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Here Are the U.S. Immigration Terms to Know
The U.S. immigration system is complex, consisting of various laws, policies, and programs. Here’s what to know about immigration under a second Trump administration.
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“Anything we can do to help”: This Texas County Is Poised to Play a Key Role in Deportations
As Trump moves closer to reclaiming residency at the White House on Jan. 20, the vast Texas acreage at the edge of the Rio Grande promises to become a centerpiece of the get-tough immigration policies he plans to unfurl under recently named “border czar” Tom Homan. Impoverished Starr County might be the site of a new federal deportation center.
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The Militia and the Mole
A wilderness survival trainer spent years undercover, climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell his family or friends. He penetrated a new generation of militia leaders, which included doctors and government attorneys. Experts say that militias could have a renaissance under Donald Trump. He sent ProPublica a massive trove of documents. The conversations that he secretly recorded give a unique, startling window into the militia movement.
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Islamic State Group-Inspired New Orleans Attack Revives Familiar Fears
Even before the shock from the deadly New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans could subside, early indications from the investigation pointed to a scenario U.S. law enforcement and security officials have long feared –a plot at least inspired by the Islamic State terror group.
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Vehicle-Ramming Attacks
Vehicle-ramming attacks have emerged as a significant terrorist tactic in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in the United States. From the perpetrator’s perspective, ramming attacks have several advantages.
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Vehicles as a Terrorist Weapon: History of the Last 20 Years
The last twenty years have seen dozens of terrorist attacks in which the perpetrators used a vehicle as a weapon.
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Why Were Border Wall Materials Put Up for Auction? Here's What You Should Know.
Some Texas lawmakers including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick slammed the Biden administration over the auction of wall materials. But the sale was directed by Congress —and Texas has already bought some of it.
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Trump Wants to Use the Alien Enemies Act to Deport Immigrants – but the 18th-century Law Has Been Invoked Only During Times of War
President-elect Donald Trump often said during the 2024 presidential campaign that he planned to use an obscure 18th-century law called the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out the nation’s largest-ever mass deportation operation ever. Why bother dusting off a 226-year-old law? Because the law lets presidents bypass immigration courts.
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A North Carolina Supreme Court Candidate’s Bid to Overturn His Loss Is Based on Theory Election Deniers Deemed Extreme
Republican Jefferson Griffin narrowly lost his race for a seat on the state Supreme Court. Now he’s asking that 60,000 ballots be thrown out based on a theory that an election denier said amounted to “voter suppression.”
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Cartels Turn to Social Media to Lure Americans into Human Smuggling as Texas Enforces Stricter Laws
Thousands of people have been arrested under Texas’ human smuggling law. Now they face at least a decade in prison under sentencing guidelines that took effect this year.
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Baltic Subsea Sabotage: China Gets Away with Non-cooperation
On Christmas Day, one of two cables connecting Finland’s electricity grid to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was cut. Four data cables—three linking Finland and Estonia and one between Finland and Germany—were broken at the same time. This and two earlier instances have heightened concerns about the vulnerability of Europe’s undersea infrastructure.
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The World’s Most Bizarre Secret Weapons: How Pigeons, Cats, Whales and Even Robotic Catfish Have Acted as Spies Through the Ages
The death of a spy is rarely newsworthy, but when a white beluga whale suspected of spying for Moscow was found dead in Norwegian waters in September, the animal soon became a minor celebrity. The whale is one in a long line of animals which have been used by the intelligence services.
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Violent Venezuelan Gang Members Expanding Operations in Midwest
Tren de Aragua members arrested in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin. Tren de Aragua gang members are known for violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery and human and drug trafficking.
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China’s Counterterrorism Ambitions in Africa
Africa is now the epicenter of global terrorism due to al-Qaeda and Islamic State militant violence. Jason Warner writes that “China has begun quietly making inroads to become a much more significant counterterrorism partner with African states, promising potential partners increased cooperation under the auspices of its Global Security Initiative (GSI).” The ways that China is seeking to insert itself into the African counterterrorism landscape, thus far, raise no major red flags, although points of friction might emerge.
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Counterterrorism Implications of a Second Trump Presidency
As Trump’s longtime friend, the legendary boxer Mike Tyson, once said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” The Trump administration will need to come into the White House on day one with a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy while preparing to absorb and respond to whatever punches terrorist groups will land during the next four years in office.
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The long view
Factories First: Winning the Drone War Before It Starts
Wars are won by factories before they are won on the battlefield,Martin C. Feldmann writes, noting that the United States lacks the manufacturing depth for the coming drone age. Rectifying this situation “will take far more than procurement tweaks,” Feldmann writes. “It demands a national-level, wartime-scale industrial mobilization.”
No Nation Is an Island: The Dangers of Modern U.S. Isolationism
The resurgence of isolationist sentiment in American politics is understandable but misguided. While the desire to refocus on domestic renewal is justified, retreating from the world will not bring the security, prosperity, or sovereignty that its proponents promise. On the contrary, it invites instability, diminishes U.S. influence, and erodes the democratic order the U.S. helped forge.
Fragmented by Design: USAID’s Dismantling and the Future of American Foreign Aid
The Trump administration launched an aggressive restructuring of U.S. foreign aid, effectively dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The humanitarian and geopolitical fallout of the demise of USAID includes shuttered clinics, destroyed food aid, and China’s growing influence in the global south. This new era of American soft power will determine how, and whether, the U.S. continues to lead in global development.
Water Wars: A Historic Agreement Between Mexico and US Is Ramping Up Border Tension
As climate change drives rising temperatures and changes in rainfall, Mexico and the US are in the middle of a conflict over water, putting an additional strain on their relationship. Partly due to constant droughts, Mexico has struggled to maintain its water deliveries for much of the last 25 years, deliveries to which it is obligated by a 1944 water-sharing agreement between the two countries.
How Disastrous Was the Trump-Putin Meeting?
In Alaska, Trump got played by Putin. Therefore, Steven Pifer writes, the European leaders and Zelensky have to “diplomatically offer suggestions to walk Trump back from a position that he does not appear to understand would be bad for Ukraine, bad for Europe, and bad for American interests. And they have to do so without setting off an explosion that could disrupt U.S.-Ukrainian and U.S.-European relations—all to the delight of Putin and the Kremlin.”
How Male Grievance Fuels Radicalization and Extremist Violence
Social extremism is evolving in reach and form. While traditional racial supremacy ideologies remain, contemporary movements are now often fueled by something more personal and emotionally resonant: male grievance.