Immigration Enforcement
House Passes ENFORCE Act
The House of Representatives today passed HR 4138, the ENFORCE Act, by a vote of 233 to 181. This bill would give either chamber of Congress standing to bring a civil action in U.S. district court alleging that “President, the head of any department or agency of… Read More
Circuit Court Ruling Affirms Detainers Not Mandatory
As communities continue to debate the harmful impact of large scale immigration enforcement programs such as Secure Communities, the 287(g) Program and the Criminal Alien Program, much of the discussion has centered on the use of “detainers… Read More
New Directive Clarifies Existing Use of Force Policy at CBP
In the wake of a leaked report exposing Border Patrol agents’ use of excessive force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a new directive last Friday attempting, indirectly, to address some of the allegations. The report, authored by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), stemmed from its… Read More
The Growth of the U.S. Deportation Machine and Its Misplaced Priorities
No one can say with certainty when the Obama administration will reach the grim milestone of having deported two million people since the President took office in 2008. Regardless of the exact date this symbolic threshold is reached, however, it is important to keep in mind a much more… Read More
Obama’s 2015 Budget Adopts Contradictory Stance on Immigration
The Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal is of two minds about how to deal with the broken U.S. immigration system. On the one hand, the document calls for the creation of “a pathway to earned citizenship for hardworking men and women” who are in the United… Read More
In First 2014 Immigration Vote, House Judiciary Committee Tries to Defund ICE Public Advocate
House members in the House Judiciary Committee voted on their first immigration bill of 2014 on Wednesday. But instead of considering existing bills that lay out legislative options to fix the nation’s immigration system, the committee approved a bill to prohibit funding for a public advocate… Read More
Local Anti-Immigrant Laws Die as More States and Municipalities Pursue Pro-Immigrant Policies
The Supreme Court announced this week that it would not review the appeals of lower-court decisions finding that local anti-immigrant ordinances passed by Farmers Branch, Texas and Hazleton, Pennsylvania were unconstitutional infringements on federal immigration law. The laws would have required private landlords to verify the immigration status… Read More
Customs and Border Protection Conceals Scathing Audit of Border Patrol’s Use of Force Policy
In response to mounting allegations of unwarranted violence by U.S. Border Patrol agents, including culpability in over 40 border-related deaths, Congress ordered an investigation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) use of force policies and practices. This investigation included an internal assessment by CBP, a review… Read More
Capture of ‘El Chapo’ Demonstrates Effective Border Enforcement
The recent capture in Mazatlan of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, leader of the infamous Sinaloa cartel, is an example of targeted border enforcement that actually enhances border security. Although El Chapo was captured by Mexican marines, the information that led them to his doorstep came in no small measure… Read More
House Members Question and Criticize Rather Than Act to Change Immigration Policies
Two hearings in the House of Representatives today were unfortunate examples of how the chamber is looking back rather than forward on immigration. In his first House hearing before the Homeland Security committee, Secretary Jeh Johnson laid out his vision for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
