The sprawling hacking campaign came to be known as SolarWinds, for the company whose software update was seeded by Russian intelligence agents with malware to penetrate government and private networks.

Key lawmakers say they’re concerned they’ve been kept in the dark about what suspected Russian hackers stole from the federal government and they pressed Biden administration officials for more details about the scope of what’s known as the SolarWinds hack.

The short answer for many security experts and federal officials is that it can’t — at least not without some significant changes. Ad“The SolarWinds hack was a victory for our foreign adversaries, and a failure for DHS,” said Sen. The FAA initially told the AP in mid-February that it had not been affected by the SolarWinds hack, only to issue a second statement a few days later that it was continuing to investigate. Federal officials said that amount is only a down payment on much bigger planned spending to improve threat detection. The hosting services of Amazon Web Services and GoDaddy were used by the SolarWinds hackers to evade detection, officials said recently.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. will take steps to more quickly move hundreds of migrant children and teens out of cramped detention facilities along the Southwest border, President Joe Biden said. The number of migrants attempting to cross the border is at the highest level since a spring 2019 surge under Trump, according to the most recently released statistics. The number of migrants encountered by authorities along the Southwest border has been rising since April, shortly after the Trump administration imposed a public health order authorizing Customs and Border Protection to quickly expel most people. More than 100,000 migrants were stopped crossing the border in February, the most recent statistics publicly available. Biden says it is working with the Mexican government to take more of them and to shore up its own border.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. will take steps to more quickly move hundreds of migrant children and teens out of cramped detention facilities along the Southwest border, President Joe Biden said Thursday. The number of migrants attempting to cross the border is at the highest level since a spring 2019 surge under Trump, according to the most recently released statistics. The number of migrants encountered by authorities along the Southwest border has been rising since April, shortly after the Trump administration imposed a public health order authorizing Customs and Border Protection to quickly expel most people. More than 100,000 migrants were stopped crossing the border in February, the most recent statistics publicly available. Biden says it is working with the Mexican government to take more of them and to shore up its own border.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. will take steps to more quickly move hundreds of migrant children and teens out of cramped detention facilities along the Southwest border, President Joe Biden said Thursday. The number of migrants attempting to cross the border is at the highest level since a spring 2019 surge under Trump, according to the most recently released statistics. The number of migrants encountered by authorities along the Southwest border has been rising since April, shortly after the Trump administration imposed a public health order authorizing Customs and Border Protection to quickly expel most people. More than 100,000 migrants were stopped crossing the border in February, the most recent statistics publicly available. Biden says it is working with the Mexican government to take more of them and to shore up its own border.

FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2020, file photo, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Shawn Thew/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s acting head of the Department of Homeland Security abruptly resigned Monday, leaving the post ahead of schedule as the nation faces a heightened terrorism threat from extremists seeking to reverse the election. The announcement by acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf was perplexing. Peter Gaynor, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will serve as acting head of the Department of Homeland Security until the Biden administration takes over. Trump appointed Wolf acting secretary in November 2019, following the resignation of Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary who took over following the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2020, file photo, Department of Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf makes an opening statement at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool Photo via AP, File)WASHINGTON – Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is stepping down from his post, days after criticizing President Donald Trump over the riot at the U.S. Capitol. He said Pete Gaynor, who ran the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would become the acting homeland security secretary. Last week, Wolf asked Trump and all elected officials to “strongly condemn the violence” that took place at the Capitol. He tweeted “we now see some supporters of the President using violence as a means to achieve political ends” and called that unacceptable.

With the Washington Monument in the background, people attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. The announcement comes after thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol last week as legislators were meeting to vote to certify Biden’s electoral win. The State Department is investigating what appears to be a “prank” after its website suggested President Donald Trump’s term would end Monday evening. It comes days after thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the congressional certification of Biden’s victory. The National Park Service is shutting down public access to the Washington Monument until Jan. 24, citing threats surrounding Joe Biden’s inauguration.

