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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Obama Administration to Take Back Work Permits From Illegal Immigrants
The Obama administration is rushing to comply with a federal court order, dispersing officials throughout the U.S. to personally seize more than 2,000 work permits that were granted to illegal immigrants under the president’s executive actions. The federal immigration authorities will make personal home visits to caution immigrants that their deportation protections will expire at…Natalie Johnson -
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‘Control the Purse Strings’: Opponents Plot to Stop Sanctuary Cities
Does the murder of Kate Steinle spell the end of sanctuary cities in the United States? Lou Barletta hopes so. Barletta, a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, said Wednesday at a National Press Club event in Washington, D.C., that Congress has the power to end sanctuary cities. “We control the money, and if we really want…Samantha Reinis -
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You’ve Heard of Sanctuary Cities. But Do You Know What They Are?
In the wake of a San Francisco shooting that garnered national attention, the immigration debate has centered on sanctuary cities. Sanctuary policies differ from city to city, but generally the policies instruct city employees and law enforcement to not ask the immigration status of criminal suspects. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, more than…Alex Anderson -
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Tim Huelskamp’s Plan for How Lawmakers Can Hold Sanctuary Cities Accountable
One conservative congressman thinks lawmakers should take action on sanctuary cities. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., believes lawmakers have a unique tool to use on the issue of sanctuary cities. “What we can do is use the power of the purse to hold this administration accountable, hold these cities accountable,” he told The Daily Signal in…Jamie Jackson -
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Rick Perry on Sanctuary Cities: ‘This Is About the Security of This Country’
HAMPTON, Iowa—Campaigning here Monday afternoon, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said that all federal funding must be cut off to sanctuary cities that refuse to assist in helping the federal government enforce immigration laws. Sanctuary cities have been a controversial topic in the news after San Francisco officials released from custody an illegal immigrant who…Leah Jessen -
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Sanctuary Cities Ignore Detainer Requests, Release Over 8,000 Criminal Illegal Immigrants
Over the course of eight months in 2014, sanctuary jurisdictions released more than 8,000 criminal illegal immigrant offenders the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was seeking to deport, according to a new report released by The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). Out of the 8,000 released, approximately 1,900 were arrested for a successive crime during…Diana Stancy -
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Cartoon: Sanctuary Cities vs. Non-Sanctuary Cities
The Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky wrote about sanctuary cities and Kate Steinle's murder this week: After admitting to shooting and killing 32-year-old Kate Steinle, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an illegal alien, was asked why he had come to San Francisco. He responded that “he knew San Francisco was a sanctuary city where he would not…Glenn Foden -
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Is Your City a Sanctuary City? This Map Has the Answer.
Is your city a sanctuary city? The Center for Immigration Studies has released an interactive map depicting cities, counties and states that are “sanctuaries” for immigrants who are in the country illegally. >>>View interactive map here The map shows over 200 sanctuary cities, counties and states nationwide. Sanctuary cities are cities or jurisdictions where local authorities…Kate Scanlon -
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GOP Lawmakers Push Obama Administration to Get Tough on Sanctuary Cities After San Francisco Killing
Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate are pressing the Obama administration to get tough with San Francisco and other jurisdictions that don’t cooperate on immigration enforcement, after the fatal shooting of a woman on a popular stretch of the California city’s waterfront. The man accused of the July 1 killing is an illegal immigrant…Ken McIntyre -
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Ben Carson: Sanctuary Cities for Illegal Immigrants Are ‘Ridiculous’
BEDFORD, N.H.—Ben Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon and Republican presidential candidate, called the concept of sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants “ridiculous” during a campaign stop today at the Bedford Village Inn. Carson was referring to a recent murder in San Francisco, where an alleged killer was released from custody despite having been deported from the…Kate Scanlon -
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How Unusual Is Francisco Sanchez Case? The Facts About Illegal Immigrants and Crimes
An illegal immigrant federal officials claim was convicted of seven felonies and deported five times shot a woman on the San Francisco waterfront last Wednesday. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who was arrested an hour after the attack, admitted he shot 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, but claimed the incident was an “accident.” Lopez-Sanchez, also known simply as Francisco…Diana Stancy -
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Obama Administration Seeks Expansion of Student Visas for Immigrants
President Obama has proposed to extend the time some immigrant students can stay and work in the United States after they graduate from college, and some in Congress are unhappy because they say these students take and keep jobs that should go to Americans. The Optional Practical Training allows students to stay in the United…Leah Jessen -
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California to Subsidize Health Care for Illegal Immigrant Children
A California budget deal announced this week would provide state-funded health care coverage to children living in the U.S. illegally, making the state the first in the nation to do so. The deal between Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders would cover about 170,000 immigrants 18 and under and is expected to easily pass the…Natalie Johnson -
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Before Skeptical Lawmakers, Officials Defend ‘Legality’ of Obama’s Immigration Actions
Top government officials were called before Congress today to answer a series of questions about illegal immigration enforcement since President Obama announced his plan to grant legal status to millions here illegally. Obama’s executive actions on immigration—introduced in November—are currently on hold due to a federal court ruling. “President Obama made far-reaching, unilateral changes to…Kate Scanlon -
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Senators Want Answers: 121 Illegal Immigrants Avoid Deportation, Now Charged With Murder
More than 100 convicted criminals who remained in the U.S. despite receiving deportation orders between 2010 and 2014 now face murder charges, according to the agency charged with carrying out such deportations of illegal immigrants. U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement reports that 121 convicted criminals who were never removed from the country face murder charges today….Diana Stancy -
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Study: US Arresting Fewer Criminally Convicted Illegal Immigrants
The Center for Immigration Studies recently released a report stating that arrests of non-citizens who have been convicted of a crime decreased by 32 percent since this time last year. However, the Center for Immigration Studies says this does not indicate there are fewer criminally convicted illegal immigrants in the United States, but rather, the government…Diana Stancy -
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Senator Pressures Government to Add ‘Freedom of Religion’ to US Immigration Exam
Marking the anniversary of when the First Amendment right to “freedom of religion” was introduced, Sen. James Lankford is pressuring the Department of Homeland Security to change language used in a U.S. citizens exam. “It is my understanding that the answer choice ‘freedom of worship’ has been used since 2008, when [the U.S. Citizen and…Kelsey Bolar -
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The Obama Administration Was Handed a Huge Immigration Defeat. Here’s Why It Matters.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals handed the Obama administration a huge defeat this week. It denied the government’s request for an emergency stay of a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of President Obama’s immigration amnesty program. This is not a decision on the merits of the lawsuit filed against the administration…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Federal Appeals Court Keeps Hold on Obama’s Immigration Actions
A federal appeals court has decided to keep a hold on President Obama’s immigration executive actions, preventing the program from at least temporarily going into effect. Two of three judges on a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled to uphold an injunction on Obama’s 2014 immigration actions. Judge Andrew…Josh Siegel -
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Can Marco Rubio Make Peace With Conservatives on Immigration?
Some conservatives wrote off Marco Rubio as a prospective candidate for president because of the Florida Republican’s work on, and advocacy for, the Gang of Eight immigration reform bill. The first-term senator began to talk about that legislation as a mistake, though, as he moved toward his April 13 announcement that he was formally entering…Ken McIntyre