Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Where the ‘Migrant Protection Protocols’ Stand, Four Years After Going Into Effect
Last week, a federal court in California issued a decision allowing asylum seekers and other plaintiffs to continue their legal challenge to the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program, officially (and in true Orwellian fashion) called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The program—which forced migrants to wait indefinitely in… Read More
States Lead the Way in Banning Immigration Detention Centers
State governments are leading the way on eliminating a blemish from their communities—immigration detention centers. As some state governments begin their legislative sessions, bills attempting to ban certain immigration detention centers have been introduced in multiple states. Following the lead of states like New Jersey and Illinois, New… Read More
6 Firsthand Stories That Reveal the Problem with Family Detention
Written by Atenas Burrola, Pro Bono Manager and Crystal Massey, National Pro Bono Coordinator for the Afghan Project at the American Immigration Council The Biden administration is reportedly considering reopening family detention. This is horrific news—news that left us in tears. Between the two of us, we dedicated countless… Read More
This Is Pretty Simple, Mr. President: Don’t Restart Family Detention
The Biden administration is reportedly planning to detain large numbers of immigrant families again this spring. This is part of the administration’s plan to replace Title 42 with a new policy that will make it very difficult for the majority of migrants crossing the border to qualify for asylum… Read More
USCIS Policy Change Will Reduce Number of People Who ‘Age Out’ From Green Card Eligibility
A recent policy change by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) should reduce the number of children who age out of green card eligibility. For immigration purposes, a “child” means someone who is under 21 years old and unmarried. Because of backlogs, noncitizens whose only path to a green… Read More
Who Is in ICE Detention Right Now? New Data Provides a Snapshot of Sprawling Detention System
Recently published data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) provides insight into who ICE is detaining and for how long. The results show that the majority of noncitizens are being held in the rural South, and many are subject to fast-track removal proceedings. But still, many people remain locked… Read More
USCIS’ Funding Crisis Might Be Too Big for the Agency to Fix by Itself
On January 3, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finally published a new proposed fee schedule for immigration benefits—which is to say, it took an important step to becoming a solvent, functional federal agency that can adjudicate applications in a timely manner again. The fee rule (which will be… Read More
ICE Makes Paying Bond Extremely Difficult. This Lawsuit Wants to Change That.
One might think that posting bond in the immigration system is a straightforward process. Immigration authorities set bond. A person pays the bond amount, and the incarcerated person is released. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. The process for posting bond is unclear across the board, resulting… Read More
Infamous Immigration Detention Center Closes, But More Work Needs to Be Done
After years of advocacy and widespread abuse, Berks County officials announced that the federal government was ending its contract for the Berks County detention center on January 31, 2023. Advocacy led by a group of organizations called the Shut Down Berks Coalition celebrated the news. Formally named the Berks… Read More
From Farm to Your Thanksgiving Table: America’s Food Supply Relies on Immigrant Crop Workers
As Thanksgiving approaches, many cooks are busy planning their holiday meals. However, this year’s Thanksgiving meals will likely be more expensive as food prices soar. This is partly due to America’s ongoing labor shortage in agriculture, especially for fruit and vegetable crop production, where 57.0% of workers are… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
