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.

How Discretion Failed One 10-Year-Old Girl and What the Future Holds

Much has been said about Rosa María Hernández, the latest target of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the responsibility and authorization to enforce the immigration laws against those inside the United States without authorization. However, the government’s choice to target a ten-year old girl with cerebral palsy on […]

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 United States and his work in […]

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 services activities. Strong evidence suggests […]

American Immigration Council's Statement on President Trump's Immigration Principles

The White House released its long anticipated, "Immigration Principles and Policies," which lay out many of the already-stated aspirations of the Trump administration on immigration. The laundry list represents a wholesale attack on immigration and immigrants. It includes not only limits on immigration generally, but enables mass deportations and envisions bypassing necessary procedures that protect children and asylum seekers.

Attorney General Sessions Attacks Asylum Seekers and Calls for More Fast-Track Deportations

During a public appearance at the Department of Justice on Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions called on Congress to curb due process for immigrants by making it more difficult for an individual to seek asylum and to increase fast-track deportations. In his speech, Sessions focused heavily on America’s long-standing system that provides asylum to those […]

White House Immigration Principles Are Released as DACA Deal Looms

The White House released its Immigration Principles and Policies late Sunday night, providing an outline of the Trump administration’s proposals on immigration. The principles were sent to Congressional leadership with a cover letter demanding these reforms be included in any legislation that addresses protection for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The seven-page document […]

DHS Wants to Monitor Immigrants’ Social Media. No One Knows What They Will Do With This Information

In a sweeping encroachment upon privacy, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it is planning to dramatically ramp up its surveillance of virtually anyone in the United States who is not a U.S. citizen by birth. In a rule which appeared in the Federal Register on September 18, DHS announced that it will […]

Immigration Arrests at Courthouses Are Under Fire From State Officials

Heightened immigration enforcement has in turn heightened fear, anxiety, and confusion throughout the country. Arrests and stops by federal immigration officials at state and local courthouses is one of the more disconcerting aspects of this new era of enforcement—and a growing number of state officials and supreme court Justices have said Immigration and Customs Enforcement […]