Stephen Dinan

Kirstjen Nielsen: Democrats insult Border Patrol with focus on ‘s—-hole’ comment

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Wednesday that the continued focus on President Trump's harsh comments at a meeting last week are doing a disservice to her department's law enforcement personnel. Published January 17, 2018

Republicans, Democrats agree on need for earmark spending

In a Capitol growing ever more fractious, Republicans and Democrats managed to forge bipartisanship Wednesday on one of the few things they can all agree to: returning to the days of pork-barrel, or earmark, spending. Published January 17, 2018

Mitch McConnell: Donald Trump’s approval key to immigration deal

The Senate won't vote on an immigration deal unless it has President Trump's support, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday, effectively dooming the Gang of Six bill even before a bipartisan group of lawmakers officially introduced it. Published January 17, 2018

ICE strikes deal with Florida sheriffs to hold illegal immigrants

More than a dozen Florida sheriffs announced a deal Wednesday that will allow them to hold illegal immigrants wanted by the federal government for deportation, in a key test case for cities and countries eager to cooperate but worried about legal problems associated with helping the Trump administration. Published January 17, 2018

Donald Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn DACA program

The Justice Department said Tuesday it will appeal directly to the Supreme Court to approve President Trump's decision to phase out the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals deportation amnesty, hoping to cut corners and get the justices to quickly overturn a lower court's ruling. Published January 16, 2018

DHS asked prosecutors to charge sanctuary city leaders

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen confirmed Tuesday that her department has asked federal prosecutors to see if they can lodge criminal charges against sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal deportation efforts. Published January 16, 2018

Trump can’t extend March 5 DACA deadline: DHS chief

President Trump does not have the legal authority to extend the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty beyond the March 5 phaseout deadline he set, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday. Published January 16, 2018

DHS won’t do voter-fraud investigation after Trump commission shut down

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tamped down on claims her department is going to pursue an investigation into voter fraud, saying Tuesday that her role will be limited to assisting states looking to weed out their own voter lists. Published January 16, 2018

Kirstjen Nielsen, DHS secretary, under oath: Trump didn’t say ‘sh—hole’

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testified under oath Tuesday that she did not hear President Trump call Haiti, El Salvador and other developing nations "sh--hole" countries in a controversial meeting last week -- though she did say he used "tough language." Published January 16, 2018

73 percent of terrorists convicted in the U.S. were foreign born: DHS report

Most people convicted of international terrorism in U.S. courts since 2001 were foreign-born, the Trump administration said in a report Tuesday that officials said boosts the president's calls for tougher immigration restrictions and limits on travel. Published January 16, 2018

Donald Trump blames Democrats for shutdown showdown

President Trump laid the groundwork Monday to blame Democrats if the government careens into a partial shutdown at the end of this week, saying their decision to turn their back on him in ongoing negotiations is a recipe for failure. Published January 15, 2018

Lindsey Graham to Donald Trump: ‘Mr. President, close the deal’ on immigration

Sen. Lindsey Graham challenged President Trump on Monday to "close the deal" on immigration, saying the White House should be leading in negotiations, not taking to Twitter to blast negotiators. Published January 15, 2018

As immigration deal unravels, Donald Trump blames Democrats

President Trump said Sunday that immigration negotiations appear to have broken down and Democrats are to blame, saying they have refused to meet his demands to increase border security and reform a flawed legal system. Published January 14, 2018

DHS restarts Obama-era DACA amnesty after judge’s ruling

DACA is back up and running, Homeland Security announced this weekend, saying President Trump's attempt to phase out the Obama-era deportation amnesty is on hold. Published January 14, 2018

Judge: Trump’s anti-Mexico comments undercut DACA phaseout

Yet another federal judge has ruled that President Trump showed "clear cut indications of racial prejudice" against Mexicans during the campaign, and he used that in a new decision Friday to further dent the administration's efforts to end the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty. Published January 13, 2018

Illegal immigrant teen transferred to sponsor to avoid help getting abortion

The government rushed Sunday to place an illegal immigrant teen with sponsors so it didn't have to be involved in helping her get an abortion -- hoping to head off yet another thorny test of the nexus between illegal immigration and constitutional rights. Published January 13, 2018

Lindsey Graham called Mexico, other countries ‘hellholes’ in 2013 immigration debate

Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of those in the meeting Thursday where President Trump reportedly called some developing nations "sh--hole" countries, used similar language himself during the last big immigration debate, calling Mexico and other Latin American nations "hellholes." Published January 12, 2018