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In a First, ICE Agents Are Poised to Respond to Potential Election Day Unrest
Department of Homeland Security agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, have been told to be ready to protect federal property in Washington if there is unrest on or after Election Day, two DHS officials told NBC News. The agency is regularly tasked with providing additional security around the nation’s capital on inauguration days,...
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It's ‘Now Or Never' for Ex-Trump Aides Weighing Speaking Out
With just weeks left before the Nov. 3 election, it’s decision time for a number of current and former Trump administration officials who are debating whether to speak out against President Donald Trump
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Homeland Security Whistleblower Not Yet Ready to Testify
A whistleblower from the Department of Homeland Security is delaying his testimony to Congress
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Trump Cabinet Officials Voted in 2018 Meeting to Separate Migrant Kids
In a 2018 White House meeting of many top Trump advisers, Stephen Miller demanded show of hands to allow separation of migrant kids and parents, officials say.
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US, Mexico, Canada Agree to Extend Border Restrictions Until September
The Governments of Mexico and the United States agreed on Friday to extend another month the restriction of non-essential travel at the border that expired on August 21 by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Both countries will attempt to coordinate health measures in the border region that will be in effect until 23:59 hours on September 21, 2020,” Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign…
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Acting DHS Chief Wolf, Senior Aide Cuccinelli Not Legally Qualified for Their Jobs, Watchdog Says
The top two officials at the Department of Homeland Security, acting Secretary Chad Wolf and Ken Cuccinelli, the senior official performing the duties of deputy secretary, are not legally qualified to hold those positions, a government watchdog concluded Friday. The Government Accountability Office said Wolf and Cuccinelli assumed those jobs under an order of succession that was issued by an acting...
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Former DHS Official Says Law Enforcement Agencies Being Used ‘As Political Pawns' Under Trump
Peter Vincent served as a prosecutor in the Department of Homeland Security when it was first founded in 2003. He also served in the DHS under former President Obama. He tells LX that the Trump Administration has been using law enforcement agencies as “political pawns” during the ongoing protests.
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U.S. Granted Over 1,000 Travel Ban Exemptions to Pro Athletes
The U.S. has offered more than a thousand professional athletes exemptions to proclamations barring their entry into the country, as the administration pushes for the return of professional sports, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. So far, the Department of Homeland Security has issued 1,703 exemptions, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC, requesting anonymity because the...
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Grassley Cites NBC News Reports in Asking DHS to Monitor Visa Program for Fraud
A joint investigation by NBC News and KNTV — NBC’s Bay Area station — found that the F-1 visa program, which lets international students work at firms in the U.S. after graduation, appears to have been exploited by fake companies providing false employment verifications.
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What to Know About the U.S. Border Closings
President Donald Trump announced that both southern and northern U.S. borders would close temporarily to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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US Flights Could Be Rerouted Mid-Flight Over Coronavirus Concerns, DHS Says
As the U.S. steps up its response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Department of Homeland Security is warning airline passengers that their flights may wind up rerouted if officials discover mid-flight that someone onboard has been in China in the last 14 days.
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Pentagon Chief: Broader Approach to Border Security Needed
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Saturday after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border that the government needs a broader, more effective approach to border control. He suggested the Pentagon might contribute with its expertise in surveillance and monitoring. “How do we get out of treating the symptoms and get at the root of the issue,” Shanahan said in an interview while...
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Dems Will Vote to Block Trump's Emergency Declaration
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday said the House will vote next week on a measure to block President Donald Trump from using a national emergency declaration to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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DHS Secretary Nielsen Visits Border After Child's Death
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen went to an Arizona border city Saturday on the second day of a southwest tour following the recent death of another Guatemalan migrant child in U.S. government custody, which President Donald Trump said was “strictly the fault of the Democrats.”. DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said Nielsen was in Yuma, Arizona, but gave no other details....
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Trump Administration Hyped Terror Threat From Refugees: Former Officials
Former officials say the Trump administration dismissed an intelligence assessment last year that showed refugees did not present a significant threat to the U.S., NBC News reported. Hard-liners in the administration, which has consistently sought to exaggerate the potential security threat posed by refugees, then issued their own report this year that several former officials and rights groups say misstates...
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DHS Secretary Defends Practice of Separating Families at Border
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended the practice of separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that her department is merely following laws. Speaking at a White House briefing Monday, Nielsen said the issue has been growing for years, the product of loopholes that have created an open border.
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Glitch in Illinois Benefits System Bogs Down Process, Workers Say
Glitches in Illinois’ new multi-million dollar benefits eligibility system are to blame for continued delays in food, cash and medical benefits to people in need, according to Department of Human Services workers speaking on behalf of their union.
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Deported Veteran and Tijuana VA Clinic Founder Granted US Citizenship
A deported veteran who launched a health clinic for other deported veterans in Tijuana, Mexico, has been granted citizenship in the United States. Hector Barajas-Varela was deported 10 years ago. On Thursday, in uniform and surrounded by supporters and fellow deported veterans, Barajas-Varela received the news from the Department of Homeland Security.
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State Computer Glitches Impacting Illinois Families Waiting For Food, Medical Aid
Concerned social workers and their clients tell NBC 5 Investigates a new computer system that is supposed to assist Illinois families could spoil the holidays for tens of thousands of residents who are applying for food and medical benefits.
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No Longer Protected: Immigrants Pushed to Return to Disaster-Stricken Countries
The Trump administration’s recent decisions to end temporary protections for immigrants from countries struck by disaster have ignited a fiery debate over whether families are being forced to return to places unprepared to absorb them to meet hard-line immigration promises. The Department of Homeland Security says that immigrants from countries such as Haiti and Nicaragua no longer need temporary protected...