Interior Enforcement
DHS Issues New Memo Restricting Enforcement Activities in ‘Protected Areas’
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued “Guidelines for Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas”—a new memo that provides a framework for when and where DHS law enforcement entities can conduct enforcement activities in sensitive locations. The memo applies to enforcement activities of both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement… Read More
Biden Administration Halts Mass Worksite Raids By ICE
The Biden administration just took a significant step toward reining in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a memorandum that orders the agency to halt all mass worksite raids. The memorandum also orders the agency to shift its focus to… Read More
New Enforcement Priorities Show Some Improvement, Maintain Old Framework
On September 30, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued the long-awaited new set of enforcement priorities, entitled “Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Laws.” The guidelines, which will go into effect on November 29, 2021, will replace the February 18 interim enforcement priorities memo issued to… Read More
Court Allows ICE to Use Enforcement Priorities Set by the Biden Administration
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday stayed a significant part of an earlier decision by the Northern District of Texas that would have blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In doing so, the Fifth Circuit emphasized that decisions regarding whom to detain and prosecute… Read More
TX Court Issues Stunning Order: US Government Can’t Set Priorities for Immigration Enforcement
Judge Drew Tipton of the Southern District of Texas on August 19 blocked a set of enforcement priorities the Biden administration had issued in January and February 2021 in an attempt to focus limited enforcement resources. This preliminary injunction will be in effect beginning September 3 unless it is overturned. Read More
ICE Announces New Victim-Centered Policy, Showing a Favorable Shift Toward Vulnerable Immigrants
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week a new policy designed to honor and protect vulnerable immigrants. The new policy addresses protections for survivors of violence, trafficking, and domestic abuse. Issued on August 11, the policy states that ICE will exercise prosecutorial discretion… 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 cannot be charged… 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
Biden’s Unfulfilled Promise to End 287(g) Agreements with Local Law Enforcement
During the 2020 campaign, President Biden pledged to end all 287(g) agreements made by the Trump administration. More than 150 days into his presidency, the promise remains unfulfilled. The 287(g) program allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state or local law enforcement agencies to enter into formal… 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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