Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Immigration Detention and Enforcement Are a Mixed Bag in Biden’s First Year
Immigration detention and enforcement in the United States under the first year of the Biden administration has been a mixture of improvements and setbacks. The Trump administration implemented nearly 400 changes to interior enforcement with the goal of subjecting all undocumented immigrants to enforcement actions, and President Biden assumed office… Read More
Justices Consider the Limits of Judicial Review in Latest Immigration Case at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Monday in a case that raises a critical question of whether a federal court can review a noncitizen’s eligibility for certain types of discretionary immigration relief, or whether that decision rests on the sole determination of a government agency official. The case—Patel… Read More
CBP’s Plan to Expand Data Collection of Individuals Before Arrival at the Border Leaves Questions Unanswered
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) plan to collect information from more individuals before they arrive at the border has raised questions about how the agency will gather and use the information as well as privacy concerns. CBP’s proposal would broaden the category of individuals who may submit biographic and… Read More
Failure to Reauthorize Employment Harms Asylum Seekers and the U.S. Economy
U.S. workers are losing their jobs due to bureaucratic delays at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), despite an economy desperate for workers. Asylum seekers wanting to renew their employment authorization documents are often waiting for upwards of a year for renewal, resulting in job loss and associated benefits. On… Read More
Groups Call for Transparency Regarding Abuse and Mistreatment of Black Immigrants in Detention
By Tsion Gurmu, Legal Manager and Staff Attorney at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and Emily Creighton, Legal Director of Transparency The public watched in horror this September as U.S. Border Patrol agents on horses chased down Haitians and other Black migrants who were coming to the… Read More
ICE Begins Mass Mailing Court Notices to Asylum Seekers Released at the Border
Since President Biden took office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have released over 250,000 people seeking asylum directly at the border. In nearly half of these cases, people were not released with a formal “Notice to Appear” in immigration court. Instead, officers gave them a “Notice to Report”… Read More
Changing Cut Off Dates Leave India EB-3 Applicants in an Immigration Limbo
Annual limits on immigrant visa numbers, combined with processing delays and wasted numbers, mean even longer waits for people to become U.S. permanent residents. In November, the “cut off” date for visa eligibility retrogressed (moved backward in time) for people born in India who are in the employment-based (EB) third… Read More
ICE Makes It Impossible for Immigrants in Detention to Contact Lawyers
By Emma Winger, Staff Attorney, American Immigration Council, and Eunice Cho, Sr. Staff Attorney, ACLU National Prison Project “Ben G.” is a 35-year-old veterinarian from Nicaragua who fled to the United States after he was beaten and tortured by police. When he… Read More
DHS Issues New Memo Restricting Enforcement Activities in ‘Protected Areas’
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued “Guidelines for Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas”—a new memo that provides a framework for when and where DHS law enforcement entities can conduct enforcement activities in sensitive locations. The memo applies to enforcement activities of both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement… Read More
Class Action Settlement Gives Second Chance to Qualifying US Employers for H-1B Petition Approval
A recent class action settlement is expected to result in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approving more market research analyst H-1B petitions. The lawsuit was filed by four U.S. employers whose H-1B petitions had been denied when USCIS determined that market research analysts were not a “specialty occupation”… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
