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3 Actions ICE Should Take Now During the Coronavirus Pandemic
As the global death toll from coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to mount and communities take steps to stem the further spread of the virus, immigration advocates and lawyers have sounded the alarm bells for the thousands of immigrants held in civil detention facilities. Responses from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been mixed. U.S. Citizenship […]
Read MoreLawsuit Seeks to Uncover Problematic Board of Immigration Appeals’ Hiring Procedures
The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court to compel the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy to release records about the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s hiring procedures for appellate immigration judges and Board of Immigration Appeals Members. The lawsuit seeks to understand current hiring procedures for the BIA—the highest administrative body for interpreting and applying immigration laws—after reports came to light of anti-immigrant bias in the hiring process.
Read MoreCBP CFI Production
In the Spring of 2019, media outlets reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had begun to allow U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) agents to screen individuals seeking asylum in the United States. These screenings—called “credible fear” interviews—mark the first step in the lengthy asylum process and serve as a threshold screening during […]
Read MorePower of the Purse: The Contributions of Black Immigrants in the United States
As part of our Power of the Purse research brief series, we take a look at how Black immigrants in the United States are making their mark today as workers, consumers, taxpayers, and voters. Compared to larger immigrant groups like Hispanics or Asians, there has been little research on Black immigrants’ socioeconomic characteristics. Building on […]
Read MoreHelp keep these immigrant-serving organizations operating during COVID-19
There is critical work being done around the country to ensure that immigrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups have access to information and resources they need, from health care to economic stability. To support this work, we have compiled a list of organizations coordinating direct services that could use your support to ensure that they […]
Read MoreCBP Hides Itself from Public View and Lacks Accountability
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has historically conducted immigration enforcement along our borders. In this role, the agency has developed a reputation for overuse and abuse of its authority. Government transparency efforts have been critical in uncovering CBP’s misconduct. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits have revealed, for example, shocking evidence of sexual, physical, […]
Read MoreThe Department of Justice is Restructuring Immigration Courts in Secret
The Trump administration has steadily implemented initiatives to restructure the immigration court system without providing much information to the public. The lack of government transparency around these changes is especially important because they compromise fairness in the courts. The Department of Justice (DOJ) oversees the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which manage the immigration […]
Read MoreGovernment Documents on Family Separation
Beginning in 2017, the U.S. government began publicly acknowledging plans to take children from their parents as a means of deterring migration to the United States from Mexico and Central America. Since that time, the government has separated thousands of families.
Read MoreWhat Will It Take for USCIS to Reduce Its FOIA Backlog?
March 15 marks the beginning of Sunshine Week – a week devoted to celebrating the importance of government transparency and access to public records. It is a time to point out the lack of openness and accountability among immigration agencies and to assess what must be done to fight for greater access to government records. […]
Read MoreWhere the Institutional Hearing Program Operates in the United States
This map shows where the Institutional Hearing Program (IHP)-an extension of immigration courts in jails and prisons- hearing locations and facilities operates in the United States as of fiscal year (FY) 2019.
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