Immigration at the Border

Council Urges DHS to Establish a Functioning System of Discretionary Review from ICE Detention
The Council and AILA sent a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the need for a functioning system of discretionary release within U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE). Read More

Collecting DNA From Asylum Seekers at the Border Raises Privacy Concerns
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is collecting DNA from asylum seekers at the border, recent media reports confirm. This is the latest expansion of DNA collection as part of a program initiated under the Trump administration that targets nearly all immigrants in government custody. A growing number of noncitizens… Read More

Coalition Letter Urges Biden Administration to End Migrant Protection Protocols
The Council urged the Biden administration to improve MPP wind down processing and toy move ahead with a second phase to include all individuals subjected to MPP. Read More

Supporting Detained Individual’s Right to Access ICE Detention Records through a State FOIA Request
In the amicus brief, the Council and partners reject Calhoun County's position to withhold records that otherwise would be released under the Michigan state FOIA. Read More

Council Files Amicus Brief on the Legality of Prolonged Mandatory Detention
The amicus brief in Ayom v. Garland urges the eighth circuit to affirm that mandatory detention has constitutional limits, and reject the endorsement of prolonged mandatory detention for people in removal proceedings. Read More

Biden’s First Budget Is A Missed Opportunity to Overhaul Immigration Enforcement
President Biden released the first budget proposal of his presidency on May 29, a landmark for any new president. A presidential budget generally reflects the goals of the administration and can provide an important roadmap for the future. Unfortunately, despite calls for a serious rethinking of the role of the… Read More

Biden Budget Request on Immigration is a Missed Opportunity for Meaningful Change
The Biden administration disclosed today a $54.2 billion budget request for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2022. The request is is deeply disappointing and a missed opportunity to set immigration enforcement in the United States on a new path. Read More

Government Watchdog Finds Hundreds of Parents Separated by Trump Never Given Opportunity to Reunify
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) recently found that the Trump administration deported as many as 348 parents that had been separated from their children without ever giving them an opportunity to reunify. The blistering new report tracks deportations throughout 2017 and 2018 during… Read More

ICE Spread COVID-19 Across the Country, Not Just in Immigration Detention Centers
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mishandled the coronavirus outbreak in detention centers so badly that it not only lead to horrific conditions and deaths among people in its custody, it is also responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in surrounding areas. A recent New York Times… Read More

Biden’s Actions on Immigration Enforcement Have Been Inconsistent Since Taking Office
The Biden administration inherited an immigration enforcement system devoted to detaining and deporting as many people as possible. During the Trump years, every undocumented immigrant in the country became a target of deportation. Even longtime residents who had minor brushes with the criminal justice system were subject to enforcement actions. Read More
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