Tag: ICE

July 9

July 9, 2021

The Biden administration announced a new policy which would prevent ICE from detaining or arresting people who are pregnant or nursing, or who had a baby within the previous year. Though immigration advocates have applauded the policy change, some worry about the longevity of this decision as it was made through an executive order and could be easily reversed by future administrations. Under the Trump administration, the number of pregnant immigrants in detention had increased dramatically, after an Obama-era policy, which called for their detainment only under extreme circumstances, had been overwritten. This new policy also does not apply to pregnant, nursing, or postpartum immigrants being held in CBP custody.

Tags: Detention, Human Rights, ICE

May 24

May 24, 2021

The Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General released a report which documented cases of ICE agents expelling separated parents without their children, despite knowing that those parents wanted their children with them. The report also notes that it was unclear whether or not ICE gave some parents the option to reunify with their children before being expelled from the U.S. These cases occurred under the Trump administration’s family separation program. Between July 2017 and July 2018, as many as 348 parents were expelled from the U.S. without their children, with no documentation of whether they had agreed to be separated.

Tags: Expulsions, Family Separation, ICE

April 6, 2021

April 6, 2021

DHS Secretary Mayorkas told ICE employees that border wall construction may restart to plug gaps in the current barrier. 

Tags: ICE, U.S. Policy

February 26, 2021

March 4, 2021

ICE officials told immigration activists that they will be ending long-term detention at two Texas facilities, Dilley and Karnes City. Migrants will be held just long enough to administer Covid tests and arrange transportation but will no longer be held to wait for asylum screenings or court dates.  

Tags: Alternatives to Detention, Detention, ICE

February 9, 2021

February 10, 2021

The first few weeks of the Biden administration have seen an uptick in ICE’s deportations of Haitian migrants, with dozens of asylum seekers being dropped off in Mexico without processing or credible fear interviews. Others, including children and infants, are being sent back to Haiti, which is experiencing mounting political violence due to U.S-backed president Jovenel Moïse attempting to extend his term. 

Tags: Border and Migration Politics, Deportations, Expulsions, Haiti, ICE

The Trump Administration’s Mistreatment of Detained Immigrants: Deaths and Deficient Medical Care by For-Profit Detention Contractors

September 24, 2020

Published by the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on September 24, 2020.

A 14-month investigation by House committee staff finds poor conditions and urgent health risks for migrants in ICE’s network of privatized detention centers. (Link at oversight.house.gov)

Tags: Congress, Detention, ICE, Organizational Culture, Oversight, Public Health

July 15, 2020

September 22, 2020
  • The Committee on Homeland Security holds a hearing on “Children in CBP Custody: Examining Deaths, Medical Care Procedures, and Improper Spending.”

Tags: Human Rights, ICE, Public Health

7 Humane, Effective Border and Migration Measures in the House’s 2021 Homeland Security Appropriation

July 27, 2020

Published by the Washington Office on Latin America on July 27, 2020.

An overview of key measures in the House of Representatives’ version of the 2021 DHS appropriation, including cutting border wall spending, defunding “Remain in Mexico,” reducing ICE detention, and others.

Tags: Border Patrol, Budget, CBP, Detention, Fencing, ICE, Legislation, Oversight, Processing, Remain in Mexico