Department of Homeland Security

Trump Implements Nationwide ‘Send Them Back’ Immigration Policy

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday morning that it would vastly expand “expedited removal,” a provision of the law that permits the agency to rapidly deport certain individuals without an opportunity to see an immigration judge. Under the expansion, DHS can rapidly deport undocumented immigrants in… Read More

ICE Quietly Expands Immigration Detention in the Deep South

While members of Congress were struggling to reach a bipartisan deal in February in order to end the government shutdown, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) quietly expanded its complicated network of immigration jails—this time in the Deep South. In late June, ICE started using three… Read More

ICE Raids: What to Expect This Week

After word got out about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) plans to conduct widespread raids across the country on Sunday, ICE agents appeared to scale back their plans. The enforcement agency is instead attempting a quieter—but just as damaging—approach to targeting immigrant families. ICE is reportedly targeting approximately… Read More

86 Conversations Across US Show Public Opinion on Immigration Is Complex Yet Changeable

The American public can still deliberate civilly with one another about issues of national importance. The most recent example comes from The Kettering Foundation who hosted 86 conversations across America on the topic of immigration through their National Issues Forums (NIF). The resulting report from these… Read More

A New EOIR Rule Expands Powers of the Board of Immigration Appeals and Attorney General

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) issued a final rule last week that expands the authority of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and Attorney General William Barr when reviewing an immigration judge’s decision following a removal proceeding. The BIA reviews an immigration judge’s decision if ether the individual… Read More

Supreme Court Rules Against Citizenship Question on 2020 Census

In a rebuke to the Trump administration, the Supreme Court ruled against adding a question on citizenship to the 2020 U.S. Census form—for now. Critics feared the question may discourage immigrant, mixed-status, and minority households from participating in the Census, resulting in widespread undercounting and dramatic shifts in political representation. Read More

Federal Court Tells ICE to Stop Arrests in Massachusetts Courthouses

In Massachusetts, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are barred from making civil arrests in courthouses. Such arrests have a chilling effect on the administration of justice—those who fear civil arrest in court are much less likely to seek a court’s help for resolving disputes. Since 2018, an ICE… Read More

ICE Deported Hundreds of Immigrant Veterans – And Has No Record of Them in Their Database

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not following its own policies—and hundreds of men and women who have served in our military are getting deported for minor offenses due to the agency’s negligence. A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released last week details how ICE ignores two… Read More

‘What’s Next? Drinking Water?’ Government Cuts English Classes, Recreation for Immigrant Children in Shelters

The Trump administration is cutting funds for educational programs, recreation, and legal services for unaccompanied children who are waiting to be placed with a sponsor in the United States. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which contracts with shelters around the country to hold unaccompanied immigrant children, says that if… Read More