Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
IRS vows ‘equity’ in new approach to audits
The IRS says it will pursue "equity" in its decisions on whom to audit, vowing to pay special attention to the wealthiest Americans while working to reduce scrutiny on the working poor. Published September 8, 2023
Report: DHS eyes ordering illegal immigrants to stay in Texas
The Biden administration is pondering a new policy that would order unauthorized immigrants to stay in Texas after they arrive, preventing them from spreading throughout the country, according to a new report Thursday. Published September 7, 2023
Biden’s construction halt worsens Trump wall damage; erosion undermines integrity
President Trump's border wall scarred the environment, but so did President Biden's decision to halt all work, according to a new report Thursday which said the new administration ended up stopping all the remediation work that had been planned to repair the lands. Published September 7, 2023
New York Mayor Eric Adams warns that migrants will ‘destroy New York City’
New York Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday that the migrants arriving rapidly in New York will "destroy" his city. Published September 7, 2023
After slaying, N.Y. county wonders who freed illegal immigrant murder suspect
Carlos E. Corrales-Ramirez was wanted in connection with a stabbing in Laurel, Maryland, in February and was arrested a month later by the Border Patrol near the border with Canada. Authorities in New York are wondering why the 20-year-old Honduran illegal immigrant was free in their community on Saturday when, they say, he stabbed and killed another man. Published September 5, 2023
IRS still struggling to hire, train agents to go after wealthy taxpayers
The IRS is still struggling to carry out President Biden's orders to go after more high-income taxpayers, an inspector general said Tuesday, saying the tax agency is grappling just to keep up with attrition in its ranks, much less expand its audits. Published September 5, 2023
Illegal immigrant is suspect in N.Y. murder, says county executive
The man suspected in a murder in Troy, New York, is in the country illegally, according to the county executive who blamed the federal government's lax immigration policies and "sanctuary cities" for allowing him in the country. Published September 5, 2023
GOP accuses Attorney General Merrick Garland of stonewalling as courts struggle with migrant surge
Two top Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee demanded answers from Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday over how his department has been running the immigration courts, where a massive backlog of cases has fueled the Biden administration's "catch-and-release" approach for processing of migrants at the nation's southern border. Published September 1, 2023
NYC mayor pushes Biden for permits to put illegal immigrants to work
Pummeled by the wave of illegal immigrants swamping his city, Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams rallied with migrants Thursday to demand the Biden administration speed up the process of issuing them work permits, figuring the way to get them off the public dole is to find them jobs. Published August 31, 2023
Feds bust U.S. gang accused of trying to smuggle guns to Sinaloa cartel
Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against five people they say were buying guns in the U.S. and trying to ship them to the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's major drug and human smuggling syndicates. Published August 30, 2023
‘Santa Mayorkas’ gives extra day off; Labor Day like Christmas for ‘dedicated,’ ‘talented’ workforce
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is giving his department's 260,000 employees an extra day of leave, adding to more than $1 billion worth of vacation time he has already doled out in two-and-a-half years in office. Published August 29, 2023
Biden admin pushed to sell costly offices left empty by pandemic telework
If the Biden administration isn't going to get federal workers back into the office, a waste-watching senator says it's time for the government to sell off desks. Published August 29, 2023
Feds target Snapchat smugglers in wave of arrests
Authorities pored over cellphone data and social media accounts to sniff out 22 people whom they have charged with being Snapchat smugglers. Published August 27, 2023
Gunshots at border as smugglers take aim at agents
Homeland Security has detected multiple instances of people armed with guns sneaking into the U.S. from Mexico, including one where agents trying to arrest a group of illegal immigrants came under fire twice. Published August 26, 2023
Buying friends: Mayorkas gave $1 billion in extra vacation to DHS employees
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has granted his employees more than $1 billion worth of additional taxpayer-funded vacation time, according to department staffers, who say Mr. Mayorkas is using taxpayers' money in an ill-fated attempt to win affection from an alienated workforce. Published August 24, 2023
Trump unloads on Democrats’ presidential hopefuls
Former President Donald Trump delivered a withering critique of the Democrats who might compete for the presidency should President Biden not "make it to the gate" -- and he was particularly brutal about Vice President Kamala Harris. Published August 24, 2023
Trump calls political opponents ‘savages,’ says they will try to steal 2024 election
Former President Donald Trump called those pushing criminal cases against him "savages" and warned about "a level of hatred I've never seen" in the country, in an interview posted Wednesday just before the other major GOP presidential candidates debated for the first time. Published August 23, 2023
Hundreds of COVID fraudsters charged as DOJ recovers $1.4 billion, launches 2 new strike forces
The Justice Department celebrated its pandemic fraud efforts Wednesday, saying it has seized $1.4 billion back from fraudsters. Published August 23, 2023
Parents challenge Virginia high school’s admissions after affirmative action ruling
Parents and students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology set the table for the next big test of affirmative action this week, asking the Supreme Court to overrule the school's new admissions policy as unfair discrimination against Asian Americans. Published August 22, 2023
GOP prods Mayorkas over ‘ignorance’ of smuggling cartel tactics
The House Homeland Security Committee is probing a breakdown in Homeland Security's ability to share critical intelligence about border security after Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas showed an astonishing "ignorance" about how the smuggling cartels operate. Published August 22, 2023
