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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Bills Would Deny Federal Funds to Sanctuary States for Illegal Aliens
With a growing number of states declaring themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., are responding with legislation to impose penalties on states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Currently, 15 states and the District of Columbia allow residents to obtain driver’s licenses without proof of…Virginia Aabram -
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Massachusetts City Will Allow Illegal Aliens to Drive Without a License
City councilors in Cambridge, Massachusetts, voted to prohibit police officers from arresting illegal aliens if they are caught operating a vehicle without a license. Under a newly passed city ordinance in Cambridge, residents are still legally required to carry a driver’s license if they are operating a vehicle, but local law enforcement has been ordered…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
Trump’s War on Sanctuary Cities Is About More Than Politics
It’s about to get real for America’s so-called sanctuary cities, local governments that refuse to cooperate with those who enforce federal immigration laws. The Trump administration is deploying 100 tactical Border Patrol officers to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials take illegal immigrants in those cities into custody. The move should put to rest any…James Carafano -
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Trump Administration Deploying Border Patrol Tactical Units to Sanctuary Cities
The Trump administration is deploying an elite unit of the Border Patrol, including 100 Customs and Border Protection officers, to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehend illegal aliens in sanctuary cities. Members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) will be helping ICE officers arrest illegal aliens living at large in sanctuary cities, a spokesman…Jason Hopkins -
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Health Care Initiative Aims to Identify, Rescue Victims of Human Trafficking
An estimated 40 million people are trafficked around the world each year, says the leader of a group training health care providers to help identify and rescue victims. One research study of survivors in 2014 found that “88% of victims seek medical care and treatment while being trafficked,” said Deb O’Hara-Rusckowski, a critical care nurse…Allison Schuster -
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Granddaughter of Slaying Victim, 92, Backs Trump’s Fight Against Illegal-Immigrant ‘Sanctuaries’
Daria Ortiz’s voice cracked when speaking at a White House event Friday, as she described how New York City’s “sanctuary city” status let her family—and the rest of the city’s residents—down. Her 92-year-old grandmother, Maria Fuertes, a legal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was sexually assaulted and killed last month, and police have charged illegal…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Trump Begins Counterattack on Sanctuary Cities
With the recent federal lawsuits filed against California, New Jersey, and King County, Washington, the Trump administration has finally launched a fierce counterattack against the sanctuary movement. States and local jurisdictions that provide a safe haven for dangerous criminal aliens and obstruct federal immigration enforcement are on notice. Until now, the administration has been largely on…Hans von Spakovsky -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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