Homeland Security launches broad review of immigration court cases

The Office of Principal Legal Advisor at ICE in charge of the review More…

Florida legislation would set rules for shackling of pregnant women in prisons

Advocates for legislation that would create humane rules for the shackling of incarcerated pregnant women say the law would fill a present gap in jail policies in Florida, despite claims by the Florida Department of Corrections that the measure is unnecessary.

National sweep picks up almost three thousand immigrants with criminal records

Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) just completed a week-long raid that nabbed 2,901 foreign nationals with criminal records living in the United States, 36 of which were apprehended in New Mexico.

Republican lawmakers, conservatives use arrest of Obama’s uncle to attack deportation reform

Onyango Obama, half-brother to President Barack Obama’s father, was arrested last week in Massachusetts on suspicion of drunken driving. He is now being held without bail by federal immigration officials because, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he had a prior deportation order at the time of his More…

ICE task force member questions decision to terminate Secure Communities agreements

The National Immigration Forum — a member of a task force created by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help improve its Secure Communities immigration enforcement program — is questioning ICE’s decision to terminate agreements to implement the program in an effort to prevent agencies from opting out of it altogether. #

Lamar Smith, Nathan Deal signed 1999 letter calling for discretion in deportation cases

As promised, U.S. House Judiciary Chair Lamar Smith (R-Texas) introduced on Tuesday a bill, titled the HALT Act, which would suspend the Obama administration’s ability to exercise discretion in prosecuting deportation cases. Smith was motivated to introduce the bill by a widely-discussed memo from Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) director John More…

Report: Federal immigration enforcement program deporting mostly low-level criminals

Immigration and Customs Enforcement data received through a Freedom of Information Act request shows that Secure Communities, a federal immigration enforcement program, detains and deports people who are not criminals. #

In a press release issued last week, the National More…

GOP aims to bolster immigration enforcement, but little change is likely

During his campaign for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama made the now-broken promise to Latino supporters that he would pass comprehensive immigration reform in his first year as president. But in remarks to the press on Wednesday, after Republicans took control of the House and won back several More…

How Would a Republican Congress Handle Immigration?

According to supporters of progressive immigration reform, not very well. A Republican-run House would put Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) in charge of the Judiciary Committee and Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) atop its immigration subcommittee — meaning the two border security hawks would have a major say in all immigration-related legislation More…

Paterson Panel Considers Pardons for Legal Immigrants Facing Deportation

New York Gov. David Paterson’s (D) office is sifting through thousands of applications by detainees awaiting deportation who hope to be pardoned by the governor, hurrying to make pardon recommendations before Paterson’s term ends on Dec. 31, The New York Times reports. The pardon initiative only applies to More…