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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news
Conservatives Dispute Civil Rights Commission Report Citing ‘Inhumane’ Conditions at Immigrant Detention Centers
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released an extensive report Thursday urging President Barack Obama to release undocumented immigrant women and children from detention facilities, citing “abuse” and “inhumane” conditions. The commission found that several of the facilities had violated federal requirements regarding the treatment of detained immigrants, including poor medical care standards, inadequate sexual… -
news
Five Questions Sen. James Lankford Wants Obama to Answer About His Immigration Actions
Sen. James Lankford will send a letter to the White House on Thursday asking the president to clarify his remarks that there will be “consequences” for government officials who do not comply with his executive order on immigration. This is the second attempt Lankford, R-Okla., has made to have President Barack Obama explain his statement…. -
news
16 Photos of the Refugees Stranded in Hungary Amid Migrant Crisis
Thousands of migrants from Middle Eastern countries, including Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, have fled to Europe. As European countries grapple with the situation, Hungary has become the epicenter of the crisis, with many on trains or at train stations. Many of the migrants have resisted going to a refugee camp. 100s of #refugees stuck inside… -
news
Study: Half of Immigrant Households Used at Least One Welfare Program
The majority of immigrants in the U.S. receive some form of government welfare, significantly outpacing native-born Americans who use benefit programs, according to a study released Wednesday. The Center for Immigration Studies, a non-profit organization that advocates for decreased immigration, reported that 51 percent of immigrant households used at least one welfare program in 2012… -
opinion
The Number of Victims Shows There’s No Excuse for Sanctuary Cities
A litigation battle is raging between the states and President Barack Obama over his attempt to impose a nationwide “sanctuary” policy for illegal aliens. Yet there is no question that existing sanctuary policies implemented by numerous towns and cities have victimized innocent Americans. Those sanctuary policies have enabled illegal aliens to commit thousands of crimes—crimes… -
opinion
Ann Coulter on Why Immigration Is the Only Issue That Matters
Political commentator Ann Coulter believes that immigration is the most important issue facing America today. If we don’t get it right, she says, debates over economics, foreign policy, and other issues just won’t matter. Coulter makes the case in her new book, “Adios, America,” that it has been the goal of liberals for decades to… -
news
Why Chris Christie Wants to Defund Sanctuary Cities
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the next president of the United States should make sure federal dollars don’t flow to sanctuary cities. “Withdraw federal funding from cities that don’t or are unwilling to enforce the federal immigration law,” Christie told The Daily Signal at the RedState Gathering this weekend in Atlanta. The issue of sanctuary… -
news
Domestic Sex Trafficking Survivors Find Hope in Small-Town Iowa Halfway Home
DES MOINES, Iowa–At the intersection of two of the nation’s largest highways, I-35 and I-80, sits the Des Moines, Iowa metro area, known for its small-town feel, farmer’s markets and frequent visits from presidential campaign hopefuls. Less well-known is the fact that the area has become a crossroads for domestic sex trafficking—an industry that claims… -
news
Chris Christie Calls for Sanctuary Cities to Lose Federal Funding: ‘The Law Is the Law’
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa— Speaking at a sports bar in a college town here, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called for funding to be taken away from cities that do not enforce federal immigration laws. “The laws on the books need to be enforced,” said Christie, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president. “People selectively… -
news
Illegal Immigrant Charged With Murder Was Previously Detained
An illegal immigrant accused of attempted rape and murder during a violent crime spree Monday was released by Ohio sheriff’s deputies three weeks ago after U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents told the officers not to detain him. Juan Emmanuel Razo-Ramirez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was arrested after a shootout with police in Lake… -
news
Study: 87% of Illegal Immigrants Won’t Be Deported Under Obama’s Executive Actions
A new study has found that of the unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. already, most of them will be spared from deportation under Obama’s recent executive actions. A report released last Thursday from the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think-tank in Washington, found that 13 percent of an estimated 11 million immigrants without papers—1.4 million… -
opinion
Illegal Immigrant Sex Offenders Are Escaping Deportation, Not Having to Join Sex Offender Registry
The murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by a seven-time felon and five-time deportee has sparked a nationwide debate about sanctuary cities and immigration policy. We recently learned that in one eight-month period in 2014, more than 8,100 deportable aliens were released by sanctuary jurisdictions. Of those, three thousand were felons and 62 percent… -
opinion
Jim DeMint on Americans’ Views of Sanctuary Cities: ‘Anger is Building’
Former Sen. Jim DeMint, president of The Heritage Foundation, spoke to Fox News today about sanctuary cities. “Millions of Americans are angry about this,” DeMint said. “Americans don’t understand why we don’t protect our border, why cities like San Francisco ignore our federal laws and allow convicted felons who are illegal to stay and live… -
news
Kate Steinle’s Father: ‘Self-Inflicted Wound’ of Sanctuary Cities Caused My Daughter’s Death
The father of Kathryn Steinle, the 32-year-old woman fatally shot earlier this month by an illegal immigrant, made a powerful appeal before Congress Tuesday urging lawmakers to close the “legal loopholes” allowing the release of undocumented immigrants with prior criminal records back onto U.S. streets. "Due to disjointed laws and basic incompetence at many levels,… -
news
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… -
news
‘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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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…