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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. You can also diretly email Washington state's U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, as well as U.S. House Representative, Emily Randall.
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APRIL 10, 2026
Washington State
Group signs $69M extension to run Tacoma immigration detention center
The Northwest ICE Processing Center has been operating in Tacoma for the last 20 years. The GEO Group, a private contractor that runs the Tacoma detention center has signed a six-month $69 million dollar extension on its previous contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The GEO Group’s 2015 contract was set to expire in September, but neither the Florida-based company, which operates detention facilities around the world, nor ICE, have made any public comments about a new agreement. According to ICE data, the average daily population of the detention center was 1,372 at the start of February. Data shows 70 percent of those detainees are classified as non-criminal. The University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights (UWCHR) has spent years reporting on conditions at the detention center. UWCHR has documented allegations of medical neglect, sanitation issues, use of solitary confinement and the number of police responses tied to reports of abuse and assault.
Source: Tacoma News Tribune 4/8/26
Despite court ruling, WA still blocked from inspecting Tacoma immigrant detention center
Washington state health inspectors have been trying for months to enter the NW detention Center amid longstanding concerns about the conditions there. A federal appeals court ruling last summer paved the way for them to get in, but the private facility’s operator is still denying access. Officials from the state Department of Health tried to inspect it most recently on March 20, but the GEO Group, which runs the detention center, turned them away. This was the ninth unsuccessful inspection attempt since 2023. “GEO Group is obstructing our efforts to inspect the Northwest ICE Processing Center,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “The law is clear. We are going to do what it takes to get our health inspectors into that facility.” The Department of Health said it has received more than 3,500 complaints about the detention center.
Source: Washington State Standard 4/8/26
Surge in ICE arrests among farmworkers alarms WA farmers ahead of harvest season
A reported surge in immigration arrests of farmworkers in Washington is raising concerns among farmers who warn the crackdown could threaten upcoming harvests and deepen an already strained agricultural economy. “We’re hearing from a lot of farmers that workers are being picked up, detained and deported,” said Dillon Honcoop with Save Family Farms. Some workers with their papers in order have been taken to the detention center in Tacoma and have been there for a couple of weeks. Washington farmer groups warn that additional enforcement could lead to further crop losses and, in some cases, farm closures. Farm advocates are calling on federal leaders to pursue broader immigration reforms, arguing that current policies risk destabilizing the agricultural workforce and the nation’s food supply.
Source: KIRO 4/1/26
Immigration arrests in Washington jump early in 2026
Immigration arrests in Washington state surged in early 2026, more than doubling compared to the same period last year, according to new data from the Deportation Data Project. Between January and March, arrests jumped from 318 in 2025 to 744 in 2026. If the pace continues, 2026 could far outpace previous years.The data also shows nearly half of those arrested had no criminal history, and nearly two-thirds of arrests occurred in neighborhoods and workplaces, rather than through jail transfers.
Source: King 5 4/7/25
Federal Agencies
Democrats accuse ICE of creating ‘disappearances’ on US soil
A group of 36 lawmakers says the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has created “disappearances” on US soil, due to the “increasingly unreliable” online system used to track people detained by immigration authorities. The lawmakers, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, are urging the DHS inspector general’s office to open an investigation into the “online detainee locator system” (ODLS), which has been used for years by family members, attorneys and journalists to track people in the federal immigration detention system. Since January 2025, that system has grown increasingly unreliable. Without a functional locator system, DHS is effectively creating ‘disappearances’ on US soil.
Source: The Guardian 4/7/26
Immigrant Seniors Lose Medicare Coverage
The GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed last July by Trump, barred certain categories of lawfully present immigrants including temporary protected status holders, refugees, asylum-seekers, survivors of domestic violence, trafficking victims, and people with work visas from Medicare. The categories of immigrants now losing coverage have legal status and have paid thousands of dollars into the system. The move follows Trump’s previous efforts to bar lawfully present immigrants from Medicaid, marketplace insurance subsidies, and social support services, such as food assistance, housing subsidies, and medical visits in federally funded health centers. Altogether 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants are projected to lose health insurance and will be disenrolled by Jan. 4, 2027 according to KFF, a health information nonprofit.
Source: KFF Health 4/6/26
ICE arrested more than 800 people after tips from US airport security agency
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 800 people following tips shared by federal airport security officials between January 2024 and February 2026. The leads came from the Transportation Security Administration, which supplied ICE with records on more than 31,000 travelers. ICE and TSA began focusing on routine immigration arrests as part of Trump’s mass deportation effort. The 31,000 traveler records were gathered by TSA's Secure Flight Program which was intended as a counter-terrorism measure, not to track down immigration offenders.
Source: Reuters 4/7/26
Executive/Judicial
US appeals court halts nationwide rulings rejecting Trump's immigration detention policy
A federal appeals court has put on hold a California judge's nationwide rulings barring the Trump administration from detaining people arrested in its immigration crackdown without giving them a chance to seek release on bond. The three -judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals late Tuesday largely paused those rulings while the administration pursues an appeal, saying the judge likely went too far by granting class-action status on a nationwide basis to non-citizens facing mandatory detention. The appeals court said the ruling declaring the detention policy unlawful would remain in effect in the Central District of California, where the judge is based. The ruling was the Trump's administration's latest appellate win after the 5th and 8th Circuits endorsed its detention policy. Other appeals courts are reviewing the issue, which the U.S. Department of Justice expects to eventually reach the Supreme Court.
Source: Reuters 4/01/26
Court blocks Trump's effort to eliminate rights for immigrant children
A Federal district court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate a 40-year-old court order protecting the due process rights of unaccompanied immigrant children in government custody. A press release from Public Counsel states that the ruling, presided over by Judge Michael Fitzgerald at the Los Angeles District Court, preserves critical safeguards for detained children including the right to speak with a parent, relative or attorney before being pressured to sign forms waiving their legal rights. Public Council attorneys say they found that the original rights of advisement were no longer being provided to children inside detention centers. In its place were warnings of prolonged detention and the potential criminal prosecution of the children's parents if a child chose to seek legal representation, Public Counsel said in a written statement. The ruling found that immigration enforcement agents were using "coercive" advisement and rejected the Trump administration's bid to strip immigrant children's rights.
“Unaccompanied children in the United States today face immense pressure from the government to relinquish their claims to asylum and other forms of relief from removal,” said Peter McGraw, deputy legal director at the National Immigration Law Center. "We look forward to defending this historic injunction and upholding the constitutional rights of unaccompanied children.”
Source: Victorville Daily Press/Desert 4/7/26
Group signs $69M extension to run Tacoma immigration detention center
The Northwest ICE Processing Center has been operating in Tacoma for the last 20 years. The GEO Group, a private contractor that runs the Tacoma detention center has signed a six-month $69 million dollar extension on its previous contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The GEO Group’s 2015 contract was set to expire in September, but neither the Florida-based company, which operates detention facilities around the world, nor ICE, have made any public comments about a new agreement. According to ICE data, the average daily population of the detention center was 1,372 at the start of February. Data shows 70 percent of those detainees are classified as non-criminal. The University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights (UWCHR) has spent years reporting on conditions at the detention center. UWCHR has documented allegations of medical neglect, sanitation issues, use of solitary confinement and the number of police responses tied to reports of abuse and assault.
Source: Tacoma News Tribune 4/8/26
Despite court ruling, WA still blocked from inspecting Tacoma immigrant detention center
Washington state health inspectors have been trying for months to enter the NW detention Center amid longstanding concerns about the conditions there. A federal appeals court ruling last summer paved the way for them to get in, but the private facility’s operator is still denying access. Officials from the state Department of Health tried to inspect it most recently on March 20, but the GEO Group, which runs the detention center, turned them away. This was the ninth unsuccessful inspection attempt since 2023. “GEO Group is obstructing our efforts to inspect the Northwest ICE Processing Center,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “The law is clear. We are going to do what it takes to get our health inspectors into that facility.” The Department of Health said it has received more than 3,500 complaints about the detention center.
Source: Washington State Standard 4/8/26
Surge in ICE arrests among farmworkers alarms WA farmers ahead of harvest season
A reported surge in immigration arrests of farmworkers in Washington is raising concerns among farmers who warn the crackdown could threaten upcoming harvests and deepen an already strained agricultural economy. “We’re hearing from a lot of farmers that workers are being picked up, detained and deported,” said Dillon Honcoop with Save Family Farms. Some workers with their papers in order have been taken to the detention center in Tacoma and have been there for a couple of weeks. Washington farmer groups warn that additional enforcement could lead to further crop losses and, in some cases, farm closures. Farm advocates are calling on federal leaders to pursue broader immigration reforms, arguing that current policies risk destabilizing the agricultural workforce and the nation’s food supply.
Source: KIRO 4/1/26
Immigration arrests in Washington jump early in 2026
Immigration arrests in Washington state surged in early 2026, more than doubling compared to the same period last year, according to new data from the Deportation Data Project. Between January and March, arrests jumped from 318 in 2025 to 744 in 2026. If the pace continues, 2026 could far outpace previous years.The data also shows nearly half of those arrested had no criminal history, and nearly two-thirds of arrests occurred in neighborhoods and workplaces, rather than through jail transfers.
Source: King 5 4/7/25
Federal Agencies
Democrats accuse ICE of creating ‘disappearances’ on US soil
A group of 36 lawmakers says the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has created “disappearances” on US soil, due to the “increasingly unreliable” online system used to track people detained by immigration authorities. The lawmakers, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, are urging the DHS inspector general’s office to open an investigation into the “online detainee locator system” (ODLS), which has been used for years by family members, attorneys and journalists to track people in the federal immigration detention system. Since January 2025, that system has grown increasingly unreliable. Without a functional locator system, DHS is effectively creating ‘disappearances’ on US soil.
Source: The Guardian 4/7/26
Immigrant Seniors Lose Medicare Coverage
The GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed last July by Trump, barred certain categories of lawfully present immigrants including temporary protected status holders, refugees, asylum-seekers, survivors of domestic violence, trafficking victims, and people with work visas from Medicare. The categories of immigrants now losing coverage have legal status and have paid thousands of dollars into the system. The move follows Trump’s previous efforts to bar lawfully present immigrants from Medicaid, marketplace insurance subsidies, and social support services, such as food assistance, housing subsidies, and medical visits in federally funded health centers. Altogether 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants are projected to lose health insurance and will be disenrolled by Jan. 4, 2027 according to KFF, a health information nonprofit.
Source: KFF Health 4/6/26
ICE arrested more than 800 people after tips from US airport security agency
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 800 people following tips shared by federal airport security officials between January 2024 and February 2026. The leads came from the Transportation Security Administration, which supplied ICE with records on more than 31,000 travelers. ICE and TSA began focusing on routine immigration arrests as part of Trump’s mass deportation effort. The 31,000 traveler records were gathered by TSA's Secure Flight Program which was intended as a counter-terrorism measure, not to track down immigration offenders.
Source: Reuters 4/7/26
Executive/Judicial
US appeals court halts nationwide rulings rejecting Trump's immigration detention policy
A federal appeals court has put on hold a California judge's nationwide rulings barring the Trump administration from detaining people arrested in its immigration crackdown without giving them a chance to seek release on bond. The three -judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals late Tuesday largely paused those rulings while the administration pursues an appeal, saying the judge likely went too far by granting class-action status on a nationwide basis to non-citizens facing mandatory detention. The appeals court said the ruling declaring the detention policy unlawful would remain in effect in the Central District of California, where the judge is based. The ruling was the Trump's administration's latest appellate win after the 5th and 8th Circuits endorsed its detention policy. Other appeals courts are reviewing the issue, which the U.S. Department of Justice expects to eventually reach the Supreme Court.
Source: Reuters 4/01/26
Court blocks Trump's effort to eliminate rights for immigrant children
A Federal district court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate a 40-year-old court order protecting the due process rights of unaccompanied immigrant children in government custody. A press release from Public Counsel states that the ruling, presided over by Judge Michael Fitzgerald at the Los Angeles District Court, preserves critical safeguards for detained children including the right to speak with a parent, relative or attorney before being pressured to sign forms waiving their legal rights. Public Council attorneys say they found that the original rights of advisement were no longer being provided to children inside detention centers. In its place were warnings of prolonged detention and the potential criminal prosecution of the children's parents if a child chose to seek legal representation, Public Counsel said in a written statement. The ruling found that immigration enforcement agents were using "coercive" advisement and rejected the Trump administration's bid to strip immigrant children's rights.
“Unaccompanied children in the United States today face immense pressure from the government to relinquish their claims to asylum and other forms of relief from removal,” said Peter McGraw, deputy legal director at the National Immigration Law Center. "We look forward to defending this historic injunction and upholding the constitutional rights of unaccompanied children.”
Source: Victorville Daily Press/Desert 4/7/26
APRIL 3, 2026
Washington State
2026 Washington State Legislature Wrap up The JCIRA LPT Team Tracked the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. The regular session ended 3/12/26.
The following Bills have been signed by the Governor into Law:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement
HB 2165 Concerning false identification as a peace officer
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation
HB 2266 Permanent supportive housing
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections
Source: Washington State Legislature 4/3/26
Is ICE breaking Washington law? Masked agents caught on camera days after ban
Less than ten days after Washington’s new law banning face coverings for law enforcement took effect, videos captured masked immigration agents making arrests in South King County. KING 5 obtained footage from two arrests in White Center and Burien that appear to show agents wearing masks, now prohibited under state law. Washington’s new law, signed by Governor Bob Ferguson and effective March 19, prohibits law enforcement officers including federal agents from wearing face coverings when interacting with the public. The new law empowers anyone affected by masked agents to take legal action against them. The Washington Attorney General's office also is telling the public to send evidence of federal agents using excessive force or otherwise violating civil rights. The public can reach the AG's office at [email protected].
Source: King 5 3/26/26
Federal Agencies
Democrats Probe Trump’s $38 Billion Plan for Immigrant Jails
More than 50 US senators and representatives have signed onto an investigation into the Trump administration’s plan to spend $38 billion buying and retrofitting warehouses as immigrant detention centers. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking to streamline a network of more than 200 local, state and privately-run facilities into 34 government-owned jails. The probe underscores the growing political controversy over how the Department of Homeland Security is spending about $170 billion that it was awarded under last year’s Republican-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The lawmakers
said they want answers by April 9 to their questions about how government contracts were won, what services the companies will offer and whether anyone involved in future operations or property sales has made political donations to Trump or administration appointees.
Source: Bloomberg 3/30/26
An immigrant dies at a detention center outside Los Angeles, marking at least the 14th death in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since the year began.