But the two events aren't even comparable from a security standpoint, said Michael Plati, U.S. Secret Service special agent in charge, who is leading the inauguration security. “There's a variety of methods to ensure that we have a secure, seamless, safe environment for our protectees, but most importantly, the general public,” Plati said. The Department of Homeland Security is setting increased inauguration security measures in motion earlier than scheduled, citing an “evolving security landscape” leading up to the event. The theme for the event will be “America United,” an issue that’s long been a central focus for Biden but one that’s taken on added weight. Trump is skipping Biden’s inauguration, a decision Biden said was a “good thing,” though Vice President Mike Pence and his wife plan to attend.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, file photo, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference in Washington. Bowser is seeking increased security around President-elect Joe Bidens Jan. 20, 2021, inauguration in the wake of the mob insurrection at the Capitol. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser is seeking increased security around President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in the wake of the mob insurrection at the Capitol. D.C. does not have jurisdiction over the Capitol and other federal property within its borders. Nearly all of the legal challenges put forth by Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges.

SAN DIEGO – A U.S. judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s most sweeping set of asylum restrictions less than two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The court order has limited immediate impact because the government has largely suspended asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border during the coronavirus pandemic, citing public health concerns. He said it was the fifth time a court has ruled against Homeland Security on the same grounds. Any foreigner who steps on U.S. soil has a legal right to apply for asylum, according to U.S. asylum law and international treaty obligations. Donato took issue with how people came to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

The U.S. Capitol Police says an officer who was injured after responding to riots at the Capitol has died. ___7:20 p.m.President Donald Trump is conceding to President-elect Joe Biden and condemning the violent supporters of his who stormed the nation’s Capitol. He was a web developer and founder of Trumparoo, a social media site for supporters of President Donald Trump. ___2:35 p.m.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she’s seeking the resignation of Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund a day after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. ___2:30 p.m.Canadian-based e-commerce company Shopify Inc. has removed online stores affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying his actions have violated the company’s policies.

As of March, about 106,000 DACA recipients lived in Texas, and another 86,000 were potentially eligible to apply, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Friday's order follows last month's ruling that acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf wasn’t appointed to the position according to DHS guidelines, rendering a July memo issued on the DACA program invalid. In that memo, DACA protections, which also include a renewable two-year work permit, were slashed to one year. But in his November ruling Garaufis said Wolf’s succession didn't follow proper procedure after former secretary Kevin McAleenan left the post in October. “DHS failed to follow the order of succession as it was lawfully designated," Garaufis wrote.

U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the government had to post a public notice within three days — including on its website and the websites of all other relevant government agencies — that new DACA applications were being accepted. Garaufis also ordered the government to put together a status report on the DACA program by Jan. 4. “Every time the outgoing administration tried to use young immigrants as political scapegoats, they defiled the values of our nation. The Trump administration had announced the end of the program in 2017, leading to the legal challenges that wound up in front of the Supreme Court. For the second time, a court has ordered the administration to resume processing DACA applications.

“DHS failed to follow the order of succession as it was lawfully designated,” U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis wrote. About 650,000 people are part of DACA, which allows young immigrants who were brought to the country as children to legally work and shields them from deportation. In Garaufis' ruling Saturday, the judge wrote that DHS didn't follow an order of succession established when then-Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019. Kevin McAleenan, who succeeded Nielsen until he resigned in October 2019, also didn't have statutory authority to hold the position, Garaufis wrote. President-elect Joe Biden plans to reinstate DACA and is expected to use executive orders to reverse some of Trump's other immigration actions.

NEW YORK – A group of Democratic lawmakers called on the Trump administration Monday to stop the expulsion of unaccompanied children and other asylum seekers at the U.S. border using emergency powers granted during the coronavirus pandemic. “Clearly, expulsions lack a public health rationale, and the U.S. government is fully capable of receiving and placing unaccompanied children and asylum seekers while also protecting public health,” said the letter, signed by 58 lawmakers. The CDC’s order covers the U.S. borders with both Mexico and Canada, but has mostly affected the thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants arriving at the southern border. Public health experts had urged the administration to focus on a national mask mandate, enforce social distancing and increase the number of contact tracers to track down people exposed to the virus. In their letter, the lawmakers say the order endangers children, including by exposing them to risks such as human trafficking.

