Immigration at the Border
Lawsuit Now Covers Thousands of Asylum Seekers Unlawfully Turned Back at Ports of Entry
A federal judge has granted class certification in Al Otro Lado v. Wolf, a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policy of turning back asylum seekers at ports of entry. The ruling provides that the challenge to the Turnback Policy will continue on behalf of all asylum seekers along the U.S.-Mexico border who were or will be prevented from accessing the asylum process at ports of entry as a result of the government’s Turnback Policy. Read More
Comment on Security Bars and Processing Regulation
The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association submitted a comment opposing the regulation “Security Bars and Processing.” The regulation would ban asylum and end withholding of removal (an alternative form of relief for an individual fearing persecution in their country of origin) for anyone who passed through a… Read More
New FOIA Request Filed to Force Agency to Release Immigration Court Operations Information on COVID-19 Pandemic
The public has a right to know the safeguards that the government has in place to prevent the unnecessary illness and possible death of numerous individuals still reporting to work in immigration courts throughout the country. Read More
Uncovering Policies on Immigration Court Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration courts have frequently closed without explanation or notice to the public. This Freedom of Information Act request seeks records on the government's response. Read More
Border Patrol Raids Camp in Retaliation Against Humanitarian Aid Workers
The United States Border Patrol raided a humanitarian aid camp in Arizona on July 31, detaining volunteers and over 30 people receiving care. The camp—known as Byrd Camp—is run by No More Deaths (NMD), an organization that works to end the death and suffering of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Read More
Government Secretly Held Asylum-Seeking Children in Hotels
The Trump administration has been detaining immigrant children in hotels along the Texas-Mexico border and in Arizona. Some of the children are just a year old and are held in the hotels for weeks before being expelled from the United States. A group of immigrant children who were held in… Read More
Efforts to End DACA Would Destabilize Communities Across America
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released today a memo on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative that would deny all pending and future initial requests for DACA and reject all pending and future applications for advance parole absent exceptional circumstances. It would also shorten DACA renewals and the accompanying work authorization to one-year, rather than a two-year period. Read More
Demanding Records on CBP’s Deployment to U.S. Cities During Racial Justice Protests
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demands records regarding all CBP deployments to U.S. cities during the protests of George Floyd's death. Read More
Trump Deployed a Federal Agency With a History of Excessive Force to Police Racial Justice Protests
The May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police officers rightly sparked public outrage and protests throughout the United States. In response, the Trump administration deployed federal forces from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—which houses federal immigration enforcement agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—to different… Read More
Letter Demands ICE Release Families Detained During COVID-19 Pandemic
The American Immigration Council joined a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security calling on the release of all families held at all three Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) family detention centers. COVID-19 is running rampant in these facilities—which detain children as young as one-year-old. In the Karnes County Residential… Read More