Security staff at the Adelanto detention center found José Guadalupe Ramos unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk on March 25th, according to an ICE press release. At his medical screening in February, ICE found that Ramos suffered from diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. It was not clear whether he received medication for a single illness or all three. Thirty-two migrants died while locked in immigrant detention centers last year, marking the deadliest year in detention since 2004. The number of detainee deaths so far is already on pace to exceed last year’s. The number of immigrants in ICE detention has reached record levels among concerns for detainee safety. The number of people locked in migrant detention stood at more than 68,000 as of February 2026.
Source: The Guardian 3/26/26
State Dept. Accused of ‘Largest Fee Fraud in History’ of US Immigration System
An immigration researcher at the Cato Institute found that the Trump administration is raking in billions of dollars in immigration fees and not providing the adjudications that applicants are entitled to. ”The US State Department under Trump has been accused of stealing more than a billion dollars from immigrants and sponsors. The report found that the State Department and Department of Homeland Security were receiving millions of applications from immigrants whom Trump has made ineligible for legal status and pocketing the fees without ever processing the requests. The report zeroes in on a series of policies signed by Trump which have collectively barred nationals from 92 countries from immigrating to the US. Although people from these countries are categorically denied immigrant visas and most other visa types under a series of travel bans the government is still collecting fees for visas, work permits and green cards. The report cited evidence that the department has directed consular officers that they “should not counsel applicants or advise them” that they are subject to the bans when they come in for their interviews.
Source: Common Dreams 3/24/26
Trump Has Detained the Parents of More Than 11,000 U.S. Citizen Kids
A data analysis by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights found Trump has deported mothers of U.S. citizens at four times the rate of the Biden administration. The data covers the last three years of the Biden administration and the Trump administration up to August 2025. Current and former officials from the Department of Homeland Security said such separations are not necessarily a violation of policy. Instead, guidelines on the way officers should exercise discretion have changed. Among the changes: A document once known as the Parental Interests Directive has been given a new name- the Detained Parents Directive. In its preamble, which once instructed agents to handle immigrant parents in a way that was ‘humane,’ the word ‘humane’ has been removed from the document. Federal policy still says ICE officers should ask people they arrest if they are the parents or legal guardians of minors and if they are, they should be allowed to make arrangements for the children’s care. The Trump administration’s revision to this directive also added a new line. It specifies that the directive “in no way limits the ability of ICE personnel to make enforcement decisions.”
Source: Pro Publica 3/23/26
They’re Already Scared to Come to School. Republicans Want to Kick Them Out for Good.
A push by Stephen Miller and GOP lawmakers to challenge a landmark Supreme Court ruling would strip undocumented children of access to public education. According to reporting from the New York Times, Miller asked Texas Republicans last week in a closed-door meeting to kick undocumented children out of public schools. Such a move could violate a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, Plyler v. Doe, which held that withholding funds to schools teaching undocumented children violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The push to restrict access to public education comes as scores of immigrant children are already afraid to go to school across the country, with some districts reporting up to a 40% drop in migrant student attendance. In previous decisions related to Plyer, Judges wrote that refusing to educate children based on their parent’s documentation would create “a permanent underclass of persons who will live their lives in this country without being able to participate in our society.”
Source: Mother Jones 3/24/26
Executive/Judicial
US judge blocks Trump administration from detaining thousands of refugees
A federal judge on Monday blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing a new policy that would subject thousands of refugees to arrest and detention if after a year in the United States they had yet to obtain green cards. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston acted at the request of six refugees and two advocacy groups who argued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's policy was an unlawful departure from decades of practice. The plaintiffs alleged the policy exposed over 100,000 lawfully admitted refugees whose adjustments of immigration status applications are pending before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to potential detention. Steven Bressler, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the liberal legal group Democracy Forward, said in a statement the "ruling affirms that the government cannot manipulate the law to justify the mass arrest and detention of people."
Source: Reuters 3/23/2026
DOJ says it erroneously relied on an ICE memo to justify immigration court house arrests
Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that they had used the memo, titled “2025 ICE Guidance,” to defend the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE agents at courthouses, which led to numerous arrests of immigrants attending hearings. The memo indicated that "ICE officers or agents may conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information" that a targeted person would be "present at a specific location.” But the Justice Department said in the court filing, the memo “does not and has never applied to civil immigration enforcement actions in or near” immigration courts. The government said in its filing that it became aware of the mistake Tuesday when it received an email that was sent to ICE personnel as a “reminder that the May 27, 2025, guidance does not apply to Immigration courts, regardless of their location.
Source: NBC News 3/25/26
Federal judge rules DHS illegally stripped immigration status from thousands who entered through CBP One App
A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration violated the law when it ended the immigration status of nearly 900,000 migrants who came to the U.S. through a Biden-era parole program called CBP One. The program allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to schedule an interview to report to a port of entry along the US/Mexico border. After being vetted, they were allowed into the country while waiting for their asylum claims to be heard in court. The Trump administration abruptly cancelled CBP One in April of last year. U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs of Boston said in her ruling that "when Defendants terminated the impacted noncitizens' parole without observing the process mandated by statute and by their own regulations, they took action that was 'not in accordance with law.” Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, called Tuesday's ruling "a clear rejection of an administration that has tried to erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button. “Our clients followed the law: they waited, registered, were inspected, and were granted parole under the law and the Trump administration's effort to tear this status away overnight was unlawful and cruel."
Source: NPR 4/1/26
The “Massive Human Consequences” of Ending Birthright Citizenship
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14160 denying birthright citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over the order’s legality. If Trump prevails, the case will fundamentally change American society. The legal question in the case, Trump v. Barbara, is whether the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship applies to the children of undocumented immigrants and people without green cards. A birth certificate would no longer suffice to prove citizenship, and the children of immigrants might never obtain that status if their parents lacked the documents necessary to prove theirs. If the court agrees Trump’s 2025 order is constitutional, there would be nothing to stop him or any subsequent president from applying it retroactively, potentially stripping millions of people of citizenship based on their family histories. Supreme Court decisions change the country, but few are remembered for reordering American society. Trump v. Barbara threatens to determine whether or not we live in a multiracial democracy.
Source: Mother Jones 3/31/26
Trump administration birthright citizenship arguments appear on thin ice after Supreme Court hearing In over two hours of questioning, several justices repeatedly expressed skepticism at Solicitor General John Sauer’s argument that the court should fundamentally reshape US laws around birthright citizenship. Sauer said the court should upend the 14th Amendment, a key 1898 decision and more recent legislation passed by Congress granting birthright citizenship to most people born in the US. Chief Justice John Roberts and several other justices signaled they were unconvinced. J Trump attended the oral arguments in person. It was an unusual move by a sitting president that signaled just how much he has invested in this case. A win would help Trump make the case that he’s delivering on his campaign promises around immigration. The court is expected to hand down its decision in June.
Source: BBC 4/1/26
2026 Washington State Legislature Wrap up The JCIRA LPT Team Tracked the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. The regular session ended 3/12/26.
The following Bills have been signed by the Governor into Law:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement
HB 2165 Concerning false identification as a peace officer
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation
HB 2266 Permanent supportive housing
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections
Source: Washington State Legislature 4/3/26
Is ICE breaking Washington law? Masked agents caught on camera days after ban
Less than ten days after Washington’s new law banning face coverings for law enforcement took effect, videos captured masked immigration agents making arrests in South King County. KING 5 obtained footage from two arrests in White Center and Burien that appear to show agents wearing masks, now prohibited under state law. Washington’s new law, signed by Governor Bob Ferguson and effective March 19, prohibits law enforcement officers including federal agents from wearing face coverings when interacting with the public. The new law empowers anyone affected by masked agents to take legal action against them. The Washington Attorney General's office also is telling the public to send evidence of federal agents using excessive force or otherwise violating civil rights. The public can reach the AG's office at [email protected].
Source: King 5 3/26/26
Federal Agencies
Democrats Probe Trump’s $38 Billion Plan for Immigrant Jails
More than 50 US senators and representatives have signed onto an investigation into the Trump administration’s plan to spend $38 billion buying and retrofitting warehouses as immigrant detention centers. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking to streamline a network of more than 200 local, state and privately-run facilities into 34 government-owned jails. The probe underscores the growing political controversy over how the Department of Homeland Security is spending about $170 billion that it was awarded under last year’s Republican-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The lawmakers
said they want answers by April 9 to their questions about how government contracts were won, what services the companies will offer and whether anyone involved in future operations or property sales has made political donations to Trump or administration appointees.
Source: Bloomberg 3/30/26
An immigrant dies at a detention center outside Los Angeles, marking at least the 14th death in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since the year began.
Security staff at the Adelanto detention center found José Guadalupe Ramos unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk on March 25th, according to an ICE press release. At his medical screening in February, ICE found that Ramos suffered from diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. It was not clear whether he received medication for a single illness or all three. Thirty-two migrants died while locked in immigrant detention centers last year, marking the deadliest year in detention since 2004. The number of detainee deaths so far is already on pace to exceed last year’s. The number of immigrants in ICE detention has reached record levels among concerns for detainee safety. The number of people locked in migrant detention stood at more than 68,000 as of February 2026.
Source: The Guardian 3/26/26
State Dept. Accused of ‘Largest Fee Fraud in History’ of US Immigration System
An immigration researcher at the Cato Institute found that the Trump administration is raking in billions of dollars in immigration fees and not providing the adjudications that applicants are entitled to. ”The US State Department under Trump has been accused of stealing more than a billion dollars from immigrants and sponsors. The report found that the State Department and Department of Homeland Security were receiving millions of applications from immigrants whom Trump has made ineligible for legal status and pocketing the fees without ever processing the requests. The report zeroes in on a series of policies signed by Trump which have collectively barred nationals from 92 countries from immigrating to the US. Although people from these countries are categorically denied immigrant visas and most other visa types under a series of travel bans the government is still collecting fees for visas, work permits and green cards. The report cited evidence that the department has directed consular officers that they “should not counsel applicants or advise them” that they are subject to the bans when they come in for their interviews.
Source: Common Dreams 3/24/26
Trump Has Detained the Parents of More Than 11,000 U.S. Citizen Kids
A data analysis by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights found Trump has deported mothers of U.S. citizens at four times the rate of the Biden administration. The data covers the last three years of the Biden administration and the Trump administration up to August 2025. Current and former officials from the Department of Homeland Security said such separations are not necessarily a violation of policy. Instead, guidelines on the way officers should exercise discretion have changed. Among the changes: A document once known as the Parental Interests Directive has been given a new name- the Detained Parents Directive. In its preamble, which once instructed agents to handle immigrant parents in a way that was ‘humane,’ the word ‘humane’ has been removed from the document. Federal policy still says ICE officers should ask people they arrest if they are the parents or legal guardians of minors and if they are, they should be allowed to make arrangements for the children’s care. The Trump administration’s revision to this directive also added a new line. It specifies that the directive “in no way limits the ability of ICE personnel to make enforcement decisions.”
Source: Pro Publica 3/23/26
They’re Already Scared to Come to School. Republicans Want to Kick Them Out for Good.
A push by Stephen Miller and GOP lawmakers to challenge a landmark Supreme Court ruling would strip undocumented children of access to public education. According to reporting from the New York Times, Miller asked Texas Republicans last week in a closed-door meeting to kick undocumented children out of public schools. Such a move could violate a 1982 Supreme Court ruling, Plyler v. Doe, which held that withholding funds to schools teaching undocumented children violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The push to restrict access to public education comes as scores of immigrant children are already afraid to go to school across the country, with some districts reporting up to a 40% drop in migrant student attendance. In previous decisions related to Plyer, Judges wrote that refusing to educate children based on their parent’s documentation would create “a permanent underclass of persons who will live their lives in this country without being able to participate in our society.”
Source: Mother Jones 3/24/26
Executive/Judicial
US judge blocks Trump administration from detaining thousands of refugees
A federal judge on Monday blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing a new policy that would subject thousands of refugees to arrest and detention if after a year in the United States they had yet to obtain green cards. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston acted at the request of six refugees and two advocacy groups who argued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's policy was an unlawful departure from decades of practice. The plaintiffs alleged the policy exposed over 100,000 lawfully admitted refugees whose adjustments of immigration status applications are pending before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to potential detention. Steven Bressler, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the liberal legal group Democracy Forward, said in a statement the "ruling affirms that the government cannot manipulate the law to justify the mass arrest and detention of people."
Source: Reuters 3/23/2026
DOJ says it erroneously relied on an ICE memo to justify immigration court house arrests
Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that they had used the memo, titled “2025 ICE Guidance,” to defend the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE agents at courthouses, which led to numerous arrests of immigrants attending hearings. The memo indicated that "ICE officers or agents may conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information" that a targeted person would be "present at a specific location.” But the Justice Department said in the court filing, the memo “does not and has never applied to civil immigration enforcement actions in or near” immigration courts. The government said in its filing that it became aware of the mistake Tuesday when it received an email that was sent to ICE personnel as a “reminder that the May 27, 2025, guidance does not apply to Immigration courts, regardless of their location.
Source: NBC News 3/25/26
Federal judge rules DHS illegally stripped immigration status from thousands who entered through CBP One App
A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration violated the law when it ended the immigration status of nearly 900,000 migrants who came to the U.S. through a Biden-era parole program called CBP One. The program allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to schedule an interview to report to a port of entry along the US/Mexico border. After being vetted, they were allowed into the country while waiting for their asylum claims to be heard in court. The Trump administration abruptly cancelled CBP One in April of last year. U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs of Boston said in her ruling that "when Defendants terminated the impacted noncitizens' parole without observing the process mandated by statute and by their own regulations, they took action that was 'not in accordance with law.” Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, called Tuesday's ruling "a clear rejection of an administration that has tried to erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button. “Our clients followed the law: they waited, registered, were inspected, and were granted parole under the law and the Trump administration's effort to tear this status away overnight was unlawful and cruel."
Source: NPR 4/1/26
The “Massive Human Consequences” of Ending Birthright Citizenship
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14160 denying birthright citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over the order’s legality. If Trump prevails, the case will fundamentally change American society. The legal question in the case, Trump v. Barbara, is whether the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship applies to the children of undocumented immigrants and people without green cards. A birth certificate would no longer suffice to prove citizenship, and the children of immigrants might never obtain that status if their parents lacked the documents necessary to prove theirs. If the court agrees Trump’s 2025 order is constitutional, there would be nothing to stop him or any subsequent president from applying it retroactively, potentially stripping millions of people of citizenship based on their family histories. Supreme Court decisions change the country, but few are remembered for reordering American society. Trump v. Barbara threatens to determine whether or not we live in a multiracial democracy.
Source: Mother Jones 3/31/26
Trump administration birthright citizenship arguments appear on thin ice after Supreme Court hearing In over two hours of questioning, several justices repeatedly expressed skepticism at Solicitor General John Sauer’s argument that the court should fundamentally reshape US laws around birthright citizenship. Sauer said the court should upend the 14th Amendment, a key 1898 decision and more recent legislation passed by Congress granting birthright citizenship to most people born in the US. Chief Justice John Roberts and several other justices signaled they were unconvinced. J Trump attended the oral arguments in person. It was an unusual move by a sitting president that signaled just how much he has invested in this case. A win would help Trump make the case that he’s delivering on his campaign promises around immigration. The court is expected to hand down its decision in June.
