Latest U.S. Department of Homeland Security News

FACT FOCUS: Claims that more than 300,000 migrant children are missing lack context

Oct. 02, 2024 18:42 PM EDT

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have recently claimed that hundreds of thousands of migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border unaccompanied are missing, then criticized the border policies of the Biden administration and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President...

Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn't have enough funding to last through hurricane season

Oct. 02, 2024 18:42 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday. The agency is being stretched as it works with...

Trump is pointing to new numbers on migrants with criminal pasts. Here's what they show

Sep. 30, 2024 19:28 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are pointing to newly released immigration enforcement data to bolster their argument that the Biden administration is letting migrants who have committed serious crimes go free in the U.S. But the numbers have been misconstrued without key context. ...

Next year's Jan. 6 election certification will get extra security to prevent another riot

Sep. 12, 2024 14:24 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an effort to prevent another riot like the one on Jan. 6, 2021, the Homeland Security secretary has designated the congressional count and certification of the presidential election as a national special security event overseen by the Secret Service. Both...

Border arrests are expected to rise slightly in August but are hovering near 4-year lows

Aug. 31, 2024 15:33 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico during August are expected to rise slightly from July, officials said, possibly ending a streak of five straight monthly declines but the numbers are hovering near four-year lows. Authorities made about 54,000...

Biden restarts immigration program for 4 countries with more vetting for sponsors

Aug. 29, 2024 16:21 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is restarting an immigration program that allows migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to come to the United States, and it is including “additional vetting” of their U.S.-based financial sponsors following fraud concerns. ...

Errol Morris examines migrant family separation with NBC News in ‘Separated’

Aug. 29, 2024 08:59 AM EDT

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Filmmaker Errol Morris turned his lens toward the U.S. government’s border policies and family separation in the documentary “Separated,” which premiered at Thursday at the Venice Film Festival. The Trump administration separated thousands of migrant...

How lessons learned from the 2016 campaign led US officials to be more open about Iran hack

Aug. 27, 2024 17:46 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2016 presidential campaign was entering its final months and seemingly all of Washington was abuzz with talk about how Russian hackers had penetrated the email accounts of Democrats, triggering the release of internal communications that seemed designed to boost Donald...

Alabama election officials make voter registration inactive for thousands of potential noncitizens

Aug. 15, 2024 18:06 PM EDT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Thousands of registered voters in Alabama who have previously been identified as noncitizens by the federal government will have their registration status changed to inactive, the secretary of state announced this week in a move that prompted quick opposition from voter...