Immigration at the Border
Eight Families Swept up in Immigration Raids Released, While 30 Other Mothers Issue Plea for Freedom
Two mothers from Honduras and six from El Salvador, along with their children, were finally released from family detention centers in the past several days. These families were among those swept up in immigration raids in early January after the Obama Administration claimed their legal avenues had been exhausted. Read More
What President Obama Proposed on Immigration in His Final Budget
President Obama unveiled his proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 which begins on October 1, 2016. While this is the President’s final budget and is largely seen as a political document, it does set the baseline for the funding of federal programs and new initiatives executive agencies would… Read More
Former Mexican President Says Country Not Paying for a Stupid, Useless Wall
For the past several months, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has taken a harsh stance on immigration, stating more than once that he would finish the wall between the U.S. and Mexico and ensure that Mexico pays for it. For the first time, according to NBC News, a… Read More
Florida House Punishes Sanctuary Cities, Bill Authorizing Military Force Against Refugees Passes Committee
The Florida House of Representatives passed a sweeping “anti-sanctuary city” bill this week that would penalize Florida counties who do not aggressively target undocumented immigrants or who fail to honor every federal request to detain immigrants, regardless of the requests’ constitutionality. A House committee also passed a bill that targets… Read More
Government Losing its License to Operate Family Detention Center in Pennsylvania
On January 27, 2016, Pennsylvania state officials informed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it would not renew and would revoke the operating license for the Berks County Residential Facility, the immigration detention center in Leesport, Pennsylvania, which jails mothers and children, often for extended periods of time. Read More
Mothers Targeted in Immigration Raids and Still Detained Pen Letter to President Obama
Seven mothers that have been held for four weeks in a family detention facility in Dilley, Texas penned a letter to President Obama asking him to release them and their children while they work through the immigration appeals process. These women and their kids were among those picked up and… Read More
What’s Behind the Drop in Deportation Numbers?
Since 2014, the number of federal prosecutions for immigration crimes has declined. So has the number of removals (deportations) from the United States. Contrary to some suggestions, however, this does not mean that the federal government is becoming lax in the enforcement of immigration laws. The reality is that the number of unauthorized immigrants entering the United States is down and refined enforcement priorities have meant that the government is supposed to spend less resources targeting those who present no risk to public safety or national security. Read More
The Long Road to Biometric Entry Exit
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a new report this week detailing visa overstays in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, estimating approximately 415,000 individuals overstayed their visa in the past year. The report was referenced heavily in a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest hearing… Read More
Court Says Class Action Challenging Abusive Conditions in Hieleras Can Move Forward
A federal court in Tucson, Arizona held that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must answer allegations of horrific conditions experienced by individuals in Tucson Sector detention facilities (a.k.a. “hieleras”) along the southern border. In decisions handed down on January 11, the court decided that the case, Doe V. Read More
Local and National Politicos Decry Obama Administration’s Raid Policy
The recent immigration raids that saw 121 individuals rounded up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have created not only a due process crisis, but a powerful political backlash from members of Congress, as well as Presidential candidates who disagree with the policy of aggressively deporting asylum-seekers. The government’s decision to… Read More
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