Source: BBC 4/1/26
MARCH 27, 2026
Washington State
‘I was trying to follow the rules’ WA asylum seeker detained over questionable
violations
A class-action lawsuit has been filed by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project against
the Tacoma Immigration Detention Center, accusing judges assigned there of unjustly
denying bonds to detained immigrants. Washington federal courts last year found at least
16 people with pending asylum claims were held at the Tacoma detention center without
being afforded an opportunity to contest their detention at a bond hearing, according to an
Investigate West review of federal court rulings. This legal challenge concerns Wilfredo
Castillo who came for a routine check-in with his immigration case manager but instead
was met by three ICE officers. They questioned him briefly before telling him they were
taking him to the detention center in Tacoma and handcuffed him without explaining why. “I
was trying to follow the rules,” Castillo told Investigate West by phone. “I don’t understand
why they took me.” A federal judge released him last month, finding the government wasn’t
justified in holding him.
Source: Tacoma News Tribune 3/20/26
2026 Washington State Legislature Wrap up The JCIRA LPT Team Tracked the
following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact
immigrants in our community. The regular session ended 3/12/26.
The following Bills have been signed by the Governor into Law
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement
HB 2165 Concerning false identification as a peace officer
The following Bills have passed the Legislature and are on the Governor's desk,
waiting for signature:
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation
HB 2266 Permanent supportive housing
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/27/26
No ICE at SEA-TAC Airport as others bring in agents to ease staffing shortages
According to Trump administration border czar Tom Homan, Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) agents have already been sent to 14 airports nationwide to help ease
staffing shortages. The move comes as the partial federal government shutdown
continues, leaving Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working without
pay for more than a month. SEA-TAC is not among the airports currently seeing ICE
presence. At SEA-TAC, wait times have remained between 10 and 15 minutes, according
to the Port of Seattle. Officials say absentee rates among TSA officers here are lower
than in other parts of the country.
Source: King5 3/123/26
Federal Agencies
Trump calls airports ‘fertile territory’ for ICE
Trump on Monday called airports “fertile territory” for the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) officers brought in to aid with security. Asked by reporters whether ICE
officers would be making immigration arrests at airports, Trump did not rule it out. “They
love it because they’re able to now arrest illegals as they come into the country,” he said.
ICE officers began to deploy at airports across the country as security lines have grown
because of a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has halted
payments to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers. The deployments
immediately alarmed numerous congressional Democrats who said ICE would only worsen
conditions at airports because officers are not trained to do security and immigration
enforcement would disrupt already chaotic conditions for travelers.
Source: The Hill 3/23/26
DOJ guts office that helps indigent immigrants obtain affordable legal aid, sources
say
The Justice Department has quietly gutted a more than 60-year-old program created to
ensure that low-income and indigent immigrants can receive competent and affordable
legal representation. The Recognition and Accreditation program, which is part of the
Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, accredits non-attorneys
who work for legal advocacy organizations so they are authorized to assist immigrants on
everything from naturalization petitions to representation in DOJ's immigration courts. The
handful of senior attorneys who operate the program were abruptly reassigned to work in
immigration courts last week, leaving in place only two support staff with no legal authority
to approve or renew accreditation applications. "This program saves lives and it also
helps alleviate the backlogs in the immigration system," said Anna Gallagher, executive
director of Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc, "Lawyers can't cover the need and any
attempt to slow down the program is just going to gum up a stressed and already broken
system."
Source: CBS News 3/23/23
Executive/Judicial
Trump administration acknowledges it needs immigrant farmworkers as it moves to
cut their pay
A lawsuit filed by the United Farm Workers in the U.S. District Court for Eastern California,
challenges a federal wage rule tied to the H-2A agriculture visa program, which allows U.S.
employers to hire temporary workers from abroad, mostly from Mexico, for agricultural jobs
not filled by domestic workers. The new interim rule splits H-2A workers into two tiers,
resulting in 92% of farmworkers being categorized as “unskilled” and setting their pay to
the 17th percentile of average wages, meaning 92% of farmworkers would earn what the
bottom 17% of Americans make. At issue is whether that new rule lowers wages in a way
that could ripple through the broader workforce and affect U.S. workers by driving down
their pay. Federal law requires H-2A wages not undercut domestic pay. The labor
department refused to concede that bringing in foreign labor at reduced wages would
affect American workers’ wages. Attorney Alexandra McTague Schulte said the proposed
lower minimum wage for H-2A visa holders would not affect citizens because farmers
already can’t find enough workers, meaning the demand for labor is greater than the
supply. In an exchange, U.S. District Judge Kirk Sherriff seemed to disagree. He said
setting wages for the vast majority of H-2A farmworkers at a “level way lower than similar
workers, including Americans”, would undercut the market. Sherriff said he planned to
issue a written ruling soon that would either uphold or suspend the Trump administration
policy.
Source: Cal Matters 3/19/2026
Judge Orders Trump Administration to bring back DACA Recipient Deported to
Mexico
Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez arrived in the United States in 1998 as an undocumented
15-year-old. She was granted DACA protection in 2013 and lives in Sacramento with a
22-year-old U.S. citizen daughter. On Feb. 18, Estrada — with her daughter in tow --
attended a hearing as part of the process to attain lawful permanent residency. There,
federal immigration officers denied her application, informed her that she was the subject
of a decades-old removal order and detained her. She was deported to Mexico the next
morning, despite protesting that her DACA status remained active.
In a Monday order, U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins called the deportation a “flagrant
violation” of DACA’s promise of protection to those who arrived in the country as minors, as
well as a violation of Estrada’s constitutional due process rights. Judge Coggins directed
the administration to facilitate Estrada’s return by March 30. The Justice Department
argued that the judge had no power to intervene in the dispute, saying Estrada was subject
to a valid deportation order and that her DACA status merely deprioritized her deportation
rather than eliminated the threat of it altogether. Estrada has not been charged with a
crime.
Judge Coggins said in response to DOJ’s arguments in court that the Supreme Court’s
2020 ruling preserving DACA underscored that DACA was not simply a matter of executive
discretion but rather “a program for conferring affirmative relief.”
Source: Politico 3/24/26
‘I was trying to follow the rules’ WA asylum seeker detained over questionable
violations
A class-action lawsuit has been filed by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project against
the Tacoma Immigration Detention Center, accusing judges assigned there of unjustly
denying bonds to detained immigrants. Washington federal courts last year found at least
16 people with pending asylum claims were held at the Tacoma detention center without
being afforded an opportunity to contest their detention at a bond hearing, according to an
Investigate West review of federal court rulings. This legal challenge concerns Wilfredo
Castillo who came for a routine check-in with his immigration case manager but instead
was met by three ICE officers. They questioned him briefly before telling him they were
taking him to the detention center in Tacoma and handcuffed him without explaining why. “I
was trying to follow the rules,” Castillo told Investigate West by phone. “I don’t understand
why they took me.” A federal judge released him last month, finding the government wasn’t
justified in holding him.
Source: Tacoma News Tribune 3/20/26
2026 Washington State Legislature Wrap up The JCIRA LPT Team Tracked the
following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact
immigrants in our community. The regular session ended 3/12/26.
The following Bills have been signed by the Governor into Law
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement
HB 2165 Concerning false identification as a peace officer
The following Bills have passed the Legislature and are on the Governor's desk,
waiting for signature:
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation
HB 2266 Permanent supportive housing
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/27/26
No ICE at SEA-TAC Airport as others bring in agents to ease staffing shortages
According to Trump administration border czar Tom Homan, Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) agents have already been sent to 14 airports nationwide to help ease
staffing shortages. The move comes as the partial federal government shutdown
continues, leaving Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working without
pay for more than a month. SEA-TAC is not among the airports currently seeing ICE
presence. At SEA-TAC, wait times have remained between 10 and 15 minutes, according
to the Port of Seattle. Officials say absentee rates among TSA officers here are lower
than in other parts of the country.
Source: King5 3/123/26
Federal Agencies
Trump calls airports ‘fertile territory’ for ICE
Trump on Monday called airports “fertile territory” for the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) officers brought in to aid with security. Asked by reporters whether ICE
officers would be making immigration arrests at airports, Trump did not rule it out. “They
love it because they’re able to now arrest illegals as they come into the country,” he said.
ICE officers began to deploy at airports across the country as security lines have grown
because of a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has halted
payments to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers. The deployments
immediately alarmed numerous congressional Democrats who said ICE would only worsen
conditions at airports because officers are not trained to do security and immigration
enforcement would disrupt already chaotic conditions for travelers.
Source: The Hill 3/23/26
DOJ guts office that helps indigent immigrants obtain affordable legal aid, sources
say
The Justice Department has quietly gutted a more than 60-year-old program created to
ensure that low-income and indigent immigrants can receive competent and affordable
legal representation. The Recognition and Accreditation program, which is part of the
Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, accredits non-attorneys
who work for legal advocacy organizations so they are authorized to assist immigrants on
everything from naturalization petitions to representation in DOJ's immigration courts. The
handful of senior attorneys who operate the program were abruptly reassigned to work in
immigration courts last week, leaving in place only two support staff with no legal authority
to approve or renew accreditation applications. "This program saves lives and it also
helps alleviate the backlogs in the immigration system," said Anna Gallagher, executive
director of Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc, "Lawyers can't cover the need and any
attempt to slow down the program is just going to gum up a stressed and already broken
system."
Source: CBS News 3/23/23
Executive/Judicial
Trump administration acknowledges it needs immigrant farmworkers as it moves to
cut their pay
A lawsuit filed by the United Farm Workers in the U.S. District Court for Eastern California,
challenges a federal wage rule tied to the H-2A agriculture visa program, which allows U.S.
employers to hire temporary workers from abroad, mostly from Mexico, for agricultural jobs
not filled by domestic workers. The new interim rule splits H-2A workers into two tiers,
resulting in 92% of farmworkers being categorized as “unskilled” and setting their pay to
the 17th percentile of average wages, meaning 92% of farmworkers would earn what the
bottom 17% of Americans make. At issue is whether that new rule lowers wages in a way
that could ripple through the broader workforce and affect U.S. workers by driving down
their pay. Federal law requires H-2A wages not undercut domestic pay. The labor
department refused to concede that bringing in foreign labor at reduced wages would
affect American workers’ wages. Attorney Alexandra McTague Schulte said the proposed
lower minimum wage for H-2A visa holders would not affect citizens because farmers
already can’t find enough workers, meaning the demand for labor is greater than the
supply. In an exchange, U.S. District Judge Kirk Sherriff seemed to disagree. He said
setting wages for the vast majority of H-2A farmworkers at a “level way lower than similar
workers, including Americans”, would undercut the market. Sherriff said he planned to
issue a written ruling soon that would either uphold or suspend the Trump administration
policy.
Source: Cal Matters 3/19/2026
Judge Orders Trump Administration to bring back DACA Recipient Deported to
Mexico
Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez arrived in the United States in 1998 as an undocumented
15-year-old. She was granted DACA protection in 2013 and lives in Sacramento with a
22-year-old U.S. citizen daughter. On Feb. 18, Estrada — with her daughter in tow --
attended a hearing as part of the process to attain lawful permanent residency. There,
federal immigration officers denied her application, informed her that she was the subject
of a decades-old removal order and detained her. She was deported to Mexico the next
morning, despite protesting that her DACA status remained active.
In a Monday order, U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins called the deportation a “flagrant
violation” of DACA’s promise of protection to those who arrived in the country as minors, as
well as a violation of Estrada’s constitutional due process rights. Judge Coggins directed
the administration to facilitate Estrada’s return by March 30. The Justice Department
argued that the judge had no power to intervene in the dispute, saying Estrada was subject
to a valid deportation order and that her DACA status merely deprioritized her deportation
rather than eliminated the threat of it altogether. Estrada has not been charged with a
crime.
Judge Coggins said in response to DOJ’s arguments in court that the Supreme Court’s
2020 ruling preserving DACA underscored that DACA was not simply a matter of executive
discretion but rather “a program for conferring affirmative relief.”
Source: Politico 3/24/26
MARCH 20, 2026
Washington State
Washington man receives $1.8M bill from DHS for failing to leave the U.S.
A Washington man says he was in shock when he opened a letter from the federal
government demanding nearly $1.8 million. The penalty stems from a federal law that
allows the government to impose daily fines on immigrants who fail to leave the country
after a final removal order. The man received a final order in 2007, but has not been able
to leave the country because Vietnam does not issue travel documents to some refugees.
Redmond-based Immigration attorney Olia Catala said immigrants who receive these
notices should not panic, and should seek legal advice immediately. “Reach out to an
immigration attorney because we know about this. They can help you out. They can
appeal this process.”
Source: King5 3/13/26
As immigration fears sweep Eastern WA- Even priests worry about being deported
As widespread immigration fears sweep through Eastern Washington, even faith leaders
are being impacted. Already concerned about immigration crackdowns hurting their own
families, parishioners said that their priest being deported would be devastating. The
Catholic Diocese of Yakima is helping immigrant priests, seminarians and other religious
workers navigate complicated legal immigration processes. Spread throughout Central
and Eastern Washington, many churches in the diocese offer masses in Spanish. About
75% of the 190,000 people served by the diocese are Hispanic. “Immigration affects
people’s faith and family life. What we’re trying to do is create pockets of freedom and
openness and religious liberty in the midst of fear,” said. Rev. Cesar Izquierdo.
Source: The Olympian 3/14/26
2026 Washington State Legislature Wrap up
The JCIRA LPT Team Tracked the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. The regular session ended 3/12/26.
Bills passed:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- On Governor’s
desk
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- On
Governor’s desk
HB 2266- permanent supportive housing - On Governor’s desk
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - On Governor’s desk
HB 2165 Concerning false identification as a peace officer- On Governor's desk
HB 2355 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Governor signed- Session Law
Bills that did not advance:
HB 2597 - Concerning violations of constitutional rights during immigration enforcement
SB 5906 -Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation
SB 6045 - Providing farmworkers with a path to negotiate better wages/working
conditions
HB 2409 -Collective bargaining for agriculture workers
HB 2637- Safeguarding personal information
HB 2713, HB 2464 concerning operations at Tacoma Detention Center
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/20/26
Federal Agencies
200,000 immigrant truck drivers to lose licenses in US
Some 200,000 non-domiciled (a non-domiciled person is a legal resident but not
permanent resident or citizen) truck drivers will begin to lose their commercial driver’s
licenses (CDLs) as they expire under a new Trump administration rule. With the new rule
in place, the agency expects only around 6,000 CDLs to be issued going forward. The
remaining 194,000 drivers are expected to leave the freight market gradually as they are
unable to renew their licenses.The Transportation Department’s rule will weigh on the
beleaguered trucking industry, which is critical to transporting goods across America at a
time when energy costs are surging due to the war in Iran.The rule also introduces steps
for states to verify the English proficiency of drivers. It includes provisions for reassessing
drivers who have been cited earlier for not meeting language requirements.
