Tag: Department of Homeland Security

Florida Files SCOTUS Brief Ahead of Oral Arguments over DHS Not Deporting Violent Criminal Aliens

The Center Square

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a lawsuit filed by Texas and Louisiana seeking to halt a Department of Homeland Security policy that limited federal agents from detaining and deporting dangerous criminal aliens and instead is allowing them to remain in the U.S.

“Biden’s refusal to enact federal immigration laws passed by Congress is jeopardizing public safety,” Moody said. Earlier this year, Moody and 18 other attorneys general also filed a brief with the court in support of Texas’ and Louisiana’s case.

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Ohio U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan Demands Biden Admin Show Compliance with Landmark Energy Decision

Admin

Republican Ranking House Judiciary Committee Member Jim Jordan told Biden administration authorities Tuesday to show how their agencies are obeying the Supreme Court’s June West Virginia v. EPA decision limiting the EPA’s power to unilaterally regulate emissions.

The court ruled in West Virginia v. EPA that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could not set carbon dioxide emissions caps for power plants to force a national transition away from coal power without explicit congressional authorization. Jordan sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Kathi Vidal, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan asking whether their agencies are complying with the decision.

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Biden Admin to Expel Illegal Migrants from Venezuela, Provide Thousands of Others a Legal Pathway

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The Biden administration will begin expelling some illegal migrants from Venezuela to Mexico, while giving 24,000 others a legal pathway to enter the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday.

U.S. border authorities will return Venezuelan migrants who cross illegally to Mexico; however, if they cross the border at a U.S. port of entry and meet certain requirements, including having a U.S. sponsor, they will be allowed to enter and apply for work authorization, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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Biden DHS Hands Out Cellphones to over 255,000 Illegal Aliens

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Over the course of the last year, the Biden Administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has given out free cell phones to at least 255,000 illegal aliens who either crossed the border or were captured and released into the United States.

Breitbart reports that the data was published by the DHS, as part of the department’s broader Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which seeks other methods of handling illegals besides simply apprehending and deporting them. The DHS claims that the purpose of the cell phone scheme was to be able to track their locations using the phones.

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DHS Released Record Number of Illegal Migrants with Tracking Devices, Phones

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a record number of illegal migrants with tracking devices and phones, according to new agency data.

As of Sept. 24, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had 316,700 illegal migrants enrolled in what is known as “Alternatives to Detention,” which uses a facial recognition application, GPS monitoring and telephonic reporting, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), which obtains data through Freedom of Information Act requests.

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Commentary: Biden’s Proposed Public Benefits for Aliens Rule Unwisely Removes Obstacle to Green Card

Admin

In its latest effort to “remove barriers” to immigration, the Department of Homeland Security is finalizing the long-awaited public charge rule, codifying a weak standard that upends congressional intent, decades of precedent, and the core American value of self-reliance.

The term “public charge” first appeared in statute in 1882, when Congress barred the admission of “any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge.”

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Biden Admin Makes It Easier for Illegal Migrants on Welfare to Stay in America

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will make it easier for certain illegal migrants benefiting from certain welfare programs to stay in the country beginning Dec. 23.

The “Public Charge” rule, which applies to noncitizens “likely at any time to become a public charge,” will no longer consider certain nutrition, health and housing benefits for inadmissibility, according to DHS. Noncitizens who are considered a “public charge” face potential inadmissibility and denial of Green Card status.

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Arizona Representative Presses Secretary Mayorkas for Allowing Illegal Immigrants to Fly on Commercial Airplanes Without Proper ID

Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) recently pressed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and demanded answers regarding the department allowing illegal immigrants to fly on commercial airplanes without presenting acceptable identification.

“President Biden’s DHS is failing to adhere to its mission of ‘safeguard[ing] the American people, our homeland, and our values,'” Biggs said in a press release. “Transporting potentially tens of thousands of lawbreakers throughout the country—with virtually unknown backgrounds—is a national security risk and defies the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission. It also incentivizes more illegal immigration to our country at a time when the border has already passed its breaking point.”

