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
College Subsidies for Illegal Immigrants Get Their Day in Court
A few weeks ago, we reported on a lawsuit in California brought by a resident and taxpayer against the Board of Regents of the University of California. Earl De Vries claimed that by giving in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants at all University of California schools, the regents were in violation of federal law. A… -
news
The ‘Untold Threat’ Responsible for 40% of Illegal Immigrants
While the debate over illegal immigration tends to focus on how to control and treat those who make it across our nation’s borders, a more enduring challenge for the U.S. government has been what to do to stop legal entrants from overstaying their allotted time here. The problem of so-called visa “overstays”—which make up about… -
opinion
Californian’s Fight Against Illegal College Subsidies for Illegal Immigrants Heads to Court
The next front in the battle over in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants will play out in a California appeals court on Nov. 3 in a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch on behalf of California resident and taxpayer Earl De Vries. The issue there is not whether the California Legislature can authorize in-state tuition to illegal… -
news
Find Out What Immigration Growth Looks Like in Your State
There are more immigrants living in the United States than ever before. The foreign-born are more likely to come from China and India—often equipped with skills and a higher education—than Mexico. Many of the immigrants who live here have called the U.S. home for a while—an average of nearly 21 years—and their economic and social… -
opinion
The Many Illegal Immigration Failures of the Obama Administration
The Obama administration is secretly delaying deportations for several years. That’s according to a bombshell report from The New York Times, which interviewed Department of Homeland Security employees as well as immigration judges and lawyers. And it’s far from the only failure this administration has when it comes to enforcing our immigration laws. Since 2014,… -
news
Illegal Immigrant With a Violent History Charged With Killing 5. Now a GOP Senator Is Asking Questions.
The Republican leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee is seeking further answers from the Obama administration about why an illegal immigrant charged with murdering five homeless people in a Los Angeles arson fire this summer was not previously deported. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa on Wednesday wrote a letter to Sarah Saldana, the director of… -
opinion
Every Immigrant Without High School Degree Will Cost Taxpayers $640,000
On Thursday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will release its report on “The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration.” According to the report, first generation immigrants as a group increase the nation’s fiscal deficit. In other words, the government benefits they receive exceed the taxes paid. The National Academies’ report provides 75-year… -
news
Under Obama’s New Enforcement Program, Fewer Illegal Immigrants Being Captured for Deportation
Under a revamped Obama administration program intended to encourage greater cooperation from local law enforcement agencies in helping deport illegal immigrants who the government considers “a danger” to public safety, fewer people are being taken into custody for eventual removal from the country. In November 2014, the administration introduced the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), a… -
news
Child Rape Case Inspires Lawmaker to Fight Philadelphia’s Sanctuary City Policy
An illegal immigrant living in Philadelphia has been charged with raping a child, spurring opponents of the city’s “sanctuary” policy to use his arrest to bolster their argument that such practices leave dangerous criminals on the streets. Pennsylvania state Rep. Martina White, a Republican, says the alleged rapist, Ramon Aguirre-Ochoa, a 45-year-old Honduran national, avoided… -
news
How Other Nations Stop US From Deporting Criminal Illegal Immigrants
Susanna Ruth Makinson can blame a lot of things for why her then-husband was shot dead eight years ago while patrolling the streets of Fort Myers, Florida, the first time since 1930 a police officer had been gunned down in the city. That’s because, in a distant way out of her—and his—control, Andrew Widman’s death… -
opinion
How Congress Is Looking to Fix Immigration Enforcement Problem
The United States Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on Wednesday on two bills related to immigration enforcement. The sanctuary cities and “Kate’s Law” bills were combined last year, but failed to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to proceed to the bill. Senate Democrats blocked the combined bill in October 2015. The two bills… -
opinion
Number of Victims Rescued From Human Trafficking Almost Doubled in 2016
According to the newly released Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, the number of human trafficking victims rescued and traffickers prosecuted nearly doubled in 2016. The statistics offer hope that greater emphasis is being placed on rule of law solutions to fight human trafficking. The report, conducted by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in… -
news
How Immigration Fueled the Brexit Result
The vote by Britons on Thursday to leave the European Union doubled as a referendum on how the country views the issue of immigration. With immigration at an all-time high in Britain, voters concerned about related issues such as economic uncertainty and sovereignty decided to shed their national identity by voting to upend 43 years… -
news
San Francisco Charter Amendment Would Grant Illegal Immigrants a Vote in Local Schools
A potential San Francisco ballot proposal could give illegal immigrants a voice in Bay Area schools. A charter amendment by San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar is intended to grant illegal immigrants with children in school the right to vote in San Francisco Unified School District school board elections. Two similar measures were presented in the… -
news
Obama’s Real Legacy on Immigration Enforcement
Some liberals call President Barack Obama the “deporter-in-chief.” But many conservatives believe the president has not been tough enough on illegal immigration. To check the record, The Daily Signal investigated deportation statistics during Obama’s time in the White House. Learn more about Obama’s immigration enforcement legacy in this short animated video. -
news
1 Year After Steinle Death, San Francisco Unveils Immigration Policy Keeping ‘Sanctuary’ Protections
Nearly one year after Kate Steinle was killed in San Francisco allegedly by a man living in the U.S. illegally, the city has approved a new policy restricting the circumstances under which it will cooperate with immigration requests from the federal government. San Francisco’s new sheriff, Vicki Hennessy, and the city’s board of supervisors reached… -
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…