Detention
DOJ Moves to End Administrative Immigration Appeals to Speed Up Mass Deportations
The Department of Justice (DOJ), which oversees the immigration court and administrative appeals system, published an interim final rule on February 6 that will effectively end appellate review of many immigration judge decisions. The rule goes into effect March 9, and, while it won’t impact the close to… Read More
6 Deaths in ICE Custody and 2 Fatal Shootings: A Horrific Start to 2026
January 2026 saw a shocking number of deaths tied to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This includes fatalities inside immigration detention centers as well as deadly shootings involving ICE agents in public spaces. The deaths of eight people last month come on top of a record number of… Read More
Trump’s Radical Mandatory Immigration Detention Policy Upheld by US Appeals Court
Late on February 6, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision with staggering ramifications: it subjects millions of noncitizens in this country to the possibility of mandatory immigration detention without any opportunity for a bond hearing. The court’s decision… Read More
Amicus Briefs Argue Overbroad Application of Mandatory Detention Under INA 235(b)(2) Results in Cruel, Arbitrary, and Unnecessary Detention
Multiple U.S. courts of appeals are considering the government’s sudden about-face on the meaning of two detention statutes, resulting in a radical expansion of mandatory immigration detention. Rejecting three decades of agency and judicial interpretation, the government now maintains that 8 U.S.C. §1225(b)(2) requires the no-bond detention of each… Read More
New Report Details ICE’s Expanding and Increasingly Unaccountable Detention System
Key Takeaways When President Trump took office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was holding roughly 40,000 people in a national network of detention centers on any given day. In just one year, this number has increased by over 75%, with a record 73,000 people being held in… Read More
Immigration Detention Expansion in Trump’s Second Term
Immigration detention in the United States has expanded dramatically in recent years, driven by aggressive enforcement policies and historic funding increases. Our report highlights how thousands of individuals—many without criminal records—are held in a rapidly growing network of detention facilities, often with limited access to legal support or avenues for release. 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
Testifying on Interior Immigration Enforcement: Citizen Arrests, DHS Overreach, and Erosion of Rights
Senior Fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick delivered oral testimony before Congress exposing skyrocketing “at-large” arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), profiling, wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens, and the urgent need for congressional reform. Read More
Amidst Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign, Report Shows Access to Lawyers is Critical
Washington DC, Nov. 20 — As the Trump administration intensifies its mass deportation and detention campaign, a new report from the American Immigration Council shows that legal representation is one of the most powerful tools to increase fairness in immigration court. … Read More
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