Department of Homeland Security
DHS Office of Inspector General Launches Unannounced Inspections of Detention Centers
For years, immigrant rights groups have documented deplorable conditions in immigration detention facilities. Yet, in spite of the growing evidence pointing to the prevalence of inhumane conditions of detention, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shown very little initiative in trying to address this problem. This week, in an… Read More
Medical Dysfunction at ICE Detention Facilities
There is no shortage of stories about immigrants dying from inadequate medical care while in detention centers operated or overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Take the case of Pablo Gracida-Conte, a 54-year-old Mexican man who died of cardiomyopathy in October 2011 in a hospital in Tucson,… Read More
Obama Administration Files Brief in Immigration Case at Supreme Court
This week, the Obama Administration filed its brief with the Supreme Court in United States v. Texas, the case where Texas and 25 other states are challenging the President’s executive action on expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent… Read More
What President Obama Proposed on Immigration in His Final Budget
President Obama unveiled his proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 which begins on October 1, 2016. While this is the President’s final budget and is largely seen as a political document, it does set the baseline for the funding of federal programs and new initiatives executive agencies would… Read More
DHS Can’t Enforce Its Way Out of a Refugee Crisis
There are two competing narratives being spun about the Obama Administration’s response to the “surge” of refugees from Central America who are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, and each of these narratives is as fanciful as the other. According to one story, there has been a near-instantaneous deterrent effect as… Read More
Government Losing its License to Operate Family Detention Center in Pennsylvania
On January 27, 2016, Pennsylvania state officials informed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it would not renew and would revoke the operating license for the Berks County Residential Facility, the immigration detention center in Leesport, Pennsylvania, which jails mothers and children, often for extended periods of time. Read More
Government Agencies Under Fire Over Handling of Unaccompanied Children
Earlier this week, it was reported that in 2014, when thousands of Central American children arrived at our border seeking protection from severe violence at home, government agencies released some children to human traffickers and abusers. These children were forced to live and work in dangerous conditions. At… Read More
What’s Behind the Drop in Deportation Numbers?
Since 2014, the number of federal prosecutions for immigration crimes has declined. So has the number of removals (deportations) from the United States. Contrary to some suggestions, however, this does not mean that the federal government is becoming lax in the enforcement of immigration laws. The reality is that the number of unauthorized immigrants entering the United States is down and refined enforcement priorities have meant that the government is supposed to spend less resources targeting those who present no risk to public safety or national security. Read More
Senators and Rights Groups Call on White House to Protect, Not Deport Central Americans
A growing number of policy-players and makers are calling on the U.S. government to protect, rather than deport, Central American migrants and asylum-seekers. As rampant violence and organized crime continues to destabilize the Northern Triangle countries—evidenced not only by numerous reports but, by the thousands fleeing this region in the past several years—many are questioning the U.S. government’s decision to deport people back there. There are also a growing number of groups and individuals calling for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for those currently in the U.S. from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador until conditions improve. Read More
Letter to DHS Outlines Problematic Practices That Undermine Due Process Protections for Asylum Seekers
Even before the recent ICE raids on Central American families began last week, there were serious signs that the government was undermining due process and not providing asylum-seekers a meaningful opportunity to make their cases. Many of the violations were brought to the attention of the immigration agencies by the… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
