Border Enforcement
Migration at the border is a multifaceted issue, challenging the U.S. to secure our borders while upholding the human rights of individuals seeking safety and better opportunities. Balancing national security with compassion and our legal obligations to asylum seekers presents intricate dilemmas, and we collaborate with policymakers to advance bipartisan, action-oriented solutions.
Beyond A Border Solution
- Asylum
- May 2, 2023
America needs durable solutions. These concrete measures can bring orderliness to our border and modernize our overwhelmed asylum system. Read…
Read MoreThe Cost of Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
Federal spending on immigration enforcement has topped half a trillion dollars since DHS was founded in 2003, and Congress keeps adding more. This fact sheet tracks that spending, the human and economic fallout of the current mass deportation campaign, and the wide funding gap between enforcement agencies and the immigration courts that decide these cases. Read More
The Use of Parole Under Immigration Law
Parole under immigration law is very different than in the criminal justice context. In the immigration context, parole facilitates certain individuals’ entry into and permission to temporarily remain in the United States. This overview explains how parole requests are considered, who may qualify, and what parole programs exist. Read More
Blanche v. Lau and Advising LPRs With Criminal Legal System Encounters About Travel Abroad
This practice alert analyzes the Supreme Court’s June 23, 2026 decision in Blanche v. Lau, which held that border officers do not need clear and convincing evidence at the time of inspection to treat a returning lawful permanent resident (LPR) as seeking admission for purposes of removal proceedings. The alert explains the Court’s ruling, its impact on current immigration law, and practical considerations for attorneys advising LPRs with pending criminal charges or other criminal legal system encounters who are considering international travel. It also explores unresolved questions regarding parole, detention, evidentiary standards, and strategies for challenging inadmissibility determinations. Read More
‘Metering’ of Asylum Seekers Is Bad Policy, Bad Law, and Bad for the Border
For years, the federal government had one, clear message for migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border: go to a port of entry and do not cross the border illegally. This message was bipartisan. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen declared in June 2018: “If you… Read More
Prosecuting People for Coming to the United States
Over the last two decades, the federal government increasingly has utilized the criminal courts to punish people for immigration violations. This overview provides basic information about entry-related offenses, including the significant costs incurred by the government conducting these prosecutions, the individuals who are subjected to them, and how the government’s rationale for carrying them out is not supported by the data. Read More
Immigration Detainers: An Overview
This fact sheet explains detainers, how they are used by federal and local enforcement, and the impact they have on immigrants. Read More
50 Days Until the World Cup: Travel Bans, ICE, and Iran Cause Uncertainty for Players and Fans
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in exactly 50 days when Mexico takes on South Africa in Mexico City, one of 16 host cities across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. For the 78 games being played in the U.S. — three-quarters of all the tournament’s matches —… Read More
Supreme Court Today: Immigration Advocates Tell Justices Trump’s Turnback Policy Violated Law
Thousands denied right to seek asylum and forced back into danger; case has implications for refugee rights March 24, 2026, Washington, D.C. – Immigration advocates argued today before the Supreme Court that the Trump administration’s turnback policy violated federal immigration law. Under the now-defunct policy, immigration officers… Read More
Report: Immigration Detention Is Bigger, Harsher, and Less Accountable Than Ever
Trump Administration Targets People with No Criminal Record and Uses Detention to Pressure Them to Give Up Their Cases Washington DC, Jan. 14 Wednesday — A new report released today by the American Immigration Council shows that the Trump administration is locking up hundreds of thousands of people— most with no… Read More
Federal Court Blocks ICE’s Unlawful Detention of Immigrant Teens Turning 18
Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2025 — On December 12, a federal court in D.C. ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to follow a long-standing court order that protects immigrant teens from being placed in adult detention centers. The court’s order… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.