Source: Business Standard 3/17/26
DHS Seeks Access to Massive Employment, Salary and Family Database
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement arm is requesting unfettered access
to what is considered to be the most comprehensive government database of people in
the United States. The Federal Parent Locator Service is meant for finding people who
owe child support. The database contains the name, address, Social Security number,
employer, and salary or wages of every employed person in the country, as well as the
equivalent details for anyone listed in state unemployment systems. If someone owes
child support, the government can pursue them even if they’ve changed jobs or moved to
another state. If this were to happen, many employers, fearful of ICE arrests of their
employees or workplace raids, may not report new hires to the government. This in turn
would degrade the ability of the system to find parents who owe payments to their kids.
Source: ProPublica 3/17/26
As Trump pushes deportations, immigration data becomes harder to find
The Office of Homeland Security Statistics is responsible for publishing figures from
Homeland Security agencies, including removals and the nationalities of those deported,
to provide a comprehensive picture of immigration trends at the border and inside the
United States. But key enforcement metrics on its website have not been updated since
early last year. An ICE dashboard once let users examine whom the agency was
arresting, their nationalities, criminal histories and removal numbers. Though intended for
quarterly updates, the latest data is from January 2025. The State Department’s most
recent visa issuance data is from August. Key statistics from U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services have not been updated since October.The now-missing data had
helped researchers study the effects of different policies. Lawyers could cite the figures to
support their litigation. Journalists saw in them a powerful tool to hold the government to
account on public claims or to report on important trends.
Source: AP News 3/15/26
US immigrant parents are taking intense precautions in case of detention: ‘I need to
prepare for the worst’
Many immigrants say they are so afraid of being swept up in immigration raids, killed
during enforcement encounters or dying in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
custody that they are drafting wills and guardianship documents. The need to prepare for
the worst is reflected in a significant increase in legal planning. Parents are assembling
emergency packets for their children – documents that include birth certificates,
vaccination records and instructions for who should pick them up from school if a parent
does not return. Others have designated a trusted friend or relative as a “point person” –
someone who holds passwords to phones, financial accounts and social media profiles in
case the parent suddenly disappears. “It’s not about leaving,” said a 37-year-old
undocumented father from Central America during a phone interview. “It’s about making
sure your children survive if you don’t come home.”
Source: The Guardian 3/14/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Appeals Court Allows Trump Administration’s Third-Country Deportations, for Now
In a brief order on Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit blocked a ruling by Judge
Brian E. Murphy of Massachusetts that would have required the administration to prioritize
deportees’ home countries as destinations and give deportees “meaningful notice” before sending
them to an unfamiliar country. Monday’s ruling means the Trump policy can continue while
litigation in the case continues. The administration’s approach to sending deportees to faraway and
sometimes dangerous countries represents a reversal of the principle of “non-refoulement,” which
holds that governments should not send people to places where they are at risk of torture or other
persecution. Non-refoulement is woven through U.S. immigration law and an international treaty
that was partially ratified by the United States in 1994.
Source: New York Times 3/16/26
Supreme Court to Hear Expedited Arguments on Protected Status for Migrants
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from going
ahead with plans to deport some 6,000 Syrians and 350,000 Haitians who were granted
Temporary Protected Status by Presidents Obama, Biden, and Trump himself in his first
administration. At the same time court expedited arguments so that the cases will be argued in
April, with a decision likely by the end of June.In two separate emergency appeals, the Trump
administration asked the Supreme Court to block lower court orders that have continued TPS for
Syrians and Haitians while their cases are litigated. In an unsigned order, the court agreed with
Solicitor General John Sauer that the broader TPS question needs to be decided and set
expedited arguments for April on several questions.The first is whether TPS designations are
reviewable by the courts and if so, whether the TPS holders have some valid claims.
Finally, the court will determine whether the TPS holder equal-protection claim fails on the merits.
Source: NPR 3/16/2026
Washington man receives $1.8M bill from DHS for failing to leave the U.S.
A Washington man says he was in shock when he opened a letter from the federal
government demanding nearly $1.8 million. The penalty stems from a federal law that
allows the government to impose daily fines on immigrants who fail to leave the country
after a final removal order. The man received a final order in 2007, but has not been able
to leave the country because Vietnam does not issue travel documents to some refugees.
Redmond-based Immigration attorney Olia Catala said immigrants who receive these
notices should not panic, and should seek legal advice immediately. “Reach out to an
immigration attorney because we know about this. They can help you out. They can
appeal this process.”
Source: King5 3/13/26
As immigration fears sweep Eastern WA- Even priests worry about being deported
As widespread immigration fears sweep through Eastern Washington, even faith leaders
are being impacted. Already concerned about immigration crackdowns hurting their own
families, parishioners said that their priest being deported would be devastating. The
Catholic Diocese of Yakima is helping immigrant priests, seminarians and other religious
workers navigate complicated legal immigration processes. Spread throughout Central
and Eastern Washington, many churches in the diocese offer masses in Spanish. About
75% of the 190,000 people served by the diocese are Hispanic. “Immigration affects
people’s faith and family life. What we’re trying to do is create pockets of freedom and
openness and religious liberty in the midst of fear,” said. Rev. Cesar Izquierdo.
Source: The Olympian 3/14/26
2026 Washington State Legislature Wrap up
The JCIRA LPT Team Tracked the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. The regular session ended 3/12/26.
Bills passed:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- On Governor’s
desk
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- On
Governor’s desk
HB 2266- permanent supportive housing - On Governor’s desk
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - On Governor’s desk
HB 2165 Concerning false identification as a peace officer- On Governor's desk
HB 2355 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Governor signed- Session Law
Bills that did not advance:
HB 2597 - Concerning violations of constitutional rights during immigration enforcement
SB 5906 -Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation
SB 6045 - Providing farmworkers with a path to negotiate better wages/working
conditions
HB 2409 -Collective bargaining for agriculture workers
HB 2637- Safeguarding personal information
HB 2713, HB 2464 concerning operations at Tacoma Detention Center
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/20/26
Federal Agencies
200,000 immigrant truck drivers to lose licenses in US
Some 200,000 non-domiciled (a non-domiciled person is a legal resident but not
permanent resident or citizen) truck drivers will begin to lose their commercial driver’s
licenses (CDLs) as they expire under a new Trump administration rule. With the new rule
in place, the agency expects only around 6,000 CDLs to be issued going forward. The
remaining 194,000 drivers are expected to leave the freight market gradually as they are
unable to renew their licenses.The Transportation Department’s rule will weigh on the
beleaguered trucking industry, which is critical to transporting goods across America at a
time when energy costs are surging due to the war in Iran.The rule also introduces steps
for states to verify the English proficiency of drivers. It includes provisions for reassessing
drivers who have been cited earlier for not meeting language requirements.
Source: Business Standard 3/17/26
DHS Seeks Access to Massive Employment, Salary and Family Database
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement arm is requesting unfettered access
to what is considered to be the most comprehensive government database of people in
the United States. The Federal Parent Locator Service is meant for finding people who
owe child support. The database contains the name, address, Social Security number,
employer, and salary or wages of every employed person in the country, as well as the
equivalent details for anyone listed in state unemployment systems. If someone owes
child support, the government can pursue them even if they’ve changed jobs or moved to
another state. If this were to happen, many employers, fearful of ICE arrests of their
employees or workplace raids, may not report new hires to the government. This in turn
would degrade the ability of the system to find parents who owe payments to their kids.
Source: ProPublica 3/17/26
As Trump pushes deportations, immigration data becomes harder to find
The Office of Homeland Security Statistics is responsible for publishing figures from
Homeland Security agencies, including removals and the nationalities of those deported,
to provide a comprehensive picture of immigration trends at the border and inside the
United States. But key enforcement metrics on its website have not been updated since
early last year. An ICE dashboard once let users examine whom the agency was
arresting, their nationalities, criminal histories and removal numbers. Though intended for
quarterly updates, the latest data is from January 2025. The State Department’s most
recent visa issuance data is from August. Key statistics from U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services have not been updated since October.The now-missing data had
helped researchers study the effects of different policies. Lawyers could cite the figures to
support their litigation. Journalists saw in them a powerful tool to hold the government to
account on public claims or to report on important trends.
Source: AP News 3/15/26
US immigrant parents are taking intense precautions in case of detention: ‘I need to
prepare for the worst’
Many immigrants say they are so afraid of being swept up in immigration raids, killed
during enforcement encounters or dying in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
custody that they are drafting wills and guardianship documents. The need to prepare for
the worst is reflected in a significant increase in legal planning. Parents are assembling
emergency packets for their children – documents that include birth certificates,
vaccination records and instructions for who should pick them up from school if a parent
does not return. Others have designated a trusted friend or relative as a “point person” –
someone who holds passwords to phones, financial accounts and social media profiles in
case the parent suddenly disappears. “It’s not about leaving,” said a 37-year-old
undocumented father from Central America during a phone interview. “It’s about making
sure your children survive if you don’t come home.”
Source: The Guardian 3/14/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Appeals Court Allows Trump Administration’s Third-Country Deportations, for Now
In a brief order on Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit blocked a ruling by Judge
Brian E. Murphy of Massachusetts that would have required the administration to prioritize
deportees’ home countries as destinations and give deportees “meaningful notice” before sending
them to an unfamiliar country. Monday’s ruling means the Trump policy can continue while
litigation in the case continues. The administration’s approach to sending deportees to faraway and
sometimes dangerous countries represents a reversal of the principle of “non-refoulement,” which
holds that governments should not send people to places where they are at risk of torture or other
persecution. Non-refoulement is woven through U.S. immigration law and an international treaty
that was partially ratified by the United States in 1994.
Source: New York Times 3/16/26
Supreme Court to Hear Expedited Arguments on Protected Status for Migrants
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from going
ahead with plans to deport some 6,000 Syrians and 350,000 Haitians who were granted
Temporary Protected Status by Presidents Obama, Biden, and Trump himself in his first
administration. At the same time court expedited arguments so that the cases will be argued in
April, with a decision likely by the end of June.In two separate emergency appeals, the Trump
administration asked the Supreme Court to block lower court orders that have continued TPS for
Syrians and Haitians while their cases are litigated. In an unsigned order, the court agreed with
Solicitor General John Sauer that the broader TPS question needs to be decided and set
expedited arguments for April on several questions.The first is whether TPS designations are
reviewable by the courts and if so, whether the TPS holders have some valid claims.
Finally, the court will determine whether the TPS holder equal-protection claim fails on the merits.
Source: NPR 3/16/2026
MARCH 13, 2026
Washington State
Trio of Bills in Washington State Legislature close to passage
With the Regular 2026 legislative session ending on 3/12/26, three Bills that directly
impact immigration issues are very close to making their way to the Governor's desk to
become session law. Senate Bill 5855 would bar all law enforcement officers in
Washington from masking while interacting with the public. Senate Bill 6002 responds to
concerns over federal immigration agents accessing data collected by the Flock license
plate reader devices. The readers wouldn’t be allowed to be used for civil immigration
enforcement, or to be deployed near elementary and secondary schools, churches, courts
or food banks. House Bill 2105 addresses Immigrant Workers Protections and would limit
an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's
worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give
notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review
employee records.
Source: Washington Standard 3/3/26
Source: Washington Standard 3/6/26
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/11/26
New protections for domestic workers in Washington will take effect next year
House Bill 2355 provides protections for workers such as nannies, housekeepers and
gardeners, who work four or more hours a month. The bill requires employers to give
domestic workers minimum wage and overtime pay, mandates written agreements
between employers and workers, allows workers to file labor claims to the state
Department of Labor and Industries, and requires advance notice of termination. The law
will take effect July 1, 2027.
Source: Washington Standard 3/9/26
Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 3/12/26
The JCIRA LPT Team highlighted the following bills in the 2026 Washington State
legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. The regular
session ends 3/12/26.
Bills Tracked this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- Passed Legislatureto Governor
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public
accommodation-No longer advancing in regular session
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- Passed
Legislature- to Governor
HB 2355 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Passed Legislature- Session Law
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of constitutional rights occurring during
immigration enforcement- No longer advancing in regular session.
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal
agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena
or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits
within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records- Passed
legislature- to Governor
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better
wages and working conditions - No longer advancing in regular session
Additional Bills
HB 2266- permanent supportive housing - passed legislature to- Governor
HB 2637 personal information; HB 2409 collective bargaining for agriculture workers- No
longer advancing in regular session
HB 2713, HB 2464 concerning operations at Tacoma Detention Center-No longer
advancing in regular session
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/12/26
Federal Agencies
DePaul Bets on Journalism Education as a Weapon Against ICE
DePaul University’s College of Communication officially launched its Institute for
Journalism and Racial Justice on Wednesday, “Journalism matters, especially right now,”
Dean Alexandra Murphy said. “It matters who tells the story, how stories are framed, and
how communities are understood. My hope is that it will be a permanent archive of what
happened in this moment and is something that journalists, historians, prosecutors and
law enforcement can use as a historical teaching tool about the injustices that occurred
and how ordinary residents stood up.”
Source: Migrant Insider 3/10/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Federal Judge Stops DOJ From Automatically Dismissing Immigration Case Appeals
The Department of Justice’s plan to automatically dismiss immigration cases on appeal is
unlawful, a federal judge ruled late Sunday. The order came a day before a new rule was
set to take effect that would have resulted in the dismissal of most cases without the
appellate board considering the merits. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the
changes were unenforceable because the Executive Office for Immigration Review within
the DOJ published the rule without allowing time to consider public comments before its
effective date. “Against this backdrop, one can only conclude that the overwhelming
majority of Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) appeals will receive no meaningful
consideration,” Moss wrote in response to a suit brought by nonprofit groups that provide
legal aid to immigrants. “At a time when the due process rights of immigrants are under
attack, this ruling prevents the BIA from reaching the point of near self-destruction,” Emilie
Raber, senior attorney at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, said in a statement. “We
hope that this decision is the first step of many steps in ensuring that immigration courts
reach decisions based on the law rather than on pre-determined outcomes.”
Source: Notus 3/9/2026
Judges Keep Ordering Immigration Hearings – But Say the Results Are Often a Sham
For months, the Trump administration has been engaged in an unprecedented campaign
to lock up thousands of immigrants with longstanding roots in the United States. And for
months, aghast federal judges have ordered ICE to give them a chance to prove they can
safely remain free while their deportation proceedings are pending. Increasingly, however,
judges are finding that the hearings they’re ordering — conducted by immigration judges
who work for the Trump administration — have been fundamentally flawed or even
pre-cooked, designed to result in findings of “danger to the community” or “flight risk”
without a fair consideration of the evidence. Some federal judges have required do-overs,
and others have grown so skeptical of the administration’s intentions that they’ve ordered
detainees released outright.
