Immigration at the Border

Council and AILA Follow Up with DHS Regarding a Functioning System of Discretionary Release from ICE Detention
The Council and AILA, through their Immigration Justice Campaign followed up on their March 25, 2021 letter to the DHS and ICE with examples of unfair denials of requests for release at ICE facilities around the country. Read More

New Enforcement Priorities Show Some Improvement, Maintain Old Framework
On September 30, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued the long-awaited new set of enforcement priorities, entitled “Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Laws.” The guidelines, which will go into effect on November 29, 2021, will replace the February 18 interim enforcement priorities memo issued to… Read More

With New Florida Lawsuit, States’ Efforts to Dictate Federal Immigration Policy Continue
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a new lawsuit on Tuesday seeking an order requiring the Biden administration to detain almost all people arriving at the Southwest border. It is the latest in a string of lawsuits brought by states with Republican governors seeking to shape federal immigration policy. In its… Read More

Seeking Records About ICE’s Compliance with DHS’s Enforcement Priorities
This FOIA requests effort seeks records on ICE reports about its enforcement activities, whether the people arrested by ICE fit into the DHS’s enforcement priorities, and information about instances when officers pursued enforcement actions against individuals who would not be considered priorities for immigration enforcement. Read More

Federal Court Orders ICE to End Unlawful Detention of Immigrant Youth Who Turn 18 in Federal Custody
A district court judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that ICE broke the law by detaining unaccompanied children who turned 18 and “aged out” of Office of Refugee Resettlement custody. The court ordered the agency to change its practices and procedures to avoid further unlawful detentions. Read More

Coalition Letter Urges Biden Administration to Uphold Commitment to Create a Humane Immigration System
The American Immigration Council joined 38 other civil rights organizations in urging President Biden to live up to his administration’s commitment to a humane and just immigration policy. The letter urges the administration to stop violating the rights of asylum seekers. It… Read More

Del Rio Migrant Camp Shows How Biden Administration Is Not Living Up to Its Promises
Roughly 14,000 Haitians arrived at the border across from Del Rio, Texas in mid-September and walked across the Rio Grande to seek asylum. Many first left Haiti in 2010 following a devastating earthquake that killed over 100,000 people and have been pushed from country to country ever since. Read More

Court Allows ICE to Use Enforcement Priorities Set by the Biden Administration
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday stayed a significant part of an earlier decision by the Northern District of Texas that would have blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In doing so, the Fifth Circuit emphasized that decisions regarding whom to detain and prosecute… Read More

Amicus Brief Filed with Supreme Court of Michigan in Support of State FOIA Request in Wrongful Detention Case
In the amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court of Michigan, the Council and partners reject Calhoun County's position to withhold records that otherwise would be released under the Michigan state FOIA. Read More

California Law Would Prevent Transfers From Local Law Enforcement to ICE Custody
Proposed legislation in California that would further limit the state’s involvement in immigration detention has made progress toward becoming law. The VISION Act would prevent transfers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody of people who are released from state or local custody. The bill passed the state assembly… Read More
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