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UPDATES FROM THE JCIRA LEGISLATION/POLICY TRACKING TEAM
Disclaimer: JCIRA’s Federal Legislation/Policy Tracking Team does not provide original reporting or legal advice. Our team curates a weekly collection of updates in the area of national immigration policy from journalists, government sources, and subject matter experts that directly impact the immigrant community on the Olympic Peninsula. Please refer to the cited sources. For more information on how to take action on pending policies and legislation, please visit 5 Calls and the Take Action Network. We encourage you to use the links provided below to contact your state or congressional representative about the issues covered in these briefs.
Washington State
Senator Mike Chapman
Representative Adam Bernbaum
Representative Steve Tharinger
Federal
House Representative Emily Randall
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Maria Cantwell
Senator Mike Chapman
Representative Adam Bernbaum
Representative Steve Tharinger
Federal
House Representative Emily Randall
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Maria Cantwell
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october 10, 26
Washington State
Washington nonprofit that runs Deportation Defense hotline lays off more than half its staff
The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), terminated more than half of its staff in September, citing a growing financial crisis. “We will be operating under limited capacity, but the core resources supporting Washington’s immigrant communities will remain,” a WAISN statement said. The group is temporarily shortening its hotline operating hours to 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. but said it will remain open Monday to Friday, with interpretation available in 300 languages. WAISN said they’ll also continue to help people in detention pay bond and also respond to accompaniment requests, among other ongoing services.
Workers say the layoffs targeted employees who supported or were directly engaged in unionization efforts to address burnout, workloads, and WAISN’s fundraising strategies and priorities. WAISN did not voluntarily recognize the union. The National Labor Relations Board is now looking at seven separate Unfair Labor Practice Charges filed against WAISN. Allegations include refusal to recognize the union, coercive actions and retaliation.
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting 10/5/26
Source: Range Media 10/9/26
Forest Service Rangers Helped ICE Detain a Group of Campers. Now, Congress Wants Answers
A group of visitors were camping in Washington’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest over Labor Day weekend when ICE agents took five adult men from the group into custody. ICE said that the arrests happened as part of an operation coordinated with the USFS. Now, a group of 13 U.S. representatives are demanding answers. In a letter sent to Forest Service chief Tom Schultz, Congress members are asking him to explain his agency’s policies on collaborating with immigration arrests. Among other questions, the letter requests that Schultz detail any agreements the USFS has for sharing visitor and reservation data with ICE and list all immigration actions that Forest Service rangers have taken part in. The letter’s signatories mostly represent areas in the Pacific Northwest and were organized by Rep. Emily Randall, a Democrat from western Washington.
Source: Backpacker 10/6/26
Federal Agencies
Trump Administration Plans to Have Its Own Lawyers Represent Migrant Kids
The Trump administration has announced that its own lawyers will represent unaccompanied migrant children in immigration court, facing off against other administration lawyers who are trying to deport the kids. “We already don’t have an independent [immigration] judiciary, and to have the defense side of representation also be within the government makes me feel like it’s all a farce and everybody is working together to get the kids removed,” says Ana Raquel Devereaux, an attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. The Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act requires that they be assigned independent lawyers. Unaccompanied minors are granted special protections under federal law because they are so vulnerable after entering the United States without a parent or legal guardian; many of them are very young and could be at risk of trafficking or abuse.
Source: Mother Jones 10/7/26
Attorney General announces record number of cases to strip US citizenship
On Monday (10/5), state department officials identified the filing of 40 new denaturalization petitions. “Today’s announcement marks the largest denaturalization effort in modern history,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. Under US law, prosecutors can ask courts to strip citizenship from those born outside the country if they willfully concealed a “material fact” during their citizenship application that would have otherwise disqualified them. Trump’s efforts to widen denaturalization proceedings have received pushback from human rights groups, which argue they could leave people stateless. Critics have also warned that Trump has sought to leverage denaturalization against specific groups he perceives to be political rivals or enemies.
Source: Al Jazeera 10/6/26
ICE Secretly Investigated Hundreds of Nonprofits Across the Country
The nonprofit organization Democracy Forward obtained government documents showing a wide-ranging probe into nonprofit voter rights groups. The documents also revealed deliberations within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which conducts investigations for ICE, to send undercover agents into the organizations. HSI focused on groups in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio as well as organizations in Minnesota, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. There is no proof that HSI ever went ahead with using undercover agents. Additionally, the investigation also included Zumiez, a clothing brand that has worked with organizations like Voto Latino and Rock the Vote that encourage civic engagement among young people. Why Zumiez received scrutiny is unclear, as it is a national corporation with headquarters in Washington state.
Source: The New Republic 10/7/26
Executive / Judicial
US Judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
A federal judge in Manhattan has largely blocked ICE agents from making arrests at immigration courthouses in New York City and across the country, ruling the Trump administration policy authorizing the arrests was invalid. District Judge P. Kevin Castel said federal officials were “arbitrary and capricious” in widely permitting ICE arrests at immigration courthouses and departing from past agency policy that made courthouse arrests rare. The decision indefinitely extends a temporary judicial stay issued in May that mostly paused ICE arrests at the city’s immigration courthouses. It also follows a similar ruling by a federal district court in California that largely banned such arrests across the country. Immigration advocacy groups have decried the arrests as a violation of due process rights. They say the arrests deter immigrants from attending their mandatory hearings and disrupt court processes and the administration of justice.
Source: Gothamist 10/1/26
Feds file misconduct complaint against Minnesota judges over immigration comments
The Justice Department filed a judicial misconduct complaint September 30th against six of the seven Minnesota federal judges regarding comments they made to The New York Times. The Justice Department requests that any judges who spoke to the Times regarding the immigration crackdown recuse themselves from all current and future matters involving Homeland Security, given concerns about impartiality. The feds go even further to turn the blame for a judicial backlog back on the bench, referencing an Eighth Circuit decision that reversed the legal interpretation many Minnesota judges had on detention. “As legal-ethics experts have confirmed, our judges were acting well within the ethical rules that apply to federal judges in speaking to The New York Times,” Rebeccah Parks, a District of Minnesota public information officer, told Courthouse News in a statement Wednesday. “Indeed, in February of this year, the Committee on Codes of Conduct issued an advisory opinion to emphasize that federal judges may ‘speak and write on core judiciary matters such as advocacy for the rule of law and judicial independence.’ Our judges acted within this capacity."
Source: Courthouse News 9/30/26
Washington nonprofit that runs Deportation Defense hotline lays off more than half its staff
The Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), terminated more than half of its staff in September, citing a growing financial crisis. “We will be operating under limited capacity, but the core resources supporting Washington’s immigrant communities will remain,” a WAISN statement said. The group is temporarily shortening its hotline operating hours to 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. but said it will remain open Monday to Friday, with interpretation available in 300 languages. WAISN said they’ll also continue to help people in detention pay bond and also respond to accompaniment requests, among other ongoing services.
Workers say the layoffs targeted employees who supported or were directly engaged in unionization efforts to address burnout, workloads, and WAISN’s fundraising strategies and priorities. WAISN did not voluntarily recognize the union. The National Labor Relations Board is now looking at seven separate Unfair Labor Practice Charges filed against WAISN. Allegations include refusal to recognize the union, coercive actions and retaliation.
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting 10/5/26
Source: Range Media 10/9/26
Forest Service Rangers Helped ICE Detain a Group of Campers. Now, Congress Wants Answers
A group of visitors were camping in Washington’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest over Labor Day weekend when ICE agents took five adult men from the group into custody. ICE said that the arrests happened as part of an operation coordinated with the USFS. Now, a group of 13 U.S. representatives are demanding answers. In a letter sent to Forest Service chief Tom Schultz, Congress members are asking him to explain his agency’s policies on collaborating with immigration arrests. Among other questions, the letter requests that Schultz detail any agreements the USFS has for sharing visitor and reservation data with ICE and list all immigration actions that Forest Service rangers have taken part in. The letter’s signatories mostly represent areas in the Pacific Northwest and were organized by Rep. Emily Randall, a Democrat from western Washington.
Source: Backpacker 10/6/26
Federal Agencies
Trump Administration Plans to Have Its Own Lawyers Represent Migrant Kids
The Trump administration has announced that its own lawyers will represent unaccompanied migrant children in immigration court, facing off against other administration lawyers who are trying to deport the kids. “We already don’t have an independent [immigration] judiciary, and to have the defense side of representation also be within the government makes me feel like it’s all a farce and everybody is working together to get the kids removed,” says Ana Raquel Devereaux, an attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. The Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act requires that they be assigned independent lawyers. Unaccompanied minors are granted special protections under federal law because they are so vulnerable after entering the United States without a parent or legal guardian; many of them are very young and could be at risk of trafficking or abuse.
Source: Mother Jones 10/7/26
Attorney General announces record number of cases to strip US citizenship
On Monday (10/5), state department officials identified the filing of 40 new denaturalization petitions. “Today’s announcement marks the largest denaturalization effort in modern history,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. Under US law, prosecutors can ask courts to strip citizenship from those born outside the country if they willfully concealed a “material fact” during their citizenship application that would have otherwise disqualified them. Trump’s efforts to widen denaturalization proceedings have received pushback from human rights groups, which argue they could leave people stateless. Critics have also warned that Trump has sought to leverage denaturalization against specific groups he perceives to be political rivals or enemies.
Source: Al Jazeera 10/6/26
ICE Secretly Investigated Hundreds of Nonprofits Across the Country
The nonprofit organization Democracy Forward obtained government documents showing a wide-ranging probe into nonprofit voter rights groups. The documents also revealed deliberations within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which conducts investigations for ICE, to send undercover agents into the organizations. HSI focused on groups in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio as well as organizations in Minnesota, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey. There is no proof that HSI ever went ahead with using undercover agents. Additionally, the investigation also included Zumiez, a clothing brand that has worked with organizations like Voto Latino and Rock the Vote that encourage civic engagement among young people. Why Zumiez received scrutiny is unclear, as it is a national corporation with headquarters in Washington state.
Source: The New Republic 10/7/26
Executive / Judicial
US Judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
A federal judge in Manhattan has largely blocked ICE agents from making arrests at immigration courthouses in New York City and across the country, ruling the Trump administration policy authorizing the arrests was invalid. District Judge P. Kevin Castel said federal officials were “arbitrary and capricious” in widely permitting ICE arrests at immigration courthouses and departing from past agency policy that made courthouse arrests rare. The decision indefinitely extends a temporary judicial stay issued in May that mostly paused ICE arrests at the city’s immigration courthouses. It also follows a similar ruling by a federal district court in California that largely banned such arrests across the country. Immigration advocacy groups have decried the arrests as a violation of due process rights. They say the arrests deter immigrants from attending their mandatory hearings and disrupt court processes and the administration of justice.
Source: Gothamist 10/1/26
Feds file misconduct complaint against Minnesota judges over immigration comments
The Justice Department filed a judicial misconduct complaint September 30th against six of the seven Minnesota federal judges regarding comments they made to The New York Times. The Justice Department requests that any judges who spoke to the Times regarding the immigration crackdown recuse themselves from all current and future matters involving Homeland Security, given concerns about impartiality. The feds go even further to turn the blame for a judicial backlog back on the bench, referencing an Eighth Circuit decision that reversed the legal interpretation many Minnesota judges had on detention. “As legal-ethics experts have confirmed, our judges were acting well within the ethical rules that apply to federal judges in speaking to The New York Times,” Rebeccah Parks, a District of Minnesota public information officer, told Courthouse News in a statement Wednesday. “Indeed, in February of this year, the Committee on Codes of Conduct issued an advisory opinion to emphasize that federal judges may ‘speak and write on core judiciary matters such as advocacy for the rule of law and judicial independence.’ Our judges acted within this capacity."
Source: Courthouse News 9/30/26
October 3, 2026
Washington State
Thousands in WA lose Apple Health coverage as Trump’s changes take effect
About 11,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and other lawful immigrants in Washington lost their health insurance on October 1st, as a significant federal change to Medicaid eligibility took effect. As part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Congress passed last year, Medicaid eligibility, or Apple Health in Washington, will now be limited to U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents of more than five years, Compact of Free Association Islanders, and certain Cuban-Haitian immigrants. Those who are no longer eligible include asylum-seekers, refugees and victims of trafficking. Children, pregnant people and those within 12 months postpartum continue to be eligible for Apple Health regardless of immigration status.
Ripple effects of this mass loss of health insurance will likely hit everyone in the state over the next year, said Ryan Moran, director of the state Health Care Authority. Because people will continue to become sick and injured regardless of their insurance status, hospitals and clinics will continue to treat patients; they just won’t be reimbursed for the care they provide. That means healthcare systems will be at risk of layoffs and service closures in order to keep their doors open.
Source: The Seattle Times 10/1/26
Trump cancels nearly $1 billion in funding approved by Congress; Washington’s Migrant Education programs at risk
Trump is canceling nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, including funding for immigrant services, education and diversity-focused initiatives. This will severely impact Washington State’s Migrant education program. Washington State is the second largest Migrant student serving state in the nation, reaching approximately 33,000 students in our public schools. The support the program provides includes health screenings, GED programs, and support to allow students to continue their education remotely as they migrate for their parent’s work. For more information on the Migrant Education Program, please visit the link below.
Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Source: The Guardian 9/25/26
Federal Agencies
ICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in rapid push to expand detention capacity, government watchdog finds
In its rush to expand detention capacity, ICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, the Government Accountability Office found in a report released Thursday. The agency failed to account for long-term costs in acquiring detention centers and lost $20 million in
unrecoverable costs purchasing the warehouses it no longer plans to use. Just this week, ICE awarded several companies contracts that could reach a combined $10 billion to expand and construct new facilities. GAO concluded that "urgent planning" is necessary to reduce further waste. ICE said it would produce a strategic plan by Aug. 31, 2027, a date the watchdog said wasn't soon enough.
Source: CBS News 9/29/26
ICE wants to hire another 5,000 new agents to help deport more migrants
Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to hire as many as 5,000 more agents amid Trump’s ongoing crackdown on immigration, according to a report. The majority of those hires will be deportation officers. Sources point to the fact ICE is still tackling a huge vetting backlog from last year’s surge of hires, with nearly 7,500 recruits awaiting background checks. One official, a unit chief from ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, has warned that many new officers had not received basic vetting and were violating federal rules. The agency has more than doubled its number of agents from 10,000 to over 22,000.
Source: The Independent 9/30/26
Federal immigration agents have shot at least 21 people during Trump's 2nd term
At least 21 people have been shot by federal immigration agents during the second Trump administration, according to an ABC News count. Eight of the shootings were fatal, including three who were U.S. citizens. This latest shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man who was making deliveries for DoorDash, has continued to raise questions among lawmakers and immigrant advocates about the Trump administration's deportation campaign. “There was hope that ICE would abandon the physical brutality and inhumanity of its tactics on the streets," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said on Tuesday (9/22). "There was hope that there would be accountability. That hope has vanished.”
Source: ABC News 9/24/26
ICE published — then removed — internal reports detailing medical failures in detainee deaths across U.S.
The internal reports — which appeared online in the agency’s public records library over the weekend but have since disappeared — examined the deaths of 33 people in U.S. ICE custody between September 2019 and January 2026. A third of these deaths occurred since Trump’s return to office. In 27 of the 33 documents, independent investigators concluded that the care deceased detainees had received fell outside “safe practice limits,” meaning the care they received failed basic medical standards. “Dr. William Weber, medical director of the Medical Justice Alliance, which reviews care for people in custody, and is a practicing emergency physician, said the mortality reviews show the need for more oversight. “The ICE spokesperson responses do not acknowledge the glaring gaps in care highlighted in the government’s own reports,” he said.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 9/30/26
Executive / Judicial
Supreme Court allows Trump administration's third-country deportations
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration can resume its policy of deporting immigrants to countries where they have no ties, for now, as the justices take up whether the deportations are legal. None of the justices explained their reasoning. The justices announced they will take the bench in December to hear arguments before issuing a final decision. In the meantime, the emergency ruling lifts limits imposed by a district court judge on third country deportations. District Judge Brian Murphy found people facing deportation don’t have sufficient opportunity to raise claims that they’d face torture once deported to a third country. The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — said they would have kept the limits in place as the court took up the case.
Source: The Hill 9/29/26
Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress
Most of the cuts are focused on Health and Human Services programs that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors accused of being in the country illegally. The administration says the funds are no longer necessary because illegal border crossings have diminished considerably. Under federal law, Congress has 45 days to review the president's proposed spending cuts before they take effect. But Trump made that all but impossible by announcing them with just five days left in the federal fiscal year and the House out of session through the November election. The Government Accountability Office says the maneuver known as a "pocket rescission" is illegal. "Not only is the delay itself an impoundment that was not reported to Congress, but also it is a usurpation of Congress's appropriations powers," Senator Susan Collins said. "OMB is an agency of the executive branch. It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding."
