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.

Statement for House Homeland Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security Hearing “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall”

The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the House Homeland Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security for a May 22, 2018 hearing on “Stopping the Daily Border Caravan: Time to Build a Policy Wall.” The statement covers our analysis and research regarding the nation’s asylum system and the United States' obligations, as well as our deep concern around the administration’s family separation policies and increased prosecution of migrants for entry-related offenses.

The Border Patrol Is Undercounting How Many People Perish While Crossing the Border

Migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization frequently make a life-threatening journey, crossing the desert often with limited supplies of food and water. The Border Patrol is tasked with keeping an accurate count of how many people succumb to these challenges and perish in the desert, as well as preventing these deaths as […]

Undocumented Parents Trying to Reunite With Their Children May Face Deportation Under New Proposal

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may soon be checking the immigration status of all potential sponsors of children who arrive unaccompanied at the U.S border, as well as any adult members of the potential sponsor’s household. The new proposal to expand screening likely will have a chilling effect on immigrant communities, leading to unaccompanied […]

Government to Criminally Prosecute More Migrants and Separate Them From Their Children

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced they will be stepping up prosecutions of individuals along the southern border. There is much folly in deciding in advance to criminally prosecute everyone who crosses the border. But what is most troubling is the likely prosecution of asylum seekers and the increase […]

Government’s Detention of Pregnant Women Questioned by Immigration Groups

The government continues the appalling practice of detaining pregnant women, most of whom are seeking safety and protection in the United States. Following an official policy change by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), immigrant rights organizations filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request this week demanding the agency release critical information about its use […]

The Government Is Filing Charges Against More Migrants Than Ever Before

  The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it filed criminal charges on Tuesday to prosecute some migrants who recently crossed the border and were reportedly once a part of the caravan. The vast majority of the migrants from the caravan are asylum seekers fleeing persecution, grave violence, and the risk of death. Unfortunately, these attempts […]

Prosecuting People for Coming to the United States

Over the last two decades, the federal government increasingly has utilized the criminal courts to punish people for immigration violations. This overview provides basic information about entry-related offenses, including the significant costs incurred by the government conducting these prosecutions, the individuals who are subjected to them, and how the government’s rationale for carrying them out is not supported by the data.

The Trump Administration Is Placing More Long-Residing Immigrants Into Court Proceedings

For years, immigration enforcement officials prioritized recent border-crossers over long-time residents with U.S.-born children, clean criminal records, or other evidence of roots in the United States. This was done by exercising “prosecutorial discretion” in deciding against whom to initiate deportation proceedings. The basic idea was that scarce law-enforcement resources shouldn’t be wasted tracking down people […]

Family Unity Is Threatened by This New Immigration Enforcement Policy

In a directive dated Aug. 29, 2017, which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement only posted publicly this week, the government significantly weakened safeguards for the rights of parents during the course of immigration enforcement. The release of the policy change comes amid growing concern that the Trump administration is increasing the separation of families as […]