Stephen Dinan

ICE blames California sanctuary law for illegals’ arrests

Federal immigration authorities said California's new sanctuary law forced this week's sweep that netted 232 illegal immigrants in the Bay Area -- and set off a massive controversy after Oakland's mayor gave a public warning that may have helped hundreds of other migrants elude arrest. Published March 2, 2018

Justice Department looking into bringing charges against Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf

The White House said Thursday that the Justice Department is looking into whether the Oakland mayor can face federal charges after she warned illegal immigrants of an impending enforcement sweep. Published March 1, 2018

White House defends ICE, Border Patrol from California attacks

Vice President Mike Pence delivered a fierce defense of federal immigration agents and officers Thursday, calling them "heroes," amid a growing opposition from California officials. Published March 1, 2018

Trump-California feud escalates to all-out warfare

Analysts said there was no comparison in recent memory for the sort of bad blood that's developed between President Trump and California's leaders, who have legislated, sued, tweeted and used just about every other tool at their disposal to try to stymie the administration. Published February 28, 2018

Libby Schaaf, Oakland mayor, helped criminal illegal immigrants escape, ICE chief says

More than 850 illegal immigrants managed to elude deportation officers conducting operations in Northern California this week, and the head of the deportation force on Tuesday blamed Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for helping some of them escape. Published February 27, 2018

Supreme Court backs Donald Trump on illegal immigrant detention

Immigrants being held for deportation don't have an automatic right under the law to post bond and be set free, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a decision that could give the Trump administration more freedom to pursue stiff detention policies for illegal immigrants who show up at the border claiming asylum. Published February 27, 2018

Donald Trump can build border wall, court rules

A federal court cleared the way Tuesday for President Trump to build his border wall, ruling that the administration has the power to waive a series of environmental laws to speed up construction. Published February 27, 2018

Senate GOP says gun debate will focus on background check records

Senate Republicans in charge of the next steps on gun control said Tuesday they want to focus on bills where there's broad agreement, such as expanding the number of records available in the background check system, while putting off thorny fights over weapons bans. Published February 27, 2018

Paul Ryan on shooting: ‘There was a colossal breakdown’

House GOP leaders said Tuesday they will look to correct systemic problems in background checks and law enforcement they said led to the Florida shooting, but said that won't include taking away rights of law-abiding citizens. Published February 27, 2018

Citizenship in jeopardy for five convicted of child sex abuse

The Justice Department moved this month to strip citizenship from five people convicted of child sex abuse -- two of whom came to the U.S. on exactly the kind of chain migration the Trump administration now wants to eliminate. Published February 26, 2018

Lawsuit: 100,000 noncitizens registered to vote in Pennsylvania

More than 100,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in Pennsylvania alone, according to testimony submitted Monday in a lawsuit demanding the state come clean about the extent of its problems. Published February 26, 2018

DACA program still active after Supreme Court declines to speed appeal

The Supreme Court declined Monday to speed up a case involving the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals deportation amnesty, refusing President Trump's request for immediate action and instead maintaining a lower court ruling that keeps the controversial program in operation. Published February 26, 2018

Carter Page ‘of interest’ to FBI for years, Democrat memo says

A Democrat-funded opposition research dossier was only a narrow part of the FBI's justification for obtaining a warrant to spy on a former Trump campaign official, congressional Democrats said in their long-awaited memo on the process that led to the snooping. Published February 25, 2018

Gun control debate greets Congress after Florida shooting

Congress appears to be settling on the outlines of consensus for action on stricter gun controls, with moves to strengthen the background check system and to restrict sales of bump stocks the most likely areas of bipartisan action. Published February 25, 2018

Democrats: Steele dossier only ‘narrow’ part of FBI surveillance application

A Democratic-funded opposition research dossier was only a "narrow" part of the FBI's justification for obtaining a warrant to spy on a former Trump campaign official, congressional Democrats said in their long-awaited memo, finally released Saturday, detailing the process that led to the snooping. Published February 24, 2018

CPAC-Times poll: Conservatives love Trump — but not so much the tweeting

President Trump has taken firm reins of the conservative movement in the U.S. according to the CPAC-Washington Times poll that found grassroots leaders on the political right thrilled with just about everything he's doing -- except his tweeting. Published February 24, 2018

Cornyn supports addressing bump stocks in Senate gun debate

A key senator said Friday the Senate should expand its looming gun debate beyond background check improvements to also include giving the administration authority to ban bump stocks. Published February 23, 2018

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services drops ‘nation of immigrants’ from mission

The federal agency that oversees legal immigration to the U.S. has removed the words "nation of immigrants" from its mission statement, as the Trump administration moves to put Americans as the top priority. Published February 22, 2018

Illegal immigration lowest since 2003

Illegal immigration from Mexico has fallen dramatically this decade, sending the overall population of unauthorized people in the U.S. tumbling below the 11 million mark, according to a new think tank study released Thursday. Published February 22, 2018