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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exclusive
Cousin Marriage Ban Could Soon Hit the US
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Rep. Keith Self has introduced legislation that would effectively outlaw cousin marriages by denying federal recognition and benefits to such unions. “Cousin marriage—which is permitted under Sharia—is fundamentally incompatible with American culture and values. It should not be allowed anywhere in our country,” the Texas Republican told The Daily Signal. “The… -
news
Moreno Demands Answers Over Deadly Truck Crash Involving Illegal Immigrant
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is looking to do something about deadly truck crashes involving foreigners. This week, Moreno sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, demanding answers regarding Modou Ngom, an illegal immigrant alleged to be responsible for a deadly incident earlier this month in… -
news
FBI Raids Minnesota Daycares in Fraud Investigation
Federal agents raided 22 locations in Minnesota on Tuesday as part of an investigation into widespread taxpayer fraud. “Today the FBI with federal, state and local law enforcement is involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation,” a Department of Justice spokesperson said in a statement. The raids focused on… -
news
Congress Advances Prevention and Education to End Human Trafficking
Congress is putting parties aside to extend the bipartisan protection and prevention of human trafficking in the United States. The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act has been stalled in the House since February 2025. But Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., are now calling for more education to… -
exclusive
CBP Makes Massive Meth Seizure at California Border Crossing
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 1.4 tons of methamphetamine in a routine commercial truck inspection at a California border crossing. The seizure points to a broader trend of transnational criminal networks using legitimate trade infrastructure to smuggle industrial-scale narcotics into the United States. On April 14, CBP officers… -
news
Double Court Victories for Trump on ICE and ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The Trump administration scored two legal victories this week in combating illegal immigration. Appeals courts cleared the way for building a Florida immigration detention center that President Donald Trump calls “Alligator Alcatraz” and halted a California law requiring agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to unmask. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday… -
opinion
The LAX Arrest That Proves Iran’s Threat Is Already Inside America
While Americans are told to think of Iran as a distant threat measured by uranium enrichment, diplomatic statements, and maps half a world away, the arrest of Iranian national Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles International Airport shattered that fiction on April 18. According to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Mafi, a lawful permanent resident living in Woodland… -
opinion
American Immigration Policy Could Learn From Modern Italy, Ancient Rome, and Plato
New winds are shaping conversations about citizenship in the U.S. and Europe. As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the Trump administration’s constitutional argument for tighter birthright citizenship, Italy’s Constitutional Court has already signed off on a law raising the bar for would-be citizens. Italy’s rationale is instructive for the U.S., whose prow seems pointed toward… -
opinion
New York Refuses ICE Detainer for Illegal Alien Accused of Killing 4 in Arson
New York is so committed to nullifying immigration law that it refuses to relinquish an alleged arsonist accused of killing four people in New York City. That was reported by the New York Post and Fox News on Thursday. According to those reports, Roman Ceron Amatitla—who is a Mexican national illegally living in the U.S.—is… -
news
‘16 Years Is Not Temporary’: Freedom Caucus Members Want TPS Ended for Haitians
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are urging colleagues to oppose extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants ahead of a final House vote Thursday, citing concerns about public safety. Several House Republicans, along with now-independent Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, joined Democrats in voting to bring a bill to the floor extending TPS for… -
news
‘Look These Mothers in the Eyes’: Families of Victims Killed by Illegal Aliens to Testify Before Congress
Two mothers who lost their sons and another whose daughter remains permanently injured will testify before Congress on Thursday about how these tragedies—each involving illegal aliens—could have been prevented through stricter enforcement of immigration law. This forum could be uncomfortable for House Democrats who oppose enforcing immigration laws, said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., chairman… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: ICE Arrests More Pedophiles, Kidnappers
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday arrested criminal illegal immigrants for crimes including sexual contact with a child, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and sexual assault, and child molestation, The Daily Signal has learned. “Every day, the courageous men and women of ICE risk their lives to arrest criminal aliens to safeguard American communities,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a… -
news
Watchdog: Salazar’s Immigration Book Relies on Nonconservative, Center-Left Sources
A book by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar promoting her immigration legislation simply recycles old ideas and relies on some center-left sources, a conservative watchdog group says. The Florida Republican member’s book, “Dignity Not Citizenship: The Truth About Immigration No One Is Telling You,” is an argument for her bill called the DIGNIDAD Act, short for… -
opinion
Transparency Watch: Atlanta Puts a Hefty Price Tag on Muslim Activists’ Pay Records
THE CENTER SQUARE—In the last year of the Biden administration, millions of dollars flowed from the city of Atlanta to nonprofits so they could aid migrants pouring through U.S. borders. A quarter-million dollars went to a Chicago-based Islamic activist organization that was raising money for Gaza at the time. The Center Square wanted to know what, specifically,… -
news
‘LAWLESS BEHAVIOR’: Charges Dropped Against Woman Who Allegedly Disrupted Easter Service at Cities Church
Anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters have continued to target an evangelical Christian church in St. Paul, Minnesota, after agitators invaded the church on Jan. 18, and police arrested a protester on Easter Sunday. While the Justice Department has charged 38 people in the Jan. 18 invasion, the church’s attorney claims that state and local authorities… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Chip Roy Urges Feds to Roll Back Obama-Era Ban on Collecting Immigration Data in Schools
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is urging two federal agencies to rescind an Obama-era policy he says has prevented states from collecting basic immigration-status data in public schools. In a letter sent Wednesday to Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Roy argued that a 2011 Department… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: ICE Announces Arrests of Several Violent Criminals and Sex Offenders
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested another round of violent criminals in the country illegally who have been convicted of heinous crimes in the United States. Among those ICE arrested are five men from Mexico or Guatemala, some with sexual crime convictions, including crimes committed against children. Erik Eusevio Cortez-Leyva, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted of… -
news
Migrant Shelter Corruption Probe Puts NY Politician and Hochul Aide Under Investigation
New York City Council Member Farah Louis and her sister, Debbie Louis, a top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, are under federal investigation for allegedly receiving kickbacks from city contracts awarded to a migrant shelter firm. BHRAGS Home Care Inc. has received over $200 million in taxpayer-funded city contracts since shifting from an… -
analysis
Lawmakers and Lobbyists Drop the Gloves in Ice Hockey Thriller
Washington, D.C., is used to power plays, but not the kind on display from lawmakers and lobbyists at the 2026 Congressional Hockey Challenge on Thursday night. At the MedStar Capitals Iceplex, a bipartisan team of officials and staff took the ice to face off against some of the districts’ finest lobbyists in their annual hockey game for charity. The lobbyists took home… -
opinion
Federal Appeals Court Holds That DHS Can Detain Illegal Alien Without Bond
Earlier this week, a federal appeals court held that the Department of Homeland Security could detain an illegal alien without bond pending his removal proceedings after he was arrested in Minneapolis in 2025. In journeyman fashion, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals interpreted the applicable immigration laws as written and applied common sense to reach its decision. That law, 8 U.S.C. § 1225, a nearly three-decade-old statute, requires detention without bond for “an alien who…