A Roadmap to Bring Home the Unjustly Deported
I. Introduction
The transition to a new presidential administration offers an opportunity to reimagine an immigration system that is just and humane, supports family unity and strong communities, and addresses the effects of decades of government…
Each year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains over 100,000 immigrants, including people who have lived in the U.S. for decades, parents of U.S. citizens and individuals who come to the country seeking safety. ICE subjects people in detention to dangerous conditions and…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to grow its massive immigration detention system using a web of corrupt contracts that breed impunity for abuses. Government watchdog agencies and lawmakers have long documented improper contracting practices and farcical inspections practices…
In the wake of the widely publicized deaths of Black men and women at the hands of local law enforcement agencies and the protests in response, the United States is coming to acknowledge what has been true for decades: the criminal legal system disproportionately targets and incarcerates people of…
Fourth Annual Report of the Legal Protection Fund
In its fourth year, the Legal Protection Fund has helped thousands of Chicagoans withstand the Trump administration’s unprecedented attacks on immigrants, access necessary resources in the midst of a pandemic, and defend their rights. The Fund’s…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds tens of thousands of people daily in the equivalent of pretrial detention, without appointed counsel and often without access to bond hearings. ICE uses taxpayer dollars to jail and deport people who have lived in the United States for decades,…
I. Introduction
Congress first criminalized the act of entering or reentering the country without authorization nearly a century ago, in pursuit of xenophobic and eugenicist policy goals.1 For much of the last century, these laws sat largely unused. However, Congress revitalized these laws as part…
(April 2020) The Trump administration has grown the immigration detention system in the United States to an unprecedented size, at times holding more than 56,000 people per day. Since 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has anchored this growth in places where immigrants are most…
Third Annual Report of the Legal Protection Fund
As the Trump administration ratcheted up attacks on immigrants — including direct threats on the city of Chicago — providing free access to immigration legal services for low-income Chicagoans has become more urgent than ever. People served under…
Designed to ensure profitability for shareholders, private detention largely operates in the shadows, leaving communities in the dark about the operations of new and existing facilities. The U.S. immigration private detention industry is dominated by two notorious companies, GEO Group and CoreCivic…