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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- Opinion
We Hear You: The Border Wall and Shutdown Politics
Editor's note: The clash between the president and congressional Democrats over a border wall resulted in a partial government shutdown that is entering its third week. The Daily Signal's audience appears to have Trump's back. Write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: It wasn't all that long ago that Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and the…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Trump’s New Asylum Policy Will Help Block Illegal Immigration
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen recently announced a significant policy change to stop illegal immigration. After years of catch and release, loopholes, and poor enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security is moving to plug the holes in the U.S. immigration system, and especially the loopholes that surround the asylum system. One of the most…David Inserra -
- News
House Democrats Release Plan to End Government Shutdown Without Border Wall Funding
House Democrats are putting together a plan to end the partial government shutdown, which does not include any additional funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who vehemently opposed the border wall, calling it “immoral, ineffective, and expensive,” and her Democratic colleagues reportedly put together legislation that would reopen the government and allocate $1.3…Henry Rodgers -
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Wounded Veteran Raising Millions for Border Wall on GoFundMe Page
After three days, a GoFundMe page started by a Purple Heart recipient to help pay for a border wall has more than $6 million from more than 100,000 people as of this writing. This comes as Congress appears unlikely to give President Donald Trump the funding he wants to help pay for his key campaign…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Why Economic Freedom Is a Proven Antidote to the Scourge of Human Trafficking
In a recent op-ed essay for The Washington Post, first daughter Ivanka Trump made a powerful case for the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to combat the evil of human trafficking. “The United States is an extraordinarily generous nation, but [the Trump] administration will no longer use taxpayer dollars to support governments that consistently fail to…Anthony B. Kim -
- News
Retiring Republicans May Not Show Up to Vote, Threatening Border Wall Vote
There might be one bloc conspicuously absent from Washington, D.C., this week amid the possibility of a shutdown: retired House Republicans. Government funding expires at midnight Friday, and despite President Donald Trump’s repeated calls to pass $5 billion for border wall funding, Republicans in either chamber might not be able to pass a spending bill…Rachel del Guidice -
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Illegal Immigrant Arrested for Murder Was Previously Deported at Least 8 Times
An illegal immigrant arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a co-worker in Oregon is discovered to have been deported at least eight times. Deciderio Vargas-Ortiz, 52, was arrested for the alleged murder of Renee Luis-Antonio. The two worked together at a creamery in Milton-Freewater, Oregon—a town in the northeastern part of the state—and reportedly had a long-running…Jason Hopkins -
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Money, Support for Migrant ‘Caravans’ Flow Through Chicago
Advocates of open borders quoted in media coverage of the migrant “caravan” moving north through Mexico are part of a network of U.S.-based groups funded in the past by left-leaning foundations, according to tax and financial records. Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a Chicago-based nonprofit whose name means People Without Borders, is widely credited with organizing the…Kevin Mooney -
- Opinion
We Hear You: No, the Migrants in That Caravan Have No ‘Right’ to Cross Our Border
Editor's note: Nolan Peterson's reporting from the U.S.-bound "caravan" of migrants rang bells with The Daily Signal's audience, and you're not shy about sharing your views. Most of today's mailbag is devoted to those comments. Our address is [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: While I feel great compassion for these people in Nolan Peterson's report,…Ken McIntyre -
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Under Obama Administration, Border Patrol Used Pepper Spray on Around 100 Migrants
Border Patrol agents used pepper spray and tear gas Sunday as about 500 migrants from Central America rushed the U.S.-Mexico border at Tijuana, prompting some criticism of the Trump administration for deploying tear gas. Some denounced the response, although in 2013 the Border Patrol under the Obama administration deployed pepper spray, but not tear gas,…Tristan Justice -
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Judge Stops Trump Asylum Ban as Migrant Caravan Nears
A federal judge in California issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration’s new asylum rules early Tuesday morning. U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar said that Congress extended asylum eligibility to all comers, and the president may not impose contrary terms. “Whatever the scope of the president’s authority, he may not rewrite the…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
What Congress Can Do Now to Fix Immigration Enforcement
With just a month and a half remaining in the 115th Congress, members face a number of issues that require action. Immigration policy is one of those areas that will likely be a focal point of congressional debate and jockeying. President Donald Trump is demanding funds for a border wall, and while congressional leaders have…David Inserra -
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Angry Tijuana Residents Push Back Against Migrant Caravan: ‘This Is an Invasion’
Hundreds of angry residents took to the streets of downtown Tijuana on Sunday to protest the caravan of Central American migrants that has been streaming into the city in recent weeks. Carrying Mexican flags and singing the national anthem, the demonstrators marched to a sports complex where about 2,000 of the migrants are being housed….Will Racke -
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‘It’s Your Right to Go to the US’: What I Saw When I Visited the Migrant Caravan
MEXICO CITY—The migrant caravan has its own de facto government, and on this night the travelers from Central America gathered at the behest of a few leaders to discuss issues of the day as well as the big picture—such as what route to take to the U.S. border. “It’s your right to go to the…Nolan Peterson -
- News
House GOP Urged to Use Lame-Duck Session to Fund Border Wall, Make Good on Other Promises
Conservative Republicans are calling for a busy lame-duck session of Congress between now and Jan. 3, when Democrats will retake the majority in—and control of—the House. “Republicans still have an opportunity to do what we said,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said in a statement provided to The Daily…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
How Trump Is Toughening Asylum Rules for Immigrants
President Donald Trump’s administration is clamping down on asylum rules for immigrants coming to the United States, the White House announced Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department jointly issued a new rule requiring that immigrants seeking asylum along the southern border must present themselves lawfully at a port of entry. Trump…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
We Hear You: The Migrant ‘Caravan,’ Racial Preferences, and Other Leftist Passions
Editor's note: The mainstream media reports that Americans shouldn't worry about the "caravan" of thousands of migrants headed to the U.S.-Mexico border. The Daily Signal's audience mostly disagrees, based on comments such as the ones we feature below. Don't forget to write [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: In his commentary, “The Left Goes Full Open…Ken McIntyre -
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On the Street: Trump Supporters on the Growing Migrant Caravan
The Daily Signal traveled to Houston, Texas to attend President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” rally. While we were there we talked to attendees about one of the most important issues to them—immigration and the migrant caravan traveling to the southern U.S. border. “I’m an immigrant from Mexico,” one attendee told us. “We paid…Daily Signal Staff -
- Opinion
Q&A: Migrant Caravan and the US Immigration System
For the second time this year, a caravan of migrants is making its way through Mexico toward the U.S. southern border. President Donald Trump has said the caravan will not be allowed into the United States, and vowed to send the U.S. military to assist in securing the border if necessary. Ana Quintana and David…Timothy Doescher -
- News
Dropping ‘Zero Tolerance’ Signaled Open Door for Illegal Immigrants
Feeling the political heat over separating families of illegal immigrants, President Donald Trump took executive action in June to scale back his “zero tolerance” policy for border crossers. But under existing law, this had fairly predictable results, immigration experts said. “Catch and release is not an official policy, but it is the default until we…Fred Lucas