Skip to content
Advertisement

Articles by Stephen Dinan

President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.  (Jim Watson/Pool via AP)

Joe Biden signals compromise on immigration legalization scope

President Biden signaled Wednesday that he is willing to forgo legalization for all illegal immigrants in the U.S. and instead pursue bills that would cover nearly a third of the population, comprised of illegal immigrant "Dreamers," other long-time humanitarian cases and people working in American agriculture.

April 28, 2021
In this June 22, 2018, file photo a sample copy of a Washington driver's license is shown at the Washington state Dept. of Licensing office in Lacey, Wash. Americans will have more time because of the pandemic to get the Real ID that they will need to board a flight or enter federal facilities. The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, extended the Real ID deadline until May 3, 2023.  (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

DHS postpones Real ID compliance to 2023

Citing the coronavirus pandemic, Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it is granting yet another delay in compliance with the Real ID Act's deadline for having secure identification to board an airplane, setting a new target of 2023.

April 27, 2021
In this file photo, a Lady Justice statue with a face mask stands behind panels announcing COVID-19 protocols at an entrance to a Manhattan federal courthouse, Friday, March 12, 2021, in New York.  (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)  **FILE**

Courthouses now off-limits for arresting illegal immigrants, DHS says

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas nudged the country's courthouses into sanctuaries for illegal immigrants Tuesday, ordering ICE and Border Patrol agents to stop arresting people at the facilities unless national security is at risk or there are overwhelming public safety reasons.

April 27, 2021
A smuggler paddles a small inflatable raft across the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S. carrying migrant families in Roma, Texas, Wednesday, March 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills) ** FILE **

DHS to revoke visas, freeze assets on smugglers

Fed up with watching smugglers drop children from the Border Wall or dumping them in the roiling waters of the Rio Grande, Homeland Security said Tuesday it was kicking off a new operation to identify and slap penalties on them, including revoking visas and freezing assets in U.S. banks.

April 27, 2021
The U.S. Capitol dome is seen, Monday, July 9, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) ** FILE **

Red states see gains as census shifts House seats

Political power shifted slightly from blue to red states Monday as the Census Bureau announced how seats in the U.S. House will be divvied up for the next decade, giving Texas two more seats and Florida one seat, while California and New York each lost a seat.

April 26, 2021
People enjoy a sunny day in Times Square in New York, Wednesday, March 10, 2021. After the virus descended on New York, the only sounds in the streets were wailing ambulance sirens. A year after the pandemic began, the nation’s largest metropolis -- with a lifeblood based on round-the-clock hustle and bustle, push and pull -- is adapting and showing new life. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

U.S. population at 331,449,281

The official U.S. population in 2020 was 331,449,281, up 7.4% from a decade earlier, the Census Bureau announced Monday.

April 26, 2021
In this Oct. 15, 2020 file photo, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks with an aide during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The incumbent Republican is running for the Senate for Texas. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP, File)

Senate GOP embraces voluntary ban on earmarks

As Congress took more steps toward restarting the earmark factory this week, experts said strict limits on the number and types of requests for special spending projects will be critical to preventing the goof-ups of the past.

April 21, 2021
Protesters lit a portable bathroom on fire in downtown Portland, Ore., Friday, April 16, 2021. Police in Portland, Oregon, said Saturday they arrested four people after declaring a riot Friday night when protesters smashed windows, burglarized businesses and set multiple fires during demonstrations that started after police fatally shot a man while responding to reports of a person with a gun. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP)

DHS acted legally in sending reinforcements to fight Portland riots: Audit

The Trump administration acted within the law when it deployed Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement to Portland, Oregon, last year to protect the federal courthouse, an inspector general ruled Wednesday -- but he said Homeland Security should have done a better job coordinating their efforts.

April 21, 2021
In this March 1, 2021, photo, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

DHS expands guest-worker visas amid pandemic downturn

Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it will issue up to 22,000 additional guest-worker permits this year for foreigners to work in nonfarm seasonal jobs such as beach resorts and amusement parks.

April 20, 2021