Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Jason Chaffetz to quit House at end of this term
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the House GOP's top investigator, said Wednesday he'll retire from Congress at the end of this term. Published April 19, 2017
John Kelly: Smuggling cartels major threat
Smuggling cartels are now a major threat to the fabric of American society, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly declared Tuesday, saying the international crime syndicates have shown an incredible ability to sneak drugs and people -- and potentially terrorists and dirty bombs -- into the U.S. Published April 18, 2017
Juan Manuel Montes first ‘Dreamer’ deported under Trump immigration crackdown
Democrats and immigrant-rights groups demanded answers Tuesday after a news report that the first "Dreamer" has been deported by President Trump. Published April 18, 2017
Border wall could stretch 1,827 miles, cost nearly $70 billion: Democrats
President Trump's wall across the U.S.-Mexico border could reach nearly $70 billion in total costs, congressional Democrats predicted Tuesday in a new report that builds on worst-case scenarios. Published April 18, 2017
John Kelly, DHS chief, tells critics to ‘shut up’ and let agents to their jobs
Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told the host of critics to "shut up" and let his agents do their jobs, pushing back against the overwhelming wave of criticism from advocacy groups who have complained that immigration enforcement has grown too strict under the Trump administration. Published April 18, 2017
Marijuana still illegal, DHS agents will enforce federal pot laws: Secretary Kelly
Homeland Security will continue to make marijuana a major part of its criminal enforcement efforts, Secretary John F. Kelly said Tuesday, affirming the Trump administration's policy and dealing a blow to legalization advocates who had hoped for a hands-off approach by federal authorities. Published April 18, 2017
Donald Trump to reform H-1B visa program, federal procurement rules
President Trump will sign an executive order Tuesday to begin overhauling the country's guest workers programs and federal procurement rules, as administration officials said he hopes to make strides on his push to buy and hire American. Published April 17, 2017
Haitians at border down as Trump crackdown news spreads
Sometime around November, word began to trickle back down the spine of Latin America: The U.S. was getting stricter about letting in Haitians at the border. Published April 16, 2017
Mexico arrests suspect in murder of U.S. Border Patrol agent
Mexican authorities said Thursday they've arrested one of the fugitives wanted for the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry -- a shooting that drew new attention to the dangerous border and exposed the Obama administration's botched gun-crimes policy. Published April 13, 2017
Donald Trump gives states power to cut off Planned Parenthood money
President Trump signed a bill Thursday freeing states to withhold federal family planning grant money from Planned Parenthood, marking the first major pro-life legislation to be signed into law in more than a decade. Published April 13, 2017
Lois Lerner says she faced death threats over IRS tea party targeting
Former IRS senior executive Lois G. Lerner told a federal court this week that she faces the possibility of death threats if her role in the tax agency's tea party targeting becomes public, and asked a judge to forever seal her upcoming deposition in a class-action lawsuit brought by hundreds of groups that were targeted. Published April 13, 2017
Sharafat Ali Khan smuggled terrorist-linked immigrants
Federal authorities wrangled a guilty plea Wednesday from a Brazilian man who ran one of the Western Hemisphere's more flagrant alien smuggling operations, sneaking dozens of illegal immigrants from terrorism-connected countries into the U.S. from 2014 to 2016. Published April 12, 2017
Feds net guilty plea from Middle East alien smuggling mastermind
Federal authorities wrangled a guilty plea Wednesday from a Brazilian man who ran one of the Western Hemisphere's more flagrant alien-smuggling operations, sneaking dozens of illegal immigrants from terrorist-connected countries into the U.S. from 2014 to 2016. Published April 12, 2017
GOP wants Donald Trump to reopen criminal probe into IRS’s Lois Lerner
Two top Republicans asked the Justice Department on Wednesday to take a new look at the evidence against former IRS senior executive Lois G. Lerner to see if charges should still be brought against her for targeting tea party groups and losing key evidence in the case. Published April 12, 2017
U.S. border guards increase searches of electronic devices
U.S. border officials seized and searched nearly 15,000 computers, phones and tablets over the past six months as the federal government stepped up its traveler surveillance, saying it's just responding to the latest public safety threats. Published April 11, 2017
DHS suspends sanctuary city list after just three weeks
The Homeland Security Department suspended its sanctuary city report after just three weeks, with officials acknowledging Tuesday that they had goofed on some of the data and needed more time to refine the process of figuring out who ends up on the name-and-shame list. Published April 11, 2017
Eric Conn pleads guilty to Social Security disability fraud
A ringleader in one of the biggest Social Security disability fraud cases in U.S. history has pleaded guilty to filing more than 1,700 bogus applications, bilking the government out of potentially a half-billion dollars. Published April 10, 2017
Rand Paul urges AUMF before Trump military action
Sen. Rand Paul sounded one of the more discordant notes last week after President Trump's retaliatory missile strike against the Syrian regime, suggesting it was ill-advised and illegal, and insisting Congress needs to get involved. Published April 9, 2017
Congress demands Trump divulge plans on Syria; debate on use of military force looming
Most members of Congress have praised President Trump's missile strike Thursday against a Syrian regime airfield used to stage for this week's chemical weapons attack -- but lawmakers say the White House needs to quickly detail its plans for what comes next. Published April 7, 2017
MoveOn.org blasts Trump Syria strike, raises money off horror
Liberal pressure group MoveOn.org blasted President Trump's decision Thursday to launch a strike to punish Syria for using chemical weapons against its people, saying it was illegal - and begged supporters to send in cash because of it. Published April 6, 2017