(AP Photo/John Flesher)WASHINGTON – Education Secretary Betsy DeVos planned a “Moms for Trump” rally in her home state of Michigan. It's long been one of the benefits of incumbency that a president can enlist his Cabinet to promote administration accomplishments. “The Trump administration has completely obliterated that line," said Austin Evers, executive director of American Oversight, which describes itself as a nonpartisan watchdog organization. "The White House is now the seat of government, where the president lives, and one of his chief campaign props. “The Trump administration takes the Hatch Act seriously and all events are conducted in compliance with the law,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said.

Border Patrol agent Justin Castrejon speaks in front of newly replaced border wall sections Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, near Tecate, Calif. Top Trump administration officials will visit South Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, attempting to show progress on perhaps the president's best-known campaign promise four years ago. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)HOUSTON – Top Trump administration officials visited Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have nearly completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, trying to show progress on perhaps the president's best-known campaign promise four years ago. DHS officials have held several events announcing immigration operations this month in states considered competitive in the election. As of last week, 381 miles (613 kilometers) of wall have been completed during the Trump administration. Of the more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) funded by Congress in the last two years, just 5 miles (8 kilometers) have been built.

Marshals Service unlawfully deputized dozens of local Portland police officers as federal agents despite objections from city officials. The federal deputations have meant protesters arrested by local police could face federal charges, which generally carry stiffer penalties. The use of federal agents in these ways is a major shift in policy and threatens the independence of local law enforcement, according to the lawsuit. The complaint cites the anti-commandeering doctrine of the Tenth Amendment, which says that the federal government cannot require states or state officials to adopt or enforce federal law. The state of Oregon sued over allegations that federal agents swept up protesters in unmarked cars without identifying themselves.

And it added to charges from Trump critics that DHS and other agencies have become overtly politicized under this president. “Now, he’s trying to use the department to benefit himself electorally.”Few issues are as important to Trump's political base as immigration. But attention to the issue has ebbed in the 2020 race, as Trump has focused more on unrest in Democratic cities, leftist activists and other matters. Then Wolf followed up with the news conference to announce the enforcement operation — a fairly routine operation that resulted in a fairly low number of arrests. Trump has said Biden wants to abolish ICE and end deportations, but that's not correct.

SAN DIEGO – A federal judge on Tuesday halted major fee increases for citizenship and other immigration benefits three days before they were to take effect, saying the last two chiefs of the Homeland Security Department were likely appointed illegally. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White found Kevin McAleenan was improperly catapulted to acting secretary when Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019. Chad Wolf, who became acting secretary after McAleenan resigned in November 2019, was also promoted out of order from his position as under secretary for strategy, policy and plans. The Homeland Security and Justice departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for awarding citizenship, green cards and temporary work permits.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee during his confirmation hearing, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 on Captiol Hill in Washington. “Rhetoric and political ideology cannot drive intelligence reports and it should not predetermine the actions of any federal department," Sen. Gary Peters, top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security committee, said at the start of the hearing. In his whistleblower complaint, Murphy said that, as far as he was aware, the DHS intelligence division “never knowingly” collected information about journalists though it did track media reports that appeared to include leaked material. Later, he said that the intelligence community believes three nations are waging disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing the presidential election. “Russia looks to denigrate former Vice President Biden," he said.

WASHINGTON – A whistleblower's complaint and a tight timeline are making it increasingly unlikely that the Senate will confirm Chad Wolf as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security before the election. President Donald Trump formally sent the nomination late Thursday to the Senate after announcing his intention to appoint Wolf in a tweet last month. But the full Senate is unlikely to hold a confirmation vote before the election, said two Republican aides granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Trump appointed Wolf acting secretary in November 2019, following the resignation of Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary who took over following the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. “Their toxic and unethical actions are wholly incompatible with the non-partisan mission of the Department of Homeland Security,” he said.

