Department of Homeland Security
New Report Details ICE’s Expanding and Increasingly Unaccountable Detention System
Key Takeaways When President Trump took office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was holding roughly 40,000 people in a national network of detention centers on any given day. In just one year, this number has increased by over 75%, with a record 73,000 people being held in… Read More
ICE Uses a Growing Web of AI Services to Power Its Immigration Enforcement and Surveillance
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released an updated version of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Case Inventory this summer. At first glance, the changes seemed routine—some AI software programs were marked “inactive,” and a new one was added. But upon closer examination, the removal of the AI… Read More
Why You’re Seeing Border Patrol in Places Like Charlotte and Atlanta, So Far From the Border
When Border Patrol agents descended upon Charlotte, North Carolina last week, many wondered why they were allowed to stop and question people so far from the border. Typically, it’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who have become ubiquitous with the largescale enforcement operations of the second… Read More
The Trump Administration’s New Mass Deportation Playbook
Donald Trump has put his whole government toward mass deportation. One of the most visible aspects of that is a playbook that’s beginning to become standardized in city after city around the country: Border Patrol and ICE urban terror playbook. We’ve seen it in LA, Chicago, and now… Read More
New USCIS ‘Special Agents’ Will Be Given the Power to Arrest, Use Deadly Force Against Immigrants
On September 5, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency established by Congress to adjudicate immigration applications, made a startling announcement. For the first time since the agency was created in 2003, the agency will create a new class of “special agents,” who will… Read More
Bipartisan Group of Legislators Keep Dream of Immigration Reform Alive with Reintroduced ‘DIGNIDAD’ Act
On July 15, members of Congress reintroduced what has sadly become an increasingly rare bit of legislation: an immigration reform bill aimed at addressing large-scale systematic problems with our immigration system, which has not received any major update since the 1990s. The “DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act” represents one of the… Read More
Trump Creates New System to Impose Millions in Fines on Undocumented Immigrants
Under a new system put in place by the Trump administration on June 27, immigration officers may be able to impose penalties of millions of dollars on certain undocumented immigrants, putting them at risk not only of deportation but of crushing financial debt. Under this new procedure, designed… Read More
What Is Habeas Corpus and Why Is It Important? Here’s What DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Got Wrong
In a tense exchange during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if she could define “habeas corpus.” “Habeas corpus” is the constitutional right that ensures that people have a chance to challenge their imprisonment in front of a judge. Habeas corpus… Read More
Invisible Gatekeepers: DHS’ Growing Use of AI in Immigration Decisions
On April 30, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the updated 2024 inventory of unclassified and non-sensitive AI use cases within the department. The public data revealed something powerful: artificial intelligence isn’t just a future possibility in immigration enforcement—it’s already here. In fact, the inventory listed 105 active… Read More
Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Asylum Seekers’ Rights to Present at POEs
Ports of entry along our borders are supposed to be where people in need of protection can come to seek humanitarian relief. But since 2016, every presidential administration has used different tactics to turn people away from ports of entry (POEs) along the U.S.-Mexico border before they even get there. Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
