Stephen Dinan

Fear of lawsuits, racial backlash spurred massive Minnesota fraud, House report says

Minnesota officials knew early in the pandemic that a major food assistance program had fraud issues but kept money flowing because they feared the political fallout of a racially tinged lawsuit, according to a House report released Wednesday.

March 4, 2026

Noem: No ICE at election polls this year; DHS doesn’t use deportation quotas

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem decried the use of deportation quotas, told Congress she has no plans to deploy ICE officers to the polls for this year's elections, and took a conciliatory approach to angry lawmakers Tuesday by tacitly acknowledging her overzealous denunciations of Americans killed by her agents in Minneapolis.

March 3, 2026

DOJ pulls about-face, aims to pursue Trump’s cases against Dem-connected law firms

The Justice Department made a stunning U-turn Tuesday, asking a federal appeals court for permission to continue pursuing President Trump's retaliation against four Democrat-connected law firms -- less than 24 hours after the DOJ asked the court to dismiss the cases.

March 3, 2026

‘A disaster’: Tillis blasts Noem’s leadership, threatens to derail Senate business to get answers

Sen. Thom Tillis unloaded on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday, saying she's failed as a leader, and he threatened to hinder Senate business until she produces information about immigration arrests.

March 3, 2026

Noem says Trump personally approved her deportation ads

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told senators on Tuesday that she personally ran her plans by President Trump to spend more than $200 million on pro-deportation ads that have boosted her own profile.

March 3, 2026

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says nonjudicial warrants used 28 times to enter homes

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that her officers have used administrative warrants -- those that aren't approved by a judge -- to enter homes to make arrests 28 times so far.

March 3, 2026

Defense Dept. has spent $12 million to keep illegal immigrants at Guantanamo

The Defense Department spent $12 million last year to house illegal immigrants at the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- including nearly $3 million to erect a tent city that never got used.

March 3, 2026

DOJ drops attempt to punish Democrat-connected law firms

The Justice Department told a federal appeals court on Monday that it was dropping a host of appeals challenging lower court rulings that had blocked President Trump's attempts to punish Democrat-connected law firms.

March 2, 2026

Supreme Court blocks New York redistricting that could have given Democrats extra seat

The Supreme Court put a stop Monday on a lower court ruling that had ordered New York to redraw some congressional districts in a way that Democrats had hoped would net them an additional House seat.

March 2, 2026

Immigration court shuts down ‘amnesty’ loophole for hundreds of thousands of migrants

The Justice Department has quietly taken steps to shut down what it calls an administrative "amnesty" that has allowed illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. without ever having to face court-ordered deportations.

March 2, 2026

Court ruling lets members of Congress inspect ICE facilities

ICE cannot use budget sleight-of-hand to block members of Congress from conducting unannounced inspections of its processing and detention facilities, a federal judge ruled Monday.

March 2, 2026

Supreme Court considers drug users’ right to possess firearms

The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into the intersection of drug use and gun ownership, trying to sort out what level of marijuana use makes someone so dangerous that they lose their right to possess a firearm.

March 2, 2026

‘Brutal and violent’: Judge denounces ICE arrests in Oregon, orders limits

A federal judge scorched ICE Friday for the way it's carried out immigration in Oregon, saying the deportation agency "intended to strike fear" in the state, and he ordered severe limits on how arrests can be made.

February 28, 2026

Judge blocks DHS from detaining refugees in Minnesota, warns of ‘dystopian nightmare’

A federal judge unloaded on the Trump administration and its attempt to re-vet refugees in Minnesota, calling is a "dystopian nightmare" that breaks America's promise to those fleeing persecution in their home countries.

February 27, 2026

DHS under fire for nearly-blind migrant found dead after Border Patrol encounter

The Department of Homeland Security is facing new questions over a migrant's death -- this time a refugee here with legal status who died after Border Patrol agents left him at a coffee shop in Buffalo.

February 27, 2026

Illegal immigrant ran fake U.S. government agency: Feds

A Brazilian man in the U.S. illegally ran a brazen scam pretending to head a fake federal agency that trained chaplains in Florida to respond to emergency situations, prosecutors said Friday.

February 27, 2026

DOJ escalates push for states’ voter data

Brushing aside legal setbacks, the Justice Department is intensifying its quest to force states to turn over their voter rolls.

February 27, 2026

Minnesota judge threatens criminal contempt against ICE over failure to follow orders

The chief federal judge in Minnesota lambasted the Trump administration on Thursday for its continued inability to follow court orders in releasing illegal immigrants and raised the possibility of pursuing criminal contempt charges against government officials.

February 26, 2026

NYC mayor says Trump promised to release Columbia University student arrested by ICE

President Trump has promised to have ICE release a Columbia University student who was arrested by ICE earlier Thursday, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

February 26, 2026

Judge won’t block Trump’s White House ballroom

A federal judge shot down an attempt to derail President Trump's White House ballroom construction plans, saying Thursday that the group that challenged him bungled its lawsuit.

February 26, 2026