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Customs and Border Patrol to Fill Holes in the U.S. Southern Border Wall Near Yuma

Neil Jones

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (D) gave U.S. Customs and Border Protection the authorization to execute the Yuma Morelos Dam Project and close four gaps along the border wall.

“These projects address operational impacts, as well as immediate life and safety risks, and will be funded with DHS’s Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations,” according to a DHS statement.

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Biden Admin Reducing Illegal Border Crossing Prosecutions: Report

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Prosecutions of illegal border crossings under the Biden administration have significantly decreased amid historically high migrant encounters, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo The Washington Free Beacon obtained.

There were only 2,896 migrants transferred to the U.S. Marshal’s custody in the 2021 fiscal year, compared to 13,213 during the previous fiscal year and 20,604 in fiscal year 2019, according to the memo.

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Andy Biggs Sends Letter to U.S. Departments Demanding They Stop Transporting Illegal Immigrant Minors Across State Lines for Abortions

Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs sent a letter Friday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the Department of Health and Human & Human Safety (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, demanding they cease transporting illegal alien minors across state lines to receive abortions.

“The Biden Administration is now savagely transporting alien minors in federal custody to receive abortions,” Biggs said in a press release. “This outrageous use of federal resources to transport minors across state lines for abortions or otherwise providing or facilitating abortions in DHS or HHS custody is a heinous act and must be stopped.”

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Migrant Encounters at U.S.-Mexico Border Hit Another Historic High

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The number of migrants encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border decreased in June, but remained at a historic high, according to numbers released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Friday.

CBP encountered 207,416 migrants at the southern border, a 14% decrease compared to May. There were 92,274 migrants immediately expelled under Title 42, the public health order activated during the COVID-19 pandemic, in June.

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Richmond Police Thwart Terrorist Plot by Men in U.S. Illegally

The Center Square

The Richmond Police Department thwarted a mass shooting of Virginians on July 4 by two men who were in the U.S. illegally. Their plans, which were unknown to the Department of Homeland Security – the agency tasked with preventing terrorist attacks – were thwarted by an anonymous tipster who called the police.

Republican Gov. Glen Youngkin called the tipster a “hero.”

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Arizona Attorney General Alleges DHS Is Abusing Parole Authority by Releasing Criminal Illegal Aliens into Communities

Neil Jones

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Texas v. United States, which focuses on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) dangerous Permanent Guidance.

“This policy is another example in the shameful list of actions that the Biden administration is taking to hobble immigration enforcement and encourage border crossings,” Brnovich said in a press release. “It has and continues to cause the Amici States extensive harm through increased law enforcement, education, and health care expenditures.”

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Congressional Republicans Look to Designate Jane’s Revenge Attacks as Domestic Terrorism

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Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday, demanding that various attacks by a pro-choice organization be classified as acts of domestic terrorism.

The letter, spearheaded by Oklahoma Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin and endorsed by Republican Reps. Greg Steube, Jeff Duncan, Jody Hice and Lauren Boebert, cited acts of violence allegedly by pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge and expressed their apprehension toward the government’s respons to the group’s actions and destruction.

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Andy Biggs Demands a Briefing from Senator Mayorkas over Move to Discipline Border Patrol Agents

Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) sent a letter to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, demanding a briefing on the investigation into Del Rio, Texas, border patrol agents amidst reports that these agents will be disciplined.

The letter requests that Mayorkas provide a briefing by June 24, 2022. Biggs’s spokesman told the Arizona Sun Times that the DHS has not responded to Biggs’s letter yet.

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Tech Company Slack Bans Conservative Group from Using Its Platform

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On Wednesday, the tech company Slack announced that it had banned a conservative immigration restrictionist group from using its services, allegedly for violations of the platform’s “terms of service.”

The Washington Free Beacon reports that Slack, a messaging app designed specifically for professional and workplace use, did not offer any specific reasoning for their ban, nor an explanation of which terms of service were violated, when they banned the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

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Lawmakers Say Documents Show DHS Head Misled Congress About Disinformation Board, Demand Hearing

The Center Square

Several Republican senators are demanding a hearing saying they received documents from a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower about the agency’s new disinformation governance board that allegedly show DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas misled a Senate committee when he testified about the board last month.

