Author Archive
Defense
A Secretive Counterterrorism Team Interrogated Dozens of Citizens at the Border, Government Report Finds
A report by a federal watchdog shows how the Trump administration flagged at least 51 citizens for interrogation at the border based on evidence as flimsy as once having ridden in a car with someone suspected of aiding the migrant “caravan.”
Management
Immigration Prosecutors Were Told Not to Push for Deportation in Cases Like His. He Was Ordered Deported the Next Day.
Under a new Biden policy, more than 100,000 immigrants could have their cases dropped. But that discretion is left to individual prosecutors, and many are letting the deportation machine roll on.
Oversight
The U.S. Is Closing a Loophole That Lured Mexicans Over the Border to Donate Blood Plasma for Cash
Selling blood plasma in the U.S. could net Mexican residents hundreds of dollars a month — if they donated often enough. But some were putting their health at risk to do so.
Management
'Shadow Wins': How ICE Avoids Judicial Accountability by Quietly Releasing Immigrants Who Challenge Being Detained
ICE helps maintain the status quo of prolonged detentions by releasing immigrants without having their cases vindicated in court, according to a new report.
Management
Documents Show Trump Officials Used Secret Terrorism Unit to Question Lawyers at the Border
In newly disclosed records, Trump officials cited conspiracies about Antifa to justify interrogating immigration lawyers with a special terrorism unit. The documents also show that more lawyers were targeted than previously known.
Management
'No Good Choices:' HHS Is Cutting Safety Corners to Move Migrant Kids Out of Overcrowded Facilities
After ignoring signs that shelters were filling quickly, agencies are scrambling to get thousands of kids out of Border Patrol jails. But new “emergency” facilities skirt safety standards, while facilities accused of abuse are still getting grants.
Management
What the Horrific Crash on the Border Says About U.S. Immigration Policy
For all the attention on Biden’s changes to border policy, there are plenty of factors out of the U.S.’s control — which might make migrants increasingly desperate.
Management
ICE Is Making Sure Migrant Kids Don’t Have COVID-19 — Then Expelling Them to 'Prevent Its Spread'
The administration has used infection risk to justify expelling thousands of children without legal protections. But it’s only expelling kids who’ve tested negative.
Management
ICE Has Access to DACA Recipients’ Personal Information Despite Promises Suggesting Otherwise, Internal Emails Show
Trump promised that information from DACA applications would not be sent to deportation agents. But internal emails show that ICE can access databases where that information is kept — and DHS decided not to tell Congress.
Management
Democratic Senators Demand Answers on Trump’s Secretive Border Expulsions
After ProPublica’s report, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee ask the Department of Homeland Security to explain why it thinks emergency powers granted to the CDC allow it to bypass existing asylum laws.
Management
In a 10-Day Span, ICE Flew This Detainee Across the Country — Nine Times
Even as the Trump administration discouraged the public from flying, Sirous Asgari was shuttled from Louisiana to Texas, New Jersey and back on chartered flights full of migrants. He still hasn’t been deported.
Management
Trump’s Asylum Ban Could Apply Retroactively to Thousands of Migrants Even Though Officials Promised It Wouldn’t
The Trump administration promised that asylum-seekers who already had U.S. cases, but had been forced to return to Mexico to await court dates, could still get asylum. That might not be the case.
Management
The Trump Administration Issues Dozens of Corrections to Its Error-Riddled Immigration Rule
Just weeks before a sweeping immigration policy takes effect, the administration is correcting substantive errors, including ones uncovered by ProPublica that would have had big impacts on military families.
Management
The Administration Rushed on a Sweeping Immigration Policy and Made Substantive, Sloppy Mistakes
Trump’s new immigration policy applies more harshly to families of U.S. citizens in the military than to families of noncitizens in the military. Experts think it’s an error that suggests officials are pushing policies even they don’t fully understand.
Management
'No Comment': Emails Show the VA Took No Action to Spare Veterans From a Harsh Trump Immigration Policy
The VA’s approach differs sharply from the Pentagon’s, which won an exemption for active-duty members of the military.
Management
Asylum Seekers That Followed Trump Rule Now Don’t Qualify Because of New Trump Rule
Migrants hoping for U.S. protection have been waiting in Mexico for months, as the U.S. allowed fewer than ever to enter. Then it changed the rules entirely.
Management
Border Patrol Agents Are Passing Around A Commemorative Coin Mocking Care for Migrant Kids
The coin declares “KEEP THE CARAVANS COMING” under an image of a parade of migrants crossing the border.
Oversight
Investigation of Secret Border Patrol Group Launched as New Degrading Facebook Posts Surface
A ProPublica story revealing demeaning posts directed at Latina lawmakers prompted widespread revulsion.
