Border & Immigration News
The Daily Signal provides border and immigration news, including reporting, analysis, and commentary on policy, enforcement, and political debates.
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- News
Problems and Solutions: Illegal Immigration and the Construction Industry
There might be less incentive for migrants to enter the country illegally if clearer U.S. visa work programs were in place, says Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor, and state affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors. Associated Builders and Contractors, a construction industry trade association, “is clear that there’s no place in our country…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Wokeness Finds New Life South of the Border
Mexico City—“Now,” Elon Musk responded this week on the social media site he bought two years ago and renamed X. What was this an answer to? This post by the evolutionary biologist Gad Saad: “What is it going to take for the West to wake up? When will the West reclaim its heritage, culture, values, freedoms, and…Mike Gonzalez -
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States Where Illegal Immigrant Children Were Released Across US
Of the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied alien children the Department of Health and Human Services transferred to sponsors between fiscal year 2019 and 2023, the majority were sent to 10 states, according to a new report. More than 63,000 unaccompanied alien children were released to sponsors in Texas, according to a March Department of…Virginia Allen -
- News
Border Patrol Recruiter Asked to Leave California High School Career Fair
A Border Patrol recruiter was asked to leave a college and career fair on Wednesday at a public high school in Southern California. A post on the El Centro Sector Facebook page described the incident and questioned if “Extremist Agendas in our Schools” played a role in the high school’s principal asking the Border Patrol…Virginia Allen -
- News
DHS and HUD Team Up to Tackle Illegal Immigration and Housing Affordability
In a move to kill two birds with one stone, the Trump administration is simultaneously tackling both illegal immigration and the U.S. housing crisis. In a “Memorandum of Understanding” signed Monday, the U.S. departments of Homeland Security and Housing and Urban Development agreed to work together to ensure that taxpayer-funded public housing is afforded to American citizens,…S.A. McCarthy -
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DHS Chief Issues Warning to Illegal Aliens During Visit to Prison Holding Deported Criminals
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center on Wednesday and met with the Central American nation's president, Nayib Bukele, to discuss deportation flights and removals of criminal illegal aliens from the U.S. Noem’s visit follows the recent deportation of about 250 criminal illegal aliens from the U.S. to the detention facility…Virginia Allen -
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Senate Intelligence Panel Hearing Focuses on Mexican Cartels’ Fentanyl, Chinese Suppliers
Leaders of the U.S. intel community on Tuesday went before the Senate Intelligence Committee to discuss their recently published 2025 Annual Threat Assessment. The panel of witnesses included Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel, National Security Agency Director Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, and Defense Intelligence Agency…Jacob Adams -
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Without Learning From Biden’s ‘Failure’ at Border, US ‘Doomed to Repeat It,’ Lawmaker Warns
The border crisis of the past four years will repeat itself unless members of Congress understand the “failure” of President Joe Biden’s border policies, according to Rep. Michael Guest, chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement. “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it,” Guest, R-Miss., told The…Virginia Allen -
- News
DHS Secretary to Visit El Salvador Prison Holding Illegal Aliens
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will visit El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center on Wednesday, just over a week after the U.S. transferred hundreds of illegal aliens to the prison, Fox News first reported. Noem will tour the detention center with Salvadoran Minister of Justice Héctor Gustavo Villatoro and will later meet with El Salvador’s President…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Welcome to the Krytocracy: The BorderLine
We may think we live in a democracy, which comes from the Greek words “demos” (people) and “kratos” (rule). But with one federal district judge after another attempting to stop President Donald Trump from carrying out his policies, it’s starting to look more like a “krytocracy,” or rule by judges. Look at the litigation tracker…Simon Hankinson -
- Opinion
Here’s Why America Needs the HALT Fentanyl Act, and Why It Won’t Lead to Overcriminalization
I worked with President Donald Trump on the First Step Act and am acutely aware of the damage that unnecessarily tough-on-crime laws can do, but I am glad to vouch for the HALT Fentanyl Act, which advances both public health and just enforcement. Trump visited the Justice Department Tuesday, reaffirming his commitment to combating the…John Koufos -
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One Texas Jail Tells the Story of America’s Illegal Immigration Crisis
Mexican cartel members are “running scared” and fearful of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, according to the sheriff of Tarrant County, Texas. Like many local law enforcement officials, Sheriff Bill Waybourn has witnessed the sharp spike in illegal immigration over the past four years. He welcomed the increased enforcement from the federal government. …R.E. Wermus -
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They Live and Work on the Border. Here’s What’s Changed Since Trump’s Return.
It’s “beautiful” to see more Border Patrol agents back on the southern border since President Donald Trump entered the White House, Efrain Sella said. Sella spent 25 years with the Border Patrol before retiring in 2019. Speaking with The Daily Signal at the Big Bend Area Law Enforcement Officers Association's March meeting, he said…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
The Cost of an Open Border? Enormous.
Our southern border isn’t a line on a map. It’s a gaping hole in our national security and it’s bleeding us dry. Mexican cartels flood our streets with fentanyl, traffic humans, and exploit vulnerabilities that could allow terrorists to slip through. President Joe Biden spent four years pretending it wasn’t a problem, letting chaos explode…Pat Harrigan -
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Too Many Drugs, Not Enough Prosecution, Texas Border Sheriff Says
HUDSPETH COUNTY, Texas—The courts are “failing” in West Texas, Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West says. Law enforcement is apprehending drugs every day in his county, which borders Mexico, but West says his deputies are tired of repeatedly arresting the same people. “When I get on the deputies about, ‘Y'all need to stop this…Virginia Allen -
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Biden-Era App Was Like ‘Fast Pass at Disneyland’ for Illegal Aliens, Trump Press Secretary Says
The Biden administration’s CBP One app facilitated the “mass illegal entry” of illegal immigrants, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday. “It was like a fast pass at Disneyland,” Leavitt told The Daily Signal at a White House press briefing. The Trump administration, however, repurposed the app to make it easier for illegal immigrants…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
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Cash Cows: Gangs Allegedly Smuggling Drugs Across Border Inside Cattle
The Mexican cartels appear to be smuggling drugs into the U.S. inside cows, according to sources interviewed at the border in Texas and New Mexico last week. The cartels are known to use cattle cars to smuggle drugs, but also seem to be using the cattle themselves as couriers. “When they do the spaying…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Using the Border Patrol Home App to Get Illegal Aliens to Self Deport
So far, poetic justice seems the theme of this political year. And there’s nothing more poetically just or ironic than what the Donald Trump administration just did: Turned an app used to mass parole millions of aliens into an app to help those aliens leave the U.S. In October 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol launched the…Lora Ries -
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Senate Strikes Blow to Drug Traffickers With Passage of HALT Fentanyl Act
Update: The Senate passed the HALT Fentanyl Act on Friday afternoon by a vote of 84-16. America has many adversaries: China, Iran, North Korea, to name a few. But perhaps America’s biggest enemy is fentanyl, a highly addictive and highly lethal synthetic opioid. In this war on fentanyl, the Senate is preparing to launch its…Bradley Devlin -
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After Years of Dealing With Illegal Immigration, ‘Maybe This Issue Is Actually Going to Get Tackled,’ Border Rancher Says
LUNA COUNTY, N.M.—A Border Patrol helicopter flew overhead in a sight Russell Johnson said was a rarity over his ranch until President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Johnson says he would like to see an even greater Border Patrol presence along New Mexico’s border with Mexico, but agents “have at least some presence on…Virginia Allen