NIJC submitted testimony today in support of the Dignity not Detention Act; legislation introduced in the Maryland legislature aimed at ending immigration detention in the state. The statement uplifts ways in which the legislation would safeguard Maryland residents from expanded immigration…
Immigration policy has been on fire over the past few years and the Biden-Harris Administration has already issued a series of Executive Orders and policy changes that signal early attempts to squelch the flames and provide protections. Over the past few months, the National Immigrant Justice…
Last week, after five years of struggle from community activists across Chicago, the City Council has finally voted to make Chicago a welcoming city for all. While the Welcoming City Ordinance, first enacted in 2012, has helped many Chicagoans find security in our city, it was initially passed with…
NIJC joined more than 160 groups calling on President Biden to uphold past commitments to end mass prosecutions for migration-related offenses that deny individuals their right to a fair hearing and due process. The letter also calls for a halt to all prosecutions for unauthorized entry…
The Biden administration’s January 26 Executive Order to phase out the use of private prison contracts is a vital step in the larger effort to end a perverse financial driver behind mass incarceration. For-profit prisons have little incentive to focus on anything other than ensuring profitability…
On January 26th, 2021, the New Way Forward Act was reintroduced to Congress. The bill looks to transform the U.S. immigration system by moving away from policies that criminalize, incarcerate, and deport immigrants and repealing some of the most harmful provisions of the 1996 immigration laws.…
The U.S. criminal and immigration systems have long been entangled, creating a double punishment for immigrants through a pipeline from almost any involvement in the criminal legal system to immigration detention and deportation. U.S. criminal and immigration laws both disproportionately target…
The Executive Office for Immigration Review has proposed yet another rule that stacks the deck against noncitizens, including asylum seekers, by setting up an unforgiving system where the smallest misstep leads to near-certain deportation and the path to protection is narrowed to a pinprick. …
In a newly proposed rule, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reaches a new level of cruelty. DHS proposes to strip work authorization for 95% of individuals who have final orders of removal but who have been released from immigrant detention on supervision. The people who would be impacted…
On November 19, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would force non-U.S. citizens, including children and lawful permanent residents, to submit face scans whenever they enter or depart the country. The rule change represents a significant expansion of CBP…