Washington, March 4 (IANS) A top Republican senator raised concerns over alleged abuse of employment-based visa programmes, including the H-1B system and Optional Practical Training (OPT), prompting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to confirm that it is reviewing the student work programme.During a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, Senator Eric Schmitt argued that the H-1B visa programme was increasingly being misused in ways that could disadvantage American workers.“For t…
Latest Department of Homeland Security News & Updates
Washington, March 3 (IANS) A US Senate oversight hearing on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) turned sharply confrontational on Tuesday, as Democrats accused the agency of excessive force and civil liberties violations, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem rejected the claims and defended enforcement actions as lawful. Senator Richard Durbin, the committee’s top Democrat, said that under Noem’s leadership the department has been “devoid of any moral compass or respect for the rule of law”.He …
Washington, March 3 (IANS) Nearly three million “illegal aliens” have left the United States of America during President Donald Trump’s second term as a result of stepped-up enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem told lawmakers on Tuesday, anchoring her defence of the administration’s immigration policy in a cascade of numbers. “Nearly three million illegal aliens have left the United States as a result of the administration’s enforcement efforts,” Noem said.Tha…
Washington, March 3 (IANS) Texas House Republicans have called for an immediate freeze on new H-1B visas and a pause on immigration after what they described as a terrorist attack in Austin that killed two people and injured 14 others.In a March 2 letter to congressional leaders, the State lawmakers said they were writing “in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack on the citizens of Austin, Texas.”They said that in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 1, 2026, “a gunman opened…
Washington, Feb 26 (IANS) Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is investigating an “incident off the coast of Cuba” after Cuban authorities reported what he called a rare “shootouts on open sea” episode, with Washington seeking independent confirmation of the facts and access to anyone involved who may be US citizens or residents. “So this morning we were made aware by Cuban authorities of an incident off the coast of Cuba,” Rubio told reporters on Wednesday (local t…
Washington, Feb 26 (IANS) In its 250th year, the United States is witnessing a rare reversal. More Americans moved out than moved in last year, a shift not seen since the Great Depression, a major financial daily has reported.The US experienced net negative migration in 2025, with an estimated loss of about 150,000 people, according to calculations by the Brookings Institution. The outflow is expected to increase in 2026. Total in-migration fell to between 2.6 and 2.7 million in 2025, down from …
Washington, Feb 26 (IANS) The Trump administration’s effort to fast-track deportations to third countries hit a legal setback after a US appeals court refused to pause a lower court order blocking the policy. The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston on Wednesday (local time) denied the government’s emergency request to lift a preliminary injunction that restricts deportations of certain migrants to countries other than their own.“The emergency motion for a stay of the April …
Washington, Feb 25 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning local India time) declared that America had witnessed “a turnaround for the ages” in just one year of his leadership, telling Congress that the country had achieved “a transformation like no one has ever seen before.”“Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages. We will never go …
Washington, Feb 19 (IANS) US Senator Rick Scott has introduced legislation to bar Chinese nationals from entering any part of the United States without a valid visa, targeting a visa-waiver program that allows travel to American Pacific territories. Scott said his One Nation, One Visa Policy Act would prohibit “Communist Chinese nationals from entering the United States without a valid visa and barring them from participating in any visa-free travel program, including the Guam–Commonwealth o…
Washington, Feb 17 (IANS) American President Donald Trump said he would be “involved in those talks indirectly” as US and Iranian officials prepare to meet in Geneva, expressing hope for a breakthrough while warning of consequences if diplomacy fails.“Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator,” Trump told reporters abroad Air Force One on his way back from Florida. “I hope, I hope they be more reasonable. They want to make a deal.”He added, “I don’t think they want the consequences…