Source: PBS News 9/26/26
Thousands in WA lose Apple Health coverage as Trump’s changes take effect
About 11,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and other lawful immigrants in Washington lost their health insurance on October 1st, as a significant federal change to Medicaid eligibility took effect. As part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Congress passed last year, Medicaid eligibility, or Apple Health in Washington, will now be limited to U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents of more than five years, Compact of Free Association Islanders, and certain Cuban-Haitian immigrants. Those who are no longer eligible include asylum-seekers, refugees and victims of trafficking. Children, pregnant people and those within 12 months postpartum continue to be eligible for Apple Health regardless of immigration status.
Ripple effects of this mass loss of health insurance will likely hit everyone in the state over the next year, said Ryan Moran, director of the state Health Care Authority. Because people will continue to become sick and injured regardless of their insurance status, hospitals and clinics will continue to treat patients; they just won’t be reimbursed for the care they provide. That means healthcare systems will be at risk of layoffs and service closures in order to keep their doors open.
Source: The Seattle Times 10/1/26
Trump cancels nearly $1 billion in funding approved by Congress; Washington’s Migrant Education programs at risk
Trump is canceling nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, including funding for immigrant services, education and diversity-focused initiatives. This will severely impact Washington State’s Migrant education program. Washington State is the second largest Migrant student serving state in the nation, reaching approximately 33,000 students in our public schools. The support the program provides includes health screenings, GED programs, and support to allow students to continue their education remotely as they migrate for their parent’s work. For more information on the Migrant Education Program, please visit the link below.
Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Source: The Guardian 9/25/26
Federal Agencies
ICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in rapid push to expand detention capacity, government watchdog finds
In its rush to expand detention capacity, ICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, the Government Accountability Office found in a report released Thursday. The agency failed to account for long-term costs in acquiring detention centers and lost $20 million in
unrecoverable costs purchasing the warehouses it no longer plans to use. Just this week, ICE awarded several companies contracts that could reach a combined $10 billion to expand and construct new facilities. GAO concluded that "urgent planning" is necessary to reduce further waste. ICE said it would produce a strategic plan by Aug. 31, 2027, a date the watchdog said wasn't soon enough.
Source: CBS News 9/29/26
ICE wants to hire another 5,000 new agents to help deport more migrants
Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to hire as many as 5,000 more agents amid Trump’s ongoing crackdown on immigration, according to a report. The majority of those hires will be deportation officers. Sources point to the fact ICE is still tackling a huge vetting backlog from last year’s surge of hires, with nearly 7,500 recruits awaiting background checks. One official, a unit chief from ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, has warned that many new officers had not received basic vetting and were violating federal rules. The agency has more than doubled its number of agents from 10,000 to over 22,000.
Source: The Independent 9/30/26
Federal immigration agents have shot at least 21 people during Trump's 2nd term
At least 21 people have been shot by federal immigration agents during the second Trump administration, according to an ABC News count. Eight of the shootings were fatal, including three who were U.S. citizens. This latest shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, a Venezuelan man who was making deliveries for DoorDash, has continued to raise questions among lawmakers and immigrant advocates about the Trump administration's deportation campaign. “There was hope that ICE would abandon the physical brutality and inhumanity of its tactics on the streets," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said on Tuesday (9/22). "There was hope that there would be accountability. That hope has vanished.”
Source: ABC News 9/24/26
ICE published — then removed — internal reports detailing medical failures in detainee deaths across U.S.
The internal reports — which appeared online in the agency’s public records library over the weekend but have since disappeared — examined the deaths of 33 people in U.S. ICE custody between September 2019 and January 2026. A third of these deaths occurred since Trump’s return to office. In 27 of the 33 documents, independent investigators concluded that the care deceased detainees had received fell outside “safe practice limits,” meaning the care they received failed basic medical standards. “Dr. William Weber, medical director of the Medical Justice Alliance, which reviews care for people in custody, and is a practicing emergency physician, said the mortality reviews show the need for more oversight. “The ICE spokesperson responses do not acknowledge the glaring gaps in care highlighted in the government’s own reports,” he said.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 9/30/26
Executive / Judicial
Supreme Court allows Trump administration's third-country deportations
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration can resume its policy of deporting immigrants to countries where they have no ties, for now, as the justices take up whether the deportations are legal. None of the justices explained their reasoning. The justices announced they will take the bench in December to hear arguments before issuing a final decision. In the meantime, the emergency ruling lifts limits imposed by a district court judge on third country deportations. District Judge Brian Murphy found people facing deportation don’t have sufficient opportunity to raise claims that they’d face torture once deported to a third country. The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — said they would have kept the limits in place as the court took up the case.
Source: The Hill 9/29/26
Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress
Most of the cuts are focused on Health and Human Services programs that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors accused of being in the country illegally. The administration says the funds are no longer necessary because illegal border crossings have diminished considerably. Under federal law, Congress has 45 days to review the president's proposed spending cuts before they take effect. But Trump made that all but impossible by announcing them with just five days left in the federal fiscal year and the House out of session through the November election. The Government Accountability Office says the maneuver known as a "pocket rescission" is illegal. "Not only is the delay itself an impoundment that was not reported to Congress, but also it is a usurpation of Congress's appropriations powers," Senator Susan Collins said. "OMB is an agency of the executive branch. It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding."
Source: PBS News 9/26/26
september 25, 2026
Washington State
What ICE's contractor solicitation reveals about their new strategy
In the wake of its failed warehouse conversion plot, a federal contract solicitation lays out how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to arrest, hold, try, and deport people at scale. ICE describes an operation run almost entirely by private contractors, that carries a person from the moment of arrest to the flight out of the country. The documents also state that “Otherwise applicable or more stringent state or local laws or regulations shall not apply to the performance under this contract”. The solicitation seeks 5,500 detention beds in four regions including 1,500 beds near Seattle. For Washington, contractor officers would be stationed in Tukwila, Tacoma and Yakima.
Source: Project Salt Box 8/29/26
Federal Agencies
Pediatricians raise the alarm on the effect of Trump's immigration crackdown on kids
A new national survey, conducted between April and June 2026 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that 40% of pediatricians have noticed families staying away from care due to immigration concerns. They also noted that there are families in their practice who are avoiding sending their children to school. Dr. Lee Beers, the academy's chief medical officer, says keeping children away from school has health implications. "They can receive health services within the school”, noting that schools are a place where caring and supportive adults can help identify if there's an emerging health issue. If health concerns are not identified early and addressed promptly, they can have long term and serious health impacts on children.
Source: NPR 9/17/26
Immigrants with final deportation orders disappear from ICE detainee locator
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is erasing immigrants with final deportation orders from a searchable online database, leaving families and attorneys in the dark as they try to find out where someone has been taken. Additionally, there was no public announcement about the new policy, which took effect Sept 15th. The policy also bars immigration officers from sharing information about a detainee’s location with their attorneys or relatives by phone. It’s deeply troubling,” said Greg Chen, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Atenas Burrola Estrada, deputy program director at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights stated “The administration is detaining individuals … and disappearing them, It is truly a forced disappearance.”
Source: The Washington Post 9/21/26
Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children
Miller has engaged multiple federal departments to use deportation tactics that critics say are cruel and racist and, in some cases, flout federal law. Almost 200,000 children have been ordered removed from the US by immigration judges since Trump returned to the White House. One source said: “This administration has shown time and again that it has no plan for children other than to disrupt their lives and endanger them. They have no credibility to claim that they are acting with children’s safety as their priority.” Of the more than 200,000 children that have been ordered removed under the second Trump administration, 70% were under the age of 13. The percentage of hearings ending in a removal order also more than doubled over the past 20 months.
Source: The Guardian 9/19/26
Executive / Judicial
Appeals Court Rejects Fast-Track Deportations to Third Countries
A federal appeals court blocked a centerpiece of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda Friday, concluding that efforts to deport people to countries in which they have never lived and have no ties must be accompanied by greater due process protections. While previous administrations rarely used third-country deportations, they also typically notified ICE detainees where they were being sent and gave them a chance to seek protections based on fear of torture or persecution. But the Trump administration concluded that little — if any — notice was required, so long as the receiving countries offered blanket assurances that they would not torture or persecute those deported from the U.S. “An individual's right to contest removal to a country based on a fear of persecution in that country means little if one does not receive prior notice of the intended removal destination and a meaningful opportunity to contest that destination,” Judge Seth Aframe wrote.
This ruling has been appealed to the Supreme Court as of August 24th.
Source: POLITICO 9/18/26
Judge freezes ICE construction site tactics after US citizen targeted
A federal judge in Alabama Monday temporarily blocked immigration enforcement tactics used on Alabama construction sites, saying Department of Homeland Security agents likely violated the Fourth Amendment when they tackled a U.S. citizen, called his REAL ID fake and held him anyway. Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock stayed what Leonardo Garcia Venegas calls a warrantless entry policy, a preemptive detention policy and a continued detention policy. “This decision is a huge blow to DHS’s lawless enforcement practices,” said Jared McClain, Institute of Justice senior attorney, in an emailed statement Monday. “The government stood up in court and argued that they don’t need warrants to enter private construction sites and round up all the workers, and that they can’t trust government-issued IDs. By setting aside those unconstitutional policies, the court has restored the rule of law.”
Source: Courthouse News Service 9/21/26
What ICE's contractor solicitation reveals about their new strategy
In the wake of its failed warehouse conversion plot, a federal contract solicitation lays out how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to arrest, hold, try, and deport people at scale. ICE describes an operation run almost entirely by private contractors, that carries a person from the moment of arrest to the flight out of the country. The documents also state that “Otherwise applicable or more stringent state or local laws or regulations shall not apply to the performance under this contract”. The solicitation seeks 5,500 detention beds in four regions including 1,500 beds near Seattle. For Washington, contractor officers would be stationed in Tukwila, Tacoma and Yakima.
Source: Project Salt Box 8/29/26
Federal Agencies
Pediatricians raise the alarm on the effect of Trump's immigration crackdown on kids
A new national survey, conducted between April and June 2026 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that 40% of pediatricians have noticed families staying away from care due to immigration concerns. They also noted that there are families in their practice who are avoiding sending their children to school. Dr. Lee Beers, the academy's chief medical officer, says keeping children away from school has health implications. "They can receive health services within the school”, noting that schools are a place where caring and supportive adults can help identify if there's an emerging health issue. If health concerns are not identified early and addressed promptly, they can have long term and serious health impacts on children.
Source: NPR 9/17/26
Immigrants with final deportation orders disappear from ICE detainee locator
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is erasing immigrants with final deportation orders from a searchable online database, leaving families and attorneys in the dark as they try to find out where someone has been taken. Additionally, there was no public announcement about the new policy, which took effect Sept 15th. The policy also bars immigration officers from sharing information about a detainee’s location with their attorneys or relatives by phone. It’s deeply troubling,” said Greg Chen, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Atenas Burrola Estrada, deputy program director at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights stated “The administration is detaining individuals … and disappearing them, It is truly a forced disappearance.”
Source: The Washington Post 9/21/26
Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children
Miller has engaged multiple federal departments to use deportation tactics that critics say are cruel and racist and, in some cases, flout federal law. Almost 200,000 children have been ordered removed from the US by immigration judges since Trump returned to the White House. One source said: “This administration has shown time and again that it has no plan for children other than to disrupt their lives and endanger them. They have no credibility to claim that they are acting with children’s safety as their priority.” Of the more than 200,000 children that have been ordered removed under the second Trump administration, 70% were under the age of 13. The percentage of hearings ending in a removal order also more than doubled over the past 20 months.
Source: The Guardian 9/19/26
Executive / Judicial
Appeals Court Rejects Fast-Track Deportations to Third Countries
A federal appeals court blocked a centerpiece of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda Friday, concluding that efforts to deport people to countries in which they have never lived and have no ties must be accompanied by greater due process protections. While previous administrations rarely used third-country deportations, they also typically notified ICE detainees where they were being sent and gave them a chance to seek protections based on fear of torture or persecution. But the Trump administration concluded that little — if any — notice was required, so long as the receiving countries offered blanket assurances that they would not torture or persecute those deported from the U.S. “An individual's right to contest removal to a country based on a fear of persecution in that country means little if one does not receive prior notice of the intended removal destination and a meaningful opportunity to contest that destination,” Judge Seth Aframe wrote.
This ruling has been appealed to the Supreme Court as of August 24th.
Source: POLITICO 9/18/26
Judge freezes ICE construction site tactics after US citizen targeted
A federal judge in Alabama Monday temporarily blocked immigration enforcement tactics used on Alabama construction sites, saying Department of Homeland Security agents likely violated the Fourth Amendment when they tackled a U.S. citizen, called his REAL ID fake and held him anyway. Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock stayed what Leonardo Garcia Venegas calls a warrantless entry policy, a preemptive detention policy and a continued detention policy. “This decision is a huge blow to DHS’s lawless enforcement practices,” said Jared McClain, Institute of Justice senior attorney, in an emailed statement Monday. “The government stood up in court and argued that they don’t need warrants to enter private construction sites and round up all the workers, and that they can’t trust government-issued IDs. By setting aside those unconstitutional policies, the court has restored the rule of law.”
Source: Courthouse News Service 9/21/26
september 19, 2026
Washington State
Attorneys warn of devastating consequences after Tacoma court blocks immigration lawyers from appearing remotely
Immigration attorneys across Oregon, Idaho and Alaska are scrambling to appear in person at the Tacoma Immigration Court after judges in mid-August stopped allowing them to appear remotely on behalf of clients detained at the regional detention center. Oregon, Idaho and Alaska don’t have immigration detention centers and most immigrants detained by federal authorities in those states are taken to the regional detention center in Tacoma, Washington. “Most concerning is that, to my knowledge, this is not the result of a published regulation or a nationally announced policy. It appears to be a practice adopted by the Tacoma Immigration Court itself,” Olano said. “When an unwritten local practice substantially interferes with a detained person’s ability to be represented by the attorney that person selected, serious due-process and statutory right-to-counsel concerns arise.”
Source: The Oregonian 9/15/26
Federal Agencies
Trump has ended TPS for 13 countries. Salvadorans are still waiting for an answer
The Trump administration’s unusual silence on the future of temporary legal status for people from El Salvador has plunged an immigrant community of around 200,000 people into limbo, leaving them uncertain when, or if, they will be allowed to stay in the U.S. There’s been particular confusion among TPS holders around whether the Trump administration’s lack of announcement will result in an automatic six-month extension. But that extension is only triggered if an internal deadline is missed, so a termination could be published at any moment, said Jessica Bansal, TPS counsel at National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “It’s incredibly stressful and confusing for people,” she said. “People have been fired. Employers are confused. It just feels like intentional chaos at this point, and it’s really disruptive of people’s ability to plan, for people to take care of their families, to work. It’s really disruptive for employers.”
DHS sent POLITICO a similar statement to the one posted on the USCIS website: “An announcement on El Salvador’s TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection.”
Source: Politico 9/16/26
Immigrants’ Lawyers Say U.S. Is Redacting Documents Proving Legal Status
In the past, federal agencies routinely turned over documents immigrants requested — for instance, when international adoptees sought proof of their parents’ U.S. citizenship, or noncitizens wanted copies of petitions or interview transcripts for amnesty programs. These records requests, filed by hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year, are often the only way for them to secure documents that detail their full immigration history. But the Trump administration has been redacting and withholding documents at a strikingly high rate. The government has sometimes asserted that it could not find even documents that immigrants and their lawyers know exist. In other cases, officials have provided documents, but critical information is struck out. “Delays and redactions pile on to the many other intentional ways immigrants are being deprived of due process in immigration court,” said Kelly Rojas, a lawyer who provides pro bono services to asylum seekers and crime victims at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights.
Source: The New York Times 9/15/26
Trump Administration Proposes Cutting Grace Period for H-1B and Other Visas
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed scrapping the policy allowing certain foreign workers—including H-1B visa holders—to remain in the U.S. for up to 60 days after losing their jobs to find a new sponsor, according to a government notice published Friday. Under the new proposal, some foreign workers would be considered immediately removable from the U.S. if they no longer work for an employer linked to their visa status.
