Immigration Enforcement

Immigration Enforcement

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Restoring Credibility and Humanity

A new framework for U.S. immigration enforcement that prioritizes public safety, fairness, accountability, and humane, proportionate consequences. Read More

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The Cost of Immigration Enforcement and Border Security

The 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

Fear as Policy: The Growing Mental Health Toll of Mass Deportation Policies

Fear as Policy: The Growing Mental Health Toll of Mass Deportation Policies

Large-scale enforcement operations, increased enforcement at airports, a growing number of ICE deaths, record-breaking detention and deportation efforts, and the loss of legal protections for certain residents, like Haitians with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), have become hallmarks of the second Trump administration. These increasingly common… Read More

Close-up of a person sorting paper documents in a filing system containing folders and records.

Council and Partners File FOIA Request for Records of Guidance from ICE to Local Law Enforcement about Releasing Records under State Laws

A new FOIA request seeks records revealing how ICE advises local law enforcement agencies on disclosing records under state public information and transparency laws. Read More

The Use of Parole Under Immigration Law

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

How We Fix Our Immigration Crisis

How We Fix Our Immigration Crisis

This month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers killed another unarmed individual. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old father of three U.S. citizen children, lived in the United States for 35 years and had no criminal convictions. He was driving to a construction job site with three co-workers to build homes… Read More

America Needs a New Immigration Agency for People Like Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

America Needs a New Immigration Agency for People Like Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Your immigration status shouldn’t cost you your life.  For Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, it didn’t matter that he was the father of three U.S. citizens, a longtime Houston resident, a decades-long construction worker, or that he wanted to follow the rules and posed no safety threat. Read More

Inhumane Detention Conditions Aren’t Uncommon, They’re Part of the Problem

Inhumane Detention Conditions Aren’t Uncommon, They’re Part of the Problem

Written by Alimatou Sarr, State & Local and Policy Intern Recent hunger and labor strikes by hundreds of detained noncitizens at the privately-operated Delaney Hall immigration detention center generated widespread scrutiny and protests against allegations of abuse and mistreatment. Among their complaints, detained noncitizens alleged… Read More

Deaths During ICE Operations Expose the Dangers of Mass Deportation 

Deaths During ICE Operations Expose the Dangers of Mass Deportation 

Washington DC, July 15 – In response to reports of a third death taking place in connection to an ICE enforcement operation in just over a week, American Immigration Council policy director Nayna Gupta issued the following statement:  “This cannot be dismissed as a series of unrelated tragedies. This is… Read More

States Advance ICE Masking Bans, Data Protections, and Immigration Enforcement Guardrails in 2026

States Advance ICE Masking Bans, Data Protections, and Immigration Enforcement Guardrails in 2026

Written by: Julian Montes-Sharp. State and Local Initiatives Intern Midway through the year, with over 30 state legislatures adjourned, emerging trends show how some states are taking up policies to protect immigrant communities. Having seen nearly 18 months of the second Trump administration’s immigration agenda, many state… 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

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