ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS

The FBI's Washington Field Office confirmed that it "does not have any information indicating specific or credible threats."

An internal review has been launched into the actions of a special Customs and Border Protection unit that used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including an Associated Press reporter.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home.

The Biden administration restarted the Trump-era border policy on a limited scale earlier this month to comply with court orders.

Homeland Security Body Cameras FILE - Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas listens during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Nov. 16, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Agents with an investigative unit of the Department of Homeland Security will wear body cameras for the first time as part of a six-month pilot program that will focus on the costs and benefits of using the technology in federal law enforcement, officials said Tuesday, Dec. 21. The cameras will be used during the test by 55 members of the SWAT-like special response teams at Homeland Security Investigations in Houston, Newark, New Jersey, and New York, a senior official told reporters Tuesday. Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations are expected to use the body cams when carrying out such actions as making pre-planned arrests, questioning suspects and executing search warrants. The pilot program is intended to evaluate the cost of the program and the effectiveness of the equipment, and a summary of the findings is expected to be released.

Homeland Security Body Cameras FILE - Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas listens during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Nov. 16, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Agents with an investigative unit of the Department of Homeland Security will wear body cameras for the first time as part of a six-month pilot program that will focus on the costs and benefits of using the technology in federal law enforcement, officials said Tuesday, Dec. 21. Agents with an investigative unit of the Department of Homeland Security will wear body cameras for the first time as part of a six-month pilot program that will focus on the costs and benefits of using the technology in federal law enforcement, officials said Tuesday. The cameras will be used during the test by 55 members of the SWAT-like special response teams at Homeland Security Investigations in Houston, Newark, New Jersey, and New York, a senior official told reporters. Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations are expected to use the body cams when carrying out such actions as making pre-planned arrests, questioning suspects and executing search warrants.

A Biden administration effort to reunite children and parents who were separated under President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance border policy has made increasing progress as it nears the end of its first year.

In a story published Dec. 21 about the use of body cameras by an investigative unit of the Department of Homeland Security, The Associated Press erroneously reported that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix and Detroit were the first federal officers to wear body cams.

The Biden administration will also use the money to complete roads used by Border Patrol and install drainage designed to prevent flooding.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland hosted the U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial at the Department of Justice on Dec. 16, 2021. Joined by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the Attorney General welcomed Commissioner for Justice and Consumer Affairs Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, and Slovenian Ministers for Justice Marjan Dikaučič and for Home Affairs Aleš Hojs representing the Presidency of the EU Council. Other senior EU officials who participated in person or remotely, included the Director of Europol, President of Eurojust and EU Counterterrorism Coordinator. A joint statement was issued following the meeting, which can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1457246/downloadAttorney General Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas are joined by EU Commissioners, Presidency of the EU Council and others at U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial.

Log4j is a programming code written in Java and created by volunteers within the Apache Software Foundation to run across a handful of platforms: Apple's macOS, Windows and Linux.

The head of the U.S. agency that grants citizenship and visas says it’s in a strong financial position as her first year at the helm draws to a close.

President Joe Biden is pledging to do “whatever it takes, as long as it takes” to help Kentucky and other states recover and rebuild after a series of deadly tornadoes that he says left a trail of unimaginable devastation.

The Associated Press sought answers Monday from the Department of Homeland Security on its use of sensitive government databases for tracking international terrorists to investigate as many as 20 American journalists, including an acclaimed AP reporter. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) (Gregory Bull)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Associated Press sought answers Monday from the Department of Homeland Security on its use of sensitive government databases for tracking international terrorists to investigate as many as 20 American journalists, including an acclaimed AP reporter. This latest revelation prompted Sen. Ron Wyden to call on DHS to immediately turn over the inspector general report to Congress. The DHS inspector general report that revealed the most recent disclosure of investigations of journalists also stemmed from a Trump-era leak investigation. The inspector general opened its investigation after media reports exposed Rambo and his investigation of Watkins.

The Associated Press is seeking answers from the Department of Homeland Security on its use of sensitive government databases for tracking international terrorists to investigate as many as 20 American journalists, including an acclaimed AP reporter.

Ninety feared dead in a Kentucky candle factory actually survived, the company says. But the confirmed death toll of 25 in several Midwestern and Southern states seems certain to rise.

The Biden administration is set to reinstate a Trump-era policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court this week with changes and additions.

RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration is issuing new directives and recommendations aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity defenses of U.S. rail and airport operators. "These new cybersecurity requirements and recommendations will help keep the traveling public safe," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. They go into effect at the end of the year and the TSA said it is making similar changes to requirements for airport operators. The TSA said it is recommending but not mandating cybersecurity requirements to some smaller and lower-risk rail and airport operators. Republican lawmakers have expressed concern that the TSA has crafted new cybersecurity directives without enough transparency and input from affected industries.

