Detention
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
$1/Day Labor Program for Immigrants in Detention Ruled Unlawful in Washington State
In a landmark court decision, Geo Group—one of the largest private prison companies that own and/or manage dozens of immigrant detention centers across the United States—was found to have violated Washington state’s minimum wage laws. The company has been ordered to pay over $23 million, $17.3 million of which will… Read More
ICE Makes It Impossible for Immigrants in Detention to Contact Lawyers
By Emma Winger, Staff Attorney, American Immigration Council, and Eunice Cho, Sr. Staff Attorney, ACLU National Prison Project “Ben G.” is a 35-year-old veterinarian from Nicaragua who fled to the United States after he was beaten and tortured by police. When he… Read More
Council Advocates for Meaningful Access to Legal Representation in Immigration Detention
The American Immigration Council and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) advocated for attorney access in immigration detention facilities in a letter sent a letter to DHS and ICE. Read More
Ninth Circuit Lifts Injunction Protecting People in ICE Detention from COVID-19
In a split decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on October 20 lifted a lower court’s protections for medically vulnerable people locked up in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protections included requiring that ICE adhere to public health and safety protocols… Read More
Council and Partners Call on ICE and USCIS to Eliminate Delays for Detained Asylum Seekers
The Council and partners urged ICE and USCIS in a letter to ensure timely credible and reasonable fear interviews at U.S. immigration detention centers. Read More
ICE Fails to Provide Basic Oversight of Solitary Confinement and Unlawfully Destroys Records
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been known to improperly subject individuals in its custody to solitary confinement and has destroyed solitary confinement records in violation of a records retention schedule and an agreement to preserve records in a lawsuit. On October 13, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.