Source: Time 9/11/26
Public comments on the proposal will be accepted until 11/10/26. If adopted, the policy would mark one of the biggest changes to immigration policy, almost a decade after the grace period was created. Additionally, DHS acknowledges that the policy changes would not only affect prospective employers but also families of the workers who may be forced to leave the U.S. To leave a comment, visit The Federal Register.
Executive / Judicial
Appeals Court upholds ruling barring IRS from sharing data with ICE
The three judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found ICE's sweeping request for addresses of 1.28 million people who may be unlawfully present in the U.S. violated laws established in the wake of the Watergate scandal that bars the IRS from sharing information with other agencies unless it meets "stringent conditions." The ruling finds plaintiffs were likely to prevail in the matter and agreed the policy was reviewable under the Administrative Procedures Act, upholding a ruling from November that blocked the IRS from aiding with deportations. "The IRS failed to require ICE to provide a 'specific reason' why the requested return information 'is or may be relevant to (a qualifying) proceeding or investigation' as the statute demands," wrote Judge C. Pillard, for the panel.
Source: The Hill 9/8/26
Lawsuit challenges intimidation of DHS observers across the country
When federal immigration officers fatally shot fellow Minneapolis observer Alex Pretti in January, it was bystander videos that debunked inaccurate information Trump administration officials were spreading about Pretti, such as that he had committed an act of domestic terrorism and was a "would-be assassin." "That's the only reason why the government's lies fell apart," Minneapolis resident and plaintiff Michael Khalili said. "And that's why it's critical that people are out there." The new lawsuit follows a handful of other cases brought by observers arguing First Amendment violations, but it is the most sweeping to date, as it includes incidents from multiple states and seeks national relief. It is asking a judge in Washington, D.C. to bar federal agencies from intimidating or retaliating against observers.
Source: NPR 9/10/26
Judge Blocks Trump Rule Aimed at International Students and Journalists
A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked a Trump administration rule that would have shortened the length of visas for international students, academics and foreign journalists. The rule would have upended a long-running system that allows millions of international students in the United States to stay until they complete their studies. Foreign journalists would also have been limited to visas of just 240 days. Students and journalists could apply for extensions, but approval is at the discretion of officials at the Department of Homeland Security, and a declined extension is unappealable. Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration’s reasoning for implementing the rule was so arbitrary that it was unlawful. “Notwithstanding the scale of the likely harm,” Judge Saylor wrote, “the government’s proffered rationales for the rule are exceptionally weak,” adding that the Trump administration’s claim “that the rule is necessary to safeguard national security borders on the absurd.” The government’s rationales for the rule were so weak, Judge Saylor wrote, that it “raises legitimate questions as to whether its real purpose is not to safeguard national security and protect our borders, but to achieve other, undisclosed, goals — such as, for example, asserting greater government control over academic institutions and the press.”
Source: The New York Times 9/14/26
Denver Sues to Block Armed ICE Agents at Voting Sites Nationwide
The City of Denver, Latino civil rights organizations and government watch groups asked a federal judge on Thursday to block the Trump administration from allowing armed federal immigration agents to serve warrants at polling sites. “The presence of federal force at the polls interferes with the smooth administration of elections at the local level,” the lawsuit states. “It disrupts voting and makes it more difficult for state and local election officials and law enforcement to do their jobs by making polling places spaces of confrontation.” The groups that brought the suit argue such actions violate federal law, which bans military personnel or other “armed” agents from being “at any place where a general or special election is held, unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” Civil rights and government watch groups say they have chronicled several encounters at polling sites nationwide since the spring that they said failed to meet that bar. The groups involved in the lawsuit said recent ICE activity at polling locations was already chilling voter registration drives, canvassing efforts and civic participation in the electoral process.
Source: The New York Times 9/10/26
Attorneys warn of devastating consequences after Tacoma court blocks immigration lawyers from appearing remotely
Immigration attorneys across Oregon, Idaho and Alaska are scrambling to appear in person at the Tacoma Immigration Court after judges in mid-August stopped allowing them to appear remotely on behalf of clients detained at the regional detention center. Oregon, Idaho and Alaska don’t have immigration detention centers and most immigrants detained by federal authorities in those states are taken to the regional detention center in Tacoma, Washington. “Most concerning is that, to my knowledge, this is not the result of a published regulation or a nationally announced policy. It appears to be a practice adopted by the Tacoma Immigration Court itself,” Olano said. “When an unwritten local practice substantially interferes with a detained person’s ability to be represented by the attorney that person selected, serious due-process and statutory right-to-counsel concerns arise.”
Source: The Oregonian 9/15/26
Federal Agencies
Trump has ended TPS for 13 countries. Salvadorans are still waiting for an answer
The Trump administration’s unusual silence on the future of temporary legal status for people from El Salvador has plunged an immigrant community of around 200,000 people into limbo, leaving them uncertain when, or if, they will be allowed to stay in the U.S. There’s been particular confusion among TPS holders around whether the Trump administration’s lack of announcement will result in an automatic six-month extension. But that extension is only triggered if an internal deadline is missed, so a termination could be published at any moment, said Jessica Bansal, TPS counsel at National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “It’s incredibly stressful and confusing for people,” she said. “People have been fired. Employers are confused. It just feels like intentional chaos at this point, and it’s really disruptive of people’s ability to plan, for people to take care of their families, to work. It’s really disruptive for employers.”
DHS sent POLITICO a similar statement to the one posted on the USCIS website: “An announcement on El Salvador’s TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection.”
Source: Politico 9/16/26
Immigrants’ Lawyers Say U.S. Is Redacting Documents Proving Legal Status
In the past, federal agencies routinely turned over documents immigrants requested — for instance, when international adoptees sought proof of their parents’ U.S. citizenship, or noncitizens wanted copies of petitions or interview transcripts for amnesty programs. These records requests, filed by hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year, are often the only way for them to secure documents that detail their full immigration history. But the Trump administration has been redacting and withholding documents at a strikingly high rate. The government has sometimes asserted that it could not find even documents that immigrants and their lawyers know exist. In other cases, officials have provided documents, but critical information is struck out. “Delays and redactions pile on to the many other intentional ways immigrants are being deprived of due process in immigration court,” said Kelly Rojas, a lawyer who provides pro bono services to asylum seekers and crime victims at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights.
Source: The New York Times 9/15/26
Trump Administration Proposes Cutting Grace Period for H-1B and Other Visas
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed scrapping the policy allowing certain foreign workers—including H-1B visa holders—to remain in the U.S. for up to 60 days after losing their jobs to find a new sponsor, according to a government notice published Friday. Under the new proposal, some foreign workers would be considered immediately removable from the U.S. if they no longer work for an employer linked to their visa status.
Source: Time 9/11/26
Public comments on the proposal will be accepted until 11/10/26. If adopted, the policy would mark one of the biggest changes to immigration policy, almost a decade after the grace period was created. Additionally, DHS acknowledges that the policy changes would not only affect prospective employers but also families of the workers who may be forced to leave the U.S. To leave a comment, visit The Federal Register.
Executive / Judicial
Appeals Court upholds ruling barring IRS from sharing data with ICE
The three judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found ICE's sweeping request for addresses of 1.28 million people who may be unlawfully present in the U.S. violated laws established in the wake of the Watergate scandal that bars the IRS from sharing information with other agencies unless it meets "stringent conditions." The ruling finds plaintiffs were likely to prevail in the matter and agreed the policy was reviewable under the Administrative Procedures Act, upholding a ruling from November that blocked the IRS from aiding with deportations. "The IRS failed to require ICE to provide a 'specific reason' why the requested return information 'is or may be relevant to (a qualifying) proceeding or investigation' as the statute demands," wrote Judge C. Pillard, for the panel.
Source: The Hill 9/8/26
Lawsuit challenges intimidation of DHS observers across the country
When federal immigration officers fatally shot fellow Minneapolis observer Alex Pretti in January, it was bystander videos that debunked inaccurate information Trump administration officials were spreading about Pretti, such as that he had committed an act of domestic terrorism and was a "would-be assassin." "That's the only reason why the government's lies fell apart," Minneapolis resident and plaintiff Michael Khalili said. "And that's why it's critical that people are out there." The new lawsuit follows a handful of other cases brought by observers arguing First Amendment violations, but it is the most sweeping to date, as it includes incidents from multiple states and seeks national relief. It is asking a judge in Washington, D.C. to bar federal agencies from intimidating or retaliating against observers.
Source: NPR 9/10/26
Judge Blocks Trump Rule Aimed at International Students and Journalists
A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked a Trump administration rule that would have shortened the length of visas for international students, academics and foreign journalists. The rule would have upended a long-running system that allows millions of international students in the United States to stay until they complete their studies. Foreign journalists would also have been limited to visas of just 240 days. Students and journalists could apply for extensions, but approval is at the discretion of officials at the Department of Homeland Security, and a declined extension is unappealable. Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration’s reasoning for implementing the rule was so arbitrary that it was unlawful. “Notwithstanding the scale of the likely harm,” Judge Saylor wrote, “the government’s proffered rationales for the rule are exceptionally weak,” adding that the Trump administration’s claim “that the rule is necessary to safeguard national security borders on the absurd.” The government’s rationales for the rule were so weak, Judge Saylor wrote, that it “raises legitimate questions as to whether its real purpose is not to safeguard national security and protect our borders, but to achieve other, undisclosed, goals — such as, for example, asserting greater government control over academic institutions and the press.”
Source: The New York Times 9/14/26
Denver Sues to Block Armed ICE Agents at Voting Sites Nationwide
The City of Denver, Latino civil rights organizations and government watch groups asked a federal judge on Thursday to block the Trump administration from allowing armed federal immigration agents to serve warrants at polling sites. “The presence of federal force at the polls interferes with the smooth administration of elections at the local level,” the lawsuit states. “It disrupts voting and makes it more difficult for state and local election officials and law enforcement to do their jobs by making polling places spaces of confrontation.” The groups that brought the suit argue such actions violate federal law, which bans military personnel or other “armed” agents from being “at any place where a general or special election is held, unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” Civil rights and government watch groups say they have chronicled several encounters at polling sites nationwide since the spring that they said failed to meet that bar. The groups involved in the lawsuit said recent ICE activity at polling locations was already chilling voter registration drives, canvassing efforts and civic participation in the electoral process.
Source: The New York Times 9/10/26
september 12, 2026
Washington State
OSPI Guidance for Back-to-School in Washington for Immigrant Students
Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has issued clear guidance for K–12 public schools on how to support immigrant students during the back-to-school period, emphasizing protections, access, and compliance with state and federal law. OSPI’s guidance is designed to ensure that immigrant students, including undocumented students, can attend school, participate in activities, and access services without fear of discrimination or enforcement action. It also reinforces Washington’s commitment to protecting student privacy and rights.
When preparing for the new school year Washington State Public Schools must:
● Enroll all eligible students without immigration status checks
● Communicate clearly to families that immigration status will not affect access to education
● Not require birth certificates or social security numbers for enrollment
Core Principles Protecting Immigrant Families and Students:
● No discrimination: state law prohibits discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status
● Free, high-quality education: All students, including undocumented students, residing within a district’s boundaries must be enrolled and be provided with the same educational services and opportunities
● No immigration enforcement: Washington schools must not initiate contact with federal immigration authorities to share student information. Schools must have a policy for responding to immigration enforcement actions
For full details, see OSPI’s official guidance document: Protections for Immigrant Students in Washington’s K–12 Public Schools
Source: OSPI 9/9/26
Labor Day weekend family camping trip ends in ICE raid
Five Western Washington families say they were camping together when rangers approached their campsite over what the rangers described as a "garbage issue." The rangers then photographed identification belonging to some of the adults. Hours later, according to the families, federal immigration agents arrived at their campsite with the rangers and arrested five men. Now, their wives and children are back home trying to find attorneys and worried the men could be transferred away from the ICE detention center in Tacoma before they can secure legal representation.
Source: King 5 News 9/8/26
Over 20,000 ballots in Washington’s primary election last month were rejected because they came in too late, thousands more than in 2024
Rural counties appeared to be affected the most, according to state election data. The Postal Service recently changed policy so that mail dropped off more than 50 miles from a distribution center is picked up the next day, instead of at the end of the day. The mail, including any returned ballots, is transferred to these facilities and postmarked there. This process, especially important in rural areas, could take multiple days. Officials here have encouraged Washingtonians to use ballot drop boxes or mail their ballots at least a week before election day to ensure they’ll be counted. You may also return your ballot in person at a post office location and request a manual postmark.
Source: Washington State Standard 9/2/26
ICE transfers hundreds from Tacoma detention center out of state
Between Tuesday (8/24) and Friday (8/28), authorities boarded roughly 360 people on five ICE chartered planes leaving King County International Airport (Boeing Field), according to La Resistencia, an activist group. These actions are prompting concerns that the people being transferred will have less access to lawyers and their families and a slimmer chance of being released on bond while their cases play out. When someone is transferred, they effectively go missing for a period of time. Tacoma immigration attorney Virginia Rivas Aldrete, said it typically takes 24 to 48 hours for people sent to different detention centers to show up in ICE’s online locator. ICE’s high volume of transfers this week is unusual. The federal agency has also added extra flying days out of Boeing Field. “We’re trying to figure out what’s happening,” said Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. It is possible that ICE anticipates needing more room at the facility. The agency has dramatically stepped-up arrests in Washington in the last few months.
Source: Seattle Times 8/29/26
Federal Agencies
US immigration judges told to slash time given to people awaiting visas or green cards before being deported
Immigration judges across the United States have been instructed to deny some of the most vulnerable people appearing in court the time needed for their visas or green cards to arrive, according to training materials shared with the Guardian. The training’s thrust was to tightly restrict continuances in favor of faster adjudications, even when granting more time would allow people to receive legal protections to remain in the US, such as a visa or green card they have qualified for or had approved and are simply awaiting. A deportation slams shut some of those pathways and yet is a much more likely outcome when continuances are denied and rulings are made abruptly. Judges also appeared to be discouraged from giving people more than 10 days to find an attorney before proceeding with a case.
Source: The Guardian 9/4/26
Executive / Judicial
Trump administration's wage cuts for seasonal farmworkers is unlawful, federal judge in California rules
A Labor Department rule that cut wages for foreign guest workers is unlawful, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff in Fresno concluded that the Labor Department failed to reasonably consider whether it could satisfy its legal obligation "to ensure that the hiring of H-2A workers will not 'adversely affect' U.S. farmworkers' wages." Sherriff ordered the Labor Department to "promptly produce" a new methodology for calculating H-2A wage rates consistent with his decision. He directed the agency to notify employers that back pay may be owed to H-2A workers and U.S. farmworkers if the new applicable rates exceed what they were paid. But he allowed the Department of Labor rule to remain temporarily in effect while the agency develops a replacement. The ruling is a win for plaintiffs that included farmworkers from Michigan, Georgia, California, Washington, Texas and Missouri.
Source: Los Angeles Times 8/26/2026
Ice Wrongfully Arrested Him. Will His Lawsuit Change How Courts Hold ICE Accountable?
In January, as the Trump administration launched an immigration crackdown in Maine, Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz was intercepted on his way to work. The civil engineer from Colombia told officers he had a visa through his employer. According to the lawsuit they smashed his window, dragged him out of his car while pointing a Taser at him, cuffed him, forced him into the back of an unmarked SUV and drove him across state lines. When officers realized they had no reason to hold him they released him from an ICE facility in Massachusetts around 9 p.m. that evening. Officers are rarely charged with a crime for abusing a civilian, so a lawsuit is often the best recourse if someone believes their rights were violated. Congress has explicitly given people the ability to bring such lawsuits against state and local officials, but there is no equivalent for addressing constitutional violations by federal officials. Instead, people suing federal agents must rely on a narrow remedy created by the courts — one the Supreme Court has sharply restricted in recent years. Nevertheless, Carvajal-Muñoz filed suit in federal court this spring with the help of the ACLU of Maine, part of a broader search by immigrant rights attorneys for ways to hold officers responsible. Preserving the ability to sue is crucial, they say, as federal authorities increase their arrests of immigrants and citizens.
Source: The Marshall Project 9/8/26
OSPI Guidance for Back-to-School in Washington for Immigrant Students
Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has issued clear guidance for K–12 public schools on how to support immigrant students during the back-to-school period, emphasizing protections, access, and compliance with state and federal law. OSPI’s guidance is designed to ensure that immigrant students, including undocumented students, can attend school, participate in activities, and access services without fear of discrimination or enforcement action. It also reinforces Washington’s commitment to protecting student privacy and rights.
