Mid-Year Highlights
- Stopping the Trump Administration from Disappearing Migrants to El Salvador: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from disappearing a Venezuelan asylum seeker, using the initials YAPA, without due process under the Alien Enemies Act while his asylum case is pending. YAPA has been in ICE detention since February and lived in constant fear that he would be sent to CECOT, El Salvador’s notorious maximum-security prison. Now, thanks to the Council’s habeas petition, YAPA is protected until the court decides what procedures are constitutionally required to determine whether a person is subject to the Alien Enemies Act.
- Winning Asylum for Immigrants Unjustly in Detention: The Council’s Immigration Justice Campaign (IJC) helped Ilia Chernov, a Russian dissident, win his asylum case in a Louisiana immigration court. Ilia entered the U.S. as the government requested, via an appointment at a port of entry at the southern border, but despite winning his case, he is still in detention as of publication — where he is facing abuse and has no timeline for release. After fighting for him in the legal process, the Council is now activating our network of advocates to take action to pressure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for his release.
- Resisting Harmful Federal Crackdowns: In the face of draconian enforcement tactics, the Council doubled down on its role as a trusted nonpartisan resource for Congress. In early 2025, we briefed more than 30 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and gave testimony before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, providing essential legal context on looming executive actions that could weaken due process, strip away asylum protections, and ramp up detention. We also offered rapid analysis of immigration funding provisions in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” to help elected officials and the public understand the dangerous implications of unprecedented levels of funding and new immigrant fees that will have seismic impact on the U.S. immigration system and immigrants across the country. These efforts helped keep immigrant rights at the center of the debate, ensuring that policymakers heard from experts grounded in both the law and lived experience.
- Uncovering the Hidden Toll of ICE Transfers: When reports surfaced of ICE transferring detained immigrants to remote locations — isolating them from legal support — the Council took action. We filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and a subsequent lawsuit, demanding transparency on this harmful practice. At the same time, our Immigration Justice Campaign (IJC) is documenting personal stories from those affected, building a record that will help the public — and policymakers — understand the human cost of these transfers.
- Bringing Legal Help Within Reach for Detained Asylum Seekers: In response to shrinking access to legal counsel in detention, IJC built a new national hotline empowering detained individuals to seek legal help directly, in their own language, without waiting for in-person outreach. With a pilot soon launching in Georgia, this scalable system allows asylum seekers to access counsel even as attorney access to detention centers becomes increasingly limited.
- Expanding Legal Services in High-Need Regions: IJC forged new partnerships with legal service providers, including in Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, , and Georgia, extending our reach into some of the country’s most isolated detention centers. Through these partnerships, we have placed dozens of cases with trained volunteers and grown our docket of active clients seeking protection and safety.
- Providing High-Quality Legal Representation: As in-person court appearances and remote location barriers drive up costs, IJC launched the IJC Access Fund to ensure cases do not go unsupported because of geography or language. The fund covers volunteer travel expenses, provides interpretation for clients who speak rare or Indigenous languages, and supports urgent unanticipated needs of IJC as they arise. By working to remove these logistical and financial hurdles, IJC is strengthening its ability to deliver high-quality pro bono legal representation to those who need it most — no matter where they are detained.
- Putting the Economic Contributions of All Immigrants on the Map: This year, the Council released a major update to Map the Impact, our flagship data visualization tool, incorporating the latest national and state-level data on economic and demographic contributions of immigrants, including undocumented individuals, DACA recipients, TPS holders, and mixed-status families. By spotlighting these often-overlooked communities, the tool offers a clearer picture of the critical contributions immigrants make across the country, including fueling key industries, creating jobs, and paying billions in taxes. We also made the tool available in Spanish for the first time to increase accessibility.
- Equipping Thousands to Fight Disinformation and Take Action: In the first half of 2025, over 9,000 people — including journalists, congressional staff, nonprofit leaders, and legal advocates — joined the Council’s webinars to cut through noise and misinformation. Our January “What Does It All Mean?” session set a new record with more than 3,000 registrants. These high-impact, interactive briefings provide real-time analysis that empowers participants to respond to shifting narratives, defend immigrant rights, strengthen advocacy across the country, and get their questions answered in real time.
- Defending In-State Tuition for Texas Dreamers: When Texas lawmakers threatened to repeal the Texas Dream Act, the Council stepped up with economic analysis showing what was at stake: $461 million in annual loss in economic activity. By partnering with diverse stakeholders and lifting up the statewide impact, we fought back and protected this critical pathway to higher education for thousands of Texas students and safeguarded the state’s long-term workforce and prosperity.
- Reaching New Narrative Milestones: This year, Belonging Begins with Us, the Council’s narrative change communications platform with the Ad Council, surpassed $100 million in donated media placements, reaching over 8 billion impressions. In a time of deep division, the campaign’s powerful stories of welcome and unity resonated across the country — appearing on major platforms like NFL Network, streaming services, and digital billboards.
Read our entire report to learn about the many ways we are working throughout our programs and collaborations to accomplish our mission.
