Department of Homeland Security
House Begins Debate on Anti-Executive Action Amendments to DHS Funding Bill
After the House Rules Committee on Monday night sent a bill that continues funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the rest of the year. Five amendments were attached as the House of Representatives began debating the measure on Tuesday. A vote is expected Wednesday. In December,… Read More
Government Report Blasts Border Patrol Drones as Ineffective, Wasteful
Over the past decade, as the government has pursued an “enforcement first” strategy, U.S. Border Patrol enforcement has exploded with devastating consequences. Border Patrol has used excessive force without accountability while costing taxpayers $8 billion annually, with little clear impact on migration. Amongst this spending, as… Read More
Top Five Immigration Stories of 2014
This year, the narrative on immigration swung from hope that the House of Representatives would follow the Senate’s lead and act on comprehensive immigration reform legislation to hopelessness when Republican leaders refused to act. Then attention turned to anticipation of the President’s announcement of temporary executive actions to… Read More
New Family Detention Facility Opens in Dilley, Texas, Despite Due Process Problems
The Department of Homeland Security opened the largest immigrant family detention center in Dilley, Texas this week. The privately owned facility is designed to house 2,400 people—mostly women and children—who are caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The opening of this detention center reflects the administration’s continuing commitment to its flawed… Read More
How Many Immigrants Could Be Eligible for Relief and Not Know It?
There are roughly 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S, and while the president’s executive actions on immigration offer temporary deportation reprieves for millions, some unauthorized immigrants might be eligible for permanent immigration relief and not know it. That’s the finding of a recent report published in the Journal… Read More
Congress-Passed Spending Bill Leaves DHS in Limbo
Following the close vote in the House last week, the Senate passed a spending bill 56-40 on Saturday to fund most of the government for the next year and avoid a government shutdown. Excluded from that full-year deal is the Department of Homeland Security, which is only funded until… Read More
State Department Launches In-Country Refugee Program to Reunite Central American Families
Last week, the U.S. Department of State announced the launch of its in-country refugee processing program in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The program is part of the Obama Administration’s response to last summer’s influx of unaccompanied children and families fleeing to the United States from Central America and… Read More
States Sue Over President Obama’s Immigration Executive Action
Seventeen states filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging President Obama’s decision to temporarily defer deportation for millions of immigrants who qualify for DACA of the new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program. The lawsuit argues that the president’s executive actions “violated his constitutional duty to enforce the laws and illegally… Read More
DHS Grants Temporary Protected Status for Immigrants from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced today that he has designated Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the next 18 months because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This 18-month protected status means that eligible citizens from these three countries will… Read More
DHS Announces the Transfer of Immigrant Families from Artesia to New Facility
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that it plans to close the detention facility in Artesia, New Mexico, where immigrant mothers and children currently are jailed. The closure of Artesia comes with the opening of a permanent, drastically larger family detention center in Dilley, Texas. Rather than be… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