Source: Politico 3/26/26
Trio of Bills in Washington State Legislature close to passage
With the Regular 2026 legislative session ending on 3/12/26, three Bills that directly
impact immigration issues are very close to making their way to the Governor's desk to
become session law. Senate Bill 5855 would bar all law enforcement officers in
Washington from masking while interacting with the public. Senate Bill 6002 responds to
concerns over federal immigration agents accessing data collected by the Flock license
plate reader devices. The readers wouldn’t be allowed to be used for civil immigration
enforcement, or to be deployed near elementary and secondary schools, churches, courts
or food banks. House Bill 2105 addresses Immigrant Workers Protections and would limit
an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's
worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give
notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review
employee records.
Source: Washington Standard 3/3/26
Source: Washington Standard 3/6/26
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/11/26
New protections for domestic workers in Washington will take effect next year
House Bill 2355 provides protections for workers such as nannies, housekeepers and
gardeners, who work four or more hours a month. The bill requires employers to give
domestic workers minimum wage and overtime pay, mandates written agreements
between employers and workers, allows workers to file labor claims to the state
Department of Labor and Industries, and requires advance notice of termination. The law
will take effect July 1, 2027.
Source: Washington Standard 3/9/26
Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 3/12/26
The JCIRA LPT Team highlighted the following bills in the 2026 Washington State
legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. The regular
session ends 3/12/26.
Bills Tracked this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- Passed Legislatureto Governor
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public
accommodation-No longer advancing in regular session
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- Passed
Legislature- to Governor
HB 2355 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Passed Legislature- Session Law
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of constitutional rights occurring during
immigration enforcement- No longer advancing in regular session.
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal
agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena
or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits
within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records- Passed
legislature- to Governor
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better
wages and working conditions - No longer advancing in regular session
Additional Bills
HB 2266- permanent supportive housing - passed legislature to- Governor
HB 2637 personal information; HB 2409 collective bargaining for agriculture workers- No
longer advancing in regular session
HB 2713, HB 2464 concerning operations at Tacoma Detention Center-No longer
advancing in regular session
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/12/26
Federal Agencies
DePaul Bets on Journalism Education as a Weapon Against ICE
DePaul University’s College of Communication officially launched its Institute for
Journalism and Racial Justice on Wednesday, “Journalism matters, especially right now,”
Dean Alexandra Murphy said. “It matters who tells the story, how stories are framed, and
how communities are understood. My hope is that it will be a permanent archive of what
happened in this moment and is something that journalists, historians, prosecutors and
law enforcement can use as a historical teaching tool about the injustices that occurred
and how ordinary residents stood up.”
Source: Migrant Insider 3/10/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Federal Judge Stops DOJ From Automatically Dismissing Immigration Case Appeals
The Department of Justice’s plan to automatically dismiss immigration cases on appeal is
unlawful, a federal judge ruled late Sunday. The order came a day before a new rule was
set to take effect that would have resulted in the dismissal of most cases without the
appellate board considering the merits. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the
changes were unenforceable because the Executive Office for Immigration Review within
the DOJ published the rule without allowing time to consider public comments before its
effective date. “Against this backdrop, one can only conclude that the overwhelming
majority of Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) appeals will receive no meaningful
consideration,” Moss wrote in response to a suit brought by nonprofit groups that provide
legal aid to immigrants. “At a time when the due process rights of immigrants are under
attack, this ruling prevents the BIA from reaching the point of near self-destruction,” Emilie
Raber, senior attorney at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, said in a statement. “We
hope that this decision is the first step of many steps in ensuring that immigration courts
reach decisions based on the law rather than on pre-determined outcomes.”
Source: Notus 3/9/2026
Judges Keep Ordering Immigration Hearings – But Say the Results Are Often a Sham
For months, the Trump administration has been engaged in an unprecedented campaign
to lock up thousands of immigrants with longstanding roots in the United States. And for
months, aghast federal judges have ordered ICE to give them a chance to prove they can
safely remain free while their deportation proceedings are pending. Increasingly, however,
judges are finding that the hearings they’re ordering — conducted by immigration judges
who work for the Trump administration — have been fundamentally flawed or even
pre-cooked, designed to result in findings of “danger to the community” or “flight risk”
without a fair consideration of the evidence. Some federal judges have required do-overs,
and others have grown so skeptical of the administration’s intentions that they’ve ordered
detainees released outright.
Source: Politico 3/26/26
March 6, 2026
Washington State
King County Council bars new ICE detention facilities for one year
The Metropolitan King County Council voted on 3/3 to ban any new detention centers in the county for at least the next year, becoming the latest local jurisdiction to attempt to block any new immigration detention facilities in the region. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement already has one of its largest detention facilities, the Northwest ICE Processing Center, in Tacoma. There is no confirmed information about ICE trying to open another new detention center locally.
Source: The Seattle Times 3/3/26
ICE blasts Washington mayor over directive restricting immigration enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accused Everett, Washington, Mayor Cassie Franklin of escalating tensions with federal authorities after she issued a directive limiting immigration enforcement in the city. Franklin issued a mayoral directive this week establishing citywide protocols for staff, including law enforcement, that restrict federal immigration agents from entering non-public areas of city buildings without a judicial warrant ."We’ve heard directly from residents who are afraid to leave their houses because of the concerning immigration activity happening locally and across our country. With this directive, we are setting clear protocols, protecting access to services and reinforcing our commitment to serving the entire community."
Source: Fox News 2/27/26
WA lawmakers target ICE detention center with tax, fine and oversight bills
The state has spent years litigating its ability to regulate the privately run federal Tacoma detention center, which holds immigrant detainees before deportation or release back into the United States. A trio of Bills in this legislative session (SB 6286, HB 2713, HB 2464) seek to impose stricter rules directed at the Tacoma facility’s operator the GEO Group. The Bills would address the GEO Group practice of not allowing state health inspectors inside, imposing stricter reporting requirements for incidents at the facility and adding a 1% surcharge on income from operating a private detention in the state. The proposals have all been heard in legislative committees recently, but have varying chances of reaching the finish line this year in the Legislature.
Source: The Seattle Times 2/27/26
Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 3/6/26
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link:
https://leg.wa.gov/ Go to - Find a bill or initiative and enter the Bill number We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session.
Bills we are tracking this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- has passed the Senate and House- passed third reading in rules
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington- In House Rules Committee-second review
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- Passed the Senate; In Rules Committee-second review
SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager- No longer advancing this session.
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement- In House Rules Committee for second reading
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records- Passed Senate and House Chambers- headed to Legislature for full vote before heading to Governor.
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions - In Rules Committee-second review
Additional Bills HB 2266 Housing; HB 2637 personal information; HB 2409 collective bargaining for agriculture workers- All still in Committee. SB 6386, HB 2713, HB2464 concerning operations at Tacoma Detention Center- All still in Committee.
Source: Washington State Legislature 3/6/26
Federal Agencies
Kristi Noem- Out as Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem was ousted Thursday as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Trump said he would nominate Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her at the end of the month. Noem’s firing is the most prominent dismissal of Trump’s second term. Her firing came after two consecutive days of combative congressional hearings during which she was questioned about everything from DHS officers’ aggressive tactics in Minnesota to her relationship with special government employee Corey Lewandowski.
White House officials suggested Noem wasn’t moving aggressively enough to build new detention centers using money allocated under Trump’s signature spending bill. Several governors had also told Trump they were unhappy with her handling of FEMA and disaster relief funds. Noem will now serve as special envoy of a Western Hemisphere security initiative called the “Shield of the Americas.”
Source: MS Now 3/5/26
Takeaways from AP’s report on the ICE detention center holding children and parents
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement booked more than 3,800 children into detention during the first nine months of the new Trump administration. On an average day, more than 220 children were being held, with most of those detained longer than 24 hours sent to Dilley Immigration Processing Center. The government is holding many children at Dilley well beyond the 20-day limit set by a longstanding court order. Many of those now sent to the facility have lived in the U.S. several years, according to lawyers and other observers, meaning children are being uprooted from the familiarity of schools, neighborhoods and many of the people who care for them. Parents and children recounted stressful conditions inside Dilley, including withheld medical care, foul drinking water, the difficulty of getting children to sleep in quarters where lights are kept on all night.
Source: AP News 2/28/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Judge Restores Lawmakers’ Unfettered Access to ICE Detention Facilities
The Department of Homeland Security may not bar members of Congress from making unannounced visits to ICE detention facilities, a federal judge ruled for the third time, blocking a policy imposed in January by Secretary Kristi Noem requiring a week’s notice before lawmakers could gain access. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled that Noem’s policy was crafted with funds that Congress specifically said could not be used to impede lawmakers’ visits to detention facilities, even if those visits are not announced in advance. And she rejected DHS’ claim that it had relied on alternative funding sources to craft and implement the policy — namely the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which directed unprecedented sums toward DHS operations. This time, Cobb’s ruling will block enforcement of the policy altogether, restoring full access to ICE detention facilities for all members of Congress. Cobb said her latest ruling was strengthened by the fact in recent months, “ICE’s enforcement and detention practices have become the focus of intense national and congressional interest.”
Source: Politico 3/2/2026
Catholic Bishops Push for End to ‘Immoral Birthright’ Citizenship Order at Supreme Court
U.S. Catholic bishops submitted an amicus brief in an appeal to the Supreme Court to strike down President Trump's "immoral" executive order on birthright citizenship.“ Children do nothing wrong by being born in the United States,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote. The bishops worried that Trump’s order would render the children of migrants stateless, leaving them without legal protection or access to basic services. Stateless children, the bishops said, would be forced to choose between forever being an underclass citizen or migrating to a country they have never known and in which they may not be welcome. In a day-one executive order, Trump declared that the children of individuals who do not have legal status or who possess temporary legal status would be excluded from the “priceless and profound gift” of United States citizenship. The White House said the new limits were justified because immigrants without legal status and foreigners participating in “birth tourism” had degraded the meaning and value of American citizenship. The birthright citizenship case is scheduled to be heard before the Supreme Court on April 1, 2026.
Source: Court House News 2/26/26
FEBRUARY 27, 2026
Washington State
Lynnwood votes to end Flock license plate cameras after immigration enforcement concerns
The Lynnwood City Council voted unanimously on Monday to terminate its contract with Flock Safety, the company that operates automated license plate reader cameras, after concerns that the system was used for immigration enforcement. Twenty-five cameras installed near busy intersections have been turned off for months, after questions arose about whether the system had been accessed for immigration-related searches. The city attorney said Monday the cameras will be removed, though no timeline was provided.
Source: KOMO News 2/23/26
Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 2/27/26
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link:
https://leg.wa.gov/ Go to - Find a bill or initiative and enter the Bill number We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session.
Bills we are tracking this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- has passed the Senate; In House Rules Committee for review
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington- In House Rules Committee-second review
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- Passed the Senate; In House Rules Committee-second review
SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager-Passed to House Rules Committee for second reading.
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement- In House Rules Committee for second reading
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records-Passed the House Chamber- Scheduled for Public Hearing in Senate Ways and Means
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions - In Rules Committee for second reading
Additional Bills HB 2266 Housing; HB 2637 personal information; HB 2409 collective bargaining for agriculture workers- Are all still in Committee.
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/27/26
Federal Agencies
New DHS Rule Would Make it Harder for Asylum Seekers to Get Employment Authorization
A new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed regulation is seeking significant new restrictions on the ability of asylum applicants to obtain employment authorization documents (EADs.) If implemented, the regulation would make it more difficult and time-consuming for an asylum applicant to obtain employment authorization, delaying their ability to enter the workforce. The proposal would also make it more difficult for work-authorized foreign nationals in immigration programs set for termination or expiration – such as Temporary Protected Status or humanitarian parole – to pursue asylum while continuing to work. DHS is accepting public feedback on the proposed rule through April 24, 2026. The regulation will not become final until it clears the Office of Management and Budget rulemaking process.
Source: Fragomen 2/23/26
Submit public comment by following this link: https://www.regulations.gov/
Trump administration moves to end housing assistance for mixed immigration status families
The Trump administration took steps on Thursday toward ending federal housing assistance for households with mixed immigration status. Under the proposed rule, a family would not be eligible for assistance unless every member residing in a household is determined to have eligible status. It would permit prorated assistance for certain families temporarily to allow the time needed to complete verification or due process, according to the department. The rule would also require verification of citizenship and eligible immigration status for people seeking federal housing assistance. National Housing Law Project executive director Shamus Roller decried the move, which he said would evict tens of thousands of families with mixed immigration status from HUD housing and put many other federally-assisted tenants at risk. The proposed rule has a public comment period until 4/21/26.
Submit public comment here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/20/2026-03405/housing-and-community-development-act-of-1980-verification-of-eligible-status
Source: Reuters 2/19/26
ICE Contractors Reap Huge Profits From Unprecedented Funding Surge
In the first year of Trump’s second term, ICE contract spending surged with nearly 70% of the total $5.4 billion budget concentrated among just 10 companies. Many of these top earners are major political donors or have lobbied for legislation that tripled ICE’s budget and were awarded huge federal contracts as reported by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). The Top 5 ICE contractors and their current contract awards are: CSI Aviation $1.23 Billion; GEO Group $710 Million; Acquisition Logistics $598 Million; Tribalco $305 Million; Core Civic $269 Million.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/20/26;
Project On Government Oversight
As ICE scales up hiring, whistleblower documents reveal deep cuts to training program
New whistleblower documents detail substantial cuts by the Trump administration to the training requirements for new immigration officers. ICE has eliminated more than a dozen practical exams that officers previously needed to graduate as well as an overall reduction in training time. The training reductions come as ICE plans to add more than 4,000 new enforcement officers in the current fiscal year. Earlier this month, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons testified to Congress that the agency had reduced the number of training days to 42 from 75. Ryan Schwank, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement academy instructor who resigned Feb 13th said he watched ICE leadership dismantle its training program. What remains, he said, is a “dangerous husk.”
Source: Los Angeles Times 2/23/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Court Says the IRS Can Share Immigrants’ Taxpayer data with ICE
A Washington, D.C., federal court on Tuesday rejected a request from an immigrant rights group to temporarily block the IRS from sharing certain taxpayer data that could make it easier to identify and deport people who are in the U.S. illegally. A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to issue a preliminary injunction for the non-profit groups that are suing the federal government over the data-sharing agreement signed last April by the Treasury and Homeland Security departments. The agreement allows the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records. In declining the preliminary injunction request, Judge Harry T. Edwards wrote that the nonprofit groups “are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim,” since the information the agencies are sharing isn’t covered by the IRS privacy statute.
