Customs and Border Protection
Government Threatens Families, Communities with Looming Temporary Protected Status Decisions
The United States is currently home to an estimated 325,000 individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a temporary immigration status granted to nationals of specifically designated countries that are facing an ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions. Combined, more than 90 percent of these beneficiaries,… Read More
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Nominee to Head Border Enforcement Agency
The Trump administration’s pick for the next Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday for a confirmation hearing. Senators peppered the nominee with questions about how he would lead the largest law enforcement agency in the… Read More
CBP Is Refusing to Be Transparent About Its Role in Domestic Law Enforcement
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has a long track record of operating in the dark, with little transparency and accountability. The most recent examples come from the agency’s failure to reveal information about its practice of sending agents to serve as translators in routine law enforcement and local emergency… Read More
Supreme Court Likely to Decide Constitutionality of Immigration Detention Without Bond
When the Supreme Court hears arguments in Jennings v. Rodriguez, the Justices will tackle a question eight of them considered in 2016: whether the Constitution allows the government to detain noncitizens for more than six months without ever giving them an opportunity for a bond hearing. Although the case… Read More
Florida and Texas Need Immigrants to Rebuild
With Hurricanes Irma and Harvey ravaging much of Florida and Texas, the states will soon begin a substantial, years-long rebuilding process. The aftermath of previous natural disasters has shown that much of that rebuilding process was carried out by immigrants, many of whom were undocumented. But relying on foreign-born… Read More
As Texans Struggle for Survival, Judge Puts SB4 Largely On Hold
Texas’ Senate Bill 4 (SB4), the state’s punitive, anti-immigrant law slated to go into effect on September 1, was largely blocked by a Texas Judge late Wednesday evening. Read More
Government Watchdog Questions Need for More ICE and Border Patrol Personnel
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released a report calling into question the need for 10,000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and 5,000 Border Patrol Agents as outlined in President Trump’s January executive orders. The report noted that ICE and CBP… Read More
Government Moves to Curb Non-Citizens’ Ability to Get More Time to Prepare for Hearings
In a move to reduce the number of times immigration judges reschedule immigration hearings, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) recently issued guidance suggesting judges should change practices regarding “continuances.” A continuance, which only may be granted for “good cause,” is a critically important option for individuals who… Read More
Immigrants Are Now Five Times More Likely to Die Crossing the Border
The recent deaths of ten migrants who suffocated in the back of a tractor trailer as they were allegedly being smuggled into the United States has brought renewed attention to the grave risks involved in crossing the border. A new report from the National Foundation of American Policy (NFAP)… Read More
Border Patrol Abuses Rarely Result in Any Serious Disciplinary Action
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the nation’s largest federal law-enforcement agency, has a long history of violating constitutional and other rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens. For example, agents of the Border Patrol (a component agency of CBP) are known for regularly overstepping the boundaries of their… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone