Abuses

Two Border Patrol Agents Charged with Murder Highlights the Need for Robust Hiring Standards
For the second time this year, a Border Patrol agent has been charged with murdering multiple people in Texas. Both agents were hired nearly a decade ago amidst a surge in staffing that backfired on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in many ways, resulting in… Read More

Medical Neglect and Abuse Reported at Atlanta Immigration Detention Center
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently uses hundreds of detention centers throughout the country to hold individuals in immigration proceedings. Many of these facilities have a concerning record, with appalling conditions and treatment of individuals under ICE’s custody. A recent report from Project South and Georgia Detention Watch highlights… Read More

Asylum Seekers Challenge Spending Months Locked Up Without Interviews or Bond Hearings
Earlier this year, the Trump administration launched its “zero tolerance” policy, aimed at punishing immigrants, including asylum seekers, who enter the United States without authorization. Among its many inhumane effects, this policy is leaving asylum seekers to languish in detention for weeks or months without… Read More

Government Coerced Parents into Signing Their Rights Away Before Being Reunited with Their Children
In all the chaos of family separation, another disturbing detail has come to light: immigration officials may have coerced vulnerable parents into signing away their right to be reunified with their children. In a complaint filed on Thursday with the DHS Office of Civil Rights and… Read More

Complaint Details Coercive Tactics Used by Immigration Officials on Separated Parents
The complaint points to numerous examples, including that of Mrs. D.P., who was separated from her 9-year-old daughter for 47 days as a result of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' "zero-tolerance" border policy. Read More

The Illegal and Systematic Practice of Coercing Separated Families Must Be Investigated
The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy led to not only to the forcible separation of thousands of children from their parents, but the extreme duress and coercion of separated families while in DHS custody. The American Immigration Council (Council) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) demand an investigation… Read More

Bivens Basics: An Introductory Guide for Immigration Attorneys
This practice advisory provides an overview of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bivens, the benefits and risks of bringing a Bivens claim, and practical and legal information about filing a Bivens claim in federal court. Read More

FOIA Seeks Information Regarding CBP Responses to Complaints of Officer Abuse
This lawsuit seeks to compel U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to release records relating to CBP’s complaint process and actions taken in response to complaints made to CBP concerning its agents and officers since January 1, 2012. Read More

Civil and Human Rights Organizations File Joint Complaint Against DHS on Behalf of Pregnant Women Detained by ICE
The issues addressed in the complaint are of immediate concern given the Trump administration’s executive orders directing ICE to dramatically expand immigration enforcement actions and increase the number of individuals subject to immigration detention. Read More

The Family Reunification Deadline Passed. What’s Next for Separated Families?
The court-imposed deadline of July 26 for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reunite families separated at the southern border has passed. So far, over 1800 children have been released to their parents. However, the Trump administration has refused to reunite hundreds of others by excluding many families from the reunification process. Read More
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