Source: AP News 2/24/26
Judge Condemns ‘Terror Against Noncitizens’ and Orders Hearings for Detainees
In a fiery ruling that accused the government of widespread noncompliance with judicial orders, Federal Judge Sunshine S. Sykes ordered Homeland Security to provide thousands of immigrants detained nationwide with notice that they can join a lawsuit against the government and get either a hearing or be immediately released. The order comes as district court judges across the country whose dockets are swamped with petitions from immigrants challenging their detention have been increasingly muscular in their response to the executive branch disregarding their orders, compiling lists of violations and in one instance holding a Justice Department lawyer in civil contempt of court. If put in place the order would create a major procedural roadblock for the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort.
Source: New York Times 2/19/26
Judges Grow Angry over Trump Administration Violating Their Orders
A New York Times review of federal dockets found at least 35 instances since August in which federal district court or magistrate judges issued an order requiring the government to explain why it should not be punished for violating court orders, essentially giving officials one last chance to explain themselves. Those so-called “show cause” orders came from judges in California, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, West Virginia and Puerto Rico. They all arose from cases in which the government had detained immigrants who had been living in the United States for years after entering the country illegally. They represent the culmination of weeks of frustration from the bench. Judges have castigated administration officials for testifying dishonestly, representing the law inaccurately, and above all, failing to comply promptly with their orders. “We’re at a moment where the courts are trying to figure out whether the Trump administration is systematically ignoring court orders, or whether it’s a function of overload plus incompetence plus an attitude of disrespect,” said Harvard professor Noah Feldman.
Source: New York Times 2/23/2026
Lynnwood votes to end Flock license plate cameras after immigration enforcement concerns
The Lynnwood City Council voted unanimously on Monday to terminate its contract with Flock Safety, the company that operates automated license plate reader cameras, after concerns that the system was used for immigration enforcement. Twenty-five cameras installed near busy intersections have been turned off for months, after questions arose about whether the system had been accessed for immigration-related searches. The city attorney said Monday the cameras will be removed, though no timeline was provided.
Source: KOMO News 2/23/26
Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 2/27/26
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link:
https://leg.wa.gov/ Go to - Find a bill or initiative and enter the Bill number We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session.
Bills we are tracking this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- has passed the Senate; In House Rules Committee for review
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington- In House Rules Committee-second review
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections (Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- Passed the Senate; In House Rules Committee-second review
SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager-Passed to House Rules Committee for second reading.
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement- In House Rules Committee for second reading
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records-Passed the House Chamber- Scheduled for Public Hearing in Senate Ways and Means
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions - In Rules Committee for second reading
Additional Bills HB 2266 Housing; HB 2637 personal information; HB 2409 collective bargaining for agriculture workers- Are all still in Committee.
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/27/26
Federal Agencies
New DHS Rule Would Make it Harder for Asylum Seekers to Get Employment Authorization
A new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed regulation is seeking significant new restrictions on the ability of asylum applicants to obtain employment authorization documents (EADs.) If implemented, the regulation would make it more difficult and time-consuming for an asylum applicant to obtain employment authorization, delaying their ability to enter the workforce. The proposal would also make it more difficult for work-authorized foreign nationals in immigration programs set for termination or expiration – such as Temporary Protected Status or humanitarian parole – to pursue asylum while continuing to work. DHS is accepting public feedback on the proposed rule through April 24, 2026. The regulation will not become final until it clears the Office of Management and Budget rulemaking process.
Source: Fragomen 2/23/26
Submit public comment by following this link: https://www.regulations.gov/
Trump administration moves to end housing assistance for mixed immigration status families
The Trump administration took steps on Thursday toward ending federal housing assistance for households with mixed immigration status. Under the proposed rule, a family would not be eligible for assistance unless every member residing in a household is determined to have eligible status. It would permit prorated assistance for certain families temporarily to allow the time needed to complete verification or due process, according to the department. The rule would also require verification of citizenship and eligible immigration status for people seeking federal housing assistance. National Housing Law Project executive director Shamus Roller decried the move, which he said would evict tens of thousands of families with mixed immigration status from HUD housing and put many other federally-assisted tenants at risk. The proposed rule has a public comment period until 4/21/26.
Submit public comment here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/20/2026-03405/housing-and-community-development-act-of-1980-verification-of-eligible-status
Source: Reuters 2/19/26
ICE Contractors Reap Huge Profits From Unprecedented Funding Surge
In the first year of Trump’s second term, ICE contract spending surged with nearly 70% of the total $5.4 billion budget concentrated among just 10 companies. Many of these top earners are major political donors or have lobbied for legislation that tripled ICE’s budget and were awarded huge federal contracts as reported by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). The Top 5 ICE contractors and their current contract awards are: CSI Aviation $1.23 Billion; GEO Group $710 Million; Acquisition Logistics $598 Million; Tribalco $305 Million; Core Civic $269 Million.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/20/26;
Project On Government Oversight
As ICE scales up hiring, whistleblower documents reveal deep cuts to training program
New whistleblower documents detail substantial cuts by the Trump administration to the training requirements for new immigration officers. ICE has eliminated more than a dozen practical exams that officers previously needed to graduate as well as an overall reduction in training time. The training reductions come as ICE plans to add more than 4,000 new enforcement officers in the current fiscal year. Earlier this month, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons testified to Congress that the agency had reduced the number of training days to 42 from 75. Ryan Schwank, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement academy instructor who resigned Feb 13th said he watched ICE leadership dismantle its training program. What remains, he said, is a “dangerous husk.”
Source: Los Angeles Times 2/23/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Court Says the IRS Can Share Immigrants’ Taxpayer data with ICE
A Washington, D.C., federal court on Tuesday rejected a request from an immigrant rights group to temporarily block the IRS from sharing certain taxpayer data that could make it easier to identify and deport people who are in the U.S. illegally. A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to issue a preliminary injunction for the non-profit groups that are suing the federal government over the data-sharing agreement signed last April by the Treasury and Homeland Security departments. The agreement allows the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records. In declining the preliminary injunction request, Judge Harry T. Edwards wrote that the nonprofit groups “are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim,” since the information the agencies are sharing isn’t covered by the IRS privacy statute.
Source: AP News 2/24/26
Judge Condemns ‘Terror Against Noncitizens’ and Orders Hearings for Detainees
In a fiery ruling that accused the government of widespread noncompliance with judicial orders, Federal Judge Sunshine S. Sykes ordered Homeland Security to provide thousands of immigrants detained nationwide with notice that they can join a lawsuit against the government and get either a hearing or be immediately released. The order comes as district court judges across the country whose dockets are swamped with petitions from immigrants challenging their detention have been increasingly muscular in their response to the executive branch disregarding their orders, compiling lists of violations and in one instance holding a Justice Department lawyer in civil contempt of court. If put in place the order would create a major procedural roadblock for the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort.
Source: New York Times 2/19/26
Judges Grow Angry over Trump Administration Violating Their Orders
A New York Times review of federal dockets found at least 35 instances since August in which federal district court or magistrate judges issued an order requiring the government to explain why it should not be punished for violating court orders, essentially giving officials one last chance to explain themselves. Those so-called “show cause” orders came from judges in California, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, West Virginia and Puerto Rico. They all arose from cases in which the government had detained immigrants who had been living in the United States for years after entering the country illegally. They represent the culmination of weeks of frustration from the bench. Judges have castigated administration officials for testifying dishonestly, representing the law inaccurately, and above all, failing to comply promptly with their orders. “We’re at a moment where the courts are trying to figure out whether the Trump administration is systematically ignoring court orders, or whether it’s a function of overload plus incompetence plus an attitude of disrespect,” said Harvard professor Noah Feldman.
Source: New York Times 2/23/2026
FEBRUARY 20, 2026
Washington State
Lawsuit accuses WA ICE detention center staff of assault, sexual abuse
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court describes alleged incidents of groping, beating and injury and contends they are part of a pattern of misconduct by officers of the GEO Group, the private Florida-based company that runs the Northwest ICE Processing Center. Filed on behalf of three men, the lawsuit seeks to hold GEO and two officers liable for monetary damages and accountable for alleged negligence and emotional distress. The complaint makes sweeping allegations, including falsifying reports to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “sham” internal investigations, denying medical care and hiring openly racist guards.
Source: Seattle Times 2/6/26
Port Angeles turns off its license plate-reading cameras
On Feb. 6th three Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras in Port Angeles were turned off and uninstalled following public concerns. ALPR cameras have come under increased scrutiny in the state as evidenced by the Washington State Senate passing Senate Bill 6002 which would require ALPR data to be deleted within 21 days unless needed for police evidence. The bill also would prohibit police from sharing the information except for court proceedings and limit where ALPRs could be installed, keeping them away from schools, churches, courts or food banks. The bill now heads to the House chamber.
Source: Peninsula Daily News 2/13/26
Multiple agencies move to block potential ICE expansion in King County
A series of proposals from local leaders across King County aim to block the expansion of federal immigration presence in the region.The city of Seattle has proposed a 365-day moratorium on new or expanded detention centers within city limits. In King County, legislation has been proposed that would bar ICE officers from entering non-public areas of county owned or controlled properties without a judicial warrant, and prohibit the use of county property as staging areas, processing centers or operational bases for civil immigration enforcement. The SeaTac City Council this week adopted a temporary moratorium on establishing or expanding detention facilities within city limits and the Seattle Port Commission plans to introduce an order that would prohibit new or expanded uses of Port of Seattle properties for immigration detention or enforcement staging operations.“We’re working across local governments — port, city, county — because we’re experiencing a lot of the same things,” Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck said. “Legislation like this will have a multiplier effect if more and more cities take this up.”
Source: KOMO News 2/13/26
Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 2/12/26
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link:
https://leg.wa.gov/ Go to- Find a bill or initiative and enter the Bill number We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session.
Bills we are tracking this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- has passed the Senate; In Executive Session in House Committee on Community Safety
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington- In Executive Session in the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections/(Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- Passed the Senate; In Executive Session in the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary
SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager-Passed to House Rules Committee for second reading.
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement- In House Rules Committee for second reading
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records-Passed the House Chamber- In Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions - In Rules Committee for second reading HB 2266 Housing; HB 2637 personal information; HB 2409 collective bargaining for agriculture workers- Are all still in Committee.
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/18/26
Federal Agencies
Agreements that allow local police to work with ICE Skyrocket
The Trump administration has called on local law enforcement to support its growing deportation operations nationwide, reviving a controversial “task force” model that allows local police officers to be deputized by ICE to stop people and make arrests based on
suspicion that someone is in the country illegally. The Task Force Model was discontinued by the Obama administration over accusations of racial profiling. Under the program, police are “deputized” to ICE while they’re also expected to continue doing their regular work. Agreements that allow officers to make federal immigration arrests have increased by 950% in the first year of Trump’s second term, according to a new analysis of ICE data. 39 states currently have policing agencies participating in Task Force operations.
Source: NBC News 2/16/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Federal Judge Orders Return of Venezuelans Deported to Notorious Prison in El Salvador
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return to the United States from Venezuela of nearly 140 Venezuelan men who were sent to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison last March and accused without evidence of being gang members. On Thursday, Judge James E. Boasberg directed Trump officials to bring the men back to fight their cases in a U.S. court after being denied due process when they were expelled under the wartime Alien Enemies Act — secretly flown to El Salvador despite an emergency court order blocking their removal. Some of the men had pending asylum cases. Boasberg’s ruling is being described as one of the toughest steps taken against Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Source: Democracy Now 2/13/26
U.S. Deports Nine Migrants in Secret
In a secret deportation arrangement, the Trump administration flew nine people, nearly all of whom had been granted U.S. court protections from being sent back to their home countries, to the African nation of Cameroon in January. None of them are from Cameroon, according to government documents obtained by The New York Times and lawyers for the deportees, and the United States has not made any public deal with Cameroon to accept deportees who hail from other nations. Most of those migrants and their lawyers say they have been detained since then at a state-owned compound in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. They say they’ve been told by local authorities that they cannot leave the facility unless they agree to return to their home countries, from which they fled to escape war or persecution.
Source: New York Times 2/14/2026
Lawsuit accuses WA ICE detention center staff of assault, sexual abuse
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court describes alleged incidents of groping, beating and injury and contends they are part of a pattern of misconduct by officers of the GEO Group, the private Florida-based company that runs the Northwest ICE Processing Center. Filed on behalf of three men, the lawsuit seeks to hold GEO and two officers liable for monetary damages and accountable for alleged negligence and emotional distress. The complaint makes sweeping allegations, including falsifying reports to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “sham” internal investigations, denying medical care and hiring openly racist guards.
Source: Seattle Times 2/6/26
Port Angeles turns off its license plate-reading cameras
On Feb. 6th three Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras in Port Angeles were turned off and uninstalled following public concerns. ALPR cameras have come under increased scrutiny in the state as evidenced by the Washington State Senate passing Senate Bill 6002 which would require ALPR data to be deleted within 21 days unless needed for police evidence. The bill also would prohibit police from sharing the information except for court proceedings and limit where ALPRs could be installed, keeping them away from schools, churches, courts or food banks. The bill now heads to the House chamber.
Source: Peninsula Daily News 2/13/26
Multiple agencies move to block potential ICE expansion in King County
A series of proposals from local leaders across King County aim to block the expansion of federal immigration presence in the region.The city of Seattle has proposed a 365-day moratorium on new or expanded detention centers within city limits. In King County, legislation has been proposed that would bar ICE officers from entering non-public areas of county owned or controlled properties without a judicial warrant, and prohibit the use of county property as staging areas, processing centers or operational bases for civil immigration enforcement. The SeaTac City Council this week adopted a temporary moratorium on establishing or expanding detention facilities within city limits and the Seattle Port Commission plans to introduce an order that would prohibit new or expanded uses of Port of Seattle properties for immigration detention or enforcement staging operations.“We’re working across local governments — port, city, county — because we’re experiencing a lot of the same things,” Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck said. “Legislation like this will have a multiplier effect if more and more cities take this up.”
Source: KOMO News 2/13/26
Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 2/12/26
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link:
https://leg.wa.gov/ Go to- Find a bill or initiative and enter the Bill number We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session.
Bills we are tracking this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- has passed the Senate; In Executive Session in House Committee on Community Safety
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington- In Executive Session in the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections/(Flock/ALPR) camera regulation- Passed the Senate; In Executive Session in the House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary
SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager-Passed to House Rules Committee for second reading.
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement- In House Rules Committee for second reading
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records-Passed the House Chamber- In Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions - In Rules Committee for second reading HB 2266 Housing; HB 2637 personal information; HB 2409 collective bargaining for agriculture workers- Are all still in Committee.
