Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Judge in Hawaii carves new hole in Donald Trump’s travel ban
A federal judge took another swing at President Trump's travel ban late Thursday, ruling that the administration must expand the definition of family who are exempted from his policy -- and also dramatically expanding the number of refugees who can be admitted. Published July 14, 2017
Eric Conn fraud whistle-blowers say they fear for their safety
Eric C. Conn, the convicted ringleader of the biggest Social Security disability fraud in history, was supposed to be sentenced Friday. Instead, he's on the run, and the two whistleblowers who helped expose his scam say they fear for their safety. Published July 13, 2017
Donald Trump says he wants ‘comprehensive immigration plan’ but country isn’t ready
President Trump said Wednesday that he'll make the final decision on whether to defend President Obama's 2012 deportation amnesty for Dreamers, and said he wished Congress would pass "a comprehensive immigration plan" -- though he said the country's not ready for that. Published July 13, 2017
Donald Trump: Border needs 700-900 miles of wall
President Trump put the first concrete number on the miles of border he wants to fence off, saying "anywhere from 700 to 900 miles" need his border wall -- and he said he wasn't joking when he suggested erecting solar panels to help pay for constructions. Published July 13, 2017
Donald Trump’s budget cuts deficits, but never reaches balance: CBO
President Trump's budget doesn't solve the deficit, though it makes a significant dent, the Congressional Budget Office said in a new report Thursday, saying that his deep spending cuts on everything from health care to education would save an additional $3.3 trillion over the next 10 years. Published July 13, 2017
U.S. citizen sues over listing on terrorist watch list
An American Muslim family detained for more than 10 hours at the border because the father appeared on a terrorism watch list sued the government Thursday, saying the use of watch lists has spiraled out of control and federal agents are now using them to "abuse" the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens. Published July 13, 2017
John F. Kelly doubts Dreamer amnesty will survive courts
Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told members of Congress on Wednesday that he doubts the 2012 deportation amnesty for so-called Dreamers could survive legal scrutiny, leaving key Democrats warning of potential "mass deportations." Published July 12, 2017
Legislative Activity Index: House speed overcomes lagging Senate
Big-ticket items like an Obamacare repeal or tax reform may elude them, but lawmakers are still off to a fast start to the current Congress, according to The Washington Times Legislative Activity index, which shows a newly unified government in Washington passing bills at a clip not seen since the early days of the Obama administration. Published July 12, 2017
Activists sue DHS to force more asylum claims
Immigrant-rights groups sued the Homeland Security Department on Wednesday, claiming border officers are illegally stymieing desperate migrants' attempts to seek asylum in the U.S. Published July 12, 2017
Luis V. Gutierrez warns immigrants to prepare for ‘mass deportations’
A key member of Congress is warning illegal immigrants to be prepared for "mass deportations" after emerging from what he characterized as a disappointing meeting with Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly. Published July 12, 2017
Judge rules courts can stop Trump deportations, halts ouster of Iraqi Christians
A federal judge late Tuesday halted the deportation of hundreds of illegal immigrants from Iraq, dealing at least a tentative blow to the Trump administration in a case that could signal even greater judicial intrusion into immigration policy. Published July 12, 2017
Republicans set up border wall fight in House with homeland security bill
Republican House leaders on Tuesday earmarked $1.6 billion to begin building President Trump's border wall next year, including the money in their homeland security spending bill, setting up a fight with Democrats who have vowed to fight any funding for the wall, even if it means sending the federal government into a partial shutdown. Published July 11, 2017
House GOP allocates $1.6 billion for Trump border wall in 2018
House Republicans said Tuesday they've included $1.6 billion in funding for President Trump's border wall in their new homeland security spending bill, setting up fight with Democrats who have vowed to block any wall funding -- even if it means sending the government into a partial shutdown. Published July 11, 2017
Six foreign airports earn their way off DHS’s laptop ban
Six of the 10 airports that faced the laptop ban have already improved their screening enough to earn their way off the ban list, Homeland Security announced Tuesday, as it tries to raise the global level of explosives screening. Published July 11, 2017
Thom Tillis puts hold on nomination over H-2B visas
The White House complained Monday about Democratic obstruction of President Trump's nominees, but a Republican senator is the chief roadblock for Mr. Trump's pick to head the legal immigration service, hoping to use the position as leverage to force the administration to approve more foreign guest-workers this year. Published July 10, 2017
Trump’s voter commission suspends data collection, awaits judge’s ruling
President Trump's voter integrity commission has suspended collection of states' voter data until after a judge rules on whether the panel is abiding by data privacy laws, the commission's vice chairman said in a court filing Monday. Published July 10, 2017
Donald Trump cancels Obama’s special immigration program for foreign entrepreneurs
The Trump administration put a hold Monday on an Obama-era policy that was designed to encourage foreign entrepreneurs to settle in the U.S. to build their companies, saying immigration officials are already overwhelmed with more important work. Published July 10, 2017
ACLU sues to demand transparency from Trump’s voter integrity panel
The ACLU filed a new lawsuit Monday against President Trump's voter integrity commission, delivering a fierce rhetorical attack on the panel as part of a complaint that the commission is violating open-government rules. Published July 10, 2017
Arkansas has turned voter data over to Trump commission, raising stakes on privacy case
Arkansas has already turned over some of its voter data to President Trump's voter integrity commission, the government's lawyer told a federal judge late Friday, upping the stakes in the battle over whether the panel can collect sensitive information on the country's voting pool. Published July 7, 2017
Illegal immigration spikes along U.S.-Mexico border
Illegal immigration across the southwest border rose yet again in June, according to the latest Homeland Security figures released Friday that show a noticeable jump over the past two months. Published July 7, 2017