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
Trump Proclamation Bars Immigrants Who Cannot Afford Health Insurance
The Trump administration will require many future immigrant applicants to prove they can afford health insurance, marking the White House’s latest move to restrict immigration from those who could become a financial burden on the government. President Donald Trump, invoking his executive authority, issued a proclamation Friday evening that will prohibit the entry of immigrants…Jason Hopkins -
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ACLU Wants Government to Pay Migrant Families Separated at Border
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Thursday, demanding the federal government pay damages to migrant families who were separated under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Arizona, calls for punitive and compensatory damages from the Trump administration, according to court filings. The progressive…Jason Hopkins -
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Energy Department Facility Lost Track of Enough Fentanyl to Kill 1,750, Report Says
The Department of Energy’s National Laboratory in New Mexico misplaced or lost track of enough fentanyl four years ago to kill more than 1,000 people, according to a report in September from the DOE’s Inspector General. DOE’s facility obtained 50 grams of fentanyl on Feb. 2, 2015, the report noted before stating that the amount was not added to…Chris White -
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Trump Administration to Expand DNA Collection From Migrants Caught at Border
The Trump administration is moving forward with its plan to dramatically expand DNA testing of illegal migrants at the southern border, a move intended to help control the immigration crisis. Border Patrol agents will soon have the ability to collect DNA samples of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a Department of Homeland…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
New York City Will Fine You for Saying ‘Illegal Alien.’ That’s an Assault on the Constitution.
The propaganda, surveillance, and censorship of Big Brother in George Orwell’s novel “1984” has now arrived in New York. The city’s Commission on Human Rights recently released new legal enforcement guidelines that ban the use of the term “illegal alien” by employers, housing providers (including hotels), and law enforcement as “discriminatory.” Violators can be punished…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Police Force Lifts Suspension for Officer Who Reported Illegal Alien to ICE
Police officials will allow an officer to return to duty after his suspension for turning an illegal alien over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Fairfax County, Virginia, police officer will return to work Friday following an update from the Fairfax County Police Department’s internal affairs division, according to a news release Wednesday from the department. The…Jason Hopkins -
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3 Obama Judges Deliver String of Losses to Trump’s Agenda on Illegal Immigration
Three Obama-appointed judges ruled in one day against immigration initiatives by the Trump administration, dealing blows to the president’s effort to contain the border crisis. In a span of several hours Friday, a judge in California ruled against the administration’s plan to detain migrant families indefinitely, another California judge blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement…Jason Hopkins -
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New York Threatens to Punish Those Who Say ‘Illegal Alien’ With $250K Fine
Those who use the term “illegal alien” in New York City will be hit with a fine as high as $250,000, the city’s human rights panel has determined. The move by the city’s Commission on Human Rights, its latest attempt to fight discrimination against illegal immigrants, is expected to face a quick court challenge based…Aaron Credeur -
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Former ICE Chief Says Border Crisis Can’t Be Solved Unless Illegal Immigrants Held
If the nation stops detaining illegal immigrants, the crisis at the border will get worse, the man who used to be responsible for enforcing the law told a House panel. “After more than three decades of enforcing immigration law, I can assure you that if we do not have the ability to detain those that…Rachel del Guidice -
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Judge Derails Trump Plan for Indefinite Detention of Illegal Immigrants
A federal judge has issued a tentative order against the Trump administration’s plan to detain migrant families for the entire duration of their court proceedings. In a major blow to President Donald Trump’s agenda to curb illegal immigration, Judge Dolly Gee of the federal District Court in Los Angeles issued a preliminary ruling Friday that, at least temporarily,…Jason Hopkins -
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Maryland Sheriff Urges Congress to Take ‘Serious Measures’ to Address Illegal Immigration ‘Crisis’
A Maryland county sheriff told members of Congress on Thursday that the United States’ immigration system has reached a “crisis point.” “We’re at a crisis point in this country,” Sheriff Chuck Jenkins of Frederick County, Maryland, said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing called “The Expansion and Troubling Use of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Detention.”…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Give Immigration Courts These 2 Tools to Reduce the Backlog
News broke on Sept. 18 that the immigration court backlog now surpasses 1 million cases, nearly doubling in just the past two years. The immigration courts simply cannot handle the caseload, and hiring more immigration judges alone won’t fix the problem. The problem is, immigration judges don’t have the standard judicial tools that all other…GianCarlo Canaparo -
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Immigration Chief Says Rollout of New Asylum Rule to Happen in Days
The acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said a Supreme Court victory regarding asylum applicants will result in significant changes to the immigration process in a short time. Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Ken Cuccinelli touched on what the Sept. 11 ruling will mean for the illegal immigrants who are…Jason Hopkins -
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Supreme Court Decision Allows Focus on ‘Legitimate Asylum Claims,’ Immigration Chief Says
A Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration to implement a new asylum policy will help unclog the system and benefit those with “legitimate asylum claims,” one of the nation’s top immigration officials said. The new asylum policy “requires those coming to the southern border of the United States who want to seek asylum to…Jackson Elliott -
- Opinion
Reorganizing This Immigration Office Isn’t a ‘Power Grab.’ It’s Common Sense.
It seems that any change to the status quo in the immigration policy arena is going to upset someone these days, even if the changes are innocuous good governance and efficiency-driven initiatives. Take the Trump administration’s interim rule to amend the regulations related to the internal organization of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, announced…Cully Stimson -
- Opinion
Yes, Border Patrol Arrests Are Down, but Our Immigration Policies Still Need Work
The last few months have seen a significant decline in Border Patrol arrests thanks in part to attempts by the Trump administration to deter and discourage illegal immigration. But serious problems remain unsolved and more remains to be done. Following the inauguration of President Trump, illegal entries into the U.S. fell sharply, partially as a result of…David Inserra -
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Nearly 500 Illegal Aliens Released From North Carolina Jails Despite ICE Detainers
Detention centers across North Carolina have released hundreds of illegal aliens in their custody, defying detainer requests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local authorities in North Carolina released about 500 undocumented immigrants in the past 10 months. A total of 489 detainers were ignored by state law enforcement officials, according to data…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
We Hear You: An Immigrant Couple Explains the Unfairness of Amnesty
Editor's note: This week we feature two letters that really grabbed our attention, from readers with compelling personal perspectives on the U.S. immigration system. Pull up a chair, and remember to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I couldn't agree more with Genevieve Wood in her recent commentary headlined “4 Keys to the…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Cuccinelli Schools Media on Immigration, Welfare, and Freedom
The left-wing media are having a field day distorting acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli’s comments regarding the famous poem emblazoned on the base of the State of Liberty. Discussing the Trump administration’s new “public charge” rule, an NPR host asked Cuccinelli whether the poem’s words “give me your tired, your poor”…Star Parker -
- Opinion
Crimes by Illegal Immigrants Widespread Across US
The decision by a California appeals court Friday overturning the conviction of an illegal immigrant who shot and killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco in 2015 once again put the national spotlight on the serious problem of crimes committed by people in the U.S. illegally. The appeals court in San Francisco overturned the conviction of Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate on…Hans von Spakovsky