DHS News
The Daily Signal covers Department of Homeland Security (DHS) news with reporting, analysis, and commentary on immigration, security, and policy decisions.
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DHS Shutdown Grinds on With Capitol Empty
After the House rejected the Senate’s attempt to partially fund the Department of Homeland Security, Congress is at a loss for how to resolve the ongoing shutdown. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday pushed Congress to work expeditiously to fund the department. “It is the job of Congress to fund these agencies,” said…George Caldwell -
Jonathan Karl Confronts Chris Van Hollen Over ‘Holding Up’ DHS Funding
THE DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl pressed Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Sunday over his party’s role in the ongoing partial government shutdown leaving the Department of Homeland Security largely without funding. Democrats have voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of their opposition to Immigration…Jason Cohen -
Shutdown Drags On: House Votes to Fully Fund DHS After ‘Inappropriate’ Senate Deal
The House of Representatives on Friday rejected the Senate’s deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security without funding border security, instead voting to fully fund the department until May 22. The House passed a continuing resolution to fully fund DHS for 60 days on a mostly party-line vote with three Democrats defecting to join…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
DHS Orders Payment of 50,000 US Airport Workers in Emergency Action
REUTERS—The Homeland Security Department said on Friday it was taking emergency action to pay 50,000 airport security officers who have gone unpaid since mid-February, after work absences brought chaos and long security lines to U.S. airports. “[The Transportation Security Administration] has immediately begun the process of paying its workforce. TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks…David Shepardson -
‘ABSURD’: House GOP Leaders Dismiss Senate DHS Bill
House Republican leadership and the party’s hardline conservative faction rejected the Senate’s homeland security funding deal, which omits funding for border security. “The Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., said Friday afternoon as he…George Caldwell -
Senate Jams House With DHS Funding Bill in Dead of Night
In the early hours of Friday morning, the Senate voted to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security while excluding funding for immigration law enforcement agencies. The deal, which passed by unanimous consent at around 2:30 a.m., could put an end to chaos at airports across the nation but may upset hardliners in both…George Caldwell -
Federal Appeals Court Holds That DHS Can Detain Illegal Alien Without Bond
Earlier this week, a federal appeals court held that the Department of Homeland Security could detain an illegal alien without bond pending his removal proceedings after he was arrested in Minneapolis in 2025. In journeyman fashion, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals interpreted the applicable immigration laws as written and applied common sense to reach its decision. That law, 8 U.S.C. § 1225, a nearly three-decade-old statute, requires detention without bond for “an alien who…Cully Stimson -
Why Can’t the Senate Come to a Deal on DHS?
In the sixth week of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, the Senate still cannot come to a deal to fund the agency, despite both sides having presented a wide spectrum of proposals. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., announced he had sent Democrats “what I think is our last and final [offer],…George Caldwell -
Noem and Lewandowski Reportedly Under Investigation
Kristi Noem, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Corey Lewandowski, her former top adviser, are reportedly facing a criminal investigation. The homeland security inspector general has launched an investigation into Noem and Lewandowski over allegations that the agency awarded billions of dollars in no-bid contracts, the Daily Mail reports. Sources told…Virginia Allen -
White House Gives Message to Democrats as TSA Officers Work Without Pay
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had a message for Democrats who voted against reopening the Department of Homeland Security during a 40-day shutdown. “For the Democrats in Congress, the cruelty of this shutdown is the point,” Leavitt said. At Wednesday’s White House press briefing, she told the story of a father of three who…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
2 Democrats Side With Republicans to Confirm Mullin for DHS Secretary
The Senate has voted to confirm Markwayne Mullin, the senator from Oklahoma, as the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The upper chamber voted to confirm Mullin 54 to 45 on Monday evening. Two Democrats, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., joined 52 Republicans by voting in favor of President Donald…Pedro Rodriguez -
Markwayne Mullin a Step Closer to DHS Confirmation After Hearing
With his Wednesday confirmation hearing, Sen. Markwayne Mullin got one step closer to leading the Department of Homeland Security. Mullin, R-Okla., engaged in a difficult balancing act in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, attempting to cool tensions with fellow senators while refusing to yield ground to Democrats’ demands. “I don’t get…George Caldwell -
EXCLUSIVE: Can Mullin Help the GOP End the DHS Shutdown?
As President Donald Trump’s new nominee for secretary of homeland security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., prepares to appear before the Senate, Democrats continue to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down. “It’s extremely disappointing that Democrats are once again putting petty politics over the safety and security of our nation,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
EXCLUSIVE: DHS Reacts to Illegal Alien Allegedly Groping Female Students
Multiple parents in Fairfax County, Virginia, say a man groped their daughters in crowded school hallways. Now, the Department of Homeland Security is asking “Virginia sanctuary politicians” to not allow the alleged perpetrator, who is an illegal alien, back into the community. Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz is from El Salvador. He illegally entered the United States…Virginia Allen -
‘Why Would You Wanna Punish All These Workers?’: Sen. Fetterman Slams Fellow Dems Over DHS Shutdown
THE DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Democrat Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman criticized his party Saturday over the ongoing partial government shutdown and its impacts on federal employees and operations. Multiple agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are being subjected to “emergency measures” due to…Harold Hutchison -
Democrats Block DHS Reopening as TSA Lines Grow Longer
Democrats again voted down a measure to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, leaving the agency with a lapse in appropriations that is 27 days and counting. Senate Republicans only needed seven Democrats to break ranks for the 60 votes necessary to reopen the department, but the measure failed by a vote of 51-46. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted for the measure,…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
Republican Senators Grow Frustrated With Filibuster
Senate Republicans appear to be warming to an extreme measure to overcome Democrat obstruction—the “nuclear option” of overriding the 60-vote threshold required to bring a bill to a final vote. “My fellow conservatives and I have proudly used the 60-vote threshold to protect the country from all sorts of bad ideas and dangerous policies,” Sen….George Caldwell -
Will Markwayne Mullin End the DHS Shutdown?
The future of the immigration issue could now rest on one man’s shoulders—Sen. Markwayne Mullin. After President Donald Trump picked the Oklahoma Republican to replace Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, senators are speculating on whether the move will create momentum for reopening the department. For over 24 days, Senate Democrats have almost unanimously refused…George Caldwell -
What’s Next for DHS?
Kristi Noem is out as Homeland Security Secretary, to be replaced by Senator Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. Noem’s tenure as the leader of the expansive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been characterized by numerous problems, ranging from personality clashes and communication breakdowns to policy disputes and operational failures. Arguably, Noem’s greatest success over the past year has…S.A. McCarthy -
Congress Juggling Funding for DHS, Epic Fury
Congress could be facing a two-front challenge, as it contemplates whether to provide additional funding for the military operation in Iran as well as for the Department of Homeland Security. Since mid-February, the agency has been shut down due to Democrats’ rejecting funding bills over their demands for additional restraints on immigration and border law…George Caldwell