The Biden administration was compelled to revive the program that forces asylum seekers to stay Mexico until their U.S. immigration court date via court order.

He did, however, hold out the possibility of a trial, featuring parents separated from children as young as six months as witnesses, if there's no agreement to end the litigation. In addition to negotiating a potential settlement, the Biden administration has also been working to reunite some of the families. The settlement talks had been going on quietly for months when The Wall Street Journal reported in October that the Justice Department was considering paying about $450,000 to each person affected. In addition to the payment, settlement talks have also included discussion of granting the families legal U.S. residency and providing counseling services. I have no idea.”Migrant advocates say the amount of the settlement and the legal status of the families misses the point.

Migrants whose children were taken from them under former President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance border policy have not reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. government.

Migrants whose children were taken from them under former President Donald Trump's zero-tolerance border policy have not reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. government, a lawyer for the families said Thursday as he and other advocates pushed back at increasing criticism of a proposal to pay compensation to them. Attorney Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union would not discuss details of the talks nor confirm a previously reported settlement proposal of several hundred thousand dollars to each affected person.

Nearly six months ago, U.S. immigration courts established a fast-track docket for families who recently crossed the border.

Images of mounted agents dispersing migrants along the Rio Grande prompted nationwide outrage in September.

The left says Mayorkas is too tough on immigrants. The right says he is too soft.

The Biden administration announced its second attempt to terminate a Trump-era border policy that forces asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until their U.S. immigration court date.

Asylum Waiting in Mexico FILE - A woman seeking asylum in the United States waits with others for news of policy changes, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. On Friday, Oct. 29, 2021, the Biden administration launched a second bid to end a Trump-era policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the “Remain in Mexico” policy likely contributed to a drop in illegal border crossings in 2019 but with “substantial and unjustifiable human costs" to asylum-seekers who were exposed to violence while waiting in Mexico. Mexico wants cases to generally conclude within six months, timely and accurate access to case information and better access to legal counsel for asylum-seekers. The administration is rebuilding tent courts in Texas border cities of Laredo and Brownsville to handle “Remain in Mexico” cases.

SAN DIEGO — (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday launched a second bid to end a Trump-era policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, while also reaffirming a commitment to reinstate it under court order. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the “Remain in Mexico” policy likely contributed to a drop in illegal border crossings in 2019 but with “substantial and unjustifiable human costs" to asylum-seekers who were exposed to violence while waiting in Mexico. Some of the administration's most prominent pro-immigration allies say it took too long for Mayorkas to draft Friday's opinion. The administration said earlier this month that it expected to reinstate the policy, known officially as “Migrant Protection Protocols,” by mid-November, subject to the Mexican government's approval. Administration officials say they believe there are enough other attorneys who will represent asylum-seekers sent back to Mexico.

The Biden administration has launched a second bid to end a Trump-era policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court.

In August, a federal judge in Texas ordered the government to revive a Trump-era border policy.

U.S. immigration authorities will be restricted from carrying out enforcement actions at hospitals, schools and a range of other "protected" areas under a new DHS policy.

Agents will avoid making arrests or conduct searches at sensitive locations "to the fullest extent possible," according to a memo from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) (Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON — (AP) — U.S. immigration authorities will limit arrests at schools, hospitals and other “protected” areas under guidelines issued Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security, part of a broader effort to roll back the approach to enforcement under President Donald Trump. It is the latest in a series of immigration policies under President Joe Biden aimed at taking a more targeted approach to enforcement. The policy is similar to one under President Barack Obama that restricted arrests at churches and schools. The new policy includes not just schools but medical and daycare facilities, playgrounds and recreation centers as well as demonstrations and rallies. DHS also imposed limits on arrests at courthouses when people showed up for other matters.

Mayorkas FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2021, file photo, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) (Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON — (AP) — U.S. immigration authorities will no longer make routine arrests at schools, hospitals or a range of other “protected” areas, under new guidelines released Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. “We can accomplish our law enforcement mission without denying individuals access to needed medical care, children access to their schools, the displaced access to food and shelter, people of faith access to their places of worship, and more," Mayorkas said. On the list of places that will now be off-limits to enforcement actions are schools; day care and medical facilities; places of worship; playgrounds and recreation centers and demonstrations and rallies. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

U.S. immigration authorities will limit arrests at schools, hospitals and other so-called protected areas under new guidelines issued by the Department of Homeland Security.

Congressional investigators say two Border Patrol agents were fired from among 60 found to have committed misconduct for participating in a private Facebook group that mocked migrants and lawmakers.

The U.S. is welcoming tens of thousands of Afghans airlifted out of Kabul but has disclosed little publicly about a small group who remain overseas.

A department spokesperson said Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive and will work from home under protocols recommended by the CDC.

