Immigration at the Border
Legal Service Providers Sue to Remove Barriers to Access to Counsel in Immigration Detention
Legal service organizations have sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for preventing people jailed at four immigration detention centers from having meaningful access to their lawyers. The barriers to attorney access at these facilities illustrate ICE’s failure to protect the fundamental rights of detained immigrants nationwide. At any… Read More
Appellate Court Finds California’s Private Prison Ban Is Likely Unconstitutional
An appellate court recently ruled that California’s state law banning private prisons—including immigration detention centers—is likely unconstitutional. The decision is a significant blow to advocates fighting to end immigration detention in California and nationwide. In its September 26 decision, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that… Read More
Unpacking the Migrant Shooting in Texas
Late last week, detention center warden Michael Sheppard and his twin brother Mark Sheppard were arrested after allegedly shooting into a group of 13 migrants, killing one and seriously injuring another. This incident is yet another example of a tragic outcome for migrants at the border. It was followed the… Read More
Asylum Seekers Become Political Pawns in Governors’ Transportation Stunts
The Republican governors of Texas, Arizona, and now Florida are playing a cynical political game with the lives of migrants—including many asylum seekers fleeing persecution. Officials in these states are using taxpayer money to ship thousands of migrants to other, Democratic-leaning states and dumping them there. In recent weeks, these… Read More
The Racist Origins of the Lawsuit Against Biden’s Immigration Enforcement Priorities
Written by Joseph Meyers, Staff Attorney at the National Immigration Project A group of immigrant advocacy organizations filed an amicus brief in United States v. Texas last week, in which they highlight the unlawful, racist arguments behind Texas and Louisiana’s lawsuit against the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In… Read More
Fact Check: Migrants Aren’t the Ones Smuggling Fentanyl Into the United States
There is no doubt that fentanyl is a major problem inside the United States. Over the last decade, rising availability of fentanyl has caused a spike in overdose deaths across the nation. In 2021, almost 90% of opioid overdose deaths were linked to fentanyl. The criminal networks that produce… Read More
Sikh Asylum Seekers in Arizona Face Religious Discrimination by the Border Patrol
Border Patrol agents in Arizona have been confiscating and not returning the turbans worn by Sikh asylum seekers as part of their religion. Immigrant advocates and members of Congress have pointed out that this practice is discriminatory and violates federal law, as well as the policies of the Border Patrol’s… Read More
House GOP’s Immigration Framework Recreates Trump’s Border Wish List
As midterm election season heats up, House Republicans on the “American Security Task Force” have produced a new framework for what they say is a plan to “secure the border.” Despite the claim of new ideas to tackle the situation at the border, the framework is almost identical to… Read More
Who Enforces Immigration Policy Anyway?
The lack of a major overhaul in the United States’ immigration system for roughly thirty years has created an ecosystem where states have attempted to insert their authority over immigration, especially when it comes to enforcement. Texas has made headlines with its tougher approach and outsized role in shaping… Read More
Bond Hearings for Asylum Seekers Are Latest Casualty of the Recent Supreme Court Term
For almost two decades, asylum seekers taken into Border Patrol custody who passed a “credible fear” interview have been eligible to seek release from detention on bond while they go through the asylum process. But now that right is gone. On July 29, a federal district court in Washington erased… Read More
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