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
As Trump Extends Emergency at Border, Here’s Why Arrests of Migrants Are Dropping
While President Donald Trump extends his declaration of a national emergency to use Defense Department money to build the southern border wall, illegal immigration in January dropped by almost three-quarters from the peak of the border crisis last May. Enforcement actions also decreased by 10% in January compared with December, according to numbers released by…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
President’s Budget Makes Immigration Enforcement a Priority
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 prioritizes immigration enforcement by increasing resources for Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Justice Department. The budget also combats “sanctuary” policies through proposed statutory language that conditions certain grants on recipients cooperating with immigration enforcement activities and requests. The budget also calls…Lora Ries -
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Virginia Lawmakers Vote to Allow Illegal Aliens to Obtain Driver’s Licenses
Virginia lawmakers passed legislation in both chambers of the state Legislature that would allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses, a consequence of the state Capitol’s newly minted Democratic majority. Amid a rush before the end of the Virginia General Assembly’s “crossover” deadline Tuesday, lawmakers in both the state Senate and the House of Delegates…Jason Hopkins -
- News
DHS Suspends New Yorkers From Trusted Travelers Programs in Wake of Illegal Alien ID Law
The Department of Homeland Security is suspending New Yorkers from enrolling in Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler Programs in response to a new state law that bans information-sharing with the federal government. Acting Deputy DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli went into detail in a conference call Thursday with reporters on the department’s decision to no…Jason Hopkins -
- News
Philadelphia Stands by Sanctuary Policy After Releasing Illegal Alien With Excessive Arrest Record
The government of Philadelphia is standing by its continued release of a criminal illegal alien—ignoring requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold the individual—arguing that it’s complying with federal law. ICE released a scathing press statement on Friday, slamming Philadelphia for releasing from its custody an illegal alien on three separate occasions, ignoring an ICE detainer…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
Rep. Mike Gallagher Files Bill Giving Immigration Judges Contempt Authority. It’s About Time.
Ronald Reagan once quipped, “They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong.” That’s a lesson Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., proved on Jan. 29 with his simple, but much needed, bill to improve our overburdened immigration courts. His bill, barely more than a page long, would fix a long-standing weakness…Cully Stimson -
- News
Supreme Court Allows Trump to Enforce Rule Barring Green Cards for Migrants Using Social Services
The Supreme Court Monday allowed the Trump administration to enforce a new rule that will deny green cards to foreign nationals who use taxpayer-funded social services, lifting lower court injunctions that blocked the change. The 5-4 vote followed familiar ideological lines, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan in dissent….Kevin Daley -
- News
Rocks, Tear Gas, and Riot Shields: Mexico Blocks Advancing Migrant Caravan
The Mexican government continues to fend off hundreds of Central American migrants who are trying to cross its border in order to reach the U.S., an indication of how much Mexico has stepped up its own immigration enforcement measures. For days, Mexico’s National Guard troops have prevented members of a new migrant caravan from illegally…Jason Hopkins -
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Rep. Ilhan Omar Says ‘We Must Stop Detaining’ Illegal Immigrants
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Thursday called for the U.S. government to cease detaining illegal immigrants. Omar tweeted an ABC News story about a tiny Georgia town having more detained illegal immigrants than residents. Her takeaway: America shouldn’t be detaining those who cross the border illegally. “This should never be the case,” she wrote. “The cruelty…Peter Hasson -
- Opinion
California Now Pushing Free Health Care for Illegal Immigrant Seniors
California is at it again with a proposal to extend free health care to illegal immigrant senior citizens. Last July, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that would extend Medicaid coverage to low-income illegal immigrants 25 years old and younger. President Donald Trump, who made the border wall and stopping illegal immigration a central plank…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
DHS Strategy on Human Trafficking Aims to Put Issue Front and Center
Americans need to be talking more about the problem of human trafficking in order to successfully combat it, the nation’s acting homeland security secretary says. “We as Americans, again, are not talking enough about this issue,” Chad Wolf said during an event Wednesday at The Heritage Foundation, adding: Let me make myself clear. In 2018,…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Homeland Security Officials Tout 100 Miles of New Border Wall
YUMA, Ariz.—Top officials in the Department of Homeland Security visited southern Arizona on Friday to commemorate completion of 100 miles of new border wall. Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf stopped by the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma and delivered a speech in recognition of what he called a milestone: 100 miles of completed border wall since…Jason Hopkins -
- News
Homeland Security Chief Orders Review of State Laws Allowing Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Aliens
Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, ordered a review of state laws that allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses and restrict data sharing with federal immigration authorities. Wolf on Tuesday ordered all of the components of DHS to conduct a department-wide review of the state laws to determine how…Jason Hopkins -
- News
Immigration Will Shift Electoral College in Favor of Democrats, Study Finds
A new analysis finds that immigration will dramatically reshape the Electoral College map in favor of the Democratic Party after completion of the 2020 census. Rising immigrant populations around the United States will result in several solidly Democratic states gaining more seats in the House of Representatives at the expense of solidly Republican states, the study by…Jason Hopkins -
- News
‘This Will Protect Criminals’: Homeland Security Blasts New York Law Allowing Illegal Aliens to Get Driver’s Licenses
The Department of Homeland Security rebuked a New York law that took effect Monday allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses. The state’s “Green Light” bill, which Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed in June, makes it possible to apply for a driver’s license without a Social Security number, and makes foreign documentation valid for the…Peter Hasson -
- News
Clinton-Appointed Judge Blocks Billions in Funding for Trump’s Border Wall
A federal judge dealt the White House a major blow Tuesday, ruling that the administration cannot use several billion in military funding to pay for border wall construction. David Briones, who has served on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas since his appointment by former President Bill Clinton in 1994, ruled…Jason Hopkins -
- News
‘They Are Endangering the Communities’: New DHS Chief Rips Sanctuary Cities
Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf lambasted sanctuary cities, touted progress on the wall, and confirmed on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday the U.S. will implement asylum agreements to remove illegal aliens. Wolf, who officially became the acting DHS secretary earlier in November, discussed a range of issues affecting his department. “I think sanctuary city policies…Jason Hopkins -
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DHS Deputy Says ‘About 60,000’ Migrants Have Been Sent Back Under ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program
Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, lauded the Trump administration’s "Remain in Mexico" program, which has sent tens of thousands of asylum-seekers back across the southern border to wait. Cuccinelli appeared Sunday on “Fox & Friends” to discuss the White House’s efforts to manage the illegal immigration crisis at…Jason Hopkins -
- News
Nearly 80,000 Illegal Aliens Had Arrest Records Before Winning DACA Approval
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who successfully enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program carried prior arrest records, according to data released by the Trump administration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—the agency under the Department of Homeland Security that is tasked with managing the country’s legal immigration system—released a report Saturday detailing the arrest…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
Are Conservative Immigration Restrictionists Racist?
This week, The Atlantic released its newest issue, provocatively titled “How to Stop a Civil War.” Leading its collection of essays is a fascinating piece by Yoni Appelbaum. In it, Appelbaum posits that at the crux of America’s vitriolic politics lies demographic change: The United States is undergoing a transition perhaps no rich and stable…Ben Shapiro