BEIJING U.S. move to revoke the visas of about 1,000 Chinese students amounts to outright political persecution and racial discrimination, China's foreign ministry said Thursday. Zhao said the move damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students studying in the U.S.It is outright political persecution and racial discrimination, and seriously violated the human rights of Chinese students studying there," Zhao said. Along with graduate students, the Trump administration has accused some journalists working for Chinese state media outlets in the U.S. of spreading pro-regime propaganda or outright spying. Chinese students make up the largest group of foreign students at American colleges and universities, with about 370,000 enrolled. New visa restrictions and the global coronavirus pandemic have already created considerable uncertainty about their academic future in the U.S.

those who seek to undermine our democratic institutions, indiscriminately destroy businesses, and attack law enforcement officers and fellow citizens are a threat to the Homeland," Wolf said in a State of the Homeland" speech that spelled out the department's priorities. Former DHS officials and other critics said the agency traditionally would support law enforcement only with the cooperation of local authorities. The deployment, which included elite law enforcement units, came shortly after Trump issued an executive order to protect federal buildings and monuments amid nationwide racial justice protests. He noted that 240 federal officers have been injured in protests and disputed that the demonstrations have been largely peaceful. There is no constitutional right to burn cities to the ground and assault the men and women of law enforcement, he said.

The Trump White House has taken an ambivalent approach to the ethics rules and norms that guided past administrations. And Wolf and Pompeo now join a substantive list of other Trump officials who have taken a cavalier approach specifically toward the Hatch Act. This video is an egregious violation of the Hatch Act, wrote Claire O. Finkelstein and Richard W. Painter, the two law school professors. They also called for a review of whether State Department employees who helped with logistics could have violated the Hatch Act, as well. The penalty for violating the Hatch Act can include removal from federal service, debarment from federal employment for a period of under five years, suspension, reprimand, or a civil penalty that cannot be greater than $1,000.

Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to examine Department of Homeland Security personnel deployments to recent protests on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, in Washington. (Toni Sandys/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will nominate acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to the top spot in the agency. I am pleased to inform the American Public that Acting Secretary Chad Wolf will be nominated to be the Secretary of Homeland Security, Trump tweeted. Wolf was named acting secretary in November 2019 after Trump removed his predecessor, acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan after six months in the post leading an agency that has the third largest budget in the federal government. The nomination comes amid uncertainty over whether Wolf, as well as acting deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, has been legally entitled to hold the top job at DHS.

CORRECTS FROM FLOOD DAMAGE TO DERECHO DAMAGE - Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, right, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on derecho damage and recovery efforts in Iowa, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The individual assistance request covers 27 counties. Trump indicated Monday that he had signed the state's disaster aid request in full, but he had not approved the individual assistance, which makes up the largest portion of the $3.99 billion aid request. FEMA spokesman Mike Cappannari said the assessment for the individual assistance portion of the declaration was underway. The storm destroyed or damaged numerous outbuildings, barns, grain bins, homes, mobile homes, apartment buildings, trees and power poles, the weather service said.

An immigration advocacy group said a federal report concluding two top Department of Homeland Security officials are not legally eligible to serve calls into question the agency's latest guidance on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applicants. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli were also improper because they relied on an amended designation made by Mr. McAleenan, the report notes. Trump announced in 2017 he was ending the DACA program but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that it was improperly terminated and allowed the initiative to continue. The GAOs report has no legal authority but the report authors said the findings are being referred to the DHSs inspector general. In light of this GAO decision, both Wolf and Cuccinelli must resign in disgrace or be removed from their positions immediately.

Roughly 66,000 more would be eligible if new applications were accepted because they met the age requirement — 15 — after the Trump administration tried to end the program in 2017, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. The administration’s monthlong silence had unnerved many DACA recipients and those who wanted to join. “It’s infuriating that we continue to be the punching bag for the administration,” she said of fellow DACA recipients. Trump has tried unsuccessfully to work with Congress on a broader immigration package that would couple DACA with tougher enforcement measures. “We’re going to work with a lot of people on DACA,” Trump told reporters.

DACA recipients and supporters rally in celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the program outside of the Immgration and Customs Enforcement offices in Phoenix in June. Thomas Hawthorne/The Republic via REUTERSThe Trump administration announced on Tuesday it will reject new applications for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program despite a federal judges order earlier this month that new applicants should be given consideration. The judge's order came after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the Department of Homeland Security didnt follow proper procedure when it ended the program in 2017 and allowed DACA to stand. The Supreme Court asked us to resubmit on DACA, nothing was lost or won, Trump tweeted at the time. But he made statements arguing he had the power implement action on DACA that would protect young immigrants, though he was unclear on details.

