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Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Stephen Dinan

In addition to announcing proactive legal status for 4 million illegal immigrants, President Obama in November also ordered immigration agents not to bother deporting most of the rest of the illegal immigrant population and to focus only on serious criminals. (Associated Press)

Obama dealt series of setbacks on immigration, takes fire from all sides

President Obama's immigration policies suffered a rough week, faltering in the courts, taking fire on Capitol Hill, angering his political base and even having his own deportation chief undercut his message as he struggles to find a middle-ground path to overhaul the nation's immigration system. Published March 22, 2015

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah Saldana holds a Jan. 29, 2015, news conference in Phoenix on counterfeit ticket and merchandise at the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Obama’s deportation chief retracts call to override sanctuary cities

The administration's deportation chief backtracked Friday, just a day after she pleaded with Congress to pass laws cracking down on so-called "sanctuary" cities and states — a stance that appeared to put her at odds with her boss, President Obama. Published March 20, 2015

Transportation Security Inspector Cara Ropp and Nestle check out passengers at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, in Romulus, Mich. The TSA showed off Nestle who is being used to detect explosives and explosive components at the airport. The passenger screening canines, or PSCs, are being used to identify and locate potential explosive threats at security checkpoints. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

TSA allowed ‘domestic terrorist’ to get ‘PreCheck’ status: Audit

The Transportation Security Agency granted expedited passenger status to a traveler investigators described as part of a domestic terrorist group, and refused to rescind the designation even after a line officer recognized the person, an inspector general said late Thursday. Published March 20, 2015

Gloria Villatoro joins her children and community members in prayer at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Des Moines, Iowa. Max Villatoro was arrested by immigration officials and faces deportation under new administration rules. (Associated Press)

Max Villatoro case tests Obama amnesty as Iowa Mennonite pastor faces deportation

Immigrant-rights advocates are mounting an all-out push to stop the deportation of a Mennonite Iowa pastor who sneaked into the U.S. illegally, arguing that his past immigration violations and criminal history should be forgiven if President Obama is really committed to keeping families together. Published March 19, 2015

The exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington is seen here on March 22, 2013. (Associated Press) **FILE**

IRS botches computer security, risks taxpayer info: audit

The IRS sometimes uses old software without key security patches that leave its computer systems vulnerable and could endanger taxpayers' private information, the Government Accountability Office said Thursday. Published March 19, 2015

In this undated photo from the U.S. Border Patrol, Crystal A. Diaz, a U.S. Border Patrol agent with the Tucson Sector in Arizona, rides her ATV while on patrol. The Border Patrol is on a hiring spree for a very specific type of agent: a female one. Only 5 percent of its approximately 21,000 agents around the country are women, and the agency has long called this a problem. It is especially troublesome in the Southwest, where nearly 120,000 women were caught crossing the border illegally in the fiscal year that ended Oct. 31. That's a significant increase from fiscal year 2011, when about 43,000 women were apprehended. (AP Photo/U.S. Border Patrol)

23 Dreamers from Obama amnesty snared in criminal dragnet

Nearly two dozen of the illegal immigrants picked up in a nationwide sweep for criminal aliens earlier this month had previously been approved for President Obama's deportation amnesty, the Homeland Security Department said Wednesday. Published March 19, 2015

Newly arrived people who were caught in Arizona by the U.S. Border Patrol are initially processed at Tucson Sector U.S. Border Patrol headquarters in Tucson, Ariz., on Aug. 9, 2012. (Associated Press) **FILE**

DHS released another 30,000 criminal aliens onto streets

Federal immigration officers released another 30,000 immigrants with criminal records last year, following the 36,000 it released in 2013, the government announced Wednesday — though it promised to take steps to cut down on the problem. Published March 18, 2015

House Speaker John A. Boehner said that after the upcoming GOP House retreat, the Republicans will have a better plan on how to cancel out President Obama's amnesty. (Associated Press)

GOP warns Obama not to try executive-fiat tax hikes

Congress's two top tax chairmen warned President Obama on Wednesday not to claim unilateral executive powers to raise taxes on his own, saying it violates the Constitution and ruins chances for a lasting deal. Published March 18, 2015

Tea Party supporters gather for a rally outside the IRS headquarter in Washington, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. A few dozen tea party activists and their supporters have gathered outside the IRS headquarters in Washington to protest extra scrutiny of their organizations. (Associated Press) **FILE**

IRS chief admits some tea party groups still waiting approval

The IRS is still blocking applications for nearly a dozen tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status, Commissioner John Koskinen told Congress on Wednesday — though he bristled at the organizations' claims of poor treatment. Published March 18, 2015

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told Congress on Wednesday that he has had to take money away from answering phone calls and instead spend it on technology and personnel to carry out President Obama's health care law. (Associated Press)

IRS blames Obamacare for shoddy customer service

The IRS is blaming Obamacare for the agency's poor customer service, with Commissioner John Koskinen telling Congress on Wednesday that he has had to take money away from answering phone calls and instead spend it on technology and personnel to carry out President Obama's health care law. Published March 18, 2015

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on March 2, 2015. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Democrats filibuster trafficking bill; GOP to delay Lynch nomination

Senators found a new way to achieve partisan gridlock Tuesday as Democrats filibustered a bipartisan anti-human trafficking bill, and Republicans countered by saying they won't confirm Loretta Lynch, President Obama's pick to be the new attorney general, until he convinces his party to drop its blockade. Published March 17, 2015

The Social Security Administration's main campus in Woodlawn, Md., is seen here on Jan. 11, 2013. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Feds shelled out $125B in bogus payments last year

The government paid out $124.7 billion in potentially bogus payments last year, the government's chief watchdog said Monday, blaming a controversial tax credit for the poor as well as increased bad payments in Medicare and Medicaid. Published March 16, 2015