Detention

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. Read More

New Border Policies Could Have a Big Impact on Families, Children, and Asylum Seekers
Undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border increasingly consist of asylum seekers fleeing record levels of violence in Central America. But the Trump administration’s response to this humanitarian crisis has been unforgiving. In fact, the administration has recently made two policy announcements with the goal of further criminalizing immigrants apprehended… Read More

Immigration Groups Demand Records Related to Family Separation at the Border
To shed light on the cruel and unlawful practice of family separation, a group of immigrant rights organizations filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to multiple government agencies this week. The groups seek agency records underlying an unconscionable practice where immigration officials at the border… Read More

Family Separation FOIA Request
The requests ask for policies, guidelines, or procedures followed or used by the governmental agencies to address the processing and treatment of families at the U.S.-Mexico border and specifically, the separation of adult family members from minor children and the criminal prosecution of adult family members. Read More

Migrant Caravan Making Its Way North to Be Greeted By a Complex Web of Immigration Laws
Slowing making their way north through Mexico is a large caravan of migrants searching for safe haven, an opportunity to work, or the chance to reunite with family. Some will remain in Mexico, while others hope to reach the U.S.-Mexico border. But what will they face… Read More

A New Official ICE Policy Calls for the Detention of Pregnant Women
Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced on Thursday that it was ending its general practice of releasing pregnant women from immigration jail. Under its new policy, pregnant women will only be released from detention on a case-by-case basis, ending the presumption of release. Now, ICE will detain “only those whose… Read More

ICE Formalizes Inhumane Detention Policies for Pregnant Women
The practice of detaining pregnant women is inhumane and unsafe. Read More

Congress Reaches A Deal to Fund Government for the Year Without Solution for Dreamers
This week Congress passed a $1.3 trillion bill to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, running through September 30, 2018. Though the legislation includes record levels of immigration enforcement, detention beds, and additional funds related to a border wall, the bill failed to provide President… Read More

Lawsuit Challenges the Government’s Policy of Indefinitely Detaining Asylum Seekers
A class action lawsuit was filed on March 15, 2018 challenging the U.S. government’s practice of detaining asylum seekers indefinitely and argues the practice is an attempt to deter future asylum seekers from seeking safety in the United States. The suit claims that the Department of Homeland Security has… Read More

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Regularly Detains Children for Months at a Time
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to their internal operations. The agency rarely discloses basic details about where their immigration detention centers are located, how many people are detained, or what the cost is to keep these facilities operational. As one of the Department of… Read More
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