Mayorkas tests positive for COVID-19 FILE - In this May 25, 2021, file photo, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks with the media outside of the Little Haiti Cultural Center in Miami. Mayorkas, who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) (Lynne Sladky)WASHINGTON — Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, a department spokesperson confirmed. >> Read more trending newsMayorkas “tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols,” DHS spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa said in a prepared statement. .⁦@DHSgov⁩ Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for COVID-19 per a DHS spokesperson.

Biden Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19 and is isolating at home, the agency said. The secretary has been fully vaccinated and is experiencing only “mild congestion,” DHS said in a statement. The agency said he will work from home under the protocols recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

The Department of Homeland Security says Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has tested positive for COVID-19.

Mayorkas is fully vaccinated and is only experiencing minor congestion, a spokesperson said.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to a statement from a DHS spokeswoman to NBC News.

The Biden administration says it plans to reinstate a Trump-era border policy next month to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, complying with a judge’s order.

Nonessential travel will resume in November after a 19-month freeze due to the pandemic.

Nonessential travel will resume in November after a 19-month freeze due to the pandemic.

The Biden administration said law enforcement efforts should focus on holding exploitative and unscrupulous employers accountable.

Beleaguered business owners and families separated by COVID-19 are celebrating after the Biden administration says it will reopen U.S. land borders to nonessential travel next month, ending a 19-month freeze.

CHICAGO — (AP) — Federal immigration agents will end mass workplace arrests of immigrant employees suspected of living in the U.S. without legal permission, according to a memo issued Tuesday by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Mass worksite raids were common under former President Donald Trump, including a 2019 operation targeting Mississippi chicken plants, the largest such operation in over a decade. Trump and other Republican presidents defended raids as strong deterrents against illegal immigration, while workers groups called them unfair and discriminatory. Tuesday's move away from raids more closely resembles the approach by former President Barack Obama, who largely avoided such operations, limiting workplace immigration efforts to low-profile audits. Workers rights groups applauded the move, saying immigrant workers, particularly those without legal permission to live in the U.S., are especially vulnerable.

Federal immigration agents will stop making mass worksite arrest of immigrants employees suspected of living in the U.S. without legal permission.

The announcement is part of a shift in strategy under the Biden administration that puts a new emphasis on going after businesses and employers that violate labor laws.

The Biden administration said law enforcement efforts should focus on holding exploitative and unscrupulous employers accountable.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke to Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff ahead of an international security conference hosted by the nonprofit Soufan Center in Doha, Qatar, this week.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told 60 Minutes that he sees family reunification as a humanitarian issue and not a political one.

The Biden administration is expected on Friday to launch a new security arrangement with Mexico that tackles the most violent drug cartels and migrant smugglers while jettisoning the cornerstone of the last decade of U.S.-Mexico security partnership.

The Biden administration is expected to launch a security arrangement with Mexico that tackles the most violent drug cartels and migrant smugglers.

MEXICO CITY — (AP) — Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday his government would continue to press the United States to increase investment in poor countries during high-level security meetings. López Obrador is scheduled to meet Friday in Mexico City with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland among others. For months, López Obrador has used every opportunity to press the U.S. to address the root causes of migration, especially from Central America. During a visit to Paris Wednesday, Blinken stressed that the meetings in Mexico would cover a wide range of issues. The security talks come just weeks after delegations from both countries met in Washington for meetings on economic matters.

Officials from Mexico and the United States are developing a new framework for their governments’ security relationship that is more “holistic” in addressing crime and will tackle a broader range of issues than the previous initiative.

Haitian asylum seekers were deported under Title 42, a despised Trump-era practice that the current Administration can’t seem to let go of.

The photographer, Paul Ratje, who took the controversial images said he never saw agents whipping anyone.

Under the new guidance to ICE and other agencies, simply being present in the U.S. without legal authorization "should not alone be the basis" for immigration authorities to arrest or deport someone.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday said immigration officers cannot detain and deport individuals from the U.S. solely on the basis that they are undocumented.

The Biden administration on Thursday announced new rules that require authorities to only pursue migrants who recently crossed into the country without permission or are deemed to pose a threat to public safety.

The Biden administration directed U.S. officials to focus on detaining immigrants determined to pose a threat to national security or public safety, as well as migrants who recently crossed the southern border.

The Biden administration directed U.S. officials to focus on detaining immigrants determined to pose a threat to national security or public safety, as well as migrants who recently crossed the southern border.

'We're a nation state. We have borders. The idea that we can just have open borders is something that...as a practical matter, is unsustainable,' Obama said.

UN General Assembly Croatia Croatian President Zoran Milanovic addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool) (Mary Altaffer)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The U.S. government said Tuesday that Croatia would soon join the countries whose people can visit without a visa in a sign of closer economic and security ties. It is the 40th country to be added to the visa waiver program. The countries in the program must meet requirements related to counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security, and border management. Croatia’s entry into the program amounts to “recognition of our countries’ shared economic and security interests,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in announcing the designation.

