After Successfully Delaying the Deportations, Groups Demand Meeting with DHS Sec. Johnson
Washington, D.C. – Today, the American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson criticizing DHS for conducting raids to arrest and remove asylum-seeking Central American families, and calling for a meeting to discuss how to guarantee due… Read More
Statement on Administration’s Plans to Round up Central American Families for Deportation
Washington D.C. – Late last night, The Washington Post broke the news that the Obama Administration is considering plans to begin fugitive-operation round-ups of Central American families who remain in the U.S. after an immigration judge has ordered them removed. For the past few years, refugee families and children have… Read More
Coalition Urges Supreme Court to Protect President’s Executive Actions on Immigration
Washington, D.C. — A coalition of 224 immigration, civil rights, labor, and social service groups has filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief, urging the Supreme Court to review the case, Texas v. U.S., that has blocked some of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The filing comes less than a… Read More
At One-Year Anniversary of Immigration Actions, Administration Must Vigorously Defend Authority
Washington D.C. – Friday, marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s announcement of his executive actions on immigration, which at their heart, are first steps towards common-sense reforms to an outdated immigration system. The series of reforms range from temporary protections for an expanded group of unauthorized young people (expanded DACA) and… Read More
Council Statement of CBP’s Body-Camera Policy Announcement
Washington D.C. – Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council, responded to the announcement that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff will expand the agency’s camera review with the following statement: “Today’s decision to not broadly implement body-worn cameras is a significant step backwards for CBP. For an agency… Read More
Council Urges Prompt Appeal to the Supreme Court of Flawed Fifth Circuit Decision
In a disappointing but unsurprising decision, a divided panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today denied the federal government’s appeal of the preliminary injunction that has temporarily stopped President Obama’s latest deferred action initiatives from being implemented. Read More
Executive Director Benjamin Johnson to Take Helm at the American Immigration Lawyers Association
Washington D.C. – It is with a mixture of sadness and excitement that the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees of the American Immigration Council (Council) announce the departure of Executive Director Benjamin (Ben) Johnson. Ben will become the Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in… Read More
Government Continues Incarcerating Mothers and Children Despite Judge’s Ruling
Washington, D.C.–Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), the American Immigration Council, Refugee andImmigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), partners in the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project, are calling on the government to fully comply with U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee’s… Read More
Time for Congress to Go Back to Bi-Partisan Comprehensive Solutions to Immigration
Washington D.C. – Today, the Senate rejected the motion to proceed on Senator David Vitter’s (R-LA) “Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act” (S. 2146). This bill is an enforcement-only approach to immigration and would punish cities and states that adopt community policing policies that work to make communities safer and… Read More
Just-Released Customs and Border Protection Standards Still Lack Accountability
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its long-awaited, new National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention and Search (TEDS), which govern the transfer of individuals in CBP custody, procedures for handling such individuals’ belongings, conditions in CBP detention facilities, and personal searches. The following is a… Read More
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No one should face the immigration system alone