When preparing for the new school year Washington State Public Schools must:
● Enroll all eligible students without immigration status checks
● Communicate clearly to families that immigration status will not affect access to education
● Not require birth certificates or social security numbers for enrollment
Core Principles Protecting Immigrant Families and Students:
● No discrimination: state law prohibits discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status
● Free, high-quality education: All students, including undocumented students, residing within a district’s boundaries must be enrolled and be provided with the same educational services and opportunities
● No immigration enforcement: Washington schools must not initiate contact with federal immigration authorities to share student information. Schools must have a policy for responding to immigration enforcement actions
For full details, see OSPI’s official guidance document: Protections for Immigrant Students in Washington’s K–12 Public Schools
Source: OSPI 9/9/26
Labor Day weekend family camping trip ends in ICE raid
Five Western Washington families say they were camping together when rangers approached their campsite over what the rangers described as a "garbage issue." The rangers then photographed identification belonging to some of the adults. Hours later, according to the families, federal immigration agents arrived at their campsite with the rangers and arrested five men. Now, their wives and children are back home trying to find attorneys and worried the men could be transferred away from the ICE detention center in Tacoma before they can secure legal representation.
Source: King 5 News 9/8/26
Over 20,000 ballots in Washington’s primary election last month were rejected because they came in too late, thousands more than in 2024
Rural counties appeared to be affected the most, according to state election data. The Postal Service recently changed policy so that mail dropped off more than 50 miles from a distribution center is picked up the next day, instead of at the end of the day. The mail, including any returned ballots, is transferred to these facilities and postmarked there. This process, especially important in rural areas, could take multiple days. Officials here have encouraged Washingtonians to use ballot drop boxes or mail their ballots at least a week before election day to ensure they’ll be counted. You may also return your ballot in person at a post office location and request a manual postmark.
Source: Washington State Standard 9/2/26
ICE transfers hundreds from Tacoma detention center out of state
Between Tuesday (8/24) and Friday (8/28), authorities boarded roughly 360 people on five ICE chartered planes leaving King County International Airport (Boeing Field), according to La Resistencia, an activist group. These actions are prompting concerns that the people being transferred will have less access to lawyers and their families and a slimmer chance of being released on bond while their cases play out. When someone is transferred, they effectively go missing for a period of time. Tacoma immigration attorney Virginia Rivas Aldrete, said it typically takes 24 to 48 hours for people sent to different detention centers to show up in ICE’s online locator. ICE’s high volume of transfers this week is unusual. The federal agency has also added extra flying days out of Boeing Field. “We’re trying to figure out what’s happening,” said Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. It is possible that ICE anticipates needing more room at the facility. The agency has dramatically stepped-up arrests in Washington in the last few months.
Source: Seattle Times 8/29/26
Federal Agencies
US immigration judges told to slash time given to people awaiting visas or green cards before being deported
Immigration judges across the United States have been instructed to deny some of the most vulnerable people appearing in court the time needed for their visas or green cards to arrive, according to training materials shared with the Guardian. The training’s thrust was to tightly restrict continuances in favor of faster adjudications, even when granting more time would allow people to receive legal protections to remain in the US, such as a visa or green card they have qualified for or had approved and are simply awaiting. A deportation slams shut some of those pathways and yet is a much more likely outcome when continuances are denied and rulings are made abruptly. Judges also appeared to be discouraged from giving people more than 10 days to find an attorney before proceeding with a case.
Source: The Guardian 9/4/26
Executive / Judicial
Trump administration's wage cuts for seasonal farmworkers is unlawful, federal judge in California rules
A Labor Department rule that cut wages for foreign guest workers is unlawful, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff in Fresno concluded that the Labor Department failed to reasonably consider whether it could satisfy its legal obligation "to ensure that the hiring of H-2A workers will not 'adversely affect' U.S. farmworkers' wages." Sherriff ordered the Labor Department to "promptly produce" a new methodology for calculating H-2A wage rates consistent with his decision. He directed the agency to notify employers that back pay may be owed to H-2A workers and U.S. farmworkers if the new applicable rates exceed what they were paid. But he allowed the Department of Labor rule to remain temporarily in effect while the agency develops a replacement. The ruling is a win for plaintiffs that included farmworkers from Michigan, Georgia, California, Washington, Texas and Missouri.
Source: Los Angeles Times 8/26/2026
Ice Wrongfully Arrested Him. Will His Lawsuit Change How Courts Hold ICE Accountable?
In January, as the Trump administration launched an immigration crackdown in Maine, Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñoz was intercepted on his way to work. The civil engineer from Colombia told officers he had a visa through his employer. According to the lawsuit they smashed his window, dragged him out of his car while pointing a Taser at him, cuffed him, forced him into the back of an unmarked SUV and drove him across state lines. When officers realized they had no reason to hold him they released him from an ICE facility in Massachusetts around 9 p.m. that evening. Officers are rarely charged with a crime for abusing a civilian, so a lawsuit is often the best recourse if someone believes their rights were violated. Congress has explicitly given people the ability to bring such lawsuits against state and local officials, but there is no equivalent for addressing constitutional violations by federal officials. Instead, people suing federal agents must rely on a narrow remedy created by the courts — one the Supreme Court has sharply restricted in recent years. Nevertheless, Carvajal-Muñoz filed suit in federal court this spring with the help of the ACLU of Maine, part of a broader search by immigrant rights attorneys for ways to hold officers responsible. Preserving the ability to sue is crucial, they say, as federal authorities increase their arrests of immigrants and citizens.
Source: The Marshall Project 9/8/26
september 5, 2026
Washington State
ICE targets certain immigrants at Sea-Tac Airport amid national push
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are arresting certain non-citizens at Sea-Tac International Airport, including people with pending immigration cases and no criminal history who have not historically been targeted for deportation, according to local attorneys. Under the new crackdown, people who flew domestically for years without issues using their foreign passport or work authorization permit are being detained. Many of the people now targeted have active immigration cases, such as a pending asylum application or pending green card application through a marriage with a U.S. citizen.
Source: The Seattle Times 8/26/26
Oregon, Washington plan to defend in-state tuition for immigrant students
Attorneys general for Oregon and Washington say they will safeguard state laws that grant in-state tuition for immigrant students at public higher education institutions. This comes after the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is suing Oregon, Washington and two other states over their laws allowing undocumented immigrants to access in-state tuition and other financial assistance at public universities and colleges. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office called the lawsuit “politically motivated” and said the agency looks forward to defending “longstanding Washington laws that recognize the potential and promise of all our residents regardless of citizenship status.”
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting 8/31/26
Federal Agencies
ICE deports Afghans and others to Africa, expanding "third country" deportations
Over a 10-day period, the Trump administration sent more than 100 deportees from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua and other nations to eight countries across Africa, expanding its "third country" deportation campaign, according to internal U.S. government documents obtained by CBS News. None of the deportees were from the countries where they were deported to according to the documents. More than 30 countries across the globe have agreed to receive deportations from the U.S.
Source: CBS News 8/30/26
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is looking to spend up to $2 million on robot dogs, according to a federal procurement notice
The robot dogs, which are equipped with 360-degree cameras and can open doors, are also used by police departments across the country. The procurement notice for the robot dog comes after the Department of Homeland Security approved spending $16 million for ICE to purchase electric shock gloves to give to officers around the country.
Source: ABC News 8/28/26
Trump administration closes 110 trucking schools over English-language rules
The Transportation Department has ordered 110 commercial driver’s license schools [including one in Washington] to close immediately, claiming their truck-driving graduates could not demonstrate English-language proficiency. There has been no data correlation between English proficiency and commercial truck-driver accidents, analysts say, worrying advocates who fear Latino drivers may be unfairly targeted by officers. The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it had conducted a “synchronized single-day sweep” targeting more than 200 training schools in about two dozen states. Officials are taking steps to shut down another 160 schools for noncompliance.
Officials confirmed to KOMO News that the Washington location that was shut down is Fifth Wheel Commercial Driving School in Kent.
Source: The Washington Post 9/2/26
Source: KOMO News 9/1/26
Executive / Judicial
Judge Rules the Trump Admin Can’t Deport International Students for Free Speech
The Trump administration violated the Constitution when it moved to deport or rescind visas from international students who spoke up for Palestinian rights and criticized Israel’s genocide in Gaza, a federal judge ruled on Friday. In particular, the lawsuit challenged two provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that Secretary of State Marco Rubio used to justify seeking the deportations of Mahmoud Khalil, Columbia student Moshen Mahdawi, and Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk. The first allows the secretary of state to deport a noncitizen for speech if the secretary “personally determines” the speech “compromises a compelling foreign policy interest.” The second allows the secretary to revoke visas entirely at their own discretion. Wise agreed that the provisions violated the Constitution and wrote, “Stated plainly, in the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people. It is not the government’s to take.”
Source: Common Dreams 8/29/2026
Appeals court delivers 8th straight blow to ICE's mandatory detention policy
ICE’s losing streak continued Friday as an eighth straight federal appeals court rejected the agency’s massive expansion of detention for immigrants with long-term roots in the U.S. A divided panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that ICE’s novel interpretation of mandatory detention laws distorted a 30-year-old statute that was generally meant to require detention for people who recently crossed the border. The panel also concluded that ICE detainees with extensive ties to the U.S. have a constitutional due process right to a bond hearing. The issue is almost certainly destined for Supreme Court resolution.
Source: Politico 8/28/26
ICE targets certain immigrants at Sea-Tac Airport amid national push
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are arresting certain non-citizens at Sea-Tac International Airport, including people with pending immigration cases and no criminal history who have not historically been targeted for deportation, according to local attorneys. Under the new crackdown, people who flew domestically for years without issues using their foreign passport or work authorization permit are being detained. Many of the people now targeted have active immigration cases, such as a pending asylum application or pending green card application through a marriage with a U.S. citizen.
Source: The Seattle Times 8/26/26
Oregon, Washington plan to defend in-state tuition for immigrant students
Attorneys general for Oregon and Washington say they will safeguard state laws that grant in-state tuition for immigrant students at public higher education institutions. This comes after the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is suing Oregon, Washington and two other states over their laws allowing undocumented immigrants to access in-state tuition and other financial assistance at public universities and colleges. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office called the lawsuit “politically motivated” and said the agency looks forward to defending “longstanding Washington laws that recognize the potential and promise of all our residents regardless of citizenship status.”
Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting 8/31/26
Federal Agencies
ICE deports Afghans and others to Africa, expanding "third country" deportations
Over a 10-day period, the Trump administration sent more than 100 deportees from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua and other nations to eight countries across Africa, expanding its "third country" deportation campaign, according to internal U.S. government documents obtained by CBS News. None of the deportees were from the countries where they were deported to according to the documents. More than 30 countries across the globe have agreed to receive deportations from the U.S.
Source: CBS News 8/30/26
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is looking to spend up to $2 million on robot dogs, according to a federal procurement notice
The robot dogs, which are equipped with 360-degree cameras and can open doors, are also used by police departments across the country. The procurement notice for the robot dog comes after the Department of Homeland Security approved spending $16 million for ICE to purchase electric shock gloves to give to officers around the country.
Source: ABC News 8/28/26
Trump administration closes 110 trucking schools over English-language rules
The Transportation Department has ordered 110 commercial driver’s license schools [including one in Washington] to close immediately, claiming their truck-driving graduates could not demonstrate English-language proficiency. There has been no data correlation between English proficiency and commercial truck-driver accidents, analysts say, worrying advocates who fear Latino drivers may be unfairly targeted by officers. The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it had conducted a “synchronized single-day sweep” targeting more than 200 training schools in about two dozen states. Officials are taking steps to shut down another 160 schools for noncompliance.
Officials confirmed to KOMO News that the Washington location that was shut down is Fifth Wheel Commercial Driving School in Kent.
Source: The Washington Post 9/2/26
Source: KOMO News 9/1/26
Executive / Judicial
Judge Rules the Trump Admin Can’t Deport International Students for Free Speech
The Trump administration violated the Constitution when it moved to deport or rescind visas from international students who spoke up for Palestinian rights and criticized Israel’s genocide in Gaza, a federal judge ruled on Friday. In particular, the lawsuit challenged two provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that Secretary of State Marco Rubio used to justify seeking the deportations of Mahmoud Khalil, Columbia student Moshen Mahdawi, and Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk. The first allows the secretary of state to deport a noncitizen for speech if the secretary “personally determines” the speech “compromises a compelling foreign policy interest.” The second allows the secretary to revoke visas entirely at their own discretion. Wise agreed that the provisions violated the Constitution and wrote, “Stated plainly, in the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people. It is not the government’s to take.”
Source: Common Dreams 8/29/2026
Appeals court delivers 8th straight blow to ICE's mandatory detention policy
ICE’s losing streak continued Friday as an eighth straight federal appeals court rejected the agency’s massive expansion of detention for immigrants with long-term roots in the U.S. A divided panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that ICE’s novel interpretation of mandatory detention laws distorted a 30-year-old statute that was generally meant to require detention for people who recently crossed the border. The panel also concluded that ICE detainees with extensive ties to the U.S. have a constitutional due process right to a bond hearing. The issue is almost certainly destined for Supreme Court resolution.
Source: Politico 8/28/26
august 29, 2026
Federal Agencies
Broken Payment System Won’t Let Many Immigrants Pay Failure-to-Leave Fines
Last year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order using a never-before-touched law to levy fines on an immigrant for each day he “willfully fails or refuses” to leave after receiving a removal order. The administration quickly started issuing fines as high as $1.8 million. However, Melanie Zamenhof, a senior attorney on the New York Legal Response Team at Neighbors Link, hasn’t had a single immigrant client who was able to successfully pay the fine the administration levied against them. The pay.gov website is frequently down, and when it’s working, the option to pay the civil penalty is sometimes not on the menu. The government also only allows the fines to be paid with a debit or credit card — a hurdle for any immigrant who can’t qualify for a U.S. bank account yet. Meanwhile, to get through the payment system an immigrant must have a “penalty tracking number.” That’s supposed to be on the letters they receive about their fines, but Zamenhof has seen multiple letters where the field for the number is left blank.
Source: The Intercept 8/20/26
ICE and Iran worked together to deport Iranians from U.S., newly released emails show
Hundreds of emails exchanged between U.S. immigration officials, which were obtained by the National Iranian American Council and made public Tuesday, offer the most transparent play by play yet of how the two countries worked together to arrange for more than 100 Iranians to be flown back to Iran on three separate immigration flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026. The emails show that Iranian officials had some influence over which Iranian immigrants in the U.S. were sent back to their home country, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials apparently heeded some last-minute changes to deportation lists at the request of Iran. Jamal Abdi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, said the emails undermine Trump's assertions that the U.S. is at war with Iran to save ordinary Iranians from a repressive regime. "It demonstrates that the top priority here was to kick out as many people as possible by whatever means necessary," Abdi said.
Source: PBS News 8/20/26
Treasury, IRS move to restrict refundable tax credits to certain immigrants
New proposed rules clarify that the refundable portion of four tax credits — the adoption tax credit, child tax credit, American Opportunity tax credit and earned income tax credit — are “federal public benefits.” Such a distinction would mean certain noncitizens, including people with a pending asylum application, those with TPS, and DACA recipients would no longer be able to claim those tax breaks. The policy would have the greatest impact on lower-income households, according to Margot Crandall-Hollick, a principal research associate at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. They generally don’t have a big tax liability due to their incomes, and therefore receive most of the tax break as a refund, she said.
Source: CNBC News 8/19/26
The public comment period for this rule is open on the Federal Register until October 5th. The Treasury Department and IRS have to consider every comment that arrives by the deadline, and can adjust the proposed rule afterward.
To read the proposed rule and leave a public comment, visit the Federal Register.
Prison Firm Donated to Trump’s PAC After ICE Gave It $165 Million a Year in Contracts
A private prison company donated more than $1.4 million to President Trump’s political operation last month after his administration awarded contracts that could pay the company $165 million a year to house immigrants awaiting deportation. The donations from a subsidiary of the GEO Group were disclosed in a campaign finance report filed by MAGA Inc., a super PAC run by Mr. Trump’s allies. The GEO Group, which relies heavily on contracts with ICE, has seen profits soar amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Last year, the GEO Group reported $254.3 million in net income, up from $31.9 million in the last year of the Biden administration.
Source: New York Times 8/21/26
US set for largest visa revocation in history, targeting up to 200,000 foreigners
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for, or are currently seeking ,asylum status in the United States. If it happens, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history and would likely face legal challenges. In the coming week, the State Department is expected to announce the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders are seeking asylum. The revocations would not necessarily signal immediate deportation, but currently pending asylum cases would be recategorized so that B1 and B2 visa holders lose their status as business or tourism travelers. B1 visas are generally issued for business trips and B2 visas are generally issued for tourism, family visits or medical care.
