Detention

DHS Watchdog Recommends Immediate Action to Address Horrific Conditions in ICE Detention
In an unprecedented move, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’) watchdog agency—the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)—just recommended that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) relocate all noncitizens currently held in its Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico. According to OIG, its unannounced inspection in early… Read More

Immigrant Rights Groups Call for the Immediate Release of People Detained in Torrance County Detention Facility
In a damning report citing unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico released today by DHS's oversight body urged ICE to immediately remove and relocate people detained at the ICE immigration detention center located in Estancia, New Mexico. Read More

Alternatives to Immigration Detention: An Overview
This fact sheet provides an overview of the wide range of programs that provide alternatives to detention (ATDs) and run the gamut from no governmental intervention to extensive surveillance and restrictions on liberties, Read More

COVID-19 Rates in ICE Detention Are at Record Highs. Advocates Are Demanding an Investigation.
The Omicron variant has spread through immigration detention like wildfire, with a record 14% of people in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody testing positive for COVID-19 as of February 1, 2022. That day, over 3,000 people in ICE custody had active cases, a 1,000% increase from one… Read More

Council Files Complaint Against ICE for Medical Neglect of People Sick With COVID-19 in Colorado Facility
The American Immigration Council filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's oversight bodies urging an investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak—including threats of retaliation against detained people—at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado Read More

Coalition Asks Inspectors General to Review Implementation of Biden Executive Order Against Private Prisons
The Council joined other organizations in calling for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Offices of the Inspectors General to formally review the implementation of Executive Order 14006. Read More

Leaked Photos Reveal Inhumane Conditions in Border Processing Centers
New leaked photos of Border Patrol stations in Yuma, Arizona show Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) inhumane treatment of people apprehended at the border— revealing that years of overcrowded, unsanitary, and cruel conditions continue despite multiple deaths, legal challenges, and the Biden administration’s promise to create a humane immigration system. Read More

Supreme Court Hears Arguments Addressing the Legality of Detention Without Bond
Written by Caroline Walters and Kate Melloy Goettel This week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two related immigration cases. Each asks whether certain noncitizens are entitled to bond hearings before a judge after the government has detained them for a prolonged amount of time. The question of prolonged… Read More

Seeking Records About Possible Due Process Violations of Detainees at the Torrance Detention Facility
These Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seek records from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) about treatment of Haitian immigrants. Read More

Immigration Detention and Enforcement Are a Mixed Bag in Biden’s First Year
Immigration detention and enforcement in the United States under the first year of the Biden administration has been a mixture of improvements and setbacks. The Trump administration implemented nearly 400 changes to interior enforcement with the goal of subjecting all undocumented immigrants to enforcement actions, and President Biden assumed office… Read More
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