Right to Counsel
We believe fair access to legal counsel in immigration courts is integral to a fair and just system. Our research shows stark disparities in representation rates, with only 37% of immigrants overall–and just 14% of detained immigrants–securing legal representation. Discover more about how we’re working to address this issue.
Council Seeks Information on How USCIS Is Processing FOIA Requests for Immigration Records
An Alien File (A-File) is a record that holds a noncitizens’ immigration history. It includes copies of forms they may have filed, information about their immigration arrests (if they have had encounters with immigration enforcement), and some immigration court records. This file is crucial to immigrants and their legal representatives… 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… Read More
Mass Deportation: Analyzing the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Immigrants, Democracy, and America
The first six months of President Trump’s return to office have marked the most extreme changes to the immigration system in modern U.S. history. Read More
Attorneys & Advocates Discuss the Harms of the Trump Administration’s Forced Disappearances to El Salvador
Since March 15, the Trump administration has disappeared over 280 people to a notorious prison in El Salvador, the CECOT, well-known for its abusive conditions and use of torture. Read More
El gobierno de los Estados Unidos detiene ilegalmente a padre de dos hijos en la tristemente célebre prisión salvadoreña
El Consejo Americano de Inmigración, el Proyecto Nacional de Inmigración y el Centro de Derechos Constitucionales presentaron hoy una petición de hábeas corpus enmendada en nombre del Sr. Edicson David Quintero Chacón. Read More
These Men Were Deported to El Salvador With No Due Process. Their Stories Show Why an Investigation Is Necessary
In the weeks before March 15, the Trump administration’s preparations for a major operation kicked into high gear. Venezuelan men attending routine check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ended up leaving in handcuffs. ICE agents fanned out across communities and began questioning and detaining men with tattoos. By the… Read More
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Block on SF 2340, Iowa’s Anti-Immigrant Law
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI, JAN. 25, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit today upheld a temporary block on SF 2340, Iowa’s worst-ever immigration law. The Iowa law was passed during the 2024 Iowa legislative session and was temporarily blocked by the courts just weeks after. It conflicts… Read More
Misguided Laken Riley Act Does Nothing to Fix the Problems That Plague Our Immigration System
WASHINGTON, JAN. 22, 2025 — Today, the House voted in the final step for passing S. 5, legislation that will have devastating implications for many immigrants in the United States and our system of legal immigration alike. The bill eliminates due process for many immigrants, including some… Read More
NEW REPORT: Gaps in Detention Data from Torrance Detention Facility Show Racial Disparities
In a New Mexico detention center, ICE categorized People with African, Asian, and South American backgrounds as racially ‘white’ Read More
Ninth Circuit Upholds Rights of Asylum Seekers, Rules “Metering” Unlawful
In a decision issued on Oct. 23, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals largely affirmed a lower court decision that found the U.S. government's systemic practice of turning back asylum seekers ("metering") at the U.S.-Mexico border is unlawful. Read More