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/18/26
Federal Agencies
Agreements that allow local police to work with ICE Skyrocket
The Trump administration has called on local law enforcement to support its growing deportation operations nationwide, reviving a controversial “task force” model that allows local police officers to be deputized by ICE to stop people and make arrests based on
suspicion that someone is in the country illegally. The Task Force Model was discontinued by the Obama administration over accusations of racial profiling. Under the program, police are “deputized” to ICE while they’re also expected to continue doing their regular work. Agreements that allow officers to make federal immigration arrests have increased by 950% in the first year of Trump’s second term, according to a new analysis of ICE data. 39 states currently have policing agencies participating in Task Force operations.
Source: NBC News 2/16/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Federal Judge Orders Return of Venezuelans Deported to Notorious Prison in El Salvador
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return to the United States from Venezuela of nearly 140 Venezuelan men who were sent to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison last March and accused without evidence of being gang members. On Thursday, Judge James E. Boasberg directed Trump officials to bring the men back to fight their cases in a U.S. court after being denied due process when they were expelled under the wartime Alien Enemies Act — secretly flown to El Salvador despite an emergency court order blocking their removal. Some of the men had pending asylum cases. Boasberg’s ruling is being described as one of the toughest steps taken against Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Source: Democracy Now 2/13/26
U.S. Deports Nine Migrants in Secret
In a secret deportation arrangement, the Trump administration flew nine people, nearly all of whom had been granted U.S. court protections from being sent back to their home countries, to the African nation of Cameroon in January. None of them are from Cameroon, according to government documents obtained by The New York Times and lawyers for the deportees, and the United States has not made any public deal with Cameroon to accept deportees who hail from other nations. Most of those migrants and their lawyers say they have been detained since then at a state-owned compound in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. They say they’ve been told by local authorities that they cannot leave the facility unless they agree to return to their home countries, from which they fled to escape war or persecution.
Source: New York Times 2/14/2026
February 13, 2026
Washington State
Proposed block on WA police hiring ICE agents fizzles out in Legislature A proposal to bar law enforcement in Washington from employing former federal immigration agents hired under President Donald Trump won’t move forward this year in the Washington Legislature. House Bill 2641 would have prohibited bringing on officers who held jobs in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency under Trump’s administration. The Bill did not move past the House Community Safety Committee on Tuesday. Gov. Bob Ferguson said that while he hadn’t read the bill, he was “open to it.” “I think I’ve been pretty clear: anything that’s addressing the situation with ICE, I’m more than happy to have a conversation,” he said. Source: Washington Standard 2/3/26
Digital Ad Targets Palantir Employees; including Seattle
314 Action, a science advocacy group, launched an ad campaign Monday targeting Palantir employees. The message being sent to Palantir engineers reads “ICE is using your technology to terrorize communities. Use your power. Speak up.” The ad will track Palantir employees and will pop up on their phones giving a taste of what surveillance feels like when you’re on the receiving end. Palantir’s software, called FALCON, aggregates data from license plate readers, utility bills, employment records, hospital visits, and cellphone towers. By targeting Palantir employees, 314 Action is hoping that the engineers who built this system might still have a conscience.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/10/26
New: Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 2/12/26
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link: https://leg.wa.gov/ Go to- Find a bill or initiative and enter the Bill number. We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session.
Bills we are tracking this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- has passed the Senate; Passed Third Reading in Rules Committee
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington- In second reading in Rules Committee
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections/(Flock/ALPR) camera regulation-Passed the third reading in the Rules Committee SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager- In Senate Rules Committee, 2nd reading
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement- In Rules Committee for second reading HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records-In Rules Committee for second reading ; On house floor calendar
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions - In Rules Committee for second reading
In addition to Immigration legislation, the following Bills related to housing (HB 2266)-In Rules Committee; second reading; safeguarding personal information (HB 2637)- In Rules Committee; second reading;
On house floor calendar
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/11/26
Federal Agencies
Three Democratic Bills That Would Essentially Abolish ICE Three Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation that would effectively dismantle t ICE’s enforcement apparatus. The Abolish ICE Act would terminate ICE’s operations 90 days after enactment, rescinding federal funds to the agency entirely. The Make Housing Affordable And Defend Democracy Act would redirect $175 billion from ICE and Customs and Border Protection toward affordable housing initiatives. The MELT ICE Act would end DHS funding for immigrant detention and monitoring, terminate existing detention contracts within two years, and redirect those funds to community services including housing and healthcare in areas. All three bills face near-certain death in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. But the legislative push reflects shifting public sentiment: recent polling shows, for the first time since ICE’s creation in 2003, more Americans support abolishing the agency than keeping it.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/2/26
Democrats demand new restrictions to Trump’s immigration crack down and threaten a DHS shutdown Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is “incomplete and insufficient” as they demand new restrictions on Trump’s immigration crackdown and threaten a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department. Among the Democrats’ demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and a stop to racial profiling. Democratic leaders said Tuesday that a Republican counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and does not address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” The Democrats’ rejection of the Republican counteroffer comes as time is running short, with a shutdown to begin Saturday.
Source: Associated Press 2/10/26
Local police aid ICE by tapping school cameras amid Trump’s immigration crackdown
Police departments across the US are quietly leveraging school district security cameras to assist Donald Trump’s mass immigration enforcement campaign. Hundreds of thousands of audit logs spanning a month show police are searching a national database of automated license plate reader data from school cameras for immigration-related investigations. The data raises questions about the degree to which campus surveillance technology intended for student safety is being repurposed to support immigration enforcement. That school district cameras are part of the immigration dragnet has not been previously reported.
Source: The Guardian 2/10/26
Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in Trump's 1st year back in office had violent criminal records, document shows
Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News. The official statistics contained in the DHS document, which had not been previously reported publicly, provide the most detailed look yet into who ICE has arrested during the Trump administration's far-reaching deportation operations across the U.S. The internal DHS figures undermine frequent assertions by the Trump administration that its crackdown on illegal immigration is primarily targeting dangerous and violent criminals living in the U.S. illegally.
Source: CBS News 2/9/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Trump's Immigration Detention Policy
A divided appeals court upheld the Trump administration’s policy of placing people arrested in its immigration crackdown in mandatory detention without an opportunity to be released on bond. The decision by a conservative 2-1 panel of the New Orleans 5th Circuit Court marked the first time an appeals court had upheld the policy and came despite hundreds of lower-court judges nationally declaring it unlawful. Bucking a long-standing interpretation of the law, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last year took the position that non-citizens already in the U.S., not just those who arrive at a port of entry at the border, qualify as 'applications for admission,' - meaning they are subject to mandatory detention while their cases are being processed through the immigration courts. The ruling will most likely end up in the Supreme Court as other appeals courts take up the issue.
Source: NBC 2/6/26
Second judge blocks IRS from sharing taxpayer information with ICE
The Trump administration was dealt another setback Thursday in its effort to use taxpayer information to track down undocumented immigrants, as a second federal judge ordered the IRS to stop sharing residential addresses with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said the information sharing potentially violated taxpayer privacy rights. She blocked the agencies from sharing the data until the court can review the case further and barred ICE from using information already provided by the IRS. Beyond the possible violation of taxpayer privacy laws, Talwani cited the chilling effect the data sharing may have on tax filing by immigrants and the risk that people will be wrongfully arrested due to mistaken identity.
Source: Politico 2/5/2026
Proposed block on WA police hiring ICE agents fizzles out in Legislature A proposal to bar law enforcement in Washington from employing former federal immigration agents hired under President Donald Trump won’t move forward this year in the Washington Legislature. House Bill 2641 would have prohibited bringing on officers who held jobs in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency under Trump’s administration. The Bill did not move past the House Community Safety Committee on Tuesday. Gov. Bob Ferguson said that while he hadn’t read the bill, he was “open to it.” “I think I’ve been pretty clear: anything that’s addressing the situation with ICE, I’m more than happy to have a conversation,” he said. Source: Washington Standard 2/3/26
Digital Ad Targets Palantir Employees; including Seattle
314 Action, a science advocacy group, launched an ad campaign Monday targeting Palantir employees. The message being sent to Palantir engineers reads “ICE is using your technology to terrorize communities. Use your power. Speak up.” The ad will track Palantir employees and will pop up on their phones giving a taste of what surveillance feels like when you’re on the receiving end. Palantir’s software, called FALCON, aggregates data from license plate readers, utility bills, employment records, hospital visits, and cellphone towers. By targeting Palantir employees, 314 Action is hoping that the engineers who built this system might still have a conscience.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/10/26
New: Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking Updates as of 2/12/26
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link: https://leg.wa.gov/ Go to- Find a bill or initiative and enter the Bill number. We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session.
Bills we are tracking this session:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement- has passed the Senate; Passed Third Reading in Rules Committee
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington- In second reading in Rules Committee
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections/(Flock/ALPR) camera regulation-Passed the third reading in the Rules Committee SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager- In Senate Rules Committee, 2nd reading
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement- In Rules Committee for second reading HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records-In Rules Committee for second reading ; On house floor calendar
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions - In Rules Committee for second reading
In addition to Immigration legislation, the following Bills related to housing (HB 2266)-In Rules Committee; second reading; safeguarding personal information (HB 2637)- In Rules Committee; second reading;
On house floor calendar
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/11/26
Federal Agencies
Three Democratic Bills That Would Essentially Abolish ICE Three Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation that would effectively dismantle t ICE’s enforcement apparatus. The Abolish ICE Act would terminate ICE’s operations 90 days after enactment, rescinding federal funds to the agency entirely. The Make Housing Affordable And Defend Democracy Act would redirect $175 billion from ICE and Customs and Border Protection toward affordable housing initiatives. The MELT ICE Act would end DHS funding for immigrant detention and monitoring, terminate existing detention contracts within two years, and redirect those funds to community services including housing and healthcare in areas. All three bills face near-certain death in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. But the legislative push reflects shifting public sentiment: recent polling shows, for the first time since ICE’s creation in 2003, more Americans support abolishing the agency than keeping it.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/2/26
Democrats demand new restrictions to Trump’s immigration crack down and threaten a DHS shutdown Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is “incomplete and insufficient” as they demand new restrictions on Trump’s immigration crackdown and threaten a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department. Among the Democrats’ demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and a stop to racial profiling. Democratic leaders said Tuesday that a Republican counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and does not address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” The Democrats’ rejection of the Republican counteroffer comes as time is running short, with a shutdown to begin Saturday.
Source: Associated Press 2/10/26
Local police aid ICE by tapping school cameras amid Trump’s immigration crackdown
Police departments across the US are quietly leveraging school district security cameras to assist Donald Trump’s mass immigration enforcement campaign. Hundreds of thousands of audit logs spanning a month show police are searching a national database of automated license plate reader data from school cameras for immigration-related investigations. The data raises questions about the degree to which campus surveillance technology intended for student safety is being repurposed to support immigration enforcement. That school district cameras are part of the immigration dragnet has not been previously reported.
Source: The Guardian 2/10/26
Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in Trump's 1st year back in office had violent criminal records, document shows
Less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first year back in the White House had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News. The official statistics contained in the DHS document, which had not been previously reported publicly, provide the most detailed look yet into who ICE has arrested during the Trump administration's far-reaching deportation operations across the U.S. The internal DHS figures undermine frequent assertions by the Trump administration that its crackdown on illegal immigration is primarily targeting dangerous and violent criminals living in the U.S. illegally.
Source: CBS News 2/9/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Trump's Immigration Detention Policy
A divided appeals court upheld the Trump administration’s policy of placing people arrested in its immigration crackdown in mandatory detention without an opportunity to be released on bond. The decision by a conservative 2-1 panel of the New Orleans 5th Circuit Court marked the first time an appeals court had upheld the policy and came despite hundreds of lower-court judges nationally declaring it unlawful. Bucking a long-standing interpretation of the law, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last year took the position that non-citizens already in the U.S., not just those who arrive at a port of entry at the border, qualify as 'applications for admission,' - meaning they are subject to mandatory detention while their cases are being processed through the immigration courts. The ruling will most likely end up in the Supreme Court as other appeals courts take up the issue.
Source: NBC 2/6/26
Second judge blocks IRS from sharing taxpayer information with ICE
The Trump administration was dealt another setback Thursday in its effort to use taxpayer information to track down undocumented immigrants, as a second federal judge ordered the IRS to stop sharing residential addresses with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said the information sharing potentially violated taxpayer privacy rights. She blocked the agencies from sharing the data until the court can review the case further and barred ICE from using information already provided by the IRS. Beyond the possible violation of taxpayer privacy laws, Talwani cited the chilling effect the data sharing may have on tax filing by immigrants and the risk that people will be wrongfully arrested due to mistaken identity.
Source: Politico 2/5/2026
February 6, 2026
Washington State
Port Townsend Police Department and Jefferson County sheriff address concerns over ICE
The city of Port Townsend released a statement Saturday reinforcing the city’s policy toward immigration enforcement. It cited the Keep Washington Working Act, which prohibits state and local agencies from assisting ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) with federal immigration enforcement. Port Townsend Police Chief Thomas Olson said if residents observe ICE presence, they should call 911. Jefferson County Sheriff Andy Pernsteiner also stated that the purpose of his office is to protect the community and to keep the peace. Jefferson County Immigration Rights Advocates (JCIRA) board member Jean Walat issued a statement speaking for herself as an individual. “I echo the reactions of many loyal Americans who have been horrified by the murders of American citizens exercising their right to protest the illegal and contemptible actions of ICE agents in Minnesota and elsewhere,” JCIRA hosts a number of immigration support services. Educational resources can be found at www.jcira.org.
Source: Peninsula Daily News 1/28/26
New: Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link: https://leg.wa.gov/
Go to- Find a bill or initiative and enter the bill number. We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session. Bills we are tracking this session are:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement has passed the Senate and now goes to the House
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections/(Flock/ALPR) camera regulation-This Bill has passed the Senate and now moves to the House
SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions.
In addition to Immigration legislation, the following Bills related to housing (HB 2102), poverty (HB 2266), and safeguarding personal information (HB 2637) have also been introduced in the House.
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/3/26
Research Update: WA DOL Continues “Roadside Assists” to ICE/CBP Immigration Investigations Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) continues “roadside assists” to ICE/CBP immigration investigations. In January 2026, officials claimed to have cut off ICE’s access to DOL data. Yet the vast majority of DOL database queries are performed by CBP, as seen in DOL’s data confirmed by researchers at UW. The state has not taken action to cut off CBP, which means Washington drivers’ data remains vulnerable. Nine cases in which ICE or CBP queried DOL data prior to conducting immigration arrests on Washington roads have been documented.
