Stephen Dinan

Democrats and Republicans say DHS isn’t prepared for the looming migrant surge

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday that he has a "plan" to deal with what's expected to be an even worse border situation once he carries out a judge's order to no longer use pandemic powers to oust illegal immigrants.

November 17, 2022

FBI Director Wray blames COVID school shutdowns for fueling juvenile crime spree across the U.S.

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said Thursday that children who were shut out of schools during the pandemic and who have yet to go back to the classroom are factors in America's "violent crime crisis."

November 17, 2022

FBI director left congressional hearing to go on vacation

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray acknowledged Thursday that he left a congressional hearing over the summer in order to go on a personal vacation in the Adirondacks.

November 17, 2022

FBI says illegal weaponized drones are ‘here now’ in U.S.

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray revealed Thursday that his agents are investigating several instances where someone in the U.S. weaponized a drone by adding an improvised explosive device.

November 17, 2022

Treasury Dept. slaps sanctions on drug cartel spreading rainbow fentanyl

The Treasury Department announced sanctions Thursday on La Nueva Familia Michoacana, a Mexican drug trafficking organization that authorities blame for the rise of "rainbow fentanyl," the latest iteration of the dangerous synthetic opioid.

November 17, 2022

Judge grants Homeland Security five-week reprieve to end Title 42 border asylum policy

A federal judge on Wednesday granted a five-week reprieve on his ruling ending Title 42, a key border tool that had helped the Department of Homeland Security prevent already-bad illegal immigration numbers along the Mexican border from turning catastrophic.

November 16, 2022

Judge rules against Title 42 policy that allowed DHS to expel migrants

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the so-called Title 42 policy that allowed Homeland Security to expel some illegal immigrants at the border is illegal, a decision that could deprive the government of a key tool to control the already chaotic southern border.

November 15, 2022

Texas governor expands migrant busing campaign to include Philadelphia

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that he sent the first busload of illegal immigrants to Philadelphia, adding it to the list of sanctuary cities that he believes should feel the pain of the Biden border surge.

November 15, 2022

Texas Rep. Mayra Flores tells DHS secretary Mayorkas he is ‘lying’ about border security

Rep. Mayra Flores blasted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday for "lying" to Americans about the state of the border.

November 15, 2022

Texas governor declares border ‘invasion,’ claims new powers to stop illegal immigrants

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he has invoked the "invasion clauses" of the U.S. Constitution and his state Constitution, saying it will give him power to take "unprecedented measures" to stop the flow of people.

November 15, 2022

FBI director said bureau ‘does the right thing in the right way’

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray defended his bureau against complaints of politicization and abuse of power, saying Tuesday that his agents do "the right thing in the right way."

November 15, 2022

Mayorkas says he’s not leaving DHS job this year

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday shot down the suggestion he will resign this year.

November 15, 2022

Homeland Security claims progress as border numbers continue to set records

After announcing a new get-tough policy on Venezuelan migrants, officials said their number dropped from 1,100 a day to about 300 a day.

November 14, 2022

Lame-duck Congress creates window for legalizing Dreamers

Immigrant rights activists will descend on Washington this week to urge Democrats to take advantage of what may be their last remaining weeks of total control of Congress to pass a broad legalization bill for illegal immigrants.

November 14, 2022

Biden border chief resigns amid pressure from Homeland Security

President Biden's border chief Chris Magnus resigned Saturday, bowing to pressure from his bosses while exposing chaos behind the scenes at the Department of Homeland Security.

November 12, 2022

Mayorkas asked for the border chief’s resignation; he refused

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asked Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus to resign this week but he refused, according to news reports.

November 11, 2022

Voters rewarded governors who reopened fastest from COVID

The pandemic was the defining issue for many governors on the ballot last week, and those who pushed for the fastest reopenings after the initial wave of lockdowns were among the biggest winners.

November 11, 2022

Capitol rioter pleads guilty to bashing cop with skateboard

A Texas man pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting a police officer by striking him in the side with a skateboard during the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

November 10, 2022

‘What-ifs’ plague GOP after midterms temper outlook, spark Trump criticism

Republicans are staring at a slate of "what-if" questions as they try to figure out why their chance to steamroll Democrats in the midterm elections failed to materialize.

November 9, 2022

GOP makes major gains among Latino voters

Republicans showed marked improvement among Latino voters on an otherwise lackluster night, claiming 39% of their vote nationally, according to networks' exit polling, which showed a 10-percentage-point increase over the 2018 midterm elections.

November 9, 2022