Immigration at the Border
National Wave of Complaints Highlights Rampant Abuse by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Dire Need for Reform
Washington, D.C. – Over the past week, an alliance of immigration groups, private attorneys and a law school clinic joined forces in filing complaints targeting abuses by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) across the country. Ten damages cases have been filed alleging unlawful CBP conduct in northern and southern… Read More
New Report Calls into Question CBP’s Use of Force Policy
Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) use-of-force policies are once again under a microscope after a new report written by former Baltimore police commissioner and Justice Department official Thomas Frazier, was released. First reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism’s Reveal, Frazier’s scathing review of CBP policy was done… Read More
Medical Dysfunction at ICE Detention Facilities
There is no shortage of stories about immigrants dying from inadequate medical care while in detention centers operated or overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Take the case of Pablo Gracida-Conte, a 54-year-old Mexican man who died of cardiomyopathy in October 2011 in a hospital in Tucson,… Read More
New U.S.-Mexico Repatriation Agreements Seek to Protect Returning Migrants
Mexican migrants no longer being deported back to Mexico in the middle of the night is one important feature in new Local Repatriation Agreements finalized between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Mexican Government last month at the annual Repatriation Strategy and Policy Executive Coordination Team (RESPECT)… Read More
Amicus Arguments at the Ninth Circuit: The Flores Settlement Applies to All Children
Since the summer of 2014, the government has detained thousands of mothers and children fleeing violence in Central America. Although the longstanding Flores settlement guarantees minimum standards for the detention, release, and treatment of children in immigration detention, the Government’s family detention practices have failed to comply with the settlement. Plaintiffs brought suit to enforce the Flores settlement, and a District Court Judge ruled in July and August of 2015 that the settlement applied to all minors, including those detained with family members. The Department of Homeland Security then filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the settlement only applies to unaccompanied minors, and not those children arriving with one or more parent. This week, a broad array of organizations filed amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs and arguing against the Government’s position. Read More
Flawed U.S. Response to Central American Refugees Reiterated by DHS Officials
Top officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continue to believe that deporting families and children quickly deters others who are considering coming to the United States. This view was reiterated during a Senate Judiciary hearing about unaccompanied children this week, in statements made by DHS officials… Read More
A Visit to Berks Family Detention Center Makes Clear Why They Lost their License
Advocates, community members, and attorneys gathered outside the Berks County Family Residential Center in Leesport, Pennsylvania on Monday to protest the continued operation of the center. The center was open for business as usual, with approximately 81 parents and children currently detained, despite the fact that the center’s license… Read More
Texas Child Protection Agency Moves Forward in Licensing Family Detention Centers
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has issued a rule allowing for the two family detention facilities in Texas to apply for licenses to detain immigrant children and their mothers. This move may have the effect of further entrenching the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s… Read More
Women Begin Pilgrimage Ahead of Pope Francis’ Visit to U.S.-Mexico Border
In anticipation of Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S.-Mexico border this week, a band of women will begin a day-long pilgrimage from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas. They hope to bring attention to the inhumane and unjust immigration enforcement practices taking place every day in the United States. Read More
Does Pushing Undocumented Immigrants out of a State Help or Hurt the Local Economy?
As a recent Wall Street Journal article describes, Moody’s Analytics has concluded that the mass departures of unauthorized immigrants from Arizona “reduced competition for low-skilled jobs” and “was a boon for some native-born construction and agricultural workers who got jobs or raises.” However they also report it shaved roughly… Read More
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
