Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
FBI miffed over mystery drones above New Jersey
The mystery drones detected flying over New Jersey in recent weeks are "concerning" and the FBI does not know who is operating them, a senior bureau official told Congress on Tuesday. Published December 10, 2024
DHS has power to revoke visas for sham marriages, Supreme Court rules
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Homeland Security has wide discretion to revoke visas for immigrants who entered into fake marriages. Published December 10, 2024
Democrats beg Biden to expand amnesty for illegal immigrants before Trump takes office
Senior Democrats on Capitol Hill begged President Biden on Tuesday to announce new deportation amnesties for as many countries as possible before he leaves office, saying they fear what President-elect Donald Trump could do to "immigrant families." Published December 10, 2024
Judge rules against Biden’s plan to expand Obamacare to Dreamers
A federal judge issued an injunction partially halting President Biden's attempt to expand Obamacare to include illegal immigrant Dreamers under the DACA program, saying the administration was trying to rewrite immigration law. Published December 10, 2024
‘I’m just going to give up’: Migrants turning back rather than face Trump border
Dismayed migrants who were en route to the U.S. are starting to turn back now that they're staring at a border about to be controlled by the incoming Trump administration, according to a new report from Mexico. Published December 10, 2024
DHS allowed migrant to die with slow rescue response, according to whistleblower
A "beef" between two Homeland Security supervisors may have contributed to the death of an illegal immigrant and delayed rescue for a Border Patrol agent who later died, according to a new whistleblower complaint. Published December 9, 2024
Senate will tackle border security first, incoming budget chair says
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is poised to oversee the first major legislative package in the new Congress, said Monday that border security will be the "first" priority, topping even tax cuts and spending reforms. Published December 9, 2024
Sen. Chuck Grassley declares ‘no confidence’ in FBI Director Christopher Wray
Sen. Charles E. Grassley delivered a blistering denunciation of FBI Director Christopher Wray on Monday, saying he's lost control of the country's preeminent law enforcement agency and lost the confidence of key members of Congress. Published December 9, 2024
Alito scolds colleagues as Supreme Court ducks new affirmative action case
The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a case involving the affirmative action policy at three high-profile Boston schools, but several justices warned that they will have to deal with the issue at some point. Published December 9, 2024
Trump says he’s open to amnesty for Dreamers; criminals at top of deportation list
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday revived the idea of an amnesty for illegal immigrant "Dreamers," saying the time has come to offer them more permanent protections in the U.S. Published December 8, 2024
Judge upholds Naval Academy’s affirmative action
The U.S. Naval Academy can give Black and Hispanic applicants an advantage in admissions without violating the Constitution, a federal court ruled Friday in a case exploring the limits of affirmative action. Published December 6, 2024
Trump names hard-charging Border Patrol agent, deportation officer to top immigration posts
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked two men with deep immigration-enforcement experience as his nominees to run the two key enforcement agencies that handle the border and deportations. Published December 5, 2024
Trump-proofing: Biden officials strike deals, spend taxpayer money before Trump can stop it
President Biden's breathtakingly broad pardon of his son's criminal behavior is just one example of the Biden administration taking steps to try to block potential action from the future president in what analysts say is an attempt to "Trump-proof" government. Published December 5, 2024
‘Like being on vacation’: Federal employees are abusing remote work, senator’s audit finds
Telework has become a bit of a Feds-gone-wild situation under President Biden, according to a new Senate report that says government workers have been caught taking bubble baths, drinking and driving or getting medical treatment -- all while they were supposed to be on the clock.hir Published December 5, 2024
Justice Department expands firearms background checks to include gun dealer employees
Licensed gun dealers would be able to run their employees through the government's background check system under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Wednesday. Published December 4, 2024
GOP accuses Biden’s citizenship director of ‘dereliction of duty’
Congressional Republicans lashed out at a top Homeland Security official Wednesday for her inability to answer questions about what sort of illegal immigrants her agency has helped enter the country. Published December 4, 2024
Manchin delivers bipartisan warning to senators in farewell speech
Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin III on Tuesday recalled his arrival in Washington 14 years ago as a new senator from West Virginia, where he was greeted by Democratic leader Harry Reid with a request to start raising money for Democrats to campaign against his new Republican colleagues. Published December 3, 2024
Mitch McConnell calls on anti-Trump judges to recuse themselves from some cases
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell blasted two federal judges who revoked their pending retirements after President-elect Donald Trump's victory, saying they have exposed their political bias and should recuse themselves from some cases. Published December 3, 2024
Hunter Biden’s sweeping pardon covers a decade of potential criminal charges
President Biden became the latest to expand the limits of presidential powers with his breathtakingly broad pardon of his son Hunter, covering all federal crimes he may have committed over a decade. Published December 2, 2024
Appeals court blasts sanctuary policy that blocked ICE from using airport
The administration has won a significant legal victory over a sanctuary jurisdiction after a federal appeals court ruled against a Seattle-area policy that barred Homeland Security from using local airports to detain and deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Published December 2, 2024
