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
Trump Backs Merit-Based Changes to Immigration System
President Donald Trump, who already has taken executive actions to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, on Wednesday put the weight of the White House behind a bill to begin to modernize the nation’s immigration system by favoring new entries who bring needed skills to America. Trump announced he is backing legislation co-sponsored by two… -
opinion
Jeff Sessions Set to Block Millions in Funding to Sanctuary Cities
The Department of Justice announced last week that sanctuary jurisdictions will lose access to certain federal law enforcement grants in 2017 if they prohibit officials from communicating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, if they block ICE from interviewing jail inmates, or if they fail to notify ICE of the pending release of criminal aliens ICE… -
news
Victim’s Mother Speaks Out Against Protection Granted to Illegal Immigrants
The mother of a police officer who was killed in a car accident in 2014 is calling on Americans who have been affected by acts of violence from illegal immigrants to speak out against incidents like the one that took her son’s life. “We want Americans to come out of the shadows and let their… -
opinion
Some Cities Want to Help With Immigration Enforcement, Not Be Sanctuaries
The House passed two closely watched immigration bills this week, one of which seeks to impose penalties on localities that refuse to assist federal officials in enforcing immigration laws. Such localities are better known today as “sanctuary cities.” While sanctuary cities are a serious problem, not all localities are opposed to helping enforce federal law…. -
news
GOP Senator Proposes Transferring Sanctuary Cities’ Federal Funds to Border Wall Budget
One Republican senator is proposing a new solution for sanctuary cities that do not follow U.S. immigration law: Take some of their federal funding and transfer it to a budget for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. “How many innocent American lives must be lost before security becomes the first priority of immigration?” Sen. Luther Strange,… -
news
White House Backs 2 Bills Targeting Illegal Immigration
The White House has put its weight behind two House bills to crack down on illegal immigration, a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s campaign. Issuing statements of administration policy Tuesday, the White House endorsed a bill known as Kate’s Law that would strengthen penalties on criminal illegal immigrants. The administration also said it backs a… -
news
Why ‘There Will Always Be a Place’ for Horses in the US Border Patrol
Editor’s note: White House press secretary Jen Psaki, answering questions about Border Patrol efforts to stop Haitian refugees from entering Texas, told reporters Sept. 23, 2021, that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had just informed “civil rights leaders” that the Biden administration “would no longer be using horses” in the Del Rio sector. The Daily… -
news
Illegal Immigrant Held in Beating Death of Virginia Teen
An illegal immigrant beat a 17-year-old girl with a metal baseball bat before dawn on Father’s Day and dumped her body in a pond in a suburb of Washington, police say. Authorities said a man they identified as Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, attacked and abducted Nabra Hassanen after getting into an argument with a group… -
opinion
Trump’s Immigration Order Took a Second Hit, as Expected. Now the Supreme Court Must Get Involved.
No one should be surprised that a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel, made up of three judges appointed by President Bill Clinton, upheld the injunction on Monday against President Donald Trump’s revised executive order temporarily halting entry from six terrorist safe haven nations. The 9th Circuit panel was simply following the lead of the… -
opinion
We Hear You: Illegal Immigration and MS-13 Make a Lethal Combination
Editor’s note: The mixture of illegal immigration and violent crime in Josh Siegel’s profile of the transnational gang MS-13, and his separate interview with the leader of a police task force fighting MS-13 in suburban Maryland, sparked blunt and passionate response from readers. Here’s a sample.—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: It is long past the time we… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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,… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
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…. -
news
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… -
opinion
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…