Immigration at the Border

By Eliminating the Polygraph Test, Corruption among Border Agencies Could Run Rampant
The House and Senate Homeland Security Committees took action this month on two nearly identical bills that seek to fast-track the hiring of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers and Agents by weakening CBP hiring standards. If passed, these bills would eliminate critical polygraph requirements that are widely used… Read More

Latinos Are Afraid to Report Crime as Debate Around Immigration Intensifies
The Trump administration has demonstrated that no one is off limits when it comes to ramping up their deportation policies, and as a result community safety is in jeopardy. Despite the fact that they say their policies will keep Americans safer, data shows that members of the public are becoming… Read More

What’s Causing the Decline in Border Crossings?
New government data points to a decline in apprehensions of undocumented immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border over the past few months. This can be attributed to a range of factors, only one of which might be the get-tough immigration enforcement policies of the Trump administration. Apprehensions normally rise and fall… Read More

ICE Wants to Deport Immigrants Congress is Trying to Protect Through Private Bills
Democratic and Republican Members of Congress alike introduce “private immigration bills” designed as a last-minute effort to protect some immigrants facing deportation. This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it would no longer issue stays of removal (temporary protection from deportation) for many individuals named in these private immigration… Read More

Expedited Removal Hurts the Most Vulnerable In an Already Complicated Immigration System
The government often relies on “fast track” deportation methods to bypass due process protections in an effort to more rapidly process asylum seekers who come to the United States seeking humanitarian protection. One such deportation method, expedited removal, disadvantages the most vulnerable non-citizens currently in the United States: women… Read More

Congress Is Checking the Trump Administration on Their Immigration Agenda
After threats of a government shutdown echoed throughout Capitol Hill in early May, Congress finally passed a bill to fund the government through the remainder of the Fiscal Year. Though much of the attention centered on the lack of funding for a border wall and massive detention expansion—there was… Read More

The Perils of Expedited Removal
Detained asylum seekers encounter numerous challenges, including the following problems detailed in this report. Read More

Tracking the Trump Immigration Agenda and What Comes Next
What can the first 100 days of the Trump administration tell us about how immigration will be handled in the next 100 days and beyond? Since his inauguration, President Trump has prioritized making splashy announcements on a range of issues to show his supporters that he can make good on… Read More

Texas Lawmakers Admit They Have No Sanctuary Policies, But Pass Bill to Stop Them Anyway
Texas Governor Greg Abbot is preparing to sign SB4, a fiercely-debated bill that will make it a crime for local law enforcement to refuse cooperation with federal immigration officials. Supporters of the new law say they intend to put an end to “sanctuary” cities in Texas, although the federal… Read More

Spending Deal Expands Parts of Immigration Enforcement, but Not the Wall or Immigration Agents
Congress reached an agreement this week to fund the government through the rest of the Fiscal Year which ends on September 30, 2017. This agreement does not fund many of President Trump's immigration priorities like the border wall. However, it does provide additional funding for immigration detention and border security measures. Read More
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