The U.S. government says Croatia will soon join the countries whose people can visit without a visa in a sign of closer economic and security ties.

Immigration DACA FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2021 file photo, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. The Biden administration on Monday renewed efforts to shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as young children from deportation, the latest maneuver in a long-running drama over the policy's legality. The Biden administration is appealing. The Obama administration created DACA with a memo issued by then-Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. It was intended as a stopgap measure until Congress legislated a permanent solution, which never occurred.

The proposed changes aim to protect young immigrants who came to the U.S. as kids from being deported.

The Biden administration on Monday renewed efforts to shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as young children from deportation, the latest maneuver in a long-running drama over the policy's legality. The Biden administration is appealing. The Obama administration created DACA via a memo issued by then-Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. In attempting to shore up DACA through a formal rule — which is a more rigorous process than the original memo, though still not legislation — the Biden administration hopes to gain a legal stamp of approval from the courts. It adheres to the same criteria, which include arriving in the country before age 16, continuously residing in the United States since arrival and being in the country on June 15, 2012.

The Biden administration is proposing a new rule that would shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as young children from deportation.

Amid an outcry over the U.S. treatment of Haitian asylum-seekers, the beleaguered island country’s embattled prime minister is pointedly saying that inequalities drive migration.

U.S. authorities say the Texas border crossing where thousands of Haitian migrants converged in recent weeks will be partially reopened late Saturday afternoon.

A confluence of factors caused the sudden arrival of thousands of mostly Haitian migrants on the Texas border this month.

U.S. officials say many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, undercutting the Biden administration’s public statements that Haitians who enter the country illegally face immediate expulsion.

U.S. officials say many of the thousands of Haitian migrants camped in the small Texas border town of Del Rio are being released in the United States with notices to appear in immigration court or to an immigration office.

U.S. Border Patrol agents tied to images showing aggressive tactics on Haitian immigrants have been placed on administrative duties pending an investigation.

Top national security officials say the possibility of a 9/11-type attack has diminished over the last 20 years despite the recent Taliban victory in Afghanistan, but the unrest in Kabul could embolden U.S.-based extremists at the same time that the FBI is confronting an uptick in threats from individuals motivated by racial and political grievances.

U.S. Border Patrol agents tied to images showing aggressive tactics on Haitian immigrants have been placed on administrative duties pending an investigation.

U.S. officials say many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, undercutting the Biden administration’s public statements that Haitians who enter the country illegally face immediate expulsion.

The Biden administration is relying on a contested Trump-era policy as it disperses thousands of Haitian migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in and around the small South Texas city of Del Rio.

U.S. officials say more than 6,000 Haitians and other migrants have been removed from an encampment at a Texas border town.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is nearing a final plan to expel many of the thousands of Haitian migrants who have suddenly crossed into a Texas border city from Mexico and to fly them back to their Caribbean homeland.

The Biden administration is stepping up its effort to find and unite migrant families forcibly separated under President Donald Trump.

The United States and Mexico have restarted high-level economic talks after a four-year pause.

The secretary of homeland security says tens of thousands of Afghans have been admitted into the United States since the fall of Kabul and more are expected as part of an “unprecedented” evacuation.

The Supreme Court says the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end a Trump-era program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. With three liberal justices in dissent, the high court refused Tuesday to block a lower court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the program informally known as Remain in Mexico.

A mother who was separated from her children on the U.S.-Mexico border during former President Donald Trump’s administration says that she and other parents who experienced similar separations asked the Homeland Security Secretary for permanent legal residency in the United States and compensation.

The Supreme Court is temporarily halting a judge’s order that would have forced the government to reinstate a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. Justice Samuel Alito issued the temporary stay late Friday night.

A federal appellate court has refused to delay implementation of a judge's order reinstating a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling late Thursday.

The Biden administration is proposing changing how asylum claims are handled.

Hundreds of Central American migrants _ many families with young children _ expelled by the United States on flights deep into southern Mexico have been dropped this week at this remote jungle outpost on the Guatemalan border.

The U.S. is facing an "unprecedented" challenge on the southern border. July was the busiest month for illegal border crossings in two decades.

Karla Leiva finds herself at a migrant shelter near the Guatemala-Mexico border with her 5-year-old daughter Zoe.

Senior members of President Joe Biden’s administration are in Mexico for talks on addressing illegal migration to the U.S. That's according to the White House.

The number of people in federal immigration detention has risen markedly under President Joe Biden.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has extended temporary legal status to hundreds of Somalis to allow them to remain in the United States for an additional 18 months during civil strife in the African nation.

Vice President Kamala Harris says the Biden administration has made progress tackling a migration spike that’s drawn fire from Republicans and made fellow Democrats uncomfortable.

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to make her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office.