Source: Associate Press 8/24/26
Update: Frequently Asked Questions about the Alexandra Lozano Case and Information for Former Clients
On May 26, 2026, immigration lawyer Alexandra Lozano resigned in lieu of discipline, making Lozano permanently ineligible to practice law in Washington State. The Lozano case was immense in size and scope. The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) is working with the Washington chapter of American Immigration Lawyers Association and other organizations on the most urgent need right now—getting legal help for Lozano’s former clients. Former clients, community members, legal professionals, and the media can find answers here to questions they may have about the Lozano case.
If you have questions that are not answered here and would like more information, please email your questions to [email protected] or call 206-443-9722 or 800-945-9722 (interpreters are available).
Source: Washington State Bar Association 8/21/26
Executive / Judicial
DHS Loses Bid to Dodge Blame for Dangerous Conditions at Adelanto ICE Processing Center
Three federal judges told the Trump administration Thursday what it didn’t want to hear: contracting out a detention center doesn’t contract out the Constitution. A Ninth Circuit panel unanimously denied the government’s emergency motion to stay a preliminary injunction over conditions at Adelanto. The government’s core argument was simple: don’t blame us, blame GEO Group, the private prison company that runs the infamous Adelanto day to day. The panel wasn’t having it. The judges wrote that contracting out care for people in government custody doesn’t relieve the government of its constitutional duty to provide it, and doesn’t strip detainees of a way to vindicate their rights. Even if ICE doesn’t run Adelanto’s hallways, the panel found, it is “ultimately responsible” for keeping the conditions inside them constitutional — and it has options if GEO won’t comply: withhold payment, impose penalties, or move people out.
Source: Migrant Insider 8/20/26
Judge Strikes Down Visa Ban Affecting 75 Countries
A federal judge in New York has vacated a Trump administration policy that suspended the processing of visas from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration deemed likely to require public assistance in the United States. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas set aside the policy Friday as “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority by issuing the policy, which “runs afoul” of the Immigration and Nationality Act by mandating “the refusal of visas to eligible applicants without any basis in law,” the judge ruled. Vargas said the policy also undermines the congressional requirement that puts consular officers at the forefront of any visa decision. “This unlawful and racist ban caused immeasurable harm, cruelly keeping families and loved ones apart,” Diana Konate, deputy executive director for African Communities Together, said in a statement. “Today, we are elated to tell our community members: this ban is no more.”
Source: Associated Press 8/22/2026
Broken Payment System Won’t Let Many Immigrants Pay Failure-to-Leave Fines
Last year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order using a never-before-touched law to levy fines on an immigrant for each day he “willfully fails or refuses” to leave after receiving a removal order. The administration quickly started issuing fines as high as $1.8 million. However, Melanie Zamenhof, a senior attorney on the New York Legal Response Team at Neighbors Link, hasn’t had a single immigrant client who was able to successfully pay the fine the administration levied against them. The pay.gov website is frequently down, and when it’s working, the option to pay the civil penalty is sometimes not on the menu. The government also only allows the fines to be paid with a debit or credit card — a hurdle for any immigrant who can’t qualify for a U.S. bank account yet. Meanwhile, to get through the payment system an immigrant must have a “penalty tracking number.” That’s supposed to be on the letters they receive about their fines, but Zamenhof has seen multiple letters where the field for the number is left blank.
Source: The Intercept 8/20/26
ICE and Iran worked together to deport Iranians from U.S., newly released emails show
Hundreds of emails exchanged between U.S. immigration officials, which were obtained by the National Iranian American Council and made public Tuesday, offer the most transparent play by play yet of how the two countries worked together to arrange for more than 100 Iranians to be flown back to Iran on three separate immigration flights in September and December 2025 and January 2026. The emails show that Iranian officials had some influence over which Iranian immigrants in the U.S. were sent back to their home country, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials apparently heeded some last-minute changes to deportation lists at the request of Iran. Jamal Abdi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, said the emails undermine Trump's assertions that the U.S. is at war with Iran to save ordinary Iranians from a repressive regime. "It demonstrates that the top priority here was to kick out as many people as possible by whatever means necessary," Abdi said.
Source: PBS News 8/20/26
Treasury, IRS move to restrict refundable tax credits to certain immigrants
New proposed rules clarify that the refundable portion of four tax credits — the adoption tax credit, child tax credit, American Opportunity tax credit and earned income tax credit — are “federal public benefits.” Such a distinction would mean certain noncitizens, including people with a pending asylum application, those with TPS, and DACA recipients would no longer be able to claim those tax breaks. The policy would have the greatest impact on lower-income households, according to Margot Crandall-Hollick, a principal research associate at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. They generally don’t have a big tax liability due to their incomes, and therefore receive most of the tax break as a refund, she said.
Source: CNBC News 8/19/26
The public comment period for this rule is open on the Federal Register until October 5th. The Treasury Department and IRS have to consider every comment that arrives by the deadline, and can adjust the proposed rule afterward.
To read the proposed rule and leave a public comment, visit the Federal Register.
Prison Firm Donated to Trump’s PAC After ICE Gave It $165 Million a Year in Contracts
A private prison company donated more than $1.4 million to President Trump’s political operation last month after his administration awarded contracts that could pay the company $165 million a year to house immigrants awaiting deportation. The donations from a subsidiary of the GEO Group were disclosed in a campaign finance report filed by MAGA Inc., a super PAC run by Mr. Trump’s allies. The GEO Group, which relies heavily on contracts with ICE, has seen profits soar amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Last year, the GEO Group reported $254.3 million in net income, up from $31.9 million in the last year of the Biden administration.
Source: New York Times 8/21/26
US set for largest visa revocation in history, targeting up to 200,000 foreigners
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for, or are currently seeking ,asylum status in the United States. If it happens, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history and would likely face legal challenges. In the coming week, the State Department is expected to announce the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders are seeking asylum. The revocations would not necessarily signal immediate deportation, but currently pending asylum cases would be recategorized so that B1 and B2 visa holders lose their status as business or tourism travelers. B1 visas are generally issued for business trips and B2 visas are generally issued for tourism, family visits or medical care.
Source: Associate Press 8/24/26
Update: Frequently Asked Questions about the Alexandra Lozano Case and Information for Former Clients
On May 26, 2026, immigration lawyer Alexandra Lozano resigned in lieu of discipline, making Lozano permanently ineligible to practice law in Washington State. The Lozano case was immense in size and scope. The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) is working with the Washington chapter of American Immigration Lawyers Association and other organizations on the most urgent need right now—getting legal help for Lozano’s former clients. Former clients, community members, legal professionals, and the media can find answers here to questions they may have about the Lozano case.
If you have questions that are not answered here and would like more information, please email your questions to [email protected] or call 206-443-9722 or 800-945-9722 (interpreters are available).
Source: Washington State Bar Association 8/21/26
Executive / Judicial
DHS Loses Bid to Dodge Blame for Dangerous Conditions at Adelanto ICE Processing Center
Three federal judges told the Trump administration Thursday what it didn’t want to hear: contracting out a detention center doesn’t contract out the Constitution. A Ninth Circuit panel unanimously denied the government’s emergency motion to stay a preliminary injunction over conditions at Adelanto. The government’s core argument was simple: don’t blame us, blame GEO Group, the private prison company that runs the infamous Adelanto day to day. The panel wasn’t having it. The judges wrote that contracting out care for people in government custody doesn’t relieve the government of its constitutional duty to provide it, and doesn’t strip detainees of a way to vindicate their rights. Even if ICE doesn’t run Adelanto’s hallways, the panel found, it is “ultimately responsible” for keeping the conditions inside them constitutional — and it has options if GEO won’t comply: withhold payment, impose penalties, or move people out.
Source: Migrant Insider 8/20/26
Judge Strikes Down Visa Ban Affecting 75 Countries
A federal judge in New York has vacated a Trump administration policy that suspended the processing of visas from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration deemed likely to require public assistance in the United States. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas set aside the policy Friday as “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority by issuing the policy, which “runs afoul” of the Immigration and Nationality Act by mandating “the refusal of visas to eligible applicants without any basis in law,” the judge ruled. Vargas said the policy also undermines the congressional requirement that puts consular officers at the forefront of any visa decision. “This unlawful and racist ban caused immeasurable harm, cruelly keeping families and loved ones apart,” Diana Konate, deputy executive director for African Communities Together, said in a statement. “Today, we are elated to tell our community members: this ban is no more.”
Source: Associated Press 8/22/2026
august 23, 2026
Washington State
UW: ICE used Washington driver's license database in at least 90 immigration arrests over the past year
According to the center's latest analysis, federal immigration agents searched Washington Department of Licensing records before making at least 90 immigration arrests over the past year. Washington's Keep Washington Working Act generally prohibits state agencies from sharing personal information for the purpose of federal civil immigration enforcement. Previous KING 5 reporting found that federal immigration agencies continued accessing the state's licensing database through accounts belonging to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The governor's office has previously said it has blocked some federal accounts, including all of ICE's access after discovering they were being used for immigration enforcement, but has stopped short of cutting off all CBP access, arguing the agency also uses the database for public safety purposes.
The findings come as multiple immigration arrests caught on camera this week suggest federal agents are increasingly operating inside Seattle neighborhoods.
Source: King 5 News 8/6/26
Federal Agencies
USCIS To Require Electronic Filing of Forms
A new interim final rule gives USCIS the power to require online filing of certain immigration forms. Until now, you could almost always choose paper filing. Going forward, USCIS can turn off the paper option for a form once that form has been available online for at least 180 days. The rule took effect August 11, 2026. USCIS will post at least 60 days' notice on its website before a form becomes online-only, so the earliest any form could become mandatory is around October 2026. Once a form goes online-only, a paper application mailed after the deadline risks rejection. There is an “undue hardship” waiver that can be filed for an additional fee to allow for paper filing, but it will be decided on a case-by-case basis, and the parameters for granting a waiver are not yet clear.
Source: Ellis Legal 8/10/26
The electronic filing requirement could further increase the cost and difficulty for low income, rural, or less tech-savvy applicants to file their forms. The public comment period for this rule is open on the Federal Register until October 13th. DHS has to consider every comment that arrives by the deadline, and it can adjust the rule afterward.
To read the interim final rule and leave a public comment, visit the Federal Register.
Watchdog Sues ICE Over Healthcare Crisis As Unpaid Medical Bills Pile Up
Government watchdog group American Oversight filed a lawsuit against ICE on Thursday, seeking public records to determine if the agency is providing adequate medical care to individuals in federal immigration custody. The legal action follows a disruption in the system used to pay for offsite medical, dental, and pharmacy services for detainees under ICE and CBP supervision. “ICE and CBP cannot take people into custody and then fail to provide them with adequate medical care,” said Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight. “They have a legal obligation to protect the health and safety of people in their custody, and the public has a right to know whether they are meeting that obligation.”
Source: Tampa Free Press 8/16/26
ICE pitches legal insurance to help shield local officers who make immigration arrests
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is proposing to subsidize liability insurance for state and local officers who are trained and deputized to enforce federal immigration laws. The plan would help shield local police officers from possible financial consequences if they are accused of on-duty misconduct. One prominent critic of ICE's immigration crackdown said the program would be yet another way for officers to avoid personal accountability for misconduct. "The concern here is that ICE is going above and beyond to guarantee law enforcement does not have even the slightest risk of liability for violating Americans' rights while helping ICE arrest people," said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute.
Source: PBS 8/17/26
Deportations Are Spiking. Judges Say Their Hands Are Being Forced.
The Justice Department, which manages the nation’s immigration court system, is relying on pressure campaigns to bend court outcomes to match Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement vision, one current and three recently terminated judges told NOTUS. They also said the department leadership has adopted new strategies to limit their discretion to rule in immigrants’ favor, which has effectively led to more deportations. According to the Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse, immigrant removal orders climbed this spring and spiked by 30% in June.
Source: NOTUS 8/18/26
ICE gives detention centers high marks for health under Trump even as deaths climb, report finds
An analysis by the Project on Government Oversight found that, under the Trump administration, the number of ICE detention facilities with the agency’s highest inspection grade, “superior,” has tripled since 2024. The “superior” ratings have coincided with a rise in deaths in immigration detention custody — 2025 was the deadliest year in ICE custody since 2004. The ratings come from ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight, which also grades the facilities for “deficiencies,” or violations of ICE detention standards. Those failures are important: If a facility fails twice in a row, it can lose federal funding.
Source: CalMatters 8/18/26
Executive / Judicial
ICE keeps racking up losses at the appeals courts on mandatory detention
A divided panel of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals concluded 2-1 that the Trump administration’s massive expansion of detention without bond was a distortion of decades-old immigration laws that were aimed primarily at recent border-crossers, not those who have resided in the country for years. Last year, ICE adopted a new interpretation of the law, declaring that anyone targeted for deportation — who hadn’t been granted permission to enter the country — would be treated as though they were “seeking admission,” even if they’ve resided in the U.S. for decades. The administration’s unprecedented interpretation of ICE’s detention powers, adopted on July 8, 2025, ignited a tsunami of emergency lawsuits filed by people detained under the new policy. And judges across the country have overwhelmingly rejected the administration’s position, with more than 460 concluding it was a misreading of a 1996 statute while just 54 have sided with the Trump administration. The ruling from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals is also the 7th appeals court to rule against the administration's mandatory detention policy.
Source: Politico 8/13/26
UW: ICE used Washington driver's license database in at least 90 immigration arrests over the past year
According to the center's latest analysis, federal immigration agents searched Washington Department of Licensing records before making at least 90 immigration arrests over the past year. Washington's Keep Washington Working Act generally prohibits state agencies from sharing personal information for the purpose of federal civil immigration enforcement. Previous KING 5 reporting found that federal immigration agencies continued accessing the state's licensing database through accounts belonging to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The governor's office has previously said it has blocked some federal accounts, including all of ICE's access after discovering they were being used for immigration enforcement, but has stopped short of cutting off all CBP access, arguing the agency also uses the database for public safety purposes.
The findings come as multiple immigration arrests caught on camera this week suggest federal agents are increasingly operating inside Seattle neighborhoods.
Source: King 5 News 8/6/26
Federal Agencies
USCIS To Require Electronic Filing of Forms
A new interim final rule gives USCIS the power to require online filing of certain immigration forms. Until now, you could almost always choose paper filing. Going forward, USCIS can turn off the paper option for a form once that form has been available online for at least 180 days. The rule took effect August 11, 2026. USCIS will post at least 60 days' notice on its website before a form becomes online-only, so the earliest any form could become mandatory is around October 2026. Once a form goes online-only, a paper application mailed after the deadline risks rejection. There is an “undue hardship” waiver that can be filed for an additional fee to allow for paper filing, but it will be decided on a case-by-case basis, and the parameters for granting a waiver are not yet clear.
Source: Ellis Legal 8/10/26
The electronic filing requirement could further increase the cost and difficulty for low income, rural, or less tech-savvy applicants to file their forms. The public comment period for this rule is open on the Federal Register until October 13th. DHS has to consider every comment that arrives by the deadline, and it can adjust the rule afterward.
To read the interim final rule and leave a public comment, visit the Federal Register.
Watchdog Sues ICE Over Healthcare Crisis As Unpaid Medical Bills Pile Up
Government watchdog group American Oversight filed a lawsuit against ICE on Thursday, seeking public records to determine if the agency is providing adequate medical care to individuals in federal immigration custody. The legal action follows a disruption in the system used to pay for offsite medical, dental, and pharmacy services for detainees under ICE and CBP supervision. “ICE and CBP cannot take people into custody and then fail to provide them with adequate medical care,” said Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight. “They have a legal obligation to protect the health and safety of people in their custody, and the public has a right to know whether they are meeting that obligation.”
Source: Tampa Free Press 8/16/26
ICE pitches legal insurance to help shield local officers who make immigration arrests
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is proposing to subsidize liability insurance for state and local officers who are trained and deputized to enforce federal immigration laws. The plan would help shield local police officers from possible financial consequences if they are accused of on-duty misconduct. One prominent critic of ICE's immigration crackdown said the program would be yet another way for officers to avoid personal accountability for misconduct. "The concern here is that ICE is going above and beyond to guarantee law enforcement does not have even the slightest risk of liability for violating Americans' rights while helping ICE arrest people," said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute.
Source: PBS 8/17/26
Deportations Are Spiking. Judges Say Their Hands Are Being Forced.
