Abuses

Council and Partners Oppose CBP’s Proposal to Dispose of Medical Records of People in CBP Custody
The Council, along with the ACLU National Prison Project and the Texas Civil Rights Project, led efforts to oppose U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) proposal to destroy records of medical treatment received by migrants in CBP custody. Read More

Department of Labor Report Highlights Severity of Child Labor in the US and Worldwide
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued its yearly Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor report, examining 131 countries’ efforts to abolish child labor in 2022 and the obstacles those efforts face. The report highlights, in part, the vulnerability of migrant children in the United States working… Read More

Council Sues to Get Records about CBP’s Treatment of Migrants without CBP One Appointments
This Freedom of Information Act suit seeks to compel CBP to release records about how the agency treats asylum seekers who have not obtained CBP One appointments. Read More

CBP’s Own Website Provides Insight Into Its Agents’ Corruption and Misconduct
Corruption within U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s workforce often has been hidden behind bureaucratic red tape. But what was once shrouded in mystery is now plainly available—on CBP’s own website. CBP has developed a “Transparency and Accountability” page designed to share information about CBP-related deaths, use of force incidents,… Read More

New Report Uncovers CBP’s Role in Policing Racial Justice Protests in Summer 2020
Co-Authors: Emily Creighton and Tsion Gurmu In the summer of… Read More

Biden Administration Fights to Keep Private Immigration Jails Open, Despite Promises
“There should be no private prisons, period, none, period. And we are working to close all of them.” Those are the words of President Joe Biden in April 2021, when he was called out by immigrant rights activists at a rally celebrating his 100th day in office. This was… Read More

Beyond the Border: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Presence at Racial Justice Protests in Summer of 2020
Our new, joint report shows that CBP often got involved in policing protests without being asked by city or state officials, and that its actions went beyond its supposed mandate to protect federal property. Read More

Biden Keeps Ties with Billion-Dollar Business of Immigration Detention, Despite Reports of Serious Abuse
On Thanksgiving Day 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested Kamyar Samimi—a lawful permanent resident with a decade-old conviction for drug possession—and sent him to the privately run ICE Processing Center in Aurora, Colorado. Two weeks later, he was dead. Facility staff had forced him to stop methadone… Read More

Stays in CBP Custody Are Getting Longer Due to ‘Phone Booth Asylum’ Policy
“I never thought I’d say there’s anything worse than ICE custody, but this is it.” That’s an immigration attorney in San Diego talking to CNN about the shelter facilities run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These shelters near the border are not designed to house people for… Read More

New Complaint Shows ICE’s Use of Solitary Confinement Is Excessive
“If I spoke too loudly, solitary. If I climbed on top of a table to get a guard’s attention, solitary. If I had suicidal thoughts, solitary. When the guards would tease me about being deported back to my home country and make airplane sounds at me and gesture like a… Read More
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