Border
Not All Members of Congress Recognize the Nation’s Role in Protecting Unaccompanied Minors
The House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing today entitled, “Dangerous Passage: The Growing Problem of Unaccompanied Children Crossing the Border.” Committee members questioned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson on the growing humanitarian crisis at our southern border. Thousands of children from Central America… Read More
Child Refugees from Central America Need Protection, Not Deportation
The reasons why so many unaccompanied children from Central American nations are trying to make their way to the United States are not simple. There are the abysmally high murder rates, escalating gang violence, and grinding poverty which prevail in some Central American countries. There are the… Read More
Shake up at Customs and Border Protection Continues
News outlets are reporting the removal of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) head of internal affairs, James Tomscheck—who has been temporarily replaced by a director of inspections from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. This was a follow-up to last week’s release of the enforcement agency’s new use-of-force… Read More
Will Unauthorized Immigration Begin to Rise Again?
The record-low level of unauthorized immigration to the United States, particularly from Mexico, raises an obvious question: How long will it last? Presumably, conditions somewhere will change—either here or abroad—and unauthorized immigration will rise again. Even more important than the question of when it will happen, however, is… Read More
Faith Leaders and Groups Make the Moral Case for Immigration Reform
There is an increasing number of people and groups of faith across the country pressing for humane immigration policies. In spite of the legislative standstill immigration reform is facing on Capitol Hill, the faith community continues to lift up the need for immigration reform through various events across the… Read More
New Report Sheds Little Light on Deportation Debate
A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) sheds little light on the ongoing debate around who does and does not get deported from the United States. The report would have us believe that the federal government is knowingly letting tens of thousands of violent… Read More
New Website Documents Border Patrol Abuses
An alliance of immigration advocacy groups launched HoldCBPAccountable.org, a website that catalogues lawsuits and administrative complaints brought against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the ACLU… 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
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
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone