Detention
COVID-19 Rates in ICE Detention Are at Record Highs. Advocates Are Demanding an Investigation.
The Omicron variant has spread through immigration detention like wildfire, with a record 14% of people in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody testing positive for COVID-19 as of February 1, 2022. That day, over 3,000 people in ICE custody had active cases, a 1,000% increase from one… Read More
Council Files Complaint Against ICE for Medical Neglect of People Sick With COVID-19 in Colorado Facility
The American Immigration Council filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's oversight bodies urging an investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak—including threats of retaliation against detained people—at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado Read More
Coalition Asks Inspectors General to Review Implementation of Biden Executive Order Against Private Prisons
The Council joined other organizations in calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Offices of the Inspectors General to formally review the implementation of Executive Order 14006. Read More
Leaked Photos Reveal Inhumane Conditions in Border Processing Centers
New leaked photos of Border Patrol stations in Yuma, Arizona show Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) inhumane treatment of people apprehended at the border— revealing that years of overcrowded, unsanitary, and cruel conditions continue despite multiple deaths, legal challenges, and the Biden administration’s promise to create a humane immigration system. Read More
Supreme Court Hears Arguments Addressing the Legality of Detention Without Bond
Written by Caroline Walters and Kate Melloy Goettel This week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two related immigration cases. Each asks whether certain noncitizens are entitled to bond hearings before a judge after the government has detained them for a prolonged amount of time. The question of prolonged… Read More
Seeking Records About Possible Due Process Violations of Detainees at the Torrance Detention Facility
These Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seek records from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) about treatment of Haitian immigrants. Read More
Immigration Detention and Enforcement Are a Mixed Bag in Biden’s First Year
Immigration detention and enforcement in the United States under the first year of the Biden administration has been a mixture of improvements and setbacks. The Trump administration implemented nearly 400 changes to interior enforcement with the goal of subjecting all undocumented immigrants to enforcement actions, and President Biden assumed office… Read More
Council and Partners File Oversight Complaint on Violations of Due Process and Inhumane Conditions at Torrance County Detention Facility
The American Immigration Council, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), ACLU of New Mexico, Innovation Law Lab, and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild filed an oversight complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s(DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and Office of the Inspector… Read More
Groups Call for Transparency Regarding Abuse and Mistreatment of Black Immigrants in Detention
By Tsion Gurmu, Legal Manager and Staff Attorney at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and Emily Creighton, Legal Director of Transparency The public watched in horror this September as U.S. Border Patrol agents on horses chased down Haitians and other Black migrants who were coming to the… Read More
Council Sues to Press for Records About the Treatment of Black Immigrants in Detention
This FOIA suit seeks to compel ICE to release information about conditions, treatment, and outcomes in eight immigration detention facilities in the U.S. South. Read More
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