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.

DHS Infringed on First Amendment Rights by Collecting Intel on Portland Protestors

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials improperly developed intelligence reports nicknamed “baseball cards” about individuals arrested in Portland, Oregon during the civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder, a DHS internal review found. The internal report found that the Intelligence & Analysis (I&A) branch of DHS directed federal agents to collect these reports (i.e., dossiers) […]

New Enforcement Priorities Show Some Improvement, Maintain Old Framework

On September 30, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued the long-awaited new set of enforcement priorities, entitled “Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Laws.” The guidelines, which will go into effect on November 29, 2021, will replace the February 18 interim enforcement priorities memo issued to U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), […]

With New Florida Lawsuit, States’ Efforts to Dictate Federal Immigration Policy Continue

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a new lawsuit on Tuesday seeking an order requiring the Biden administration to detain almost all people arriving at the Southwest border. It is the latest in a string of lawsuits brought by states with Republican governors seeking to shape federal immigration policy. In its lawsuit, Florida argues that the […]

Seeking Records About ICE’s Compliance with DHS’s Enforcement Priorities

This FOIA requests effort seeks records on ICE reports about its enforcement activities, whether the people arrested by ICE fit into the DHS’s enforcement priorities, and information about instances when officers pursued enforcement actions against individuals who would not be considered priorities for immigration enforcement.

Federal Court Orders ICE to End Unlawful Detention of Immigrant Youth Who Turn 18 in Federal Custody

A district court judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that ICE broke the law by detaining unaccompanied children who turned 18 and “aged out” of Office of Refugee Resettlement custody. The court ordered the agency to change its practices and procedures to avoid further unlawful detentions.

Coalition Letter Urges Biden Administration to Uphold Commitment to Create a Humane Immigration System

The American Immigration Council joined 38 other civil rights organizations in urging President Biden to live up to his administration’s commitment to a humane and just immigration policy. 

The letter urges the administration to stop violating the rights of asylum seekers. It calls for an end to policies that inflict cruelty on Black, Brown and Indigenous immigrant communities, and asks the administration to honor its commitment to advance racial equity in all parts of government. 

Del Rio Migrant Camp Shows How Biden Administration Is Not Living Up to Its Promises

Roughly 14,000 Haitians arrived at the border across from Del Rio, Texas in mid-September and walked across the Rio Grande to seek asylum. Many first left Haiti in 2010 following a devastating earthquake that killed over 100,000 people and have been pushed from country to country ever since. With Haiti in disarray following the assassination […]

Court Allows ICE to Use Enforcement Priorities Set by the Biden Administration

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday stayed a significant part of an earlier decision by the Northern District of Texas that would have blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In doing so, the Fifth Circuit emphasized that decisions regarding whom to detain and prosecute remain the purview of the […]

California Law Would Prevent Transfers From Local Law Enforcement to ICE Custody

Proposed legislation in California that would further limit the state’s involvement in immigration detention has made progress toward becoming law. The VISION Act would prevent transfers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody of people who are released from state or local custody. The bill passed the state assembly in June and is now […]