Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Donald Trump defends Muslim ban as security dominates Republican debate
Donald Trump defended his call for a halt on Muslim visitors to the U.S., taking credit for having ignited a needed conversation over the roots of terrorism, as he and the rest of the Republican presidential field faced off Tuesday in their final debate of the year with fear of another terrorist attack growing among the electorate. Published December 15, 2015
Ted Cruz rules out legalizing illegal immigrants
Sen. Ted Cruz ruled out ever legalizing illegal immigrants in Tuesday's GOP presidential debate as he tried to draw distinctions between himself and Sen. Marco Rubio on the thorny issue that has cleaved the Republican Party. Published December 15, 2015
Homeland Security social media screening ‘common sense’ for visas, lawmakers agree
Fearing the U.S. is losing the battle against the Islamic State terrorist network in cyberspace, those on all sides of the political spectrum demanded Tuesday that the administration immediate begin screening social media profiles of all visitors and enlist tech companies in the battle to shut down radical Islam's presence online. Published December 15, 2015
Donald Trump’s Muslim ban rejected by Republicans in undercard debate
Donald Trump wasn't even on the stage yet and he was already the focus of Republicans in Tuesday's undercard presidential debate, with his fellow contenders rejecting his plans to halt Muslim visitors. Published December 15, 2015
Obama demands compassion for Syrian refugees as he swears in new citizens
President Obama made a pitch Tuesday for Americans to remember their immigrant roots, describing the U.S. as the traditional home for refugees fleeing the world's worst troubles. Published December 15, 2015
Feds to require drone owners to register
Private drones must be registered with the federal government and owners will have to pay a $5 "drone tax" under rules Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx released Monday, as officials belatedly try to bring accountability to the Wild West in the sky. Published December 14, 2015
Catholic bishops reject halt to Muslim visitors, urge gun control
America's Catholic bishops came out in opposition to GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump's call for a temporary ban on admission of Muslim immigrants and visitors, issuing a statement Monday saying the U.S. should never "target specific classes of persons based on religion." Published December 14, 2015
DNC craves tax dollars for convention
Already struggling with finances, the Democratic Party has drafted a plan to have taxpayers help pay about $20 million for next summer's nominating convention, reversing a change Congress approved just a year ago. Published December 13, 2015
Donald Trump’s harsh rhetoric sparks Hispanic activists’ effort to punish GOP at polls
Immigrant rights activists have vowed to sign up 1 million immigrants -- mostly Mexicans -- for citizenship and then quickly register them to vote in time to punish Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans at the polls in November for their harsh rhetoric. Published December 13, 2015
Dems eye taxpayer bailout for 2016
Already struggling with finances, the Democratic Party has drafted a plan to have taxpayers help pay for next summer's nominating convention, reversing a change Congress approved just a year ago. Published December 11, 2015
Antonin Scalia accused of embracing ‘racist’ ideas for suggesting ‘lesser’ schools for blacks
Sen. Harry Reid on Thursday accused Justice Antonin Scalia of embracing "racist" ideas, joining in criticism from the Rev. Al Sharpton and other affirmative action supporters who said the Supreme Court jurist went too far when he questioned the push to recruit black students to prestigious universities. Published December 10, 2015
Affirmative action hangs in balance as Supreme Court hears University of Texas admissions case
Supreme Court justices found themselves enmeshed in the thorny issue of affirmative action once again Wednesday, hearing a University of Texas case that could determine whether any race-based school admissions plans can pass muster under the court's evolving jurisprudence. Published December 9, 2015
Border children surge overwhelms immigration officials; emergency measures imposed
The surge of illegal immigrant children continued unabated in November, pushing the Obama administration to announce emergency measures to try to handle a problem it thought it had solved earlier this year. Published December 8, 2015
Supreme Court hears gerrymandering cases that affect noncitizens
Supreme Court justices grappled Tuesday with how to balance the "one person, one vote" principle against late-20th century affirmative action policies, hearing two cases testing how far states can go in accommodating noncitizens or racial minorities when it comes time to draw voting districts. Published December 8, 2015
House approves new scrutiny for terrorism-risk visitors
The House took the first steps to rein in the visa waiver program Tuesday, rallying to an overwhelming bipartisan vote to demand that high-risk travelers face stricter scrutiny, as Congress and the White House look for ways to keep potentially thousands of foreign fighters from reaching the U.S. Published December 8, 2015
Congressional Democrats urge Supreme Court to reinstate amnesty
Congressional Democrats filed an extraordinary brief with the Supreme Court late Thursday urging the justices to overturn a lower court ruling and reinstate President Obama executive amnesty, arguing that the executive branch has a better handle on immigration than Capitol Hill. Published December 4, 2015
Pentagon spent millions for luxurious private villas
The same Defense Department office that spent $43 million on a gas station in Afghanistan also spent 20 percent of the rest of its budget to house workers and visitors at luxurious private villas, rather than have them stay on military bases for free to save "tens of millions of dollars," investigators have concluded. Published December 3, 2015
ICE gives away $113 million, says not enough illegal immigrants to deport
Even as they were pleading poverty in the federal courts, immigration officials gave away $113 million this year, with Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Sarah R. Saldana testifying to Congress on Wednesday that they didn't need the money because there weren't enough illegal immigrants to hold or deport. Published December 2, 2015
Homeland Security ‘limited’ in ability to detect asylum fraud: watchdog report
Homeland Security officials have "limited capabilities" to detect fraudulent asylum applications, the government's chief watchdog said in a devastating report released Wednesday that could deal a major blow to President Obama's approach to illegal immigration across the southwestern border. Published December 2, 2015
Obama expands ICE powers to pursue illegal immigrants for deportation, angers activists
The Obama administration has created a tool to push local authorities to hold illegal immigrants for eventual deportation even when they don't match the top priorities the president laid out last year, in a move both sides of the immigration debate say is proof that his deportation amnesty is falling short. Published December 1, 2015
