Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Donald Trump demands credit for drop in national debt
President Trump chastised the press Saturday for not covering the national debt, which has ticked down slightly since he took office -- saying by contrast that the debt leaped $200 billion in President Obama's first month. Published February 25, 2017
Astrid Silva, illegal immigrant ‘Dreamer,’ to deliver Spanish Dem response to Donald Trump
Democrats have tapped an illegal immigrant "Dreamer" to deliver the Spanish-language response to President Trump's speech to Congress next week, elevating the fight over immigration policy that's come to dominate the first weeks of the new administration. Published February 24, 2017
Mexico chides U.S. immigration policies, admits route for illegal immigrants
Mexican leaders scolded their American counterparts on Thursday for President Trump's new immigration policies, using an initial meeting to register their displeasure and demand that the U.S. not increase the number of people deported to Mexico. Published February 23, 2017
John Kelly, DHS secretary, rules out troops for immigration
Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly ruled out the possibility of using military troops in immigration enforcement, after meetings in Mexico City on Thursday. Published February 23, 2017
Ted Cruz urges Donald Trump to field ‘army of … Scalias and Thomases’
Sen. Ted Cruz and former Sen. Harry Reid didn't see eye to eye on many things, but the Texas Republican says he's found himself toasting his former political nemesis in recent weeks for having triggered the nuclear option. Published February 23, 2017
Mexico vows to resist Donald Trump’s immigration plans
Mexico's government vowed Wednesday to resist President Trump's efforts to force better cooperation in stopping illegal immigration, saying they won't let the U.S. tell them what to do. Published February 22, 2017
Supreme Court weighs Mexico border killing, 4th Amendment
The Supreme Court struggled Tuesday to define limits to the Constitution's Fourth Amendment in a tragic case in which a U.S. Border Patrol agent fired his weapon and killed a 15-year-old boy on the Mexican side of the line. Published February 21, 2017
DHS cancels Obama policies, orders agents to expand deportations
Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly officially unleashed federal agents this week to begin arresting and deporting more illegal immigrants, unshackling the handcuffs the Obama administration had imposed and putting millions of people in the country without authorization at risk. Published February 21, 2017
Donald Trump immigration actions could shift thinking of Mexico, illegal immigrants
After years of neglect, immigration enforcement is proving to be a fertile space for action -- and for speculation, as draft reports leak out of Homeland Security, frightening immigrant rights groups and thrilling President Trump's backers who have longed to see this sort of crackdown. Published February 20, 2017
Donald Trump’s tweets give public ‘unfiltered’ look; freewheeling style continues
The first month of the Twitter Presidency has shown President Trump has no inclination to rein in the freewheeling style that got him elected -- while also making him one of the most unpopular candidates ever to reach the White House. Published February 20, 2017
IRS offers extended customer service hours this weekend to get a jump on filings
The IRS is offering extended telephone help desk Saturday and even Monday, a federal holiday, to help taxpayers get a start on their filings. Published February 18, 2017
Border agents searched 23,000 phones, laptops in 2016
The number of electronic device searches conducted by border officers surged some 500 percent in 2016, as the agency said a changing threat environment caused more people to trip their radars. Published February 17, 2017
White House says National Guard won’t be used for immigration roundups
The White House shot down reports Friday that the administration was considering using the National Guard to round up illegal immigrants, saying that is not a part of President Trump's plans. Published February 17, 2017
Daniel Ramirez, Illegal immigrants have constitutional rights under Obama amnesty, lawyer says
Federal agents attempted to alter evidence and fabricate a story about gang ties for a Dreamer the government is trying to deport, the illegal immigrant's lawyers said in court filings Thursday night, escalating a case that's become a major test of President Trump's immigration policies. Published February 16, 2017
Feds say border fence has been cut 9,200 times since 2010
The wrong type of border wall could actually make Border Patrol agents less safe, according to a new report Thursday from the government's chief watchdog, which said walls that block lines of sight can become ambush sites for attackers looking to get the drop on agents. Published February 16, 2017
Donald Trump promises to treat Dreamers with ‘great heart’
President Trump said Thursday he will issue a new executive order on extreme vetting that will tailor his policy to comply with adverse rulings from federal courts, insisting he'll be able to "get just about everything" done that he'd intended with a scaled-down policy. Published February 16, 2017
Daniel Ramirez Medina: Gang tattoo, relationships led to arrest of immigrant Dreamer, police say
The illegal immigrant Dreamer arrested in Washington state last week had an arrest record and had ties to at least two criminal gangs, the Justice Department said in a filing Thursday, raising the stakes in a case that's come to be a major test of President Trump's immigration policies. Published February 16, 2017
Alexander Acosta picked as Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary
President Trump on Thursday named former National Labor Relations Board member R. Alexander Acosta as his new nominee for labor secretary, moving quickly to replace the administration's first casualty of the Senate confirmation process. Published February 16, 2017
Mick Mulvaney approved by Senate as White House budget chief
The Senate confirmed Rep. Mick Mulvaney to be the new White House budget director Thursday in yet another tight vote, elevating a committed budget hawk to the center of President Trump's policy-making apparatus. Published February 16, 2017
Cost of wall is less than cost of services for illegals: Report
If President Trump's border wall stopped just 10 percent of new illegal immigrants it would pay for itself by saving American taxpayers from spending money on services for those migrants over their lifetimes, according to a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies. Published February 16, 2017
