Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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
USCIS Changes How Processing Times Are Posted
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that beginning on January 4, 2017, it has changed how it posts processing times. Rather that listing weeks or months, it now provides specific dates. This is a small initial step toward providing better customer service and giving individuals and employers the… Read More
Local Policies That Protect Immigrants, Outlined
Since the election, states and localities have begun to think creatively about how to push back against President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to undermine current enforcement priorities and increase deportations. His party’s efforts to deny federal funding to so-called “sanctuary cities” has mayors across the country proudly declaring themselves… Read More
The Ongoing Mishandling of Migrants’ Possessions by CBP and ICE
Each year, tens of thousands of individuals are deported from the United States to Mexico without their personal belongings—including their identifications, money, and cell phones, among other possessions. Both U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have a serious and longstanding problem with handling the… Read More
California District Court Says Immigrants Ability to Pay Should Influence Bond Decisions
Unlike in criminal court, where those charged with a crime often hire bail bondsmen and consequently only have to pay 10 percent of the total bail amount, immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) often have to pay the full amount of a bond because there are very… 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
Supreme Court Hears Immigration Case Asserting Discrimination Against Unmarried American Fathers
Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Lynch v. Morales-Santana, a case that will decide whether the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) unlawfully favors mothers over fathers of children born out-of-wedlock when granting citizenship to their children born abroad. In determining whether a U.S. citizen parent may transfer… Read More
How the Immigration Court Backlog Would Skyrocket Under Donald Trump’s Plan
For more than a decade, the immigration court system has struggled with an enormous backlog. The latest figures from (TRAC) record the backlog at an all-time high of 521,676 as of the end of October, the first month in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. The data release coincides with… Read More
Understanding Donald Trump’s Latest Deportation Threat
On Sunday night, President-Elect Donald Trump repeated his pledge to begin deporting undocumented immigrants but he narrowed in on two to three million immigrants who he dubbed “criminal.” He said: “What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang… Read More
Immigrant Service Members to be Naturalized and Remembered on Veterans Day
This year on Veterans Day, over 40 naturalization ceremonies will take place and 7,500 veterans, service members, and military spouses will become the newest Americans. While that may seems like a large number of people, it should come as no surprise as immigrant participation in the U.S. armed services is… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
