Abuses

How to Prevent More Deaths in Border Patrol Custody

In a year marked by the Trump administration’s cruel attempts to deter asylum-seeking families from coming to the United States, the news that a child had died in immigration custody appears to be a tragic low. While the circumstances of the death of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal is still being investigated, this tragedy came as no surprise […]

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The Government Failed to Conduct Background Checks on Staffers at Migrant Child Tent City

Thousands of migrant children are currently being held at a tent city in Tornillo, Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Most of the children traveled alone in order to flee from violence in their Central American home countries and to reunite with family members already in the United States. An investigation released this week by the […]

Autopsy Report Shows Transgender Immigrant Woman Beaten Before Death in ICE Custody

Roxsana Hernández Rodriguez, a 33-year-old transgender woman from Honduras, died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in May, weeks after presenting herself at the San Ysidro port of entry to ask for asylum. An independent autopsy report released this week revealed evidence that Hernández was physically beaten while in ICE custody prior to […]

Will the Trump Administration Begin Family Separations Again?

The horrifying and tragic legacy of the Trump administration’s family separation policy—which allegedly ended by executive order in June this summer—is far from over. Even with many children still waiting to be reunited with their parents, the administration is considering resuming family separations once again. Nearly 250 migrant children reportedly remain separated from their parents. […]

New Court Filing Highlights the Government’s Official “Turnback Policy” for Asylum Seekers

Eight new asylum seekers joined a lawsuit last week that challenges U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials’ widespread and well-documented practice of turning back asylum seekers at U.S. ports of entry (POE) along the U.S.-Mexico border. The plaintiffs also amended the complaint in the lawsuit with new facts documenting an official “Turnback Policy” that […]

Human Rights Groups Finds More Families Separated Than Originally Reported

A new report alleges that the Trump administration (and partially Obama administration) may have separated thousands more families than previously reported and also details how thousands of asylum seekers have been illegally turned away at the U.S.-Mexico border. Amnesty International released the report last Thursday which reveals that upwards of 1,000 more families than originally […]

DHS Inspector General Issues Scathing Report on Trump’s Family Separation Policy

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a special report this week revealing its findings following an investigation into the Trump administration’s contentious family separation policy. The OIG’s primary finding is that DHS was “not fully prepared to implement the Zero Tolerance Policy.” Further, the OIG found that DHS […]

Surprise Government Inspection Finds Nooses in ICE Detention Center, Doctors Refusing to Treat Immigrant Detainees

When government officials conducted a surprise inspection of the immigration detention center in Adelanto, California this May, they were met by many signs of serious neglect and abuse, including the chilling sight of nooses made from twisted bed sheets hanging in multiple cells. This abuse and neglect are highlighted in a new report by the […]

Two Border Patrol Agents Charged with Murder Highlights the Need for Robust Hiring Standards

For the second time this year, a Border Patrol agent has been charged with murdering multiple people in Texas. Both agents were hired nearly a decade ago amidst a surge in staffing that backfired on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in many ways, resulting in Congress passing an act to improve hiring practices. However, […]

Medical Neglect and Abuse Reported at Atlanta Immigration Detention Center

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently uses hundreds of detention centers throughout the country to hold individuals in immigration proceedings. Many of these facilities have a concerning record, with appalling conditions and treatment of individuals under ICE’s custody. A recent report from Project South and Georgia Detention Watch highlights such issues at the Atlanta […]