Stephen Dinan

Judge Jackson makes early overtures to Republicans during confirmation hearing

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson told senators Monday that she believes the Constitution grants a "limited" role to judges, kicking off her Supreme Court confirmation hearing with an early overture to Republicans who will decide how difficult a path she has to the high court.

March 21, 2022

Documents show FAA ruled border drone ban illegal, then reversed the decision after DHS call

The Federal Aviation Administration had decided it was illegal to ban drones flying over the border in Del Rio, Texas, amid last year's surge of Haitian migrants, but imposed the ban after pleading by a Homeland Security official, according to emails obtained by House GOP investigators.

March 21, 2022

Border Patrol union fears agents getting railroaded in DHS probe of ‘whipping’ Haitian migrants

President Biden was adamant after images of tense confrontations between horse-mounted Border Patrol agents and Haitian migrants emerged in September, vowing that the agents "will pay."

March 19, 2022

Rep. Don Young, most senior member of Congress, dies at 88

Rep. Don Young, dean of the U.S. House of Representatives and one of Congress's more colorful characters, died Friday on his way back home to Alaska, his office announced. He was 88.

March 18, 2022

Inspector general tells ICE to shut down migrant detention facility immediately

A private-operated ICE migrant detention center in Torrance County, New Mexico, is operating on a skeleton staff and conditions are so "egregious" that the migrants should be immediately pulled, an inspector general said in an emergency alert Friday.

March 18, 2022

Border Patrol told it doesn’t have to expel Ukrainians who sneak into U.S.

Ukrainians who show up at the U.S. border without permission to enter can still be allowed in despite a pandemic border shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday.

March 17, 2022

Feds have recovered less than 1% of $163 billion in bogus unemployment benefits

The federal government blew at least $163 billion on bogus pandemic unemployment benefit payments and has recaptured less than $1 billion of it, the program's inspector general told Congress on Thursday.

March 17, 2022

Sheriffs vote ‘No Confidence’ in VP Harris over border chaos

The Western Sheriffs Association delivered a unanimous vote of "No Confidence" in Vice President Kamala Harris' handling of the migration crisis that's slammed the U.S. border, with the sheriffs calling for President Biden to sideline his No. 2.

March 16, 2022

EXCLUSIVE: Secret ICE data shows drop in arrests of criminals, surge in arrests of non-criminals

The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement's deportation division arrested 48% fewer convicted criminals, deported 63% fewer criminals and issued 46% fewer "detainer" requests to other law enforcement agencies last year, according to data that ICE officials have tallied but have yet to release to the public.

March 16, 2022

DHS grants new legal protection to Afghans in U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Wednesday he will grant Temporary Protected Status to many Afghans already in the U.S., giving them a new level of status.

March 16, 2022

Mexicans surged as illegal immigration on border rose in February

The number of migrants caught crossing the southern border illegally rose in February as single adult Mexicans poured into the country at their highest rate in years, according to new Homeland Security data released Tuesday.

March 15, 2022

Illegal immigrant in Kate Steinle sanctuary city killing pleads guilty to weapons charges

The illegal immigrant accused of shooting Kate Steinle seven years ago on the San Francisco waterfront, helping draw attention to sanctuary cities and giving then-candidate Donald Trump a major campaign issue, pleaded guilty Monday to weapons offenses.

March 14, 2022

DHS fumbles restart of Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy

At the height of President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy, agents were shunting more than a thousand people a day back across the southern border.

March 13, 2022

Biden cancels COVID border shutdown for illegal immigrant children

The Biden administration moved late Friday to cancel the pandemic border shutdown as it pertains to illegal immigrant children who show up without parents, saying it had revisited the issue and decided children aren't as much of a risk as other unauthorized border jumpers.

March 12, 2022