Policy And Research

Upon taking office, President Biden encountered a fork in the road regarding his approach to asylum and border policy: continuing the failed practices of his predecessors, or advancing policies that protect the rights of asylum seekers to fair and humane processing. In large part, Biden opted to…

In its seventh year providing legal screenings and representation for immigrants under the Chicago Legal Protection Fund (LPF), the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) helped ensure access to legal counsel for thousands of Chicagoans seeking a broad range of immigration protections. Since the…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched the Young Adult Case Management Program (YACMP) in January 2023 to target and monitor 18- and19-year-old youth who the agency deems “low flight risk” and “non-dangerous.”  ICE characterizes this program as an “Alternative to Detention,” but…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains tens of thousands of people each day, including recently arrived asylum seekers and long-time community members, while they undergo civil immigration proceedings. For them, immigration detention is indistinct from incarceration — a system…

Foreign data-sharing programs are deeply embedded in U.S. immigration enforcement practices, with dire consequences for those caught in the unreliable data web. U.S. immigration agencies access a vast network of transnational data used to target immigrants for arrest, detention, and deportation.…

Sixth Annual Report of the Chicago Legal Protection Fund In its sixth year, the Legal Protection Fund (LPF) has helped thousands of Chicagoans defend their rights and access new legal protections, including communities affected by war and natural disaster. As Chicago opened its arms to welcome…

Children who have arrived at the U.S. border without a parent or legal guardian are particularly vulnerable to lasting harm from time spent in U.S. government custody. The federal government’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is legally required to care for them and does so through its…

The U.S. immigration system routinely detains and deports immigrants on the basis of an arrest or criminal conviction — tearing them away from livelihood, family and community. The weighty decision of who to detain and deport often turns on the contents of a single document: a police report. NIJC…

Fifth Annual Report of the Chicago Legal Protection Fund      In its fifth year, the Legal Protection Fund has helped thousands of Chicagoans defend their rights, access new protections in a rapidly changing immigration landscape, and get information and appointments for a vaccine against a…

International asylum law first emerged following the Holocaust and other atrocities during World War II. The world bore witness to the genocide of millions at the hands of brutal dictatorships, while powerful nations showed callous disregard for people seeking asylum, turning them straight back to…