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Articles by Stephen Dinan

Razor wire sits atop a border fence as a building in the Mexican border city of Tijuana sits behind, as seen from San Diego on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) ** FILE **

Independent study raises the bar for border security, immigration reform

The yardstick used in the immigration bill to determine border control may produce too rosy a picture of how well the Border Patrol is doing in cracking down on illegal crossings, according to an independent study released Monday that threatens to upend the immigration debate.

May 13, 2013
**FILE** Gina McCarthy stands on stage in the East Room of the White House in Washington on March 4, 2013, as President Obama announced he would nominate McCarthy to head the EPA. (Associated Press)

Republicans boycott vote for EPA nominee Gina McCarthy

Gina McCarthy's already bumpy road to becoming Environmental Protection Agency administrator took another detour Thursday morning when Senate Republicans boycotted a committee vote on her nomination, blocking it for now.

May 9, 2013
A protester for immigration reform holds a sign during a rally at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on April 10, 2013. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Senate bill doesn’t stop most illegal immigration: Fed study

The Senate immigration bill would put about 8 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, boost the economy and stop about 2 million would-be illegal immigrants — about half of the expected total over the next decade — from entering the U.S., according to the first government evaluation of the proposal released Wednesday.

May 8, 2013
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. waits for an elevator on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, after speaking about gun legislation on the Senate floor. A bipartisan effort to expand background checks was in deep trouble Wednesday as the Senate approached a long-awaited vote on the linchpin of the drive to curb gun violence. (Associated Press)

Senate defeats expansion of gun rights

The Senate beat back a new push to expand gun rights Wednesday, defeating a plan to let gun owners carry their weapons on federal lands in states where it would otherwise be legal.

May 8, 2013
** FILE ** Migrants ride on top of a northbound train toward the U.S.-Mexico border in Juchitan in southern Mexico on Monday, April 29, 2013. Migrants crossing Mexico to get to the U.S. have increasingly become targets of criminal gangs who kidnap them to obtain ransom money. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Two-thirds of senators to vote on U.S.-Mexico border without having seen it

Border security is a key sticking point in this year's immigration debate, but only a little more than one-third of senators have been to the southwestern border during their time in office to get a firsthand look at the security situation, according to a survey of the chamber's members by The Washington Times.

May 7, 2013
**FILE** An illegal immigrant from El Salvador is searched June 26, 2012, on the tarmac at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz., as the sun rises prior to boarding an MD-80 aircraft for a repatriation flight of 80 immigrants to their home country. (Associated Press)

Obama administration tries to nix ICE agents’ lawsuit

Trying to head off a potentially devastating court defeat, the Obama administration said Monday that ICE agents' lawsuit to overturn the president's non-deportation policy should be thrown out because the agents themselves initially wanted to handle the matter in collective bargaining.

May 7, 2013
** FILE ** Maine Gov. Paul LePage takes a sip from a coffee mug displaying a "no new taxes" message, April 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

Tax increases begin to ease budget deficit

Federal tax revenues are up 16 percent this year compared to 2012, helping power a major drop in the federal deficit, according to the latest estimate Tuesday from the Congressional Budget Office.

May 7, 2013
A protester for immigration reform holds a sign during a rally at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on April 10, 2013. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Report: Legalizing illegal immigrants to cost $6.3 trillion

The Heritage Foundation said Monday that legalizing illegal immigrants would cost taxpayers a net $6.3 trillion over the next 50 years — releasing a report that ignited a venomous battle over an immigration bill and who is truly representing the conservative movement in the debate.

May 6, 2013
**FILE** The 2005-2006 Federal Duck Stamp designed by Mark Anderson of Sioux Falls, S.D., is displayed on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 30, 2005, during the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's first day of sale for the 2005-2006 Federal Duck Stamp. (Associated Press)

Feds accuse 6-year-old of plagiarism, strip her duck stamp victory

The federal government accused a 6-year-old of plagiarism and stripped her of her victory in this year's national Junior Duck Stamp contest, leaving the youngest-ever winner in tears and igniting a fierce debate in the wildlife art community over artistic techniques, precocious youngsters and catty parents.

May 2, 2013
Thousands of people march during a May Day immigration rally in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Senate is crafting an immigration reform bill. (Associated Press photographs)

Amendment extends E-Verify

The latest version of the Senate immigration bill still repeals E-Verify but keeps it operational in the meantime so businesses in states that require its use can keep using it over the next five years.

May 1, 2013
** FILE ** Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Hotel in National Harbor, Md., on Thursday, March 14, 2013. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Senators file amended immigration bill to keep E-Verify running

Moving to quell concerns, the newest version of the Senate's immigration bill keeps the E-Verify electronic check system in place so that states that already require its use can continue to do so, even while the rest of the country is getting up to speed.

April 30, 2013
** FILE ** President Obama points to a member of the audience at a meeting in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, May 14, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Obama casts himself as final arbiter on immigration

President Obama on Tuesday said he'll be the final arbiter of whether an immigration bill can succeed this year, saying it must boost border security and rewrite the legal system, but also must give illegal immigrants a definite path to citizenship.

April 30, 2013
** FILE ** Then President-elect Barack Obama checks his BlackBerry in St. Louis.

Feds hide behind potential text message loophole in sunshine law

The researcher who exposed former EPA chief Lisa P. Jackson's private email account is now taking aim at her potential successor — and is expanding the inquiry into the world of mobile phone text messages, which are shaping up as the next frontier in open-records legal battles.

April 29, 2013