REBECCA SANTANA

Homeland Security reporter

Santana covers the Department of Homeland Security for The Associated Press. She has extensive experience reporting in such places as Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

US deports 116 Chinese migrants in first ‘large’ flight in 5 years

The Department of Homeland Security says it has deported 116 Chinese migrants from the United States in the first “large charter flight” in five years.

US to pay for flights to help Panama remove migrants who may be heading north

The United States is going to pay for flights and offer other help to Panama to remove migrants. The agreement was signed Monday during an official visit to Panama by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for the inauguration of the Central American country’s new president.

Biden administration extends temporary legal status to 300,000 Haitians, drawing a contrast to Trump

The Homeland Security Department says more than 300,000 Haitians already in the United States will be eligible for a major expansion of temporary legal status because conditions in the Caribbean nation are unsafe for return.

Border arrests fall more than 40% after Biden’s halt to asylum processing, Homeland Security says

The Homeland Security Department says arrests for illegal border crossings have dropped more than 40% during the three weeks asylum processing has been suspended.

FEMA is ready for an extreme hurricane and wildfire season, but money is a concern, Mayorkas says

The head of the Homeland Security Department says the agency tasked with responding to disasters across the country is prepared as it goes into what is expected to be an intense hurricane and wildfire season.

Border Patrol reports arrests are down 25% since Biden announced new asylum restrictions

Preliminary federal government figures show the number of people arrested by Border Patrol agents fell by 25% since President Joe Biden announced new rules restricting asylum access two weeks ago.

Biden is offering some migrants a pathway to citizenship. Here’s how the plan will work

A new Biden administration policy will give roughly half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens but lack legal status in the United States a pathway to citizenship for them and their children.

Biden will announce deportation protection and work permits for spouses of US citizens

President Joe Biden is planning to announce a sweeping new policy that would lift the threat of deportation for tens of thousands of people married to U.S. citizens.

President Joe Biden faces first lawsuit over new asylum crackdown at the border

Several immigrant advocacy groups are suing the Biden administration over President Joe Biden’s directive last week to stop asylum processing at the southern border.

AP sources: 8 people with possible Islamic State ties arrested in US on immigration violations

Eight individuals from Tajikistan with suspected ties to the Islamic State group have been arrested in the United States in recent days.

A Black medic wounded on D-Day saved dozens of lives. He’s finally being posthumously honored

Waverly Woodson Jr., a medic who was part of the only Black combat unit to take part in the D-Day invasion of France, is being posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

US opens up banking to private Cuban businesses as it aims to boost private sector

The U.S. is lifting some financial restrictions on Cuba in a move designed to boost private businesses on the island.

Border bill fails Senate test vote as Democrats seek to underscore Republican resistance

Senate Republicans are blocking for a second time a bill to clamp down the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill failed 43-50.

What a blast to work at NASA. Space agency is sky-high again in latest survey of federal employees

Exploring the cosmos makes for happy employees, federal workers like to work from home like everyone else, and an agency that has struggled with low morale is showing improvement.

New immigration court docket aims to speed up removals of newly arrived migrants

The Biden administration is creating a new process aimed at cutting the time it takes to decide the fates of newly arrived migrants in immigration courts from years to roughly six months.

FBI, Homeland Security warn of possible threats to LGBTQ events, including Pride Month activities

Federal agencies are warning that foreign terrorist organizations or their supporters might target LGBTQ-related events and venues as part of the upcoming June Pride Month.

The Flores agreement has protected migrant children for nearly 3 decades. Changes may be coming

The Biden administration wants to partially end a 27-year-old agreement that provides court oversight of how the federal government cares for migrant children in its custody.

A new rule aims to speed up the removal of a limited group of migrants who don’t qualify for asylum

A new Biden administration rule aims to speed up asylum processing at the southern border, enabling it to quickly reject a limited group of people believed to have committed serious crimes or who have terrorist links.

Biden has rebuilt the refugee system after Trump-era cuts. What comes next in an election year?

The American refugee program long served as a haven for people fleeing violence around the world. Today, it’s rebounding from dwindling arrivals under the Trump administration.

Judge in landmark antitrust case grills Google, Justice during closing arguments

The judge overseeing a pivotal antitrust trial focused on whether Google is stifling competition and innovation has repeatedly indicated he believes it would be difficult for a formidable rival search engine to emerge.

Senators want limits on the government’s use of facial recognition technology for airport screening

A bipartisan group of senators wants restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology by the Transportation Security Administration.

Trump says he’ll use National Guard to deport migrants, doubling down on anti-immigration rhetoric

Donald Trump says he’d use the National Guard as part of efforts to deport millions of migrants across the country if he’s reelected.

Chef José Andrés says aid workers killed by Israeli airstrikes represented the ‘best of humanity’

The founder of World Central Kitchen says the seven aid workers killed by Israeli airstrikes represented the “best of humanity.”

Border Patrol must care for migrant children who wait in camps for processing, a judge says

A judge has ruled that migrant children in makeshift camps along the U.S.-Mexico border waiting to be processed by Border Patrol are in the agency’s custody.

As international travel grows, so does US use of technology. A look at how it’s used at airports

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expanding the use of technology to process the ever-growing number of passengers as travel booms following coronavirus pandemic-related slumps.

Many Americans say immigrants contribute to economy but there’s worry over risks, AP-NORC poll finds

Americans are more worried about legal immigrants committing crimes in the U.S. than they were a few years ago, a change driven largely by increased concern among Republicans.

Arrests for illegal border crossings nudge up in February but still among lowest of Biden presidency

The number of arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico nudged upward February over the previous month.

Senators warn more visas are urgently needed for Afghans who aided the US in the war

Senators from both major political parties are urging congressional leaders to ensure that more visas are made available to Afghans who worked alongside U.S. troops in America’s longest war.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents roll out body cameras to agents in five cities

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in five cities will start wearing body-worn cameras under a new policy being rolled out.

Illegal border crossings from Mexico plunge after a record-high December, with fewer from Venezuela

Authorities say arrests for illegal crossings on the U.S. border with Mexico fell by half in January from record highs in December to the third lowest month of Joe Biden’s presidency.