Enforcement

The enforcement of immigration laws is a complex and hotly-debated topic. Learn more about the costs of immigration enforcement and the ways in which the U.S. can enforce our immigration laws humanely and in a manner that ensures due process.

Uptick in Worksite Enforcement Hurts US Businesses and Economy

In its battle against undocumented immigration, the Trump administration appears to be focused on looking tough rather than addressing real problems. Judging from the latest official statistics on the worksite enforcement actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency is devoting its resources to capturing large numbers of low-level undocumented workers who are […]

Government Data Shows ICE Detention Relies on Private Companies and Remote Locations

There is a lot that we don’t know about immigration detention. Although Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been in the headlines more often than in past years, the network of facilities ICE uses to imprison immigrants is a major aspect of the agency that is often hidden in plain sight. According to a national […]

The Government Failed to Conduct Background Checks on Staffers at Migrant Child Tent City

Thousands of migrant children are currently being held at a tent city in Tornillo, Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Most of the children traveled alone in order to flee from violence in their Central American home countries and to reunite with family members already in the United States. An investigation released this week by the […]

Autopsy Report Shows Transgender Immigrant Woman Beaten Before Death in ICE Custody

Roxsana Hernández Rodriguez, a 33-year-old transgender woman from Honduras, died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in May, weeks after presenting herself at the San Ysidro port of entry to ask for asylum. An independent autopsy report released this week revealed evidence that Hernández was physically beaten while in ICE custody prior to […]

Will American Workers Take Another Hit If President Trump Closes the US-Mexico Border?

President Trump wants the Mexican government to turn back the “caravan” of Central American and Mexican asylum-seekers—and he’s threatening to close the U.S.-Mexico border if it doesn’t. In an ominous tweet on November 26, the president declared that if the Mexican government didn’t get a handle on the situation, “We will close the Border permanently […]

Violence Erupts at the Border as US Continues to Deny Rights to Asylum Seekers

The situation in Tijuana, Mexico reached a boiling point on Sunday, after U.S. authorities fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants—including pregnant women and children—who had peacefully gathered earlier that morning to ask for asylum. Disturbing video footage, pictures, and stories have emerged depicting the mayhem, which came to a head after some migrants in […]

The Number of Immigrant Children in Detention Just Hit Record Levels – Again

After a summer in which almost 3,000 migrant children were separated from their parents at the border, the Trump administration admitted last week that it was holding a record number of children in government custody. Around 14,000 children classified as “unaccompanied children” are now being held in the custody of the Department of Health and […]

Nominee for ICE Director Refuses to Back Down on Family Separation

Ronald Vitiello, President Trump’s nominee to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had a nomination hearing in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Thursday. He had previously served as the former deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), so he faced a committee eager to grill him about his […]

When Immigrant Parents Are Deported, The Entire Family Suffers, Survey Shows

Another form of family separation is on the rise—the deportation of relatives with longstanding ties to the United States. Those left behind in the United States often face significant hardships, a new study from the Kino Border Initiative shows. Families can become impoverished, as relatives are unable to meet basic needs such as housing and […]

A Look Back at Immigration Under Sessions’ Justice Department

Jeff Sessions resigned as Attorney General on Wednesday, less than two years after the Senate narrowly confirmed him to the post. Sessions’ tenure as the nation’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer, while relatively short-lived, was a boon to anti-immigrant groups and Trump’s hardline approach to immigration. Sessions has a troubling history when it comes to immigration, […]