The lawmakers sent a letter this week to Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee asking for a hearing on the issue where Mayorkas could come back for questioning.

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Supreme Court Dismisses GOP Lawsuit to Make It Harder for Migrants to Stay in the U.S.

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The Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to increase restrictions on illegal aliens entering or seeking to stay in the U.S.

The lawsuit argued that Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and 12 other states suing had the right to defend the rule, which was reversed by the Biden administration. The Supreme Court’s dismissal means the high court is not willing to weigh in on whether the states can fight to reinstate the Trump-era rule, leaving in place a lower court ruling that favored the Biden administration.

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Whistleblower Docs: DHS’s Disinformation Board Was Poised to Crack Down on Information Questioning Vaccines, Masks, and Validity of 2020 Election

Admin

by Debra Heine   The Department of Homeland Security’s paused “Disinformation Governance Board” (DGB) was set up to respond to matters the government unilaterally determined to be mis-, dis- or mal-information (MDM)—specifically information that counters official regime narratives on “the origins and effects of COVID-19 vaccines,” “the efficacy of masks,” the validity of the 2020 election,” and “falsehoods surrounding U.S. Government immigration policy,” records obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) reveal. A DHS whistleblower provided the senators with internal DHS documents revealing how the board planned to coordinate with social media platforms to enable the removal of user content it deemed to be “MDM.” “The First Amendment of the Constitution was designed precisely so that the government could not censor opposing viewpoints – even if those viewpoints were false. DHS should not in any way seek to enlist the private sector to curb or silence opposing viewpoints. It is therefore imperative for DHS to provide additional clarity regarding its policies and procedures for identifying and addressing ‘MDM,’ as well as its efforts to ‘operationalize’ public-private partnerships and the steps it is taking to ensure that it does not infringe on the constitutional rights of American…

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Republican Senators Demand Federal Law Enforcement Work to Prevent Violence Against Pro-Life and Faith-Based Organizations

Susan Berry, PhD

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is one of 16 Republican senators who joined in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland Tuesday that calls for federal law enforcement to investigate acts of violence against organizations working to protect the unborn and to prevent future acts.

The letter follows one written by Johnson in May to Garland, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in which the senator asked the federal officials why the violent attack on the Wisconsin Family Action office in Madison has not been identified as an act of “domestic terrorism.”

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Georgia to Create Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams to Improve School Safety

The Center Square

Georgia is working to create Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams throughout the state as a part of a broader school safety effort.

Eight regional Homeland Security Coordinators, all sworn law enforcement officers, will lead the teams and respond to threats or concerning behavior that may be considered a pathway to violence. The BTATs will provide help and guidance to local schools and communities to mitigate potential threats.

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Gosar Responds After Feds Approve 35,000 More Temporary Work Visas

Peter D'Abrosca

A U.S. Congressman from Arizona responded Monday to reports that the federal government will dole out 35,000 more temporary worker visas for foreigners to work in Arizona.

“The Biden administration has laid down the welcome mat to over two million criminals who have walked across our southern border while tens of thousands of unvetted refugees have been flown in from Afghanistan,” Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04) told The Arizona Sun Times. “With millions of Americans including our veterans who are now unemployed, homeless, or living in poverty we need to take care of one another before we allow thousands more to migrate here. That is why I have introduced legislation calling on a pause of migration to America so we can figure out how to put the American people first.”

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Senate Republicans Vow to Shut Down ‘Domestic Terrorism’ Bill

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Josh Hawley

Republicans in the United States Senate appear united in opposition to a recently-passed bill that allegedly aims to combat “domestic terrorism” in the United States, which was passed in the aftermath of the Buffalo massacre.

According to The Hill, Republicans have called out the bill’s blatant partisanship, with Democrats immediately blaming Republicans for the shooting before introducing the bill as a mostly symbolic gesture.

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CBP Launches Anti-Smuggling Effort at Border

Peter D'Abrosca

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) this week announced a digital advertising campaign geared towards would be illegal aliens who are considering using Mexican cartel smugglers, called “Coyotes,” in order to enter the United States. 