The Justice Department, which manages the nation’s immigration court system, is relying on pressure campaigns to bend court outcomes to match Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement vision, one current and three recently terminated judges told NOTUS. They also said the department leadership has adopted new strategies to limit their discretion to rule in immigrants’ favor, which has effectively led to more deportations. According to the Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse, immigrant removal orders climbed this spring and spiked by 30% in June.
Source: NOTUS 8/18/26
ICE gives detention centers high marks for health under Trump even as deaths climb, report finds
An analysis by the Project on Government Oversight found that, under the Trump administration, the number of ICE detention facilities with the agency’s highest inspection grade, “superior,” has tripled since 2024. The “superior” ratings have coincided with a rise in deaths in immigration detention custody — 2025 was the deadliest year in ICE custody since 2004. The ratings come from ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight, which also grades the facilities for “deficiencies,” or violations of ICE detention standards. Those failures are important: If a facility fails twice in a row, it can lose federal funding.
Source: CalMatters 8/18/26
Executive / Judicial
ICE keeps racking up losses at the appeals courts on mandatory detention
A divided panel of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals concluded 2-1 that the Trump administration’s massive expansion of detention without bond was a distortion of decades-old immigration laws that were aimed primarily at recent border-crossers, not those who have resided in the country for years. Last year, ICE adopted a new interpretation of the law, declaring that anyone targeted for deportation — who hadn’t been granted permission to enter the country — would be treated as though they were “seeking admission,” even if they’ve resided in the U.S. for decades. The administration’s unprecedented interpretation of ICE’s detention powers, adopted on July 8, 2025, ignited a tsunami of emergency lawsuits filed by people detained under the new policy. And judges across the country have overwhelmingly rejected the administration’s position, with more than 460 concluding it was a misreading of a 1996 statute while just 54 have sided with the Trump administration. The ruling from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals is also the 7th appeals court to rule against the administration's mandatory detention policy.
Source: Politico 8/13/26
august 15, 2026
Washington State
Washington sues to block federal sharing of private data of 36k low-income families with Homeland Security
On Monday (8/3) Washington Attorney General Nick Brown joined a multistate lawsuit to stop a federal policy that would unlawfully expand access to private information belonging to families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. The complaint challenges a policy that was scheduled to take effect Aug. 11. Under the policy, TANF recipients’ Social Security numbers, addresses, immigration status, marital status, income and other personal information can be shared with the Department of Homeland Security. TNAF provides direct assistance to low-income families with children and supports child care costs, emergency food assistance, housing for families fleeing domestic violence and services for grandparents caring for children. Nearly 36,000 Washington households received TANF assistance in 2025.
Source: King 5 News 8/3/26
Federal Agencies
Organizations Issue Alerts and Information regarding Immigration Enforcement at US Airports
The ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center have published information on the risks of flying on domestic flights within the US. For additional information about the categories of noncitizens who appear to be at greater risk, please click on the source links below:
Source: ACLU 8/5/26 Know Your Rights - Enforcement at the Airport
Source: National Immigration Law Center 7/25/26 Community Alert: Immigration Arrests at Airports (Multilingual)
AP report: ICE plans to give its officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from individuals. ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on a no bid contract to purchase thousands of "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" for officers and agents by March, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The devices are known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. Civil rights advocates expressed alarm at the plan, saying ICE officers already face criticism for their use of force with little oversight or accountability while enforcing Trump's immigration crackdown.
Source: PBS 8/12/26
Group Founded by Former ICE Agent Awarded $158M to Represent Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
The Trump administration has awarded a $158 million contract to a group founded by a former ICE agent to legally represent unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S. The Minneapolis-based Our Rescue was founded in 2013 by Tim Ballard, who was accused of sex trafficking, forced labor and abusing women in 2023. *This comes after the federal government also awarded a $150 million contract to a small Texas law firm with ties to the Trump administration to represent unaccompanied immigrant children in court. * As of 8/14/26 the Texas law firm has declined the contract due to public pressure.
Source: Democracy Now 8/12/26
California US senator pushes for nationwide legal representation for immigrants
Last week, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff re-introduced federal legislation that would guarantee the right to legal representation for all people in deportation or legal immigration proceedings if they are unable to afford it. Research consistently finds that legal immigrants with legal counsel were 5.5 times more likely to obtain relief from deportation, according to one UCLA School of Law study. Legal representation in fiscal year 2026 immigration court proceedings is at the lowest level since 2010, according to Austin Kocher, a professor at Syracuse University. Schiff’s bill would establish an Office of Immigration Representation and provide counsel for immigrants in several types of situations including bond hearings, state court proceedings and those seeking temporary protected status.
Source: Sacramento Bee 8/11/26
ICE Agents to Wear Body Cameras but the Fix is In
After years of delays, ICE has announced that it will equip all officers with body cameras. However, the agency’s policy says that it will retain broad control over what videos are released to the public — and that in particular it will only release footage of serious bodily injuries and deaths in custody if “it is in the best interests of the agency.” The new body camera deployment comes in a context of frequent and ongoing violations of human rights and the Constitution by ICE and other DHS agencies.
Source: ACLU 8/11/26
Executive / Judicial
Judge orders federal government to pay $65M to legal service providers for migrant children
Nonprofit organizations that provide legal services for unaccompanied migrant children are celebrating a win after California U.S. District Court Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguín ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to pay the organizations by Friday afternoon (8/7). The organizations are all part of a network under the Acacia Center for Justice, which has had a contract with HHS for years to provide legal services to these children. However, the contract wasn't renewed last year, leading to its expiration on July 31. That meant some of these children went without lawyers at their court hearings.
Source: CBS News 8/7/26
Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Birthright Citizenship and 'Birthright Tourism'
President Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday (8/6) aimed at limiting the number of people who are eligible for birthright citizenship and cracking down on “birth tourism,” in which women give birth in the United States to get automatic citizenship for their newborns. The new orders came weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, rejected the president’s previous efforts to end birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants through executive orders. It was not immediately clear how the twin orders could realistically be enforced. They would restrict those who could qualify for birthright citizenship, to exclude children of staff working for foreign governments but serving in the United States, and the babies of mothers who lie about their intentions for visiting the country while pregnant. There is a third category, for babies born in U.S. territories, but that would first require congressional action.
Source: The New York Times 8/06/26
Trump administration targets children amid push to ‘deport at all costs’
The Trump administration is targeting children who came to the US unaccompanied by a parent or guardian as it pushes to quickly return them to the countries they fled – amid “drastic policy changes” in immigration courts, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit shared with the Guardian. The complaint, filed before the US district court for the eastern district of Pennsylvania on behalf of Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh (JFCS) alleges children are being repatriated “as a means to increase deportation numbers of children as ‘priorities’ for US immigration enforcement” despite many of them qualifying to remain in the country legally. Meanwhile, immigration judges have allegedly received instructions to not give children a meaningful amount of time for their immigration applications to be processed by other federal agencies.
Source: The Guardian 8/5/26
Migrant Groups Try New Legal Strategy in Fight to Preserve TPS
The Secretary of Homeland Security never had authority to void humanitarian protections shielding people from more than a dozen countries from deportation, immigrant groups are now claiming in multiple lawsuits over Temporary Protected Status. They’re advancing that novel argument in a bid to preserve TPS following a US Supreme Court decision backing the Trump administration’s power to dismantle the program. Plaintiffs have offered that claim in legal filings in several district courts as they seek other avenues for relief after the justices foreclosed procedural challenges to TPS decisions. Plaintiffs in the ongoing litigation to save TPS also argue Trump officials violated immigrants’ right to due process under the Fifth Amendment in cases involving terminations for Burma, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Syria. Oral arguments over preliminary relief in the Burma TPS took place Aug. 4 in Chicago, meaning that case will offer the first indication of how plaintiffs’ new claims may fare in district courts.
Source: Bloomberg Law 8/4/2026
Federal Court Allows Termination of TPS to Proceed for People from Burma
On August 7th a federal court declined to extend emergency relief for nearly 4,000 TPS holders from Burma, a devastating decision that will allow the Trump administration to begin deporting Burmese TPS holders who lack other legal status. The court’s ruling allows the administration to proceed with ending TPS protections for Burmese nationals and permits further litigation only on the claim that the TPS termination was unconstitutionally discriminatory. As a result of the court ruling, nearly 4,000 Burmese TPS holders who have lived in the United States for years will no longer have TPS protections while this lawsuit proceeds.
Source: International Refugee Assistance Project 8/7/2026
Additional resources for Burmese TPS community members:
AALDEF- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (ALLDEF)
AALDEF urges community members to exercise caution when traveling due to the recent uptick in ICE arrests at airports and recommends the National Immigration Law Center's Community Alert: Immigration Arrests at Airports
Washington sues to block federal sharing of private data of 36k low-income families with Homeland Security
On Monday (8/3) Washington Attorney General Nick Brown joined a multistate lawsuit to stop a federal policy that would unlawfully expand access to private information belonging to families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits. The complaint challenges a policy that was scheduled to take effect Aug. 11. Under the policy, TANF recipients’ Social Security numbers, addresses, immigration status, marital status, income and other personal information can be shared with the Department of Homeland Security. TNAF provides direct assistance to low-income families with children and supports child care costs, emergency food assistance, housing for families fleeing domestic violence and services for grandparents caring for children. Nearly 36,000 Washington households received TANF assistance in 2025.
Source: King 5 News 8/3/26
Federal Agencies
Organizations Issue Alerts and Information regarding Immigration Enforcement at US Airports
The ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center have published information on the risks of flying on domestic flights within the US. For additional information about the categories of noncitizens who appear to be at greater risk, please click on the source links below:
Source: ACLU 8/5/26 Know Your Rights - Enforcement at the Airport
Source: National Immigration Law Center 7/25/26 Community Alert: Immigration Arrests at Airports (Multilingual)
AP report: ICE plans to give its officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from individuals. ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on a no bid contract to purchase thousands of "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" for officers and agents by March, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The devices are known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. Civil rights advocates expressed alarm at the plan, saying ICE officers already face criticism for their use of force with little oversight or accountability while enforcing Trump's immigration crackdown.
Source: PBS 8/12/26
Group Founded by Former ICE Agent Awarded $158M to Represent Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
The Trump administration has awarded a $158 million contract to a group founded by a former ICE agent to legally represent unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S. The Minneapolis-based Our Rescue was founded in 2013 by Tim Ballard, who was accused of sex trafficking, forced labor and abusing women in 2023. *This comes after the federal government also awarded a $150 million contract to a small Texas law firm with ties to the Trump administration to represent unaccompanied immigrant children in court. * As of 8/14/26 the Texas law firm has declined the contract due to public pressure.
Source: Democracy Now 8/12/26
California US senator pushes for nationwide legal representation for immigrants
Last week, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff re-introduced federal legislation that would guarantee the right to legal representation for all people in deportation or legal immigration proceedings if they are unable to afford it. Research consistently finds that legal immigrants with legal counsel were 5.5 times more likely to obtain relief from deportation, according to one UCLA School of Law study. Legal representation in fiscal year 2026 immigration court proceedings is at the lowest level since 2010, according to Austin Kocher, a professor at Syracuse University. Schiff’s bill would establish an Office of Immigration Representation and provide counsel for immigrants in several types of situations including bond hearings, state court proceedings and those seeking temporary protected status.
Source: Sacramento Bee 8/11/26
ICE Agents to Wear Body Cameras but the Fix is In
After years of delays, ICE has announced that it will equip all officers with body cameras. However, the agency’s policy says that it will retain broad control over what videos are released to the public — and that in particular it will only release footage of serious bodily injuries and deaths in custody if “it is in the best interests of the agency.” The new body camera deployment comes in a context of frequent and ongoing violations of human rights and the Constitution by ICE and other DHS agencies.
Source: ACLU 8/11/26
Executive / Judicial
Judge orders federal government to pay $65M to legal service providers for migrant children
Nonprofit organizations that provide legal services for unaccompanied migrant children are celebrating a win after California U.S. District Court Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguín ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to pay the organizations by Friday afternoon (8/7). The organizations are all part of a network under the Acacia Center for Justice, which has had a contract with HHS for years to provide legal services to these children. However, the contract wasn't renewed last year, leading to its expiration on July 31. That meant some of these children went without lawyers at their court hearings.
Source: CBS News 8/7/26
Trump Signs Executive Order Targeting Birthright Citizenship and 'Birthright Tourism'
President Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday (8/6) aimed at limiting the number of people who are eligible for birthright citizenship and cracking down on “birth tourism,” in which women give birth in the United States to get automatic citizenship for their newborns. The new orders came weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, rejected the president’s previous efforts to end birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants through executive orders. It was not immediately clear how the twin orders could realistically be enforced. They would restrict those who could qualify for birthright citizenship, to exclude children of staff working for foreign governments but serving in the United States, and the babies of mothers who lie about their intentions for visiting the country while pregnant. There is a third category, for babies born in U.S. territories, but that would first require congressional action.
Source: The New York Times 8/06/26
Trump administration targets children amid push to ‘deport at all costs’
The Trump administration is targeting children who came to the US unaccompanied by a parent or guardian as it pushes to quickly return them to the countries they fled – amid “drastic policy changes” in immigration courts, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit shared with the Guardian. The complaint, filed before the US district court for the eastern district of Pennsylvania on behalf of Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh (JFCS) alleges children are being repatriated “as a means to increase deportation numbers of children as ‘priorities’ for US immigration enforcement” despite many of them qualifying to remain in the country legally. Meanwhile, immigration judges have allegedly received instructions to not give children a meaningful amount of time for their immigration applications to be processed by other federal agencies.
Source: The Guardian 8/5/26
Migrant Groups Try New Legal Strategy in Fight to Preserve TPS
The Secretary of Homeland Security never had authority to void humanitarian protections shielding people from more than a dozen countries from deportation, immigrant groups are now claiming in multiple lawsuits over Temporary Protected Status. They’re advancing that novel argument in a bid to preserve TPS following a US Supreme Court decision backing the Trump administration’s power to dismantle the program. Plaintiffs have offered that claim in legal filings in several district courts as they seek other avenues for relief after the justices foreclosed procedural challenges to TPS decisions. Plaintiffs in the ongoing litigation to save TPS also argue Trump officials violated immigrants’ right to due process under the Fifth Amendment in cases involving terminations for Burma, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Syria. Oral arguments over preliminary relief in the Burma TPS took place Aug. 4 in Chicago, meaning that case will offer the first indication of how plaintiffs’ new claims may fare in district courts.
Source: Bloomberg Law 8/4/2026
Federal Court Allows Termination of TPS to Proceed for People from Burma
On August 7th a federal court declined to extend emergency relief for nearly 4,000 TPS holders from Burma, a devastating decision that will allow the Trump administration to begin deporting Burmese TPS holders who lack other legal status. The court’s ruling allows the administration to proceed with ending TPS protections for Burmese nationals and permits further litigation only on the claim that the TPS termination was unconstitutionally discriminatory. As a result of the court ruling, nearly 4,000 Burmese TPS holders who have lived in the United States for years will no longer have TPS protections while this lawsuit proceeds.
Source: International Refugee Assistance Project 8/7/2026
Additional resources for Burmese TPS community members:
AALDEF- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (ALLDEF)
AALDEF urges community members to exercise caution when traveling due to the recent uptick in ICE arrests at airports and recommends the National Immigration Law Center's Community Alert: Immigration Arrests at Airports
august 8, 2026
Washington State
Washington has blocked over 100,000 federal attempts to access license plate data
Washington state leaders say they are protecting the driver information of immigrants from ICE, but immigrant advocates say that data is getting out through other channels. The state has blocked all searches from ICE and its sub-agencies, however, human rights researchers have found state and vehicle data continues to be used to make immigration arrests in non-criminal-related vehicle stops by tracking ‘Originating Agency Identifier’ codes associated with ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security. The governor’s office said there is no immediate way to address this issue. “Looking ahead this will be an ongoing process for us to adapt to what the federal government does next to work around what we do to protect our data,” Governor Ferguson said.
Source: KUOW 7/27/26
Federal Agencies
ICE detentions set Trump-era high in July, as immigration crackdown widens
Detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement set a monthly record high in July, as ICE widened its crackdown, making arrests at airports, immigration check-in offices and communities across the U.S. Last month, ICE took into custody more than 46,000 people; an average of 1,500 a day. As of this weekend, ICE was holding 68,000 detainees in detention, approaching a record high of over 70,000 detainees set in January, according to internal agency figures.
