead Guatemalan girl becomes martyr in immigration battle
Democrats on Friday turned a 7-year-old illegal immigrant who died after a rough journey through Mexico into a martyr for their cause of blocking President Trump's immigration policies, saying he and the Homeland Security Department are responsible for the girl's death. Published December 15, 2018