“The ads deliver a clear message: smugglers are lying to you, the fact is that entering the United States illegally is a crime,” CBP said. “The ads highlight that smugglers, known as ‘coyotes,’ who take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants.”

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Miyares Leads 19 Other AGs in Criticism of Disinformation Governance Board

Eric Burk

Attorney General Jason Miyares is leading 19 other attorneys general in opposition to the newly announced federal Disinformation Governance Board launched by the Department of Homeland Security. The recently unveiled board has earned criticism from conservatives this week; in a fact sheet, the DHS explains that its role of protecting the U.S.’ security extends to “threats exacerbated by disinformation.”

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CBP Begins Revealing Number of Alleged Terrorists Who Have Attempted Illegal Entry

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U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the McAllen station encounter large group after large group of family units in Los Ebanos, Texas, on Friday June 15. This group well in excess of 100 family units turned themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol, after crossing the border illegally and walking through the town of Los Ebanos.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP), after facing increased pressure from Republican lawmakers, has begun revealing the true numbers of accused terrorists who have been arrested trying to enter the United States illegally.

As reported by Fox News, CBP has been posting the numbers online since last week, following written requests from Republicans in Congress. The data concerns individuals who are officially listed on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB).

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Commentary: Congress Authorized DHS and CISA’s ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ Activities in 2018

Admin

In 2018, Congress unanimously passed legislation, H.R. 3359, that authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to disseminate information to the private sector including Big Tech social media companies in a bid to combat disinformation by potential foreign and domestic terrorists.

According to the agency’s website, CISA says it “rout[es] disinformation concerns” to “appropriate social media platforms”: “The [Mis, Dis, Malinformation] MDM team serves as a switchboard for routing disinformation concerns to appropriate social media platforms and law enforcement.”

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Biden’s DHS Sets Up Orwellian ‘Disinformation Governance Board’

Admin

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security has set up a new board designed to counter what it deems to be “misinformation and disinformation” threatening the homeland.

The “Disinformation Governance Board” that will be tasked with patrolling the speech of Americans, will reportedly be headed by “disinformation expert” Nina Jankowicz, a fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington who formerly worked as an advisor to the Ukrainian government.

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Report: House Republicans to Impeach Mayorkas If They Retake the Majority

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Reports have emerged that Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives is planning to impeach Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in the event that they retake the majority in November’s midterm elections.

According to Axios, plans to impeach Mayorkas are already being laid out by the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the largest conservative coalition in the House, with over 150 members. On Monday, an open letter was sent to Mayorkas that was signed by 133 members of the RSC, including Chairman Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Brian Babin (R-Texas.), co-chair of the Border Security Caucus; although the letter did not mention impeachment, it nevertheless made the case by listing a number of complaints that the group has about Mayorkas’ open-borders and mass amnesty approach to immigration.

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GOP Reps Demand DHS Provide ICE Data Biden Is ‘Hiding’

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Republican members of Congress are asking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for key immigration enforcement data they argue the Biden administration is hiding from the public, according to a letter exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The letter, sent Thursday, is led by Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy and co-signed by 19 other Republican lawmakers who argued that delayed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fiscal year 2021 Enforcement and Removal statistics that showed significant decreases in arrests only provided a “limited” look into the agency’s enforcement and removals.

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Florida Congressman Files Bill to Give States Ability to Enforce Immigration Laws When Federal Government Won’t

The Center Square

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., has filed a bill that would give states a greater ability to enforce immigration laws when the federal government won’t.

Posey and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced his bill, the Immigration and Enforcement Partnership Act of 2022, after the Biden administration decided to terminate Title 42, a federal public health rule used during national public health emergencies. Moody has sued the administration several times for violating immigration law.

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Mayorkas Planning ‘Backlog Amnesty’ for Nearly 2 Million Illegals

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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is planning to roll out a mass amnesty plan for approximately 1.7 million illegal aliens who are currently in courtroom backlogs awaiting deportation.

