U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Biden administration, senators divided on how to move ahead on border security
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas were at odds Wednesday on how lawmakers should improve border security, as they wrestle with how to handle a White House request for emergency spending. Mayorkas, speaking to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pointed to a sweeping proposal President Joe Biden released early in his […]
Biden administration offers temporary protection to Venezuelan migrants
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced late Wednesday that the agency will expand protected status to nearly half a million Venezuelan nationals, allowing them to live and work in the United States. The move comes after multiple requests from cities that have struggled to house asylum seekers and calls from […]
Menendez, other U.S. Senate Democrats vent frustrations after new ruling against DACA
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Wednesday declared illegal the Biden administration’s revised version of a program that protects hundreds of thousands of people brought into the country as children from deportation, and U.S. Senate Democrats, advocates and the White House on Thursday decried the decision. “I think that Congress should act, but it has been […]
Biden border policies ripped by U.S. House GOP as impeachment threats ramp up
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday faced off with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who did not directly call for his impeachment but strongly criticized his oversight of the agency. “I know that today Secretary Mayorkas is going to try to paint a rosy picture of this disastrous […]
FEMA disaster relief fund faces August shortfall as feds scramble to find cash
WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund is on track to run out of money as soon as next month, though the agency’s administrator told Congress on Thursday that she’s working with the White House to find a solution. “Our current projections on the disaster relief fund is that we will go […]
Peters releases committee report detailing intelligence failures leading up to Jan. 6 insurrection
Significant intelligence failures left law enforcement unprepared to respond effectively to the pro-Trump Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection attempt at the U.S. Capitol. That was the conclusion of a report released Tuesday by U.S. Senator Gary Peters, D-Michigan, who, in his role as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, led an investigation […]
White House to name coordinator to push back against book bans, among new LGBTQ protections
WASHINGTON — As part of the celebration of Pride month, the Biden administration on Thursday announced several new protections for LGBTQ+ youth and families, including the position of a federal coordinator to counter the massive wave of book bans across the country. President Joe Biden was scheduled later Thursday to host a Pride event at […]
Asylum limits, more border security funds proposed in U.S. House GOP immigration bill
WASHINGTON — Top U.S. House Republican leaders on Thursday unveiled an immigration package of bills that appropriates millions in funds for border security and imposes sweeping restrictions on asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The plan is in sharp contrast with an announcement earlier Thursday by the Biden administration on how it would begin to handle legal […]