Department of Homeland Security
Jeff Sessions Affirms Anti-Immigrant Views at Confirmation Hearing
Senator Jeff Sessions, who has been nominated to be Attorney General by President-elect Donald Trump, endured a 10-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing this week where he answered questions on a wide range of issues from voting rights and immigration to anti-trust litigation. During his time in the Senate, Sessions has… Read More
Five Things to Look for on Immigration in the 115th Congress
When President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in later this month, for the first time in a decade, the Republican Party will have control of the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and the Presidency. In theory, this control allows the Congress to pass and help implement many of the incoming… Read More
Lessons to Be Found in DHS’ 2016 Immigration Enforcement Numbers
As the Obama Administration comes to an end and its legacy on immigration is solidified, one of the defining characteristics of the President’s eight years in office will be how he enforced immigration laws. One of the strongest indicators of that will be how many individuals he actually removed and… Read More
DHS Secretary Nominee John Kelly’s Resume is Thin on Immigration
Earlier this month, President-elect Donald Trump selected retired General John Kelly to be his nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). There is not much in the record to indicate Kelly’s views on immigrants and immigration. In February of this year, Kelly retired as commander of the… Read More
Bipartisan Bill to Protect DACA Recipients Introduced
A bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill on Friday to temporarily protect individuals eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Senators Durbin (D-IL), Feinstein (D-CA), Graham (R-SC), and Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act, which would… Read More
What the Immigration Restrictionists’ Agenda Will Look Like for the Next Four Years
One does not have to look hard to find what the restrictionists’ immigration agenda will look like for the next four years. The groups and individuals leading the charge are not shy about sharing what they think the new administration should do when it comes to immigration. This week, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) released its transition ideas for the new administration and there are no surprises in the document. As usual the group paints a bleak portrait of immigrants and immigration. Their prescriptions are harsh but not new: build a wall, detain more immigrants, deport more immigrants, prosecute immigration violators, use state and local police to round up immigrants, end birthright citizenship, cut back on legal immigration, and so on. Read More
What a Donald Trump Victory Means for Immigrant Rights
The 2016 presidential election is, at long last, behind us. While pundits will interpret the significance of the election results for months to come, already clear is the broad public support for sensible and humane immigration policies. In fact, despite the rhetoric on the campaign trail, a range of post-election… Read More
New Census Numbers Underscore Importance of Immigration
There is no denying that the number of foreign-born individuals in the United States has increased in recent years. According to the Pew Research Center, the foreign-born population rose from 39.9 million in 2010 to 42.2 million in 2014. This is good news for a nation and economy that… Read More
The Death Toll of Immigration Detention
Each year on November 1 and 2, people around the world celebrate the Day of the Dead—sometimes called All Souls Day or Día de los Muertos in Spanish—to remember and honor children and adults who have died. To date, since 2003, 165 people have died in immigration detention, including… Read More
The Changing Face of Those Apprehended at the Southern U.S. Border
This week the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the total number of apprehensions by the Border Patrol of individuals trying to enter the country without authorization for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. The overall number of apprehensions is up from last year, but down when compared to FY 2013… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