Aislinn Pulley, a founding member of Black Lives Matter in Chicago, speaks at a rally on Federal Plaza Thursday, July 23, 2020, after a collection of Chicago activists groups announced they are filing a federal lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department, Fraternal Order of Police, and the federal government, in Chicago. The announcement did little to calm some Chicago residents fear that the agents presence will lead to the violent clashes between demonstrators and federal agents seen in Portland. The suit filed by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum accuses federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause, whisking them away in unmarked cars and using excessive force. The suit referenced Trump's comments Wednesday blaming a push to defund, dismantle and dissolve police departments for violent crime along with the president's past support for federal agents' presence in Portland. Neither the President, Defendant Barr, nor Defendant Wolf gave any assurance that the hundreds of federal agents flooding Chicago would leave protestors alone, the activists' lawsuit said.

Donna Boyd prepares to march with the self-described "Wall of Moms" on Monday, July 20, 2020, to protest the presence of federal agents in Portland, Ore. President Donald Trump's decision to send federal agents to Portland has given new momentum to protests that had begun to devolve into chaos with smaller and smaller crowds. One filed Tuesday says federal agents are violating protesters' 10th Amendment rights by engaging in police activities designated to local and state governments. Oregons attorney general sued last week, asking a judge to block federal agents actions. It could escalate if Trump sends federal agents elsewhere, as he says he plans to do, including to Democratic-led Chicago. When Trump sent in federal officers, that changed: A masked Widman took to the street Monday with other Portland residents.

FILE - In this July 8, 2020, file photo, a worker washes graffiti off the sidewalk in front of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in downtown Portland, Ore., as two agents with the U.S. Oregon's largest city is in crisis as violent protests have wracked downtown for weeks. Each night, lawless anarchists destroy and desecrate property, including the federal courthouse, and attack the brave law enforcement officers protecting it, Wolf wrote. Federal officers recently sent to Portland by President Donald Trump have escalated tensions in the past two weeks, particularly after an officer with the U.S. Before Wolf arrived, Portland police arrested nine people early Thursday as they cleared protesters from two parks near the courthouse.

WASHINGTON The federal agency that was created to improve the nations response to terrorism announced Wednesday that it will be adding the protection of statues and monuments to its mission. Acting U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf says the agency has established a task force to protect historic landmarks against vandalism and destruction from violent anarchists and rioters" around the nation. Wolf said DHS personnel would be deployed over the Fourth of July weekend to protect landmarks in the event of any civil unrest. Demonstrators protesting the killing by police of George Floyd in Minneapolis have toppled or damaged statues of historic figures during recent demonstrations against racial injustice. Many of the statues have ties to Colonialism or the Confederacy.

Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneEL PASO The Trump administration on Tuesday extended travel restrictions between the United States and Mexico as both countries continue to grapple with increasing cases of the new coronavirus. The restrictions exclude commercial trade with Mexico, which provides about 1 million jobs to Texans, according to Gov. The restrictions were set to expire next week but will be extended for at least another 30 days, Reuters reported. Last week the Texas Border Coalition, a group of elected officials and community and business leaders from the Texas-Mexico border, urged Wolf to lift the restrictions as the Texas and Mexican governments have started to reopen their respective economies. The administration also announced Tuesday it is again postponing hearings in the United States for asylum-seekers under the Migrant Protection Protocols program.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar on Wednesday asked the Trump administration to suspend construction of the border wall on the country’s southern border and use the money to instead help fight the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The Laredo Democrat was joined by more than 90 lawmakers who urged acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to consider the safety of workers, law enforcement officers and border residents in areas where construction is taking place. “Money should be invested in healthcare, small businesses, and fighting the spread of COVID-19, not used to build an ineffective and wasteful border wall that does not solve our immigration crisis or protect our homeland,” Cuellar wrote. “Those who are tasked with building this wall are susceptible to not only contracting COVID-19, but also risk spreading the virus to others. Continuation of construction only exacerbates the public health risks for those living at the southern border, detracting from our national efforts against fighting this virus.”The border wall construction is considered an essential project that has been allowed to continue while most of the country remains paralyzed due to the pandemic.