Border & Immigration News
The Daily Signal provides border and immigration news, including reporting, analysis, and commentary on policy, enforcement, and political debates.
-
- News
Sanctuary Laws Allow Illegal Immigrant Who Tried to Kill a Cop to Remain in US, ICE Claims
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials claim a deadly shootout between an illegal immigrant and a sheriff’s deputy could have been prevented if California sanctuary laws allowed them to do their job. A deadly shootout on Sunday took place between a cop and a Mexican national. During a routine traffic stop in Napa County, California, Javier Hernandez Morales,…Jason Hopkins -
- News
Most Americans Can’t Pass a Basic Citizenship Test. Here’s Why We Should Be Worried.
Can a nation survive ignorant of its past? We are testing that very question right now. According to a recent survey by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, most Americans would fail a basic citizenship test. Axios published a roundup of how participants performed. The results weren’t good. People did relatively well on the most…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Podcast: Obama’s Border Patrol Chief Explains Why Walls Work
On today’s podcast, we’re featuring an exclusive interview with Mark Morgan, who was chief of the U.S. Border Patrol under President Barack Obama. Now Morgan is speaking out in favor of President Donald Trump’s border wall. Find out why on today’s show. Also on today’s show: We’re celebrating Presidents Day, or what rightfully should be…Robert B. Bluey -
- News
New York’s Illegal Immigrants 1 Step Closer to Driver’s Licenses
The New York City Council passed a resolution by a full vote Wednesday that will edge the state Assembly and Senate toward passing legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, according to a report by Columbia University’s student-led NY City Lens. City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a Democrat representing the 10th Council District, introduced the…Courtney Joyner -
- News
California’s Plan to Finish 119 Miles of High-Speed Rail to Cost $89 Million Per Mile, 4 Times More Than Trump’s Border Wall
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to finish the 119-mile stretch of high-speed rail in the Central Valley is expected to cost $10.6 billion, according to official estimates—or $89 million per mile. Newsom said in a Tuesday press conference that finishing that stretch of line was about “economic transformation and unlocking the enormous potential of…Michael Bastasch -
- News
Angel Dad: Border Wall Funding ‘Would Have Been There Months Ago’ If Pelosi or Schumer’s Child Were Killed
If congressional Democrats suffered the way the family of Dan Ferguson, an angel dad, has, funding for a border wall would have been approved months ago, Ferguson told “Fox & Friends” hosts Monday. Ferguson’s daughter Amanda was killed in a hit-and-run accident in November 2018. Joel Velazquez, 24, is in the U.S. illegally and had been drinking…Tim Pearce -
- Opinion
The Truth About Border Walls’ Effectiveness
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not to his own facts.” That pithy observation is attributed to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who served in the Senate from 1977 to 2001. The final two years of Moynihan’s stint in the Senate overlapped the first two years of that of his fellow New…Peter Parisi -
- News
The ‘New Normal’: An Era of Bigger Migrant Caravans Has Begun
KYIV, Ukraine—Over the past year, migrant caravans from Central America have become bigger and better organized, experts and officials say, underscoring a looming immigration crisis that will test U.S. immigration laws and strain the U.S.-Mexico relationship. On Jan. 29, John Rood, U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, told Congress that three migrant caravans were crossing…Nolan Peterson -
- News
Trump Has Authority to Declare Emergency for Border Wall, Arizona Lawmaker Says
President Donald Trump does have the authority to declare a national emergency in order to build his promised border barrier between the United States and Mexico if gridlock in Congress makes it necessary, a Republican lawmaker says. “He has the authority, and it’s not unique,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Wednesday at Conversations with Conservatives,…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Trump Vows to Stop Incoming Migrant Caravan but Says a Wall Would Make It ‘Soooo Much Easier’
President Donald Trump vowed on Twitter Thursday to stop a migrant caravan from entering the U.S. with “more troops” as the group heads north from Central America. “More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country,” Trump wrote on Twitter Thursday. “We have stopped the…Evie Fordham -
- Opinion
Podcast: How to Curb Sex Trafficking in the US
Around 2 p.m. every day, some men will use their corporate computers to make an appointment to have sex with a minor—and many of those appointments will occur on corporate property. Businesses, says Geoff Rogers, CEO and co-founder of the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, are among the organizations that may seem to have no…Katrina Trinko -
- News
New York Democrats Pass Bill to Fund College for Illegal Immigrants
New York state lawmakers approved a measure that aims to dole out millions in taxpayer-funded aid to "Dreamers"—who entered the country illegally—attending college. The now Democratic-controlled New York state Legislature on Wednesday passed the Dream Act, legislation that would make thousands of "Dreamers" eligible for financial aid to attend public colleges in the state. The bill, which…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
Much of Border Wall Fight About Trump Resistance, Not Border Security
Politicians often clothe outrageous policies in reasonable rhetoric. President Donald Trump sometimes does the opposite, wrapping reasonable policy in careless rhetoric. Remember his earlier call for a “Muslim travel ban”? The policy itself—temporary restrictions on travel from a half-dozen countries—was perfectly reasonable. As the ISIS caliphate collapsed, its fighters began fleeing to those nations, and Trump…James Carafano -
- News
Child Sex Offender Nabbed Crossing the Border With Migrant Caravan Families
Customs and Border Protection agents were able to apprehend a previously deported child sex offender who tried re-entering the country with a group of other foreign nationals. A CBP camera operator on Jan. 11 discovered 24 individuals illegally crossing into the United States near the San Luis, Arizona, port of entry. The caravan, which was…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
A History Lesson on the Shifting Political Stances on Illegal Immigration
Here are a couple of easy immigration questions—answerable with a simple “yes” or “no”—we might ask any American of any political stripe: Does everyone in the world have a right to live in the U.S.? Do the American people have a right, through their elected representatives, to decide who has the right to immigrate to…Walter E. Williams -
- News
During Trump Visit to Border, Families of Slain Officers Call for Border Wall
After his police officer brother, who had immigrated to the United States legally, was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant, Reggie Singh says it’s time for the government to do whatever it takes to stop illegal immigration. “The way he was killed, what my family’s going through right now, I do not want any other…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
The Frustrating Flip-Flopping of Politicians Over the Border Wall
Despite advance billing that President Donald Trump’s border wall speech would break news and contain new information, it was mostly familiar rhetoric: Criminals and drugs, rapists and murderers are coming to America and the wall is the only way to stop them. The president named families who have lost loved ones at the hands of…Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
The Ironies of Illegal Immigration
Estimates suggest that there are 11 million to 13 million Mexican citizens currently living in the United States illegally. Millions more emigrated previously and are now U.S. citizens. A recent poll revealed that one-third of Mexicans (34 percent) would like to emigrate to the United States. With Mexico having a population of about 130 million,…Victor Davis Hanson -
- Opinion
Border Wall First Big Government-Funded Infrastructure Project Liberals Don’t Like
Profligate politicians have never met a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project they didn’t like—except when it comes to President Donald Trump’s border wall. Think about it. Boston’s Big Dig black hole, the nation’s most expensive highway project, burned through $25 billion and was plagued by deadly engineering incompetence, endless cost overruns, leaks, lawsuits, and debt. California’s high-speed…Michelle Malkin -
- News
From Oval Office, Trump Says Border Wall Would Make Nation ‘Safer Than Ever Before’
President Donald Trump made an emotional plea Tuesday night for Congress to pass a border security package that includes funding for a steel wall, to minimize the number of victims of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants. His proposal for a steel wall and other border security measures would make America “safer than ever before,” …Fred Lucas