Stephen Dinan

Terrorism, RICO charges for Tren de Aragua escalate fight over Trump’s deportation powers

The Justice Department's announcement this week of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act indictments against Tren de Aragua made a statement not just about the 27 people charged but also about the organization, reach and violence of a gang that the government now deems a terrorist organization.

April 24, 2025

Judge blocks Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote

A federal judge issued an injunction Thursday blocking key parts of President Trump's executive order to tighten voting rules, including provisions requiring people to provide proof of citizenship before registering to vote using a federal form.

April 24, 2025

Three strikes: Courts shut down Trump’s attempt to end DEI in schools

Three federal judges issued rulings Thursday blocking the administration's effort to shut down diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in schools, delivering a major blow to one of President Trump's top campaign issues.

April 24, 2025

Sanctuary cities win reprieve from Trump’s crackdown order

Sanctuary cities and counties won a preliminary injunction on Thursday blocking the administration from punishing them by withholding federal funds, with a judge saying the Trump team is stretching the law too far.

April 24, 2025

Feds left billions in tainted pandemic loans in the hands of potential fraudsters

The Small Business Administration forgave $4.6 billion in pandemic loans to people on its naughty list, the agency's inspector general said Wednesday while scolding the government for an overly relaxed approach to recouping taxpayer money.

April 23, 2025

Judge rules administration must produce evidence in Abrego Garcia deportation

A federal judge scolded the Trump administration Tuesday for more defiance in the case involving deported MS-13 gang suspect Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying the government has shown "willful and intentional noncompliance."

April 22, 2025

Judge orders feds to revive Voice of America, says Trump shutdown was illegal

A federal judge on Tuesday issued an injunction ordering the Trump administration to revive Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, immediately rehire their employees and allow them back on the air.

April 22, 2025

Justices grill Maryland county on parent opt-out options for LGBTQ story time

Supreme Court justices on Tuesday signaled support for parents who are challenging Montgomery County's policy requiring public school students to sit through LGBT-heavy instructions on tolerance without the chance to opt out.

April 22, 2025

Trump’s ban on transgender troops headed to the Supreme Court

The administration will ask the Supreme Court to revive President Trump's policy excluding openly transgender troops from serving in the military, a Justice Department lawyer said Tuesday.

April 22, 2025

Supreme Court rules weekends don’t count when it comes to deportation deadlines

The Supreme Court said Tuesday that when it comes to deadlines for migrants to leave the country, Sundays and holidays can't be held against them.

April 22, 2025

Columbia pro-Palestinian protester misses the birth of his son after ICE declined his release

Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil's wife gave birth to their baby, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to let him out of detention to be present.

April 22, 2025

Feds bust 27 suspected Tren de Aragua gang associates on sex trafficking, gun, drug charges

Federal authorities announced charges Monday against more than two dozen people they say were associated with Tren de Aragua in a list of mayhem ranging from robbery and sex trafficking to murder of women who tried to escape.

April 21, 2025

Under Trump, border catch-and-release has dropped 99.99% from worst Biden month

The change at the border between President Biden and President Trump is nothing short of staggering, and two numbers best tell that story: 189,604 and 20.

April 21, 2025

More Democrats make pilgrimage to try to see Abrego Garcia in El Salvador

Four House Democrats announced Monday that they had arrived in El Salvador to try to see Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the deported MS-13 gang suspect who has become a rallying point for President Trump's opponents.

April 21, 2025

Supreme Court makes ‘unprecedented’ intervention to block Trump’s gang deportations

The Supreme Court waded even more deeply into President Trump's immigration powers this weekend by ordering an emergency halt of deportations to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act as the justices signaled a striking willingness to referee administration actions.

April 20, 2025

Supreme Court blocks another round of Trump deportations to El Salvador

The Supreme Court ordered the government not to deport another group of Venezuelans to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, issuing an emergency order Saturday morning putting things on hold until courts can hear more arguments.

April 19, 2025

Van Hollen accuses El Salvador of ‘set-up’ in meeting with Abrego Garcia

Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the Salvadoran government fabricated the situation that led to a photo of him and deported MS-13 gang suspect Kilmar Abrego Garcia sitting at a table with margarita glasses in front of them.

April 18, 2025

Rep. Comer tells Democrats that taxpayers won’t pay for visits to Abrego Garcia in El Salvador

A House committee chair told Democrats if they want to make the pilgrimage to El Salvador to visit MS-13 gang suspect Kilmar Abrego Garcia, they'll have to foot the bill on their own.

April 18, 2025

White House, DHS offer new justifications for deporting Abrego Garcia, MS-13 gang suspect

Trump officials are sharing new reasons for deporting MS-13 suspect Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, saying his initial claims blocking his deportation in 2019 were "fake" and revealing new details of a human smuggling allegation.

April 18, 2025

AP loses bid to reclaim special access to White House

A federal judge on Friday gave tentative approval to a new White House press policy that demotes The Associated Press to the same status as newspapers, removing the storied wire service's previous special access to the president.

April 18, 2025