Immigration at the Border
New Illinois Law Expected to Go Furthest Toward Ending Immigration Detention in the US
A new Illinois law limiting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention is expected to effectively end detention in the state by next year. The law goes further than those that have limited detention in other states. On August 2, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB 667, known as… Read More
Texas’ Order to Pull Over Vehicles Carrying Migrants Likely Violates the Constitution, Judge Rules
A federal judge on Tuesday dealt an important blow to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s flawed plan to stop migrants from entering and traveling through Texas. Governor Abbott issued an executive order on July 28 that prohibited anyone other than law enforcement officials from transporting people who had been detained… Read More
The New CBP One App May Put Immigrants and Travelers’ Privacy at Risk
It is unquestionable that technology creates efficiencies. But efficiency should not come at the total expense of privacy. A new app from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) toes that line between productivity and the need for users’ privacy. In October 2020, CBP launched a new mobile application to help… Read More
ICE May Have Deported as Many as 70 US Citizens In the Last Five Years
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) keeps making an inexcusable error: it has been deporting U.S. citizens by mistake. 70 potential U.S. citizens were deported between 2015 and 2020, a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded. They were deported even though U.S. citizens… Read More
Investigating CBP’s Use of Mobile Application CBP One
What is CBP One and why is it concerning? Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a new app that can be downloaded on mobile devices called CBP One. According to the agency, CBP One has three main uses: merchants can make appointments for cargo inspection, foreign travelers can apply for… Read More
Biden Administration Announces Plans to Ramp up Deportations of Families Arriving at the Border
As the number of families coming to the border has increased from June to July, the Biden administration is beginning yet another crackdown. Late on July 26, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would begin subjecting some families to “expedited removal.” This legal procedure allows individual… Read More
The State of Texas is Arresting and Detaining Border Crossers for Trespassing
The state of Texas has started a concentrated effort to arrest immigrants who have recently crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. The immigrants are charged with criminal state offenses of trespassing and criminal mischief. The arrests are the latest in a series of attempts by Texas officials to increase the consequences of… Read More
Council Joins Coalition Letter Expressing Concern Over ICE Family Custody Programs
The Council joined over 120 organizations in a letter to DHS and ICE calling on the Biden administration to move away from using contractors to hold families in ICE custody, and asks the administration to replace the current custody programs with community-based post-release Border Reception and Welcome Centers. Read More
Who Is Ed Gonzalez? Biden’s ICE Nominee Signals Few Changes for the Agency
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may soon have its first Senate-confirmed leader in nearly five years. On July 15, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on the nomination for the head of ICE, Ed Gonzalez, who is currently the Sheriff of Harris County, Texas. Read More
ICE Will Stop Arresting and Detaining Most Pregnant and Nursing People
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer detain most people who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing, according to a new policy released on July 9. However, ICE did not commit to a total ban, saying that there will still be “very limited circumstances” that will allow the agency… Read More
