Lauren Villagran

El Paso

National Reporter at USA Today

National Reporter for @USATODAY covering immigration, borders. Send tips on SIGNAL @laurenvillagran.57

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Articles

Quiet on the southern front: A border agent's slow day shows Trump effect

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Lauren Villagran

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. ‒ Border Patrol agent Claudio Herrera steered his green-and-white Suburban up a rocky hillside, to an outcropping where migrant smugglers once lurked. It was 6:15 a.m. on a weekday in mid-May – a peak hour in what should have been peak season for illegal migration in southern New Mexico. But there was no sign of smugglers or migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border that morning.
Illegal border crossings have plunged. DHS still says it needs billions to build a wall.

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Lauren Villagran |Riley Beggin

The Trump administration's claim to the "most secure border in history" has some Senate Republicans asking why DHS needs billions for a border wall. The Department of Homeland Security has asked Congress for $45.6 billion to build hundreds more miles of fencing at the southern border as part of a sweeping tax and spending bill that passed the House and is being debated in the Senate.
Illegal border crossings have plunged. DHS still says it needs billions to build a wall.

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Lauren Villagran |Riley Beggin

The Trump administration's claim to the "most secure border in history" has some Senate Republicans asking why DHS needs billions for a border wall. The Department of Homeland Security has asked Congress for $45.6 billion to build hundreds more miles of fencing at the southern border as part of a sweeping tax and spending bill that passed the House and is being debated in the Senate.
Daily Immigration News Clips - May 21, 2025

2 weeks ago | aila.org | Lauren Villagran |Emma Pitts |Jasmine Garsd |Nuria Martinez-Keel

Contact Us Phone: 202-507-7600 Fax: 202-783-7853 American Immigration Lawyers Association Copyright © 1993 - American Immigration Lawyers Association Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement | Site Map
Kristi Noem botches definition of 'habeas corpus' at Senate hearing

2 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Lauren Villagran

Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security couldn't define a key constitutional right when asked about it in a Senate hearing. "Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country," Noem told a Senate committee on May 20, in a response to a senator's question.
DHS: 'No plans' for immigration reality show

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Lauren Villagran

The Trump administration is not considering a reality show in which immigrants compete for citizenship, according to the Homeland Security chief, despite statements to the contrary by a department spokeswoman. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a Senate committee May 20 that she and her leadership team "have no knowledge" of a reality show, which was first reported by The Daily Mail.
Trump's DOD ends hunting, hiking at the border. Hunters wonder 'Am I going to get shot?'

2 weeks ago | lcsun-news.com | Lauren Villagran

DOD now says Americans can be arrested in militarized zone at the southern border. Ray Trejo won a coveted permit to hunt deer along New Mexico's southern border this year, but with the U.S. Army moving in, he's worried. "If I’m hunting down there and wearing camo and I have a rifle strapped to my back, am I going to get shot?" said Trejo, an elected commissioner in Luna County, at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Hunters wonder 'Am I going to get shot?' as US military takes over the border

2 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Lauren Villagran

Ray Trejo won a coveted permit to hunt deer along New Mexico's southern border this year, but with the U.S. Army moving in, he's worried. "If I’m hunting down there and wearing camo and I have a rifle strapped to my back, am I going to get shot?" said Trejo, an elected commissioner in Luna County, at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Hunters wonder 'Am I going to get shot?' as US military takes over the border

2 weeks ago | wisconsinrapidstribune.com | Lauren Villagran

A US senator is asking defense department whether Americans can be arrested on the range. Ray Trejo won a coveted permit to hunt deer along New Mexico's southern border this year, but with the U.S. Army moving in, he's worried. "If I’m hunting down there and wearing camo and I have a rifle strapped to my back, am I going to get shot?" said Trejo, an elected commissioner in Luna County, at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Donald Trump slams Supreme Court ruling blocking deportation without a court hearing

2 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Lauren Villagran |Maureen Groppe

President Donald Trump said the Supreme Court's decision limiting his ability to deport immigrants without a court hearing represents "a bad and dangerous day for America."In a post on his Truth Social site on May 16, Trump slammed the high court's ruling blocking his administration from using a 1798 wartime law to deport a group of Venezuelan migrants. The migrants argued who said they had not been given enough of a chance to contest their removal.