Source: CBS News 8/3/26
Immigrant rights group issues rare travel advisory
The Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) issued a travel advisory this week, alerting immigrants of increased detentions at airports including Los Angeles and San Francisco International Airports in California as well as airports in Nevada, Colorado, Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia. "We particularly recommend that individuals with pending green card applications or asylum applications consult with their attorney before making any domestic travel plans and, if possible, postpone nonessential domestic air travel until they have received legal advice," CHIRLA said in a statement. Anyone who has questions or needs legal immigration consultation is urged to contact the National Immigrant Assistance Hotline at (888) 624-4752.
Source: NBC 4 Los Angeles 7/31/26
New survey reveals fears of US farm workers amid Trump’s immigration raids
A new survey conducted by the United Farm Workers Foundation released on Thursday included responses from 2,250 farm workers. The vast majority (92%) of farm workers said that raids and deportations have affected their employment, while 90% said they worry about family separation. Fears are widespread and have affected their everyday lives: 61% said they are shopping less and 29% say they are not seeking medical attention for fear of immigration enforcement. Another 17% said they fear having to do forced labor in immigration detention if arrested.
Source: The Guardian 7/30/26
‘What they’re doing qualifies as torture’: new details of ICE force-feeding revealed
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, the Guardian has found 10 separate cases in which ICE has attempted to subject hunger strikers protesting against the conditions of their confinement to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding. Human rights organizations have widely condemned force-feeding as torture. The process to engage in force-feeding is quick and secretive. After a detainee has spent a certain amount of time on a hunger strike, ICE will request emergency court orders from federal judges allowing them to force-feed them. In six of the cases reviewed by the Guardian, detained immigrants did not have any legal representation during the court proceedings and most records are sealed.
Source: The Guardian 8/5/26
How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics
According to federal documents, the government has paid millions to private contractors to deploy a round-the-clock digital dragnet that scours the public internet for speech that could endanger the agency’s mission. Contractors prepare daily reports and dossiers on threat actors, identifying the poster’s name, location, date of birth, workplace, Social Security number, vehicle registration and criminal history when possible. Civil-rights lawyers and former DHS staffers say the approach has swept up people expressing opinions that are protected by the First Amendment. “The question is: Are these being used for actual investigations of purported crimes, or are they being used to build a watchlist?” said Joshua Koltun, an attorney who has represented two Americans whose identities were the subject of social-media subpoenas in recent months.
Source: Wall Street Journal 8/3/26
Executive / Judicial
Two More Appeals Courts Rule Against Trump's Detention Policy
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Seventh Circuit issued rulings on Thursday against the Trump administration’s policy of detaining immigrants who crossed the border illegally years ago and then holding them indefinitely, without a bond hearing. The legality of the policy depends on treating undocumented immigrants as still “seeking admission” no matter when they came to the country. The policy has also been challenged on constitutional grounds as potentially violating the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee to due process. The new rulings deepen a divide between the appellate courts and make it even more likely that the Supreme Court will take up the issue in its coming term.
Source: The New York Times 7/30/26
N.Y. Law Barring ICE Agents From Wearing Masks Is Blocked by Judge
New York’s law prohibiting federal immigration agents from wearing masks and requiring them to display identification was blocked on Monday (8/3) after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting the ban. Judge Mae D’Agostino of the Northern District of New York partially granted the Justice Department’s request for a preliminary injunction, saying she expected the federal government to succeed at trial with its argument that the state’s “face covering and identification acts directly regulate federal officers in violation of the Supremacy Clause.” (The Supremacy Clause is found in Article VI, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution. It states that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the "supreme Law of the Land"). When state laws conflict with federal laws, federal law wins Judge D’Agostino wrote that New York officials “may be correct that federal immigration officers wearing masks and not displaying viable identification creates certain dangerous situations that the face covering and identification acts remedy.” But she added that “settled law establishes that federal, not state, authorities make the policies that animate the enforcement of federal immigration laws.” The decision comes less than a month before the state’s broader ban on formal collaboration between local law enforcement and immigration agents goes into effect on Aug. 25. In her ruling, Judge D’Agostino allowed that measure to proceed.
Source: New York Times 8/3/2026
Washington has blocked over 100,000 federal attempts to access license plate data
Washington state leaders say they are protecting the driver information of immigrants from ICE, but immigrant advocates say that data is getting out through other channels. The state has blocked all searches from ICE and its sub-agencies, however, human rights researchers have found state and vehicle data continues to be used to make immigration arrests in non-criminal-related vehicle stops by tracking ‘Originating Agency Identifier’ codes associated with ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security. The governor’s office said there is no immediate way to address this issue. “Looking ahead this will be an ongoing process for us to adapt to what the federal government does next to work around what we do to protect our data,” Governor Ferguson said.
Source: KUOW 7/27/26
Federal Agencies
ICE detentions set Trump-era high in July, as immigration crackdown widens
Detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement set a monthly record high in July, as ICE widened its crackdown, making arrests at airports, immigration check-in offices and communities across the U.S. Last month, ICE took into custody more than 46,000 people; an average of 1,500 a day. As of this weekend, ICE was holding 68,000 detainees in detention, approaching a record high of over 70,000 detainees set in January, according to internal agency figures.
Source: CBS News 8/3/26
Immigrant rights group issues rare travel advisory
The Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) issued a travel advisory this week, alerting immigrants of increased detentions at airports including Los Angeles and San Francisco International Airports in California as well as airports in Nevada, Colorado, Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia. "We particularly recommend that individuals with pending green card applications or asylum applications consult with their attorney before making any domestic travel plans and, if possible, postpone nonessential domestic air travel until they have received legal advice," CHIRLA said in a statement. Anyone who has questions or needs legal immigration consultation is urged to contact the National Immigrant Assistance Hotline at (888) 624-4752.
Source: NBC 4 Los Angeles 7/31/26
New survey reveals fears of US farm workers amid Trump’s immigration raids
A new survey conducted by the United Farm Workers Foundation released on Thursday included responses from 2,250 farm workers. The vast majority (92%) of farm workers said that raids and deportations have affected their employment, while 90% said they worry about family separation. Fears are widespread and have affected their everyday lives: 61% said they are shopping less and 29% say they are not seeking medical attention for fear of immigration enforcement. Another 17% said they fear having to do forced labor in immigration detention if arrested.
Source: The Guardian 7/30/26
‘What they’re doing qualifies as torture’: new details of ICE force-feeding revealed
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, the Guardian has found 10 separate cases in which ICE has attempted to subject hunger strikers protesting against the conditions of their confinement to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding. Human rights organizations have widely condemned force-feeding as torture. The process to engage in force-feeding is quick and secretive. After a detainee has spent a certain amount of time on a hunger strike, ICE will request emergency court orders from federal judges allowing them to force-feed them. In six of the cases reviewed by the Guardian, detained immigrants did not have any legal representation during the court proceedings and most records are sealed.
Source: The Guardian 8/5/26
How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics
According to federal documents, the government has paid millions to private contractors to deploy a round-the-clock digital dragnet that scours the public internet for speech that could endanger the agency’s mission. Contractors prepare daily reports and dossiers on threat actors, identifying the poster’s name, location, date of birth, workplace, Social Security number, vehicle registration and criminal history when possible. Civil-rights lawyers and former DHS staffers say the approach has swept up people expressing opinions that are protected by the First Amendment. “The question is: Are these being used for actual investigations of purported crimes, or are they being used to build a watchlist?” said Joshua Koltun, an attorney who has represented two Americans whose identities were the subject of social-media subpoenas in recent months.
Source: Wall Street Journal 8/3/26
Executive / Judicial
Two More Appeals Courts Rule Against Trump's Detention Policy
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Seventh Circuit issued rulings on Thursday against the Trump administration’s policy of detaining immigrants who crossed the border illegally years ago and then holding them indefinitely, without a bond hearing. The legality of the policy depends on treating undocumented immigrants as still “seeking admission” no matter when they came to the country. The policy has also been challenged on constitutional grounds as potentially violating the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee to due process. The new rulings deepen a divide between the appellate courts and make it even more likely that the Supreme Court will take up the issue in its coming term.
Source: The New York Times 7/30/26
N.Y. Law Barring ICE Agents From Wearing Masks Is Blocked by Judge
New York’s law prohibiting federal immigration agents from wearing masks and requiring them to display identification was blocked on Monday (8/3) after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting the ban. Judge Mae D’Agostino of the Northern District of New York partially granted the Justice Department’s request for a preliminary injunction, saying she expected the federal government to succeed at trial with its argument that the state’s “face covering and identification acts directly regulate federal officers in violation of the Supremacy Clause.” (The Supremacy Clause is found in Article VI, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution. It states that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the "supreme Law of the Land"). When state laws conflict with federal laws, federal law wins Judge D’Agostino wrote that New York officials “may be correct that federal immigration officers wearing masks and not displaying viable identification creates certain dangerous situations that the face covering and identification acts remedy.” But she added that “settled law establishes that federal, not state, authorities make the policies that animate the enforcement of federal immigration laws.” The decision comes less than a month before the state’s broader ban on formal collaboration between local law enforcement and immigration agents goes into effect on Aug. 25. In her ruling, Judge D’Agostino allowed that measure to proceed.
Source: New York Times 8/3/2026
august 1, 2026
Washington State
ACLU files federal claim on behalf of family of 6 detained in Blaine for a month
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed a federal claim Tuesday (7/28) seeking damages for a family of asylum seekers, including four children, who were detained at the Blaine detention center for a month. The family fled Africa to escape political persecution and applied for asylum, however an immigration judge deemed the claim abandoned and ordered them deported. The family tried to flee to Canada to seek asylum there, but were arrested in Blaine. CBP took them to a detention facility, where the family was held in a windowless cramped cell with a single toilet and no showering privileges. “This experience was a living nightmare for our clients and something that no one should experience,” ACLU of Washington Legal Director La Rond Baker said. “All people, regardless of their immigration status, deserve dignity and humane treatment from our federal government. The court filing is one of 54 brought by the ACLU nationwide.
Source: Bellingham Herald 7/29/26
Federal Agencies
Hunger strikes are spreading in ICE jails amid widespread due process violations, advocates say
Hundreds of noncitizens detained by ICE have gone on hunger strikes across the country to protest the widespread denial of due process and deteriorating conditions in detention centers according to advocates and detainees. Hunger strikes have been reported in Washington, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico and New Jersey. Detainees cite inhumane conditions—including unsanitary food and water, lack of medical care, widespread physical abuse, retaliation for filing complaints and a complete absence of justice and due process. At least 52 people have died in ICE custody since Trump’s inauguration last year. According to Human Rights Watch, this mortality rate is nearly four times that of the Biden administration and more than two and a half times that of the first Trump administration.
Source: Prism 7/27/26
Airport immigration arrests stem from TSA-ICE collaboration, sources say
Recent reports of immigration arrests at U.S. airports stem from collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and ICE. TSA agents are increasingly giving ICE "tips" or "leads" so that the agency can arrest, detain and process for deportation individuals who are deemed deportable by the federal government and include people who have pending immigration applications or work permits. In May 2025 TSA and ICE signed an agreement to boost information sharing between the two agencies, according to a memo disclosed this week by the group American Oversight. The greater collaboration between ICE and TSA marks a significant policy shift. Historically, people in the U.S. illegally or without a permanent status could fly domestically without any issues, as long as they did not have any criminal records or public safety concerns.
Source: CBS News 7/29/26
Thousands of Children, Sponsors Arrested by ICE After Tips From US Child Migrant Agency
More than 12,000 people have been arrested by U.S. immigration authorities following tips from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) during Trump’s second term, according to internal government data. ORR was created in 1980 to resettle refugees fleeing war and persecution. Since the early 2000s, the agency has also been charged with housing unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.- Mexico border. Data shows ORR has shared more than 460,000 “leads” with ICE about unaccompanied children, their sponsors -- usually parents or other relatives -- and additional household members, leaving them vulnerable to detention and deportation. Jen Smyers, who served as deputy director of ORR during the Biden administration, said safeguards against data sharing with ICE have been completely reversed. “They are weaponizing a child welfare program for the purposes of more deportations,” she said.
Source: Reuters 7/28/26
Citizenship revoked? Trump administration ramps up controversial plan
The Trump administration is dramatically expanding denaturalization efforts, aiming to file at least 250 cases by October 2026 and targeting naturalized citizens accused of fraud, criminal misrepresentation, or ties to terrorism, prompting concerns about potential political misuse. The plan calls for ramping up the previously rare denaturalization process as a part of a broader immigration enforcement agenda. “This is a major increase that we haven’t seen in decades,” said Cassandra Robertson, a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University. Since Trump returned to office, the DOJ's civil division has been ordered to prioritize denaturalization, and agency leaders have enlisted the help of U.S. attorney’s offices nationwide to boost case numbers.
Source: USA Today 7/26/26
Leaked Email reveals new requirements for ICE vehicle stops
Two weeks ago, following a pair of fatal shootings by immigration officers in Texas and Maine, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered a halt to vehicle stops nationwide. Then, on July 15, Trump took to his social media platform and directed ICE to resume its vehicle stops, reversing the orders announced the day before by ICE internal leadership. Despite Trump’s reversal of the ICE directive, immigration enforcement officers did not resume vehicle stops, according to officials. “I follow policy that comes down the appropriate channels,” said one ICE official, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “The president says one thing but in reality, we all follow established policy.” Now an internal agencywide email, sent on July 22 ordered the resumption of vehicle stops, but with new guidelines that change how deportation officers will engage with vehicles moving forward. This includes the use of body cams, and restricting stops to officers who have completed ICE-administered vehicle stop training.
Source: The Intercept 7/25/26
Executive / Judicial
US judge blocks Trump administration from stripping immigrants of work permits
A federal judge on Tuesday (7/21) temporarily blocked Trump's administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of their ability to work in the United States. U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston sided with a coalition of immigrant rights groups and labor unions that sued to block U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services from moving forward with a series of policies designed to implement new immigration-related restrictions. Trump's signature tax and spending law passed by Congress in July 2025 imposed new annual fees to apply for asylum and restricted employment authorization for people with TPS designations. The plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward argued that USCIS had unlawfully implemented the new law's provisions and that its policies needed to be halted, particularly one that would lead to thousands of TPS holders from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine potentially losing their ability to work.
Source: Reuters 7/21/2026
ACLU files federal claim on behalf of family of 6 detained in Blaine for a month
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed a federal claim Tuesday (7/28) seeking damages for a family of asylum seekers, including four children, who were detained at the Blaine detention center for a month. The family fled Africa to escape political persecution and applied for asylum, however an immigration judge deemed the claim abandoned and ordered them deported. The family tried to flee to Canada to seek asylum there, but were arrested in Blaine. CBP took them to a detention facility, where the family was held in a windowless cramped cell with a single toilet and no showering privileges. “This experience was a living nightmare for our clients and something that no one should experience,” ACLU of Washington Legal Director La Rond Baker said. “All people, regardless of their immigration status, deserve dignity and humane treatment from our federal government. The court filing is one of 54 brought by the ACLU nationwide.
Source: Bellingham Herald 7/29/26
Federal Agencies
Hunger strikes are spreading in ICE jails amid widespread due process violations, advocates say
Hundreds of noncitizens detained by ICE have gone on hunger strikes across the country to protest the widespread denial of due process and deteriorating conditions in detention centers according to advocates and detainees. Hunger strikes have been reported in Washington, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico and New Jersey. Detainees cite inhumane conditions—including unsanitary food and water, lack of medical care, widespread physical abuse, retaliation for filing complaints and a complete absence of justice and due process. At least 52 people have died in ICE custody since Trump’s inauguration last year. According to Human Rights Watch, this mortality rate is nearly four times that of the Biden administration and more than two and a half times that of the first Trump administration.
Source: Prism 7/27/26
Airport immigration arrests stem from TSA-ICE collaboration, sources say
Recent reports of immigration arrests at U.S. airports stem from collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and ICE. TSA agents are increasingly giving ICE "tips" or "leads" so that the agency can arrest, detain and process for deportation individuals who are deemed deportable by the federal government and include people who have pending immigration applications or work permits. In May 2025 TSA and ICE signed an agreement to boost information sharing between the two agencies, according to a memo disclosed this week by the group American Oversight. The greater collaboration between ICE and TSA marks a significant policy shift. Historically, people in the U.S. illegally or without a permanent status could fly domestically without any issues, as long as they did not have any criminal records or public safety concerns.
