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
DOJ Wants to Hide the Names of Illegal Aliens Granted Amnesty
The Justice Department is resisting a judge’s order to provide ethics training for its lawyers and is objecting to turning over to the court the names of illegal aliens who were granted what amounts to administrative amnesty (“deferrals”) in stark violation of an injunction issued by the court. On May 19, Judge Andrew Hanen of… -
news
The Slow Progress of Obama Administration Program to Stem Illegal Immigration From Central America
A key component of the Obama administration’s response to a crisis of Central Americans fleeing violence before illegally crossing the U.S. southern border is not operational more than four months after it was announced. On Jan. 13, Secretary of State John Kerry introduced a program to allow Central American children and families to apply for… -
news
In 2015, 19,000 Criminal Illegal Immigrants Were Released From Custody
More than 19,000 criminal illegal immigrants were released from custody in 2015, according to new figures disclosed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. The 19,723 criminal releases—as the government refers to them—represent a 35 percent decrease from fiscal year 2014. The phrase “criminal releases” can apply to a wide range of crimes, including… -
news
Texas Governor Predicts Supreme Court ‘Politics’ Will Prevent States’ Outright Win on Obama Immigration Actions
The governor of the state leading the legal fight against President Barack Obama’s executive actions protecting illegal immigrants from deportation predicted today that “the best we can hope for” is a deadlocked decision by the Supreme Court. That’s the difference the vacancy on the court left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia makes, Texas… -
news
Protesters, Politicians Spar at Supreme Court Over Obama’s Immigration Program
Mercedes Garcia would be eligible to benefit from President Barack Obama’s 2014 immigration executive actions, with the opportunity to earn quasi-legal status that would allow her three U.S. citizen daughters to not worry about their mother being arrested. Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican congressman from Garcia’s home state of Colorado, doesn’t believe Garcia—who is living… -
opinion
Senate Amendment Seeks to Plug Holes in Cuba Immigration Policy
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. has introduced an amendment aimed at curtailing the widespread abuse of welfare benefits by Cuban migrants. The measure, introduced as an amendment to a bill funding the Federal Aviation Administration, is aimed at reforming the core of the current Cuba immigration policy: the outdated notion that all Cuban migrants are political… -
news
US Immigration Agency Returns ‘Freedom of Religion’ to Naturalization Exam
Sen. James Lankford has made a small vocabulary victory that he believes will have a significant impact on religious liberty. The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it plans to replace the term “freedom of worship” on all naturalization materials with “freedom of religion.” The Oklahoma Republican began pushing DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to make… -
news
How a Suspected Murderer and Criminally Convicted Illegal Immigrant Avoided Deportation
Before Pablo A. Serrano-Vitorino became the suspect in a murder spree across two states, the man, a once deported Mexican living in the United States illegally, was convicted of multiple crimes, across different agencies, but still free. Serrano-Vitorino’s case involved a series of errors that kept him from being detained by federal immigration authorities, and… -
opinion
Economic Freedom Essential to Fighting Human Trafficking
New data suggests that countries that rank higher in economic freedom are better at preventing human trafficking. A new report released by The Heritage Foundation found that when core tenets of economic freedom, such as rule of law, are practically applied to fight trafficking, the results are positive. The report used data from The Heritage Foundation’s 2016… -
news
The Challenge of Tracking Money Sent to Other Countries From Illegal Immigrants
Two recent reports by the federal government’s watchdog shed light on one of the more overlooked elements of immigration to the United States: the money migrants send to the country from which they came. The U.S. is the largest source of these money transfers sent overseas by foreign-born residents, known as remittances, with an estimated… -
opinion
What Would Happen If New York City Went Forward With Letting Illegal Immigrants Vote
The New York Post is reporting that some members of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus will be pushing for the New York City Council to pass a law allowing illegal aliens to vote in NYC elections for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and City Council. This is an anti-democratic policy driven by politics… -
opinion
The Sneaky Way Obama Administration Is Making It Look Like Fewer Illegal Immigrants Are Skipping Court Dates
Four out of 10 illegal immigrants never show up for their court hearings. That’s according to Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council (which represents border patrol agents). Judd testified that illegal immigrants show up to their required court hearings only 60 percent of the time after being issued a “notice to appear” at… -
news
The Immigration Crisis of Unaccompanied Minors Never Really Ended
The crisis of unaccompanied Central American children illegally crossing the United States’ southern border does not end when they enter this country. As the children arrive and settle in the U.S. and wait to hear their fate in immigration court, some are placed into homes where they are sexually assaulted or forced to work. Meanwhile,… -
opinion
Obama’s Response to Surge of Illegal Immigrants Is Inadequate
Record numbers of unaccompanied alien minors and adults traveling with minors are again surging across our southern border, overwhelming federal and state resources, creating a border security nightmare, and ensuring record profits for the criminal organizations that control the drug and human smuggling and trafficking business along the border. More than 152,000 unaccompanied minors and… -
news
Senator Sinks Obama Court Nominee Over ‘Uncomfortable’ Views on Illegal Immigration
A U.S. senator has scuttled President Barack Obama’s nomination of a pro-amnesty judge from his home state of Georgia in the latest skirmish over judicial nominees. Citing Judge Dax Lopez’s work with an organization supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants, Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., last week torpedoed Obama’s nominee to the U.S. District Court for Georgia…. -
opinion
The Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Administration’s Immigration Actions
The Supreme Court will hear a case brought by Texas and 25 other states challenging President Barack Obama’s attempt to give legal status and work authorizations to more than four million illegal immigrants. In a brief order today, the Supreme Court directed the government and the states to address whether the Obama administration’s program “violates… -
news
Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions Blame Lax Immigration Enforcers for 113 Terror Suspects in US
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Jeff Sessions of Alabama continue to push the Obama administration for answers on the rise of homegrown and imported terrorism—an increase the two attribute to increased immigration from jihadi hot spots. The Republican senators seek more information concerning 113 individuals in the U.S. who, by their count, “have been… -
news
Indiana Ponders Revoking Business Licenses From Employers Who Hire Illegal Immigrants
Indiana may crack down soon on employers who hire illegal immigrants, under a new bill that would prohibit those convicted of doing so from practicing business in the state. The legislation, announced in the Indiana General Assembly last week, would enable judges to revoke business licenses from employers who repeatedly and “knowingly” hire illegal immigrants. State Sen. Mike Delph,… -
opinion
New Obama Executive Action to Shred Immigration Caps
President Barack Obama has announced another brazen, illegal executive action. As Americans gathered with loved ones to wish each other a more prosperous new year, the president issued an edict to put that longed-for prosperity farther out of reach. President Barack Obama has announced another brazen, illegal executive action. In a proposed federal rule published… -
news
What’s Driving the Latest Surge of Illegal Immigration From Central America
In a reprise of the humanitarian crisis of summer 2014, rising numbers of Central American children and families are crossing the Rio Grande Valley into Texas, causing a reckoning over whether the U.S. is facing a “new normal” of illegal migration from countries facing violence and poverty. Though the U.S. is better prepared to handle…