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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Trump Administration Releases Final 2017 Report on Incarcerated Illegal Immigrants. Here’s What It Found.
More than 1 in 5 of all federal inmates in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons are immigrants, as of the end of the fiscal year 2017, a federal report released Thursday said. The report also found that 94 percent of confirmed foreign-born inmates in federal incarceration were in the country illegally. The Justice Department and…Fred Lucas -
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Immigrant Businessman Talks America’s Need for Tax Reform
SPRINGFIELD, Missouri—David Bakare immigrated from Nigeria to attend college in the United States. Wanting to run his own business, Bakare borrowed funds from his dad to purchase Executive Coach Builders, a luxury limousine manufacturer in the United States that now has more than 100 employees. In an interview with The Daily Signal, Bakare shares his…Kelsey Bolar -
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Latest ICE Operation Snaps Up 101 Illegal Immigrants, Mostly Criminals, in New Jersey
Federal agents arrested more than 100 foreign nationals wanted for immigration violations in a five-day operation in New Jersey, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Tuesday. The operation, led by ICE’s enforcement and removal division, netted a total of 101 illegal immigrants who were either criminal aliens, had illegally re-entered the country after being deported, or…Will Racke -
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Trump Ties New York Terror Attack to Immigration Reforms
President Donald Trump pointed to Monday morning’s terrorist attack in New York as a clear demonstration of the need for tougher immigration laws—specifically family-based immigration. “Today’s terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security,” Trump said in a formal statement issued late in the day by the White…Fred Lucas -
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As Immigration Arrests Increase Under Trump, So Do Border Crossings by Unaccompanied Minors
The Trump administration counts the overall successes in curbing illegal immigration as “another success,” but since May there has been an increase of families and unaccompanied children illegally coming across the border. “These are 60,000 American patriots that choose this profession to defend this country,” Thomas Homan says. Some experts attribute this to the talk…Fred Lucas -
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National Sheriffs’ Association Backs Sessions in Push to Defund Sanctuary Cities
The National Sheriffs’ Association came out in favor of the Department of Justice Thursday in Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ push to withhold funds from Chicago and other sanctuary cities. The sheriffs’ association—which represents more than 3,000 sheriffs nationwide—will file an amicus brief in support of the DOJ in ongoing litigation between Sessions and the city…Anders Hagstrom -
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Kate Steinle Deserves Better Than Democrats Opposing Deportation of Illegal Aliens
San Francisco, being the proud “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens that it is, will no doubt roll out the welcome wagon for Jose Ines Garcia Zarate the next time he sneaks back into the country. And it’s a near-certainty that he will, after he’s deported to Mexico for a sixth time following his acquittal Thursday…Peter Parisi -
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Must-See Moments: Illegal Immigrant Charged With Shooting Kate Steinle Goes Free
The Daily Signal’s Facebook Live show “Top 10” features the top news stories of the week—many of which have gone either misreported or underreported by the mainstream media. This week, a jury found illegal immigrant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who was deported 7 times, not guilty of shooting and killing Kate Steinle. Is the D.C….Daily Signal Staff -
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Jury Finds Illegal Immigrant Not Guilty in Killing of Kate Steinle
A San Francisco jury found the illegal immigrant accused of killing Kate Steinle not guilty of murder Thursday, a stunning result in a case that ignited a nationwide debate over illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, 45, was found not guilty on all counts in the 2015 shooting, except for felony possession…Will Racke -
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California Judge Blocks Trump’s Sanctuary City Order
A federal judge in California blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order reducing funding for sanctuary cities Monday, limiting the administration’s ability to punish municipalities that violate federal immigration law. The permanent injunction follows a preliminary ruling, issued in April, in a suit filed by the city of San Francisco and Santa Clara County. “The Counties have demonstrated…Jack Crowe -
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Podcast: The Dangers Border Patrol Agents Face
In today’s podcast, we discuss how President Donald Trump is declaring North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, and new allegations of inappropriate behavior from Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and a New York Times reporter. Talking about the death of a Border Patrol agent, Kelsey Harkness, who has been to the United States-Mexico border, tells…Katrina Trinko -
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Trump Administration Cites MS-13 Arrest to Push Change in Minor Immigrant Law
The Trump administration is pointing to a large federal roundup of members of the violent gang MS-13 as vindication of increased enforcement efforts and reason to change the policy on unaccompanied minor illegal immigrants. The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security announced a joint effort that led to the arrest of 214 gang members…Fred Lucas -
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Democrat Who Opposes Sanctuary Cities Wins Virginia Governor’s Race
In the Virginia gubernatorial race Tuesday between Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie, immigration was a key issue. Northam, 58, the 40th and current lieutenant governor of Virginia, won, and had 925,203 votes or 51.8 percent of the vote with 74 percent of precincts reporting, according to The New York Times. Gillespie, 56, a former…Rachel del Guidice -
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Noncitizen Immigrants Voted Illegally in Pennsylvania Elections
A Pennsylvania election official confirmed Wednesday that noncitizen immigrants illegally voted in elections hundreds of times since 2000, casting doubt on the state’s ability to screen out ineligible voters on its election rolls. Jonathan Marks, commissioner for Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, told a state legislative committee that an agency analysis found 544 improper…Will Racke -
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The Murder Case at the Center of Trump’s Immigration Policy Has Begun
The illegal immigrant who shot and killed Kate Steinle in 2015 will go on trial for second-degree murder this week, bringing a conclusion to a case that sparked harsh anti-immigration rhetoric from President Donald Trump and Congress in 2016. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, 54, claims his killing of Steinle was an accident, saying that a…Anders Hagstrom -
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Trump’s Hard Line on Border ‘Takes Handcuffs Off’ Law Enforcement, Immigration Chief Says
Enforcing laws already on the books helps significantly to fix the illegal immigration crisis, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday. “If we keep sending this message, ‘It’s OK to violate the laws of this country and … not be worried about enforcement,’ then we’re never going to solve the border…Rachel del Guidice -
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What Trump Told Congress He Wants to See on Immigration
Before granting legal status to illegal immigrants who entered the country as minors, President Donald Trump wants to push enhanced border security, interior enforcement, and move toward a merit-based legal immigration system. At this point, Democrats would be blamed if an amnesty isn’t enacted, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies,…Fred Lucas -
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What Trump Could Learn From the Reagan Immigration Amnesty
It’s been more than 30 years since then-Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., paid a visit to the White House to lean on President Ronald Reagan about enacting what today is viewed by some as the “Reagan amnesty.” “It’s high time we regained control of our borders, and this bill will do it,” Ronald Reagan said. In…Fred Lucas -
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House Freedom Caucus Members Talk Tough on DACA, Immigration Reform
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are staking out a tough stand on immigration reform, including any effort to codify the now-suspended Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program into law. “It is unlikely that I will vote for any kind of DACA, absent a global fix for the border security problem,” Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala.,…Casey Ryan -
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Texas Wins the Second Round on Sanctuary Cities
Texas has just won the second (procedural) round in the fight over the state Legislature’s attempt to punish cities that implement sanctuary policies. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily stayed on Monday key portions of the injunction issued in September by a federal judge in San Antonio that prevented the…Hans von Spakovsky