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
New Report Shows Visa Overstays Are Up. How Congress Can Help Better Enforce Immigration Law.
Illegal immigration has long been a problem in America, but a surprisingly large factor in illegal immigration is the problem of legal visitors overstaying their visas. It turns out that visa overstays account for an estimated 40 percent of all illegal immigration in the United States. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s recently issued…David Inserra -
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Meet the Unsung Heroes of the US Border Patrol
SAN DIEGO—Deep inside the U.S. Border Patrol is a little-known elite team called the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit. Since its creation nearly 20 years ago, BORSTAR has largely flown under the radar. “Most people don’t realize that the Border Patrol has paramedics, search and rescue capability,” says John Welter, a BORSTAR agent…Kelsey Bolar -
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San Francisco Creates Legal Office to Defend Illegal Immigrants From Deportation
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office launched a new unit Tuesday dedicated to representing illegal immigrants faced with deportation and focused on providing local tax money for cases heard in the city’s federal immigration courts. The special immigration division, one of only three such programs in the country, consists of three deputy public defenders and a…Will Racke -
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Immigration Arrests Jump Nearly 40% Under Trump
Immigration arrests climbed yet again in April as federal agents continued to track down both criminal and noncriminal aliens in far greater numbers over the first 100 days of the Trump administration than they did under former President Barack Obama a year ago. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations deportation officers administratively arrested…Will Racke -
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Why This Son of an Illegal Immigrant Became a Border Patrol Agent
SAN DIEGO—Arturo Payan knew he wanted to go into law enforcement from a young age. But he feared his father, an immigrant from Mexico who first came to the United States illegally, wouldn’t approve of his career. “When I got into the Border Patrol, I thought my dad would be a little bit disappointed,” Payan,…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Texas Takes Strong and Needed Action on Sanctuary Cities
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott acted to protect the citizens of Texas on Sunday when he signed into law SB 4, a bill to punish (and deter) local cities and counties like Austin from implementing sanctuary policies. Abbott and the legislators who sponsored this bill are trying to stop the Lone Star State from being a…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Underreported: How Building a Border Wall Changed San Diego
In 1986, the San Diego Border Patrol sector accounted for approximately one-third of all apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border. Today, it accounts for only a small fraction. How did the region go from one of the busiest sectors for illegal border crossings to one of the most secure? In our latest edition of “Underreported,” The…Kelsey Bolar -
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White House Vows Funding for Border Wall, Just Not Now
Congress plans to pass a final spending bill to keep the government running beyond the next week, but without funding for a border wall. The White House, however, says it will demand money for President Donald Trump’s signature campaign issue in next year’s budget plan. “The president is committed to having a physical border wall….Fred Lucas -
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Texas House Passes Sanctuary City Ban With Stiff Penalty for Public Officials
The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that places a statewide ban on sanctuary cities and allows state officials to jail police chiefs and sheriffs who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The measure also lets police officers inquire about the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest, including the subjects…Will Racke -
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The History of ‘Extreme Vetting’ of Immigrants
The United States began as a nation of immigrants, and it continues to be so today. The ability to absorb people from around the globe is a hallmark of American exceptionalism. America has succeeded mostly through what The Heritage Foundation’s Mike Gonzalez has called “patriotic assimilation,” in which immigrants have not just been taught how…Jarrett Stepman -
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What Trump Has Done on Immigration in First 100 Days
President Donald Trump’s dedication to enforcing immigration law is one of his significant accomplishments as he nears his 100th day in office Saturday, experts and lawmakers say. Trump is “taking the handcuffs off of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and the Border Patrol because the immigration enforcement officers were prohibited from doing their job to a…Rachel del Guidice -
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Why This Judge’s Ruling Won’t Block Federal Action on Sanctuary Cities
Media sources are all breathlessly reporting that the Trump administration’s proposed termination of federal funding to sanctuary cities has been enjoined by a federal judge. But that is misleading, and the media is misinterpreting the injunction order in the same way the federal judge misinterpreted President Donald Trump’s executive order. At issue in the lawsuit…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Trump, Sessions Target MS-13 Gang in Push Against Illegal Immigration
President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated an effort to target MS-13, an international criminal gang founded by El Salvadorian immigrants in Los Angeles. Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly have all recently mentioned the gang by highlighting its dangers and explaining how they will combat the group. In a Tuesday…Caleb Ecarma -
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Trump Restricts Immigration Program That Took This American’s Job
After years in private business, Kurt Ho had finally found a rewarding information technology job, working for a public hospital in Northern California, ensuring vital systems—such as fetal health monitors—were functioning properly. In October, Ho learned his job at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center was being outsourced to a company in India,…Josh Siegel -
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Sweden Accepted More Migrants Per Capita Than Any Other European Country. Why That’s Changed.
Sweden, the latest European country to fall victim to a terrorist attack, has long been known for its generous immigration policies. In 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, Sweden took in more migrants per capita than any other European country. That year, more than 162,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden, including 51,000…Josh Siegel -
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Labor Group Declares Itself a ‘Sanctuary Union’ for Illegal Immigrants
A California-based labor union representing more than 11,000 health care workers declared itself a "sanctuary union" for its members and their relatives “at risk of deportation.” “As President Donald Trump was preparing to bar Syrian refugees and bolster his deportation force, the National Union of Healthcare Workers was convening members across California to discuss how best to…Ted Goodman -
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Department of Homeland Security: Courthouse Arrests Are Necessary Because of Sanctuary City Policies
The Department of Homeland Security rejected calls Tuesday for its agents to stop making immigration arrests at courthouses, a tactic that has pitted state judicial officers against the Trump administration in recent weeks. A spokesman for the agency said immigration enforcement agents will continue to have authority to seize illegal immigrants at courthouses, if they believe…Will Racke -
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How Illegal Immigrant Suspects in Rockville High Rape Case Were Able to Settle in America
The two teenagers accused of raping a ninth-grader at Maryland’s Rockville High School last month were among more than 150,000 unaccompanied minors who entered the U.S. illegally over the past three years, mostly from Central America. Like most other Central Americans who are under 18 years old and travel alone illegally to the U.S., the…Josh Siegel -
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The Left’s Sanctuary Cities Hurt Americans’ Safety
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement on Monday that the Justice Department will bar all sanctuary cities from receiving any grants or other federal funds from the department should be welcome news to Americans—especially those whose families have been victimized by criminal illegal aliens released by sanctuary cities like San Francisco. As Sessions pointed out, Kate…Hans von Spakovsky