Immigration at the Border

Biden Proposes Rule to Quickly Remove Certain Migrants During Initial Screening Process at the Border
On May 9, the Biden administration proposed a rule that would allow asylum officers to consider and impose certain restrictions or “bars” to the initial asylum screening process at the border. Currently, these bars are considered later in the asylum process at a full hearing before an immigration judge. Read More

The Biden Administration’s Proposed Regulation On Asylum Bars: An Analysis
On May 9, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, published here, that would allow asylum officers to reject a subset of asylum seekers earlier in the process based on several factors that are currently considered only once an asylum seeker has a full hearing before an immigration judge. Read More

Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit to Block Iowa’s Unconstitutional SF 2340
Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit today to block SF 2340, one of the worst, most far-reaching immigration laws ever passed in the state of Iowa. Read More

Challenging Iowa’s State Deportation Law
We’re suing Iowa for a new law that criminalizes anyone who has reentered the state after being deported — including children — even if that person is now authorized to be in the U.S. This is the most extreme anti-immigrant law in the state’s history. Read More

Volunteers Needed for Credible Fear Interview Preparation in CBP Hotline
When someone crosses the border to seek asylum in the United States, they often first go through a credible fear interview (CFI). An asylum officer evaluates a person’s fear of returning to their home country and decides whether they will be allowed to apply for asylum and other forms of… Read More

New Round of Grants will Support Cities’ Efforts to Welcome Immigrants
The American Immigration Council and Welcoming America, two national nonprofits, are thrilled to announce that four communities were selected to receive Implementation Technical Assistance and Grant awards as part of Round V of the Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G). Read More

Congress Expands Warrantless Surveillance of Immigrants Traveling to the US
On April 19, forty minutes after the ostensible deadline to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Congress passed H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA). President Biden quickly signed it into law hours later. RISAA reauthorizes Section 702 for two years,… Read More

Council Urges House of Representatives Against Expanding the Warrantless Surveillance of Immigrants in FISA Reauthorization Vote
The American Immigration Council sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives discussing the harmful impacts of a proposed amendment that would authorize intelligence agencies to conduct suspicionless searches of their databases related to immigrants traveling to the U.S. Read More

Transgender and Nonbinary People Describe Discrimination, Harassment, and Mistreatment at Aurora Detention Facility in New Civil Rights Complaint
A new civil rights complaint filed on behalf of a group of transgender and non-binary individuals describes the routine abuse they endured at an ICE detention center in Aurora, Colorado. Read More

New Report Shows Immigrants in Androscoggin County, Maine Paid Over $24 Million in Taxes and Held Over $74 Million in Spending Power in 2019
Immigrants play a crucial role in the labor force in southern Maine, according to data in a new report. Read More
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