General Litigation & Advocacy Pages

The Illegal and Systematic Practice of Coercing Separated Families Must Be Investigated
The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy led to not only to the forcible separation of thousands of children from their parents, but the extreme duress and coercion of separated families while in DHS custody. The American Immigration Council (Council) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) demand an investigation… Read More

Statement for Senate Committee on the Judiciary Hearing “Oversight of Immigration Enforcement and Family Reunification Efforts.”
The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for a July 31, 2018 hearing on “Oversight of Immigration Enforcement and Family Reunification Efforts.” Read More

Complaint Demands Investigation Into Inadequate Medical and Mental Health Care Condition in Immigration Detention Center
The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association filed an administrative complaint with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and ICE Health Service Corps, demanding immediate investigation into the woefully inadequate medical and… Read More

Statement for House Homeland Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security Hearing “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall”
The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the House Homeland Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security for a May 22, 2018 hearing on “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall.” The statement covers our analysis and research regarding the nation’s asylum system and the… Read More

Statement for Senate Hearing “Strengthening and Reforming America’s Immigration Court System”
The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration for an April 18, 2018 hearing on “Strengthening and Reforming America’s Immigration Court System.” The statement covers the new immigration judge quotas and performance metrics, the suspension of the Legal Orientation Program… Read More

Assumption of Risk: Legal Liabilities for Local Governments that Choose to Enforce Federal Immigration Laws
This policy document describes the legal liabilities local governments face when they honor ICE requests, known as “detainers,” to hold individuals past the completion of their criminal custody until immigration agents take them into administrative custody. Read More

Complaint Documents 15 Cases of Family Separation at the Border
The practice of dividing families raises Constitutional due process concerns under the Fifth Amendment, violates United States’ obligations under international law, and contravenes voluminous evidence maintaining that family separation is not in the best interest of the child. Read More

Increasing Numbers of Pregnant Women Facing Harm in Detention
The American Immigration Council, in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC), and others filed this complaint on behalf of numerous women who are or were pregnant and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The complaint, filed with DHS’s… Read More

Petition for Rulemaking Requests New Regulations Governing Access to Counsel
This petition, jointly filed by the Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, seeks to provide access to legal counsel for the following individuals. Read More

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Systemic Denial of Entry to Asylum Seekers at Ports of Entry on U.S.-Mexico Border
A coalition of immigrant and civil rights groups filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on behalf of numerous adult men and women, families and unaccompanied children who, over the past several months, were denied entry to the United States at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border despite having asserted a fear of returning to their home countries or an intention to seek asylum under U.S. law. Read More
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