The glut of stories surfacing about family separation and the increasing number of migrant children being taken into U.S. custody is deeply concerning. In the past, children detained in shelters had arrived at the border without an adult. Now, however, the U.S. government is making children unaccompanied by intentionally separating them from their parents upon […]
Following implementation of a “zero tolerance” policy by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ), where migrants who enter without inspection are referred for criminal prosecution, a DHS official announced that 638 parents who crossed with children had been prosecuted in just a 13-day span this month. The admission raises a […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]