Source: CBS News 7/29/26
Thousands of Children, Sponsors Arrested by ICE After Tips From US Child Migrant Agency
More than 12,000 people have been arrested by U.S. immigration authorities following tips from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) during Trump’s second term, according to internal government data. ORR was created in 1980 to resettle refugees fleeing war and persecution. Since the early 2000s, the agency has also been charged with housing unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.- Mexico border. Data shows ORR has shared more than 460,000 “leads” with ICE about unaccompanied children, their sponsors -- usually parents or other relatives -- and additional household members, leaving them vulnerable to detention and deportation. Jen Smyers, who served as deputy director of ORR during the Biden administration, said safeguards against data sharing with ICE have been completely reversed. “They are weaponizing a child welfare program for the purposes of more deportations,” she said.
Source: Reuters 7/28/26
Citizenship revoked? Trump administration ramps up controversial plan
The Trump administration is dramatically expanding denaturalization efforts, aiming to file at least 250 cases by October 2026 and targeting naturalized citizens accused of fraud, criminal misrepresentation, or ties to terrorism, prompting concerns about potential political misuse. The plan calls for ramping up the previously rare denaturalization process as a part of a broader immigration enforcement agenda. “This is a major increase that we haven’t seen in decades,” said Cassandra Robertson, a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University. Since Trump returned to office, the DOJ's civil division has been ordered to prioritize denaturalization, and agency leaders have enlisted the help of U.S. attorney’s offices nationwide to boost case numbers.
Source: USA Today 7/26/26
Leaked Email reveals new requirements for ICE vehicle stops
Two weeks ago, following a pair of fatal shootings by immigration officers in Texas and Maine, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered a halt to vehicle stops nationwide. Then, on July 15, Trump took to his social media platform and directed ICE to resume its vehicle stops, reversing the orders announced the day before by ICE internal leadership. Despite Trump’s reversal of the ICE directive, immigration enforcement officers did not resume vehicle stops, according to officials. “I follow policy that comes down the appropriate channels,” said one ICE official, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “The president says one thing but in reality, we all follow established policy.” Now an internal agencywide email, sent on July 22 ordered the resumption of vehicle stops, but with new guidelines that change how deportation officers will engage with vehicles moving forward. This includes the use of body cams, and restricting stops to officers who have completed ICE-administered vehicle stop training.
Source: The Intercept 7/25/26
Executive / Judicial
US judge blocks Trump administration from stripping immigrants of work permits
A federal judge on Tuesday (7/21) temporarily blocked Trump's administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of their ability to work in the United States. U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston sided with a coalition of immigrant rights groups and labor unions that sued to block U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services from moving forward with a series of policies designed to implement new immigration-related restrictions. Trump's signature tax and spending law passed by Congress in July 2025 imposed new annual fees to apply for asylum and restricted employment authorization for people with TPS designations. The plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward argued that USCIS had unlawfully implemented the new law's provisions and that its policies needed to be halted, particularly one that would lead to thousands of TPS holders from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine potentially losing their ability to work.
Source: Reuters 7/21/2026
july 24, 2026
Washington State
Federal judge orders Tacoma ICE center to allow health and safety inspections
A federal judge has ordered the immigration detention center in Tacoma to allow Washington state officials access to conduct health and safety inspections. It’s the latest in a long-running fight between state officials and GEO Group, the private contractor that owns and operates the federal facility. The judge’s order, issued Thursday (7/9), takes effect after two weeks. GEO Group is expected to file an appeal, though the company did not respond to a request for comment. The order follows a request for an injunction filed by both Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown in April. The order would allow health inspectors to enter the detention facility, with the exception of administrative and medical areas.
Source: KUOW 7/10/26
Federal Agencies
ICE shared Medicaid data it wasn't supposed to have with Palantir
After Medicaid officials improperly shared data about millions of people in January with immigration officials, ICE then shared that data with the data analytics firm Palantir, according to new court filings. Palantir operates an app called ELITE that is used by ICE agents to show the addresses of noncitizens who may be subject to deportation. That revelation was made public in a motion filed Thursday by more than 20 Democratic attorneys. ICE was supposed to delete the improperly shared data, but in recent days, federal officials have admitted to additional instances of improper data sharing.
Source: NPR 7/18/2
DHS could weigh immigrants' use of Medicaid, food and housing help in green card decisions
In a move that will place hundreds of thousands of green card applicants under broader scrutiny, the Trump administration is allowing immigration officers to consider whether some applicants have used taxpayer-funded benefits including Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance when determining whether they qualify for permanent legal status. The change may directly affect hundreds of thousands of people applying for green cards from inside the U.S. each year.
Source: CBS News 7/16/26
Homan says he wants body cameras for ICE officers 'as soon as possible' as scrutiny mounts
Trump's border czar Tom Homan said Monday he wants body cameras as the Department of Homeland Security faces escalating pressure to speed up camera rollout in the wake of two deadly shootings. Homan said that body cameras were purchased for officers nationwide and as of last week ICE was teaching officers to use the cameras. Questions about the speed of the camera deployment surfaced this month after ICE officers who were not wearing cameras killed two people in Maine and Houston. Neither of the people killed were the intended target of the enforcement operations. Homan confirmed on Monday that all vehicle stops must involve at least one person with a working body camera and that officers would be required to have their cameras on for the duration of the stop.
Source: ABC News 7/20/26
Trump Administration Hijacks Police Grants to Leverage Local Police For Its Authoritarian Ends
Last week, the Justice Department announced a “Model Cities Initiative," a nearly $300 million grant program that leverages technology, data, and partnerships to address so called “drivers of crime” and will provide substantial, targeted funding to select cities. The money would be concentrated in 2-4 hand-picked cities to transform public safety and act as a model to eventually spread further. The initiative is heavily weighted towards surveillance. Among the “allowable costs” the grants will cover is the purchase of technology for forensic and DNA tools, artificial intelligence systems and small unmanned aircraft systems. Cities that want to receive these grants also have to agree to conditions, including cooperating with the administration’s anti-immigrant campaign.
Source: ACLU 6/16/26
FBI to ICE Agents: Investigate Your Own Murders of Migrants
Twenty-two people died in ICE custody last year. At least 30 have been shot by immigration agents since Trump took office. Now FBI field offices nationwide were told in writing that the bureau will no longer take the lead on cases involving ICE and other Department of Homeland Security agents. Under the new guidance, that work moves instead to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE’s own investigative arm. Handing those cases to HSI keeps the investigation inside DHS, and HSI’s mandate is narrower than the FBI’s in a critical way: it has no authority to investigate federal civil rights violations under the statute used to charge officers who unlawfully kill or abuse people while on duty. This change means DHS is effectively investigating itself while unable to bring the civil rights charges that would hold an agent accountable.
Source: Migrant Insider 7/20/26
Executive / Judicial
Trump administration activates never-before-used 'alien terrorist' deportation court
The Trump administration has activated a secretive and never-before-used legal process to quickly deport foreign nationals deemed to be “alien terrorists” or their immediate family members. The Justice Department submitted the first-ever application to the Alien Terrorist Removal Court — which has lain dormant since it was established by law in 1996 — with little notice earlier this week. The details of the July 15 application are sealed and an accompanying cover sheet indicates that the substance is classified. The chief judge of the court, U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen, held a sealed hearing on the matter Thursday and subsequently issued an order asking the government to make a more “thoughtful” application. The activation of the court is another indication of the Trump administration seeking to maximize its deportation authority in unprecedented ways.
Source: Politico 7/18/26
Judge tosses feds' suit over Minnesota 'sanctuary city' policies
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration challenging Minnesota’s state and local “sanctuary” laws, policies and ordinances. In his order District Judge Eric Tostrud said forcing state and local officials to enforce federal immigration law violates the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes a balance of power between federal government and individual states.Though the Trump administration argued state law was preempted by a federal statute allowing local officials to enforce immigration laws under formal agreements, Tostrud rejected that claim. “This statute does not require a state or any of its political subdivisions to enter into this type of agreement; these agreements are voluntary,” Tostrud wrote, also ruling immigration detainers are requests, not mandates. “At the same time, the statute does not forbid a state or any of its political subdivisions from voluntarily cooperating with the United States.”
Source: Court House News 7/20/26
An Immigration Court Just Asked If It Can Ignore the Constitution
The nation’s highest immigration appeals body, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) is soliciting outside legal briefs on whether it must follow Supreme Court and circuit court precedent on constitutional law in cases where doing so would mean striking down a statute or regulation as unconstitutional. The Board is inviting attorneys, accredited representatives, and BIA-registered organizations, not individual members of the public, to file a formal Request to Appear as Amicus Curiae*. The BIA is part of the Executive Office for Immigration Review; an agency housed inside the Justice Department. Agencies typically can’t declare acts of Congress unconstitutional; that power sits with the judiciary. If the Board decides it isn’t required to apply Supreme Court precedent when that precedent would gut a statute, immigrants fighting deportation could find themselves in front of a Board that treats binding constitutional rulings as optional.
Source: Migrant Insider 7/15/26
*(Amicus curiae, Latin for "friend of the court," is an individual or organization that is not a party to a lawsuit but is permitted by the court to offer information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the case. Their primary goal is to assist the court in reaching a properly informed decision).
Court Filings Describe Ongoing Contact Between ICE and Iran on Deportations
The Trump administration gave Iranian officials in Washington extraordinary access to Iranian asylum seekers being held in immigration detention in the months before the countries went to war, providing sensitive details about their reasons for fleeing the country, according to documents filed in a federal lawsuit on Wednesday. The sworn accounts by Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, a civil rights group, submitted in Federal District Court in Washington, provide a detailed account of behind-the-scenes contacts that led the United States to deport more than 100 Iranians to Tehran between September 2025 and January 2026, not long before the initiation of U.S. military action against Iran in February. The lawsuit argues that under longstanding federal regulations, U.S. officials were required to keep those details confidential. The suit asks a federal judge to suspend any agreement between the State Department and Iranian officials that could lead {to} disclosures about detainees.
Source: The New York Times 7/15/2026
Federal judge orders Tacoma ICE center to allow health and safety inspections
A federal judge has ordered the immigration detention center in Tacoma to allow Washington state officials access to conduct health and safety inspections. It’s the latest in a long-running fight between state officials and GEO Group, the private contractor that owns and operates the federal facility. The judge’s order, issued Thursday (7/9), takes effect after two weeks. GEO Group is expected to file an appeal, though the company did not respond to a request for comment. The order follows a request for an injunction filed by both Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown in April. The order would allow health inspectors to enter the detention facility, with the exception of administrative and medical areas.
Source: KUOW 7/10/26
Federal Agencies
ICE shared Medicaid data it wasn't supposed to have with Palantir
After Medicaid officials improperly shared data about millions of people in January with immigration officials, ICE then shared that data with the data analytics firm Palantir, according to new court filings. Palantir operates an app called ELITE that is used by ICE agents to show the addresses of noncitizens who may be subject to deportation. That revelation was made public in a motion filed Thursday by more than 20 Democratic attorneys. ICE was supposed to delete the improperly shared data, but in recent days, federal officials have admitted to additional instances of improper data sharing.
Source: NPR 7/18/2
DHS could weigh immigrants' use of Medicaid, food and housing help in green card decisions
In a move that will place hundreds of thousands of green card applicants under broader scrutiny, the Trump administration is allowing immigration officers to consider whether some applicants have used taxpayer-funded benefits including Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance when determining whether they qualify for permanent legal status. The change may directly affect hundreds of thousands of people applying for green cards from inside the U.S. each year.
Source: CBS News 7/16/26
Homan says he wants body cameras for ICE officers 'as soon as possible' as scrutiny mounts
Trump's border czar Tom Homan said Monday he wants body cameras as the Department of Homeland Security faces escalating pressure to speed up camera rollout in the wake of two deadly shootings. Homan said that body cameras were purchased for officers nationwide and as of last week ICE was teaching officers to use the cameras. Questions about the speed of the camera deployment surfaced this month after ICE officers who were not wearing cameras killed two people in Maine and Houston. Neither of the people killed were the intended target of the enforcement operations. Homan confirmed on Monday that all vehicle stops must involve at least one person with a working body camera and that officers would be required to have their cameras on for the duration of the stop.
Source: ABC News 7/20/26
Trump Administration Hijacks Police Grants to Leverage Local Police For Its Authoritarian Ends
Last week, the Justice Department announced a “Model Cities Initiative," a nearly $300 million grant program that leverages technology, data, and partnerships to address so called “drivers of crime” and will provide substantial, targeted funding to select cities. The money would be concentrated in 2-4 hand-picked cities to transform public safety and act as a model to eventually spread further. The initiative is heavily weighted towards surveillance. Among the “allowable costs” the grants will cover is the purchase of technology for forensic and DNA tools, artificial intelligence systems and small unmanned aircraft systems. Cities that want to receive these grants also have to agree to conditions, including cooperating with the administration’s anti-immigrant campaign.
Source: ACLU 6/16/26
FBI to ICE Agents: Investigate Your Own Murders of Migrants
Twenty-two people died in ICE custody last year. At least 30 have been shot by immigration agents since Trump took office. Now FBI field offices nationwide were told in writing that the bureau will no longer take the lead on cases involving ICE and other Department of Homeland Security agents. Under the new guidance, that work moves instead to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE’s own investigative arm. Handing those cases to HSI keeps the investigation inside DHS, and HSI’s mandate is narrower than the FBI’s in a critical way: it has no authority to investigate federal civil rights violations under the statute used to charge officers who unlawfully kill or abuse people while on duty. This change means DHS is effectively investigating itself while unable to bring the civil rights charges that would hold an agent accountable.
Source: Migrant Insider 7/20/26
Executive / Judicial
Trump administration activates never-before-used 'alien terrorist' deportation court
The Trump administration has activated a secretive and never-before-used legal process to quickly deport foreign nationals deemed to be “alien terrorists” or their immediate family members. The Justice Department submitted the first-ever application to the Alien Terrorist Removal Court — which has lain dormant since it was established by law in 1996 — with little notice earlier this week. The details of the July 15 application are sealed and an accompanying cover sheet indicates that the substance is classified. The chief judge of the court, U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen, held a sealed hearing on the matter Thursday and subsequently issued an order asking the government to make a more “thoughtful” application. The activation of the court is another indication of the Trump administration seeking to maximize its deportation authority in unprecedented ways.
Source: Politico 7/18/26
Judge tosses feds' suit over Minnesota 'sanctuary city' policies
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration challenging Minnesota’s state and local “sanctuary” laws, policies and ordinances. In his order District Judge Eric Tostrud said forcing state and local officials to enforce federal immigration law violates the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes a balance of power between federal government and individual states.Though the Trump administration argued state law was preempted by a federal statute allowing local officials to enforce immigration laws under formal agreements, Tostrud rejected that claim. “This statute does not require a state or any of its political subdivisions to enter into this type of agreement; these agreements are voluntary,” Tostrud wrote, also ruling immigration detainers are requests, not mandates. “At the same time, the statute does not forbid a state or any of its political subdivisions from voluntarily cooperating with the United States.”
Source: Court House News 7/20/26
An Immigration Court Just Asked If It Can Ignore the Constitution
The nation’s highest immigration appeals body, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) is soliciting outside legal briefs on whether it must follow Supreme Court and circuit court precedent on constitutional law in cases where doing so would mean striking down a statute or regulation as unconstitutional. The Board is inviting attorneys, accredited representatives, and BIA-registered organizations, not individual members of the public, to file a formal Request to Appear as Amicus Curiae*. The BIA is part of the Executive Office for Immigration Review; an agency housed inside the Justice Department. Agencies typically can’t declare acts of Congress unconstitutional; that power sits with the judiciary. If the Board decides it isn’t required to apply Supreme Court precedent when that precedent would gut a statute, immigrants fighting deportation could find themselves in front of a Board that treats binding constitutional rulings as optional.
Source: Migrant Insider 7/15/26
*(Amicus curiae, Latin for "friend of the court," is an individual or organization that is not a party to a lawsuit but is permitted by the court to offer information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the case. Their primary goal is to assist the court in reaching a properly informed decision).
Court Filings Describe Ongoing Contact Between ICE and Iran on Deportations
The Trump administration gave Iranian officials in Washington extraordinary access to Iranian asylum seekers being held in immigration detention in the months before the countries went to war, providing sensitive details about their reasons for fleeing the country, according to documents filed in a federal lawsuit on Wednesday. The sworn accounts by Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, a civil rights group, submitted in Federal District Court in Washington, provide a detailed account of behind-the-scenes contacts that led the United States to deport more than 100 Iranians to Tehran between September 2025 and January 2026, not long before the initiation of U.S. military action against Iran in February. The lawsuit argues that under longstanding federal regulations, U.S. officials were required to keep those details confidential. The suit asks a federal judge to suspend any agreement between the State Department and Iranian officials that could lead {to} disclosures about detainees.
Source: The New York Times 7/15/2026
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