Border Enforcement
Migration at the border is a multifaceted issue, challenging the U.S. to secure our borders while upholding the human rights of individuals seeking safety and better opportunities. Balancing national security with compassion and our legal obligations to asylum seekers presents intricate dilemmas, and we collaborate with policymakers to advance bipartisan, action-oriented solutions.
Beyond A Border Solution
- Asylum
- May 3, 2023
America needs durable solutions. These concrete measures can bring orderliness to our border and modernize our overwhelmed asylum system. Read…
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New Report Sheds (Some) Light on the U.S. Deportation Regime
A new report from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) compiles a wide array of data and analysis describing the recent history and current configuration of the U.S. deportation regime. The prevalence of deportations that don’t involve an immigration judge, the criminalization of immigration offenses, the massive expansion… Read More
Virginia Allows DACA Recipients to Pay In-State Tuition
Young immigrants in Virginia who receive temporary legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program now qualify for in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring made the announcement Tuesday at the Northern Virginia Community College. “We should welcome these smart,… Read More
Removal Without Recourse: The Growth of Summary Deportations from the United States
The deportation process has been transformed drastically over the last two decades. Today, two-thirds of individuals deported are subject to what are known as “summary removal procedures,” which deprive them of both the right to appear before a judge and the right to apply for status in the United States. In 1996, as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), Congress established streamlined deportation procedures that allow the government to deport (or “remove”) certain noncitizens from the United States without a hearing before an immigration judge. Two of these procedures, “expedited removal” and “reinstatement of removal,” allow immigration officers to serve as both prosecutor and judge—often investigating, charging, and making a decision all within the course of one day. These rapid deportation decisions often fail to take into account many critical factors, including whether the individual is eligible to apply for lawful status in the United States, whether he or she has long-standing ties here, or whether he or she has U.S.-citizen family members. In recent years, summary procedures have eclipsed traditional immigration court proceedings, accounting for the dramatic increase in removals overall. As the chart below demonstrates, since 1996, the number of deportations executed under summary removal procedures—including expedited removal, reinstatement of removal, and stipulated removal (all described below)—has dramatically increased. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, more than 70 percent of all people Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported were subject to summary removal procedures. Expedited Removal (INA § 235(b)) Read More
Immigration Letter from 22 Senators Decries Common-Sense Reforms
Twenty-two Senate Republicans have made some political waves recently by sending a letter to President Obama expressing their “grave concerns” over the review of immigration enforcement policies now underway in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The aim of that review is to determine ways in… Read More
Why Allowing All Immigrants to Drive Legally Is Good Policy
Immigrants across the country are helping to revitalize declining areas and growing state and local economies, and local officials increasingly recognize the vital roles of these immigrant workers, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Some states and cities are creating welcoming initiatives to draw immigrants to and help them integrate into their… Read More
Drop in Court-Ordered Deportations Means Little to Overall Deportation Numbers
Last week, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)—the division within the Department of Justice that runs that immigration court system—released its FY2013 Statistics Yearbook detailing the number of deportation cases begun and completed in the immigration courts nationwide. The Yearbook showed a decrease in the number of… Read More
Growing Number of Localities Limit Detention of Immigrants
At least 14 counties in Oregon have stopped honoring detainer requests from federal immigration officials. Their decisions followed a federal court ruling that officials in Clackamas County “violated one woman’s Fourth Amendment rights by holding her for immigration authorities without probable cause,” according to the Oregonian. Maria… Read More
On Immigration, Legislative Reform and Administrative Action Are Not at Odds
A year ago this week, senators introduced S. 744, the comprehensive immigration reform bill, to much fanfare. It was a high point for the immigration reform movement, only to be eclipsed by the bipartisan vote to move the bill out of committee and then, in June 2013, final… Read More
Will Unauthorized Immigration Begin to Rise Again?
The record-low level of unauthorized immigration to the United States, particularly from Mexico, raises an obvious question: How long will it last? Presumably, conditions somewhere will change—either here or abroad—and unauthorized immigration will rise again. Even more important than the question of when it will happen, however, is… Read More
New Reports Undermine Obama Administration’s Claims About Deportations
Immigrant advocates and serious researchers have known for years that the deportation dragnet cast by the Obama administration is capturing thousands and thousands of people who pose no serious threat to public safety. This week, the New York Times… Read More
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