Breitbart reports that the plan will see officials use the massive backlog as an excuse to justify handing out work permits, green cards, and other forms of amnesty to the illegals, in order to reduce the amount of work, time, and resources that the government would have to otherwise spend dealing with the backlog.

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Democrat Arizona Secretary of State and Gubernatorial Candidate Katie Hobbs Praises Biden for Removing Title 42 Restrictions at the Border

Rachel Alexander
Katie Hobbs

While many leading Democrats, including both of Arizona’s U.S. Senators, Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, are upset with the Biden administration’s decision to end the Title 42 COVID-19 restrictions on U.S. borders, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs praised the decision. The Title 42 order, issued by the Centers for Disease Control in March 2020 under the Trump administration, has been used by Customs and Border Protection to prevent 1.7 million migrants from entering the country. They are either sent back to Mexico or on flights to other countries.

When asked by 3TV about the change and how it would affect border security, Hobbs said, “Title 42 should not be a substitute for that. As governor, I will work to, with the federal government, make sure that Arizonans are secure, they need to put more resources and securing the border. We need more resources to address the influx of migrants coming to the border.” 

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Border Patrol: Biden Policy Will Increase Already ‘High Levels’ of Illegal Immigration

The Center Square

President Joe Biden’s latest immigration policy change has taken heavy fire from a range of critics, but now even his own administration is raising concerns.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a statement Monday saying that Biden’s latest immigration policy change will lead to illegal immigration “above the current high levels.”

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Border Patrol Agents Accused of ‘Whipping’ Cleared of Criminal Misconduct, Union Chief Says

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National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the border agents accused of “whipping” migrants in September were cleared of criminal misconduct amid an ongoing investigation into the incident.

“The only reason that we know that they were cleared is because OPR [Office of Professional Responsibility] started their investigation and they compelled them to give a statement,” Judd told the DCNF. “Once you compel somebody to give a statement, you can’t take criminal action against them.”

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Memo Instructs Border Officials to Waive Public Health Order for Ukrainians Seeking Asylum

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leadership is allowing officials to waive a pandemic-related public health order for Ukrainians seeking asylum at ports of entry at U.S. borders, according to a memo obtained by CBS News.

“The Department of Homeland Security recognizes that the unjustified Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis,” the executive director of CBP’s Admissibility and Passenger Programs, Matthew Davies, wrote in a memo, CBS News reported. “CBP is authorized, consistent with the Title 42 Order, on a case-by-case basis based on the totality of the circumstances, including considerations of humanitarian interests, to except Ukrainian nationals at land border ports of entry from Title 42.”

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Department of Homeland Security Says COVID Misinformation Is Inspiring Terrorism, But It Won’t Provide Any Evidence

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refused to provide evidence to support its claims that COVID-19 “misinformation” and “false or misleading narratives” inspired violent terrorism during 2021.

DHS issued a terrorism advisory bulletin Monday warning that of the dangers of online misinformation, which the agency said has been exploited by “threat actors” and to inspire acts of terrorism.

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Department of Homeland Security Says Trucker Protests Could Start in U.S. During the Super Bowl

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned U.S. law enforcement and public safety officials that a trucker convoy protest similar to the one taking place in Ottawa, Canada, could begin on American soil on Feb. 13, the day of the Super Bowl, Yahoo News reported.

The warning, which was distributed nationwide on Tuesday, told authorities the DHS “has received reports of a convoy of truckers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers,” according to senior law enforcement officials and documents obtained by Yahoo News.

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Commentary: The Mystery of the Migrant Kids the Feds Are Spiriting into the U.S.

RealClearWire

After months of delay, the Department of Homeland Security replied late last month to a Congressional demand for information about the number of illegal migrants the department has flown from border towns to communities around the country. In 2021, it said, 71,617 were dropped off in nearly 20 cities including locales as far from the Mexican border as Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.

Immigration experts critical of the Biden administration’s permissive immigration policies believe those numbers are incomplete, especially regarding the most vulnerable migrants, those under 18, whom DHS classifies as “unaccompanied children.” The agency says some 40,000 of the total transported are such minors, but that number is only a fraction of the 147,000 “encounters” the agency reports having with unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border between January and October 2021.

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