Source: University of Washington Center for Human Rights 1/27/26
Federal Agencies
DOJ Empowers Board of Immigration Appeals to Strip Due Process From Migrants
In a move advocates are calling a catastrophic blow to due process, the Department of Justice is set to publish a sweeping “Interim Final Rule” tomorrow that effectively dismantles the right to administrative appellate review for millions of people in the immigration system. The new policy transforms the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) from a mandatory review body into a discretionary one. Under the rule, the default outcome for all appeals will now be summary dismissal unless a majority of permanent Board members specifically vote together on the bench to accept the case for adjudication on the merits. The Department’s primary justification for this radical shift is a massive backlog that has swelled to over 200,000 pending cases as of late 2025. Rather than increasing resources to provide meaningful review, the DOJ is choosing to “streamline” the process by simply closing the door on most appellants.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/5/26
How the Pentagon is Quietly Building Trump’s Concentration Camps
A massive Navy contract once valued at $10 billion, has ballooned to a staggering $55 billion to expedite President Donald Trump’s “mass deportation” agenda. The mechanism for this expansion is the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract (WEXMAC), originally designed for military logistics abroad. In a move to bypass traditional competition delays, the Navy’s Supply Systems Command has repurposed the vehicle for “TITUS”—Territorial Integrity of the United States. This $45 billion increase, published just weeks ago, converts the U.S. into a “geographic region” for expeditionary military-style detention. It signals a massive, long-term escalation in the government’s capacity to pay for detention and deportation logistics. Source: Migrant Insider 2/1/26
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Administrative subpoenas are a powerful legal tool that, unlike the ones people are most familiar with, federal agencies can issue without an order from a judge or grand jury. Proponents describe administrative subpoenas as critical tools that allow investigators to avoid protracted judicial reviews to obtain information. With no external bureaucracy, the government can obtain phone, financial and internet records in days.
Source: The Washington Post 2/3/26
SBA says legal permanent residents will be ineligible for its loan program, as of March 1
The Small Business Administration said in a policy note that green card holders as well as lawful permanent residents won't be allowed to apply for SBA loans, effective March 1. Last year, the SBA tightened a requirement that businesses applying for loans must be 100% owned by U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or lawful permanent residents, up from a 51% standard. “The latest decision by SBA fails to recognize that immigrants are twice as likely to start a business as native-born U.S. citizens,” said Small Business Majority CEO John Arensmeyer. “Given that reality, SBA’s severe restrictions will have a negative impact on small business creation throughout this country for years to come.”
Source: AP News 2/3/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Woman Sued for Nearly $1 Million for Failing to Self-Deport
The Trump administration sued a Virginia woman for almost $1 million as part of an escalating drive to get undocumented immigrants to leave the U.S. by levying court-imposed fines. In addition to the lawsuits, the federal government has the ability to enforce the penalties through wage garnishment, seizing and selling assets and by calling in private debt collectors. The government can also insist that any uncollected penalties owed by those who are deported be paid in the unlikely event they are allowed to return to the U.S .Immigrant rights advocates say the huge tallies of fines are fanciful because many or most of those sent such bills work in minimum wage jobs. A class action lawsuit filed in November contends that the new fine mechanism is illegal because it denies due process to immigrants targeted for the penalties.
Source: Politico 1/29/2026
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks End of Protection for Haitians
A federal judge late on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending humanitarian protection for more than 350,000 Haitians, who have been able to live and work in the United States under what is known as Temporary Protected Status, or T.P.S. In a scathing, 83-page ruling, Judge Ana Reyes said that the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, did not have the authority to end the status and that her arguments that maintaining T.P.S. for Haitians was not in the national interest were flawed. She also said the administration was motivated, at least in part, by racial animus against Haiti, which is a majority Black country, and that its termination ran afoul of the law. The judge’s decision was anxiously anticipated in Haitian communities, not least in Springfield, Ohio, the small city that was thrust into the national immigration debate after President Trump echoed baseless rumors during his campaign in late 2024 that Haitians there had been eating their neighbors’ pets.
Source: New York Times 2/2/2026
Judge blocks DHS policy to keep House Dems from visiting detention facilities unannounced
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that prevented members of Congress from making unannounced oversight visits at facilities that hold immigrants. The temporary restraining order from U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb of District of Columbia federal court blocked a seven-day notice requirement that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem established earlier this month. The order allows congressional Democrats to access facilities that are central to the national debate over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Source: News from the States 2/2/2026
Port Townsend Police Department and Jefferson County sheriff address concerns over ICE
The city of Port Townsend released a statement Saturday reinforcing the city’s policy toward immigration enforcement. It cited the Keep Washington Working Act, which prohibits state and local agencies from assisting ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) with federal immigration enforcement. Port Townsend Police Chief Thomas Olson said if residents observe ICE presence, they should call 911. Jefferson County Sheriff Andy Pernsteiner also stated that the purpose of his office is to protect the community and to keep the peace. Jefferson County Immigration Rights Advocates (JCIRA) board member Jean Walat issued a statement speaking for herself as an individual. “I echo the reactions of many loyal Americans who have been horrified by the murders of American citizens exercising their right to protest the illegal and contemptible actions of ICE agents in Minnesota and elsewhere,” JCIRA hosts a number of immigration support services. Educational resources can be found at www.jcira.org.
Source: Peninsula Daily News 1/28/26
New: Washington State Legislature Bill Tracking
The JCIRA LPT Team would like to highlight the following bills in the Washington State legislative session that could most impact immigrants in our community. You may track their progress and contact your Representatives at the following link: https://leg.wa.gov/
Go to- Find a bill or initiative and enter the bill number. We will also provide periodic updates if a bill we are tracking hits a new milestone, or fails to meet the criteria to advance this legislative session. Bills we are tracking this session are:
SB 5855 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement has passed the Senate and now goes to the House
SB 5906 Establishing personal safety protections within areas of public accommodation - aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in non-public areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington
SB 6002 Concerning driver privacy protections/(Flock/ALPR) camera regulation-This Bill has passed the Senate and now moves to the House
SB 6053 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights- Provides labor protections for workers such as a nanny, child care provider, home care worker, personal care provider, housekeeper/cleaner, cook, gardener, or household manager
HB 2597 - Concerning remedies for violations of federal constitutional rights occurring during immigration enforcement
HB 2105 Immigrant Workers Protections - would limit an employer from allowing federal agencies to access, review, or obtain the employer's worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant. Would require employers to give notice to their workers of I-9 audits within 72 hours of receiving a federal request to review employee records
Senate Bill 6045 Seeks to provide farmworkers with a formal path to negotiate better wages and working conditions.
In addition to Immigration legislation, the following Bills related to housing (HB 2102), poverty (HB 2266), and safeguarding personal information (HB 2637) have also been introduced in the House.
Source: Washington State Legislature 2/3/26
Research Update: WA DOL Continues “Roadside Assists” to ICE/CBP Immigration Investigations Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) continues “roadside assists” to ICE/CBP immigration investigations. In January 2026, officials claimed to have cut off ICE’s access to DOL data. Yet the vast majority of DOL database queries are performed by CBP, as seen in DOL’s data confirmed by researchers at UW. The state has not taken action to cut off CBP, which means Washington drivers’ data remains vulnerable. Nine cases in which ICE or CBP queried DOL data prior to conducting immigration arrests on Washington roads have been documented.
Source: University of Washington Center for Human Rights 1/27/26
Federal Agencies
DOJ Empowers Board of Immigration Appeals to Strip Due Process From Migrants
In a move advocates are calling a catastrophic blow to due process, the Department of Justice is set to publish a sweeping “Interim Final Rule” tomorrow that effectively dismantles the right to administrative appellate review for millions of people in the immigration system. The new policy transforms the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) from a mandatory review body into a discretionary one. Under the rule, the default outcome for all appeals will now be summary dismissal unless a majority of permanent Board members specifically vote together on the bench to accept the case for adjudication on the merits. The Department’s primary justification for this radical shift is a massive backlog that has swelled to over 200,000 pending cases as of late 2025. Rather than increasing resources to provide meaningful review, the DOJ is choosing to “streamline” the process by simply closing the door on most appellants.
Source: Migrant Insider 2/5/26
How the Pentagon is Quietly Building Trump’s Concentration Camps
A massive Navy contract once valued at $10 billion, has ballooned to a staggering $55 billion to expedite President Donald Trump’s “mass deportation” agenda. The mechanism for this expansion is the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract (WEXMAC), originally designed for military logistics abroad. In a move to bypass traditional competition delays, the Navy’s Supply Systems Command has repurposed the vehicle for “TITUS”—Territorial Integrity of the United States. This $45 billion increase, published just weeks ago, converts the U.S. into a “geographic region” for expeditionary military-style detention. It signals a massive, long-term escalation in the government’s capacity to pay for detention and deportation logistics. Source: Migrant Insider 2/1/26
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Administrative subpoenas are a powerful legal tool that, unlike the ones people are most familiar with, federal agencies can issue without an order from a judge or grand jury. Proponents describe administrative subpoenas as critical tools that allow investigators to avoid protracted judicial reviews to obtain information. With no external bureaucracy, the government can obtain phone, financial and internet records in days.
Source: The Washington Post 2/3/26
SBA says legal permanent residents will be ineligible for its loan program, as of March 1
The Small Business Administration said in a policy note that green card holders as well as lawful permanent residents won't be allowed to apply for SBA loans, effective March 1. Last year, the SBA tightened a requirement that businesses applying for loans must be 100% owned by U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or lawful permanent residents, up from a 51% standard. “The latest decision by SBA fails to recognize that immigrants are twice as likely to start a business as native-born U.S. citizens,” said Small Business Majority CEO John Arensmeyer. “Given that reality, SBA’s severe restrictions will have a negative impact on small business creation throughout this country for years to come.”
Source: AP News 2/3/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Woman Sued for Nearly $1 Million for Failing to Self-Deport
The Trump administration sued a Virginia woman for almost $1 million as part of an escalating drive to get undocumented immigrants to leave the U.S. by levying court-imposed fines. In addition to the lawsuits, the federal government has the ability to enforce the penalties through wage garnishment, seizing and selling assets and by calling in private debt collectors. The government can also insist that any uncollected penalties owed by those who are deported be paid in the unlikely event they are allowed to return to the U.S .Immigrant rights advocates say the huge tallies of fines are fanciful because many or most of those sent such bills work in minimum wage jobs. A class action lawsuit filed in November contends that the new fine mechanism is illegal because it denies due process to immigrants targeted for the penalties.
Source: Politico 1/29/2026
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks End of Protection for Haitians
A federal judge late on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending humanitarian protection for more than 350,000 Haitians, who have been able to live and work in the United States under what is known as Temporary Protected Status, or T.P.S. In a scathing, 83-page ruling, Judge Ana Reyes said that the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, did not have the authority to end the status and that her arguments that maintaining T.P.S. for Haitians was not in the national interest were flawed. She also said the administration was motivated, at least in part, by racial animus against Haiti, which is a majority Black country, and that its termination ran afoul of the law. The judge’s decision was anxiously anticipated in Haitian communities, not least in Springfield, Ohio, the small city that was thrust into the national immigration debate after President Trump echoed baseless rumors during his campaign in late 2024 that Haitians there had been eating their neighbors’ pets.
Source: New York Times 2/2/2026
Judge blocks DHS policy to keep House Dems from visiting detention facilities unannounced
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that prevented members of Congress from making unannounced oversight visits at facilities that hold immigrants. The temporary restraining order from U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb of District of Columbia federal court blocked a seven-day notice requirement that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem established earlier this month. The order allows congressional Democrats to access facilities that are central to the national debate over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Source: News from the States 2/2/2026
JANUARY 30, 2026
Washington State
Washington leaders prepare for possibility of immigration crackdown
On Monday Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown held a press conference to lay out the state’s preparations for the possibility of a ramped-up deployment of immigration agents in the state. Ferguson also met with the head of the Washington National Guard about options for using Guard members as a buffer between immigration officers and protesters. Attorney General Nick Brown didn’t rule out the possibility of state or local authorities stepping in to enforce state law against federal agents. “If ICE agents attempt unconstitutional measures in the state of Washington, we will do everything in our power to oppose them including holding the U.S. Government and individual ICE agents accountable for violating Washingtonians’ constitutional rights.” As of mid-October, federal immigration authorities had arrested nearly 2,000 people in Washington since Trump retook office, compared to about 800 over the same period under the Biden administration in 2024, according to figures from the Deportation Data Project.
Source: Washington State Standard 1/26/26
Federal Agencies
Who is on the frontline of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown?
These are the federal agencies supporting the detaining people across the US Trump’s escalations of mass arrests and deportations now involve officers from multiple federal agencies that traditionally had little to do with frontline immigration enforcement. Additionally, in some states local police are being pulled into the operations through an official partnership between local police and federal agencies called 287(g) agreements and are assisting with removal efforts under ICE supervision.
Source: The Guardian 1/19/26
The powerful tools in ICE’s arsenal to track suspects — and protesters
The Department of Homeland Security disclosed in an annual report that the agency has significantly expanded the operational scope for its use of advanced technologies. Some of the technologies in ICE’s tool kit include: Facial recognition with face capture, detection, extraction and comparison capabilities; License plate readers, Drones, Cellphone location and location databases. ICE now uses Digital forensics with specialized hardware that can hack phones, bypassing protections to allow access to encrypted chats, multimedia, passwords, communications, locations and deleted files. Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups say the agency’s use of its surveillance tools infringes on privacy and free speech rights of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
Source: Washington Post 1/29/26
HUD Demands Public Housing Officials Check for Undocumented Immigrants
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said it would punish public housing authorities that did not adequately verify tenants’ immigration status within 30 days. HUD said that it had uncovered nearly 200,000 tenants who had not been explicitly verified as eligible for housing assistance, as well as “nearly 6,000 ineligible non-American tenants. The federal government already requires housing authorities to submit documents indicating the citizenship status of all tenants. Under federal law, permanent residents, refugees and asylum seekers are permitted to live in public housing and receive housing assistance, while undocumented immigrants and some other categories of legal residents — diplomats, students and those on tourist visas — are not.
Source: The New York Times 1/23/26
Updated USCIS Memorandum: Expanded Processing Holds and Re-Review of Immigration Benefits
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an updated policy memorandum on January 1, 2026. This memo immediately places an adjudicative hold on all pending and any future immigration benefit applications that petition to confer, certify, change or adjust any immigration status filed by individuals connected to additional “high-risk countries” designated under Presidential Proclamation 10998. The new memo makes clear that the pause applies to the adjudication of all immigration status applications and the hold applies regardless of date of entry and allows cases to be processed only up to—but not including—final adjudication. The pause, re-review, and re-interview also affects individuals who were born in any of the listed “high-risk countries”, regardless of whether these individuals hold a different nationality now. Within 90 days of this memo (by April 1st), USCIS will prioritize a list for review, interview, and re-interview. There is no timeline for when adjudicative holds will be lifted.
Source: Yale University Office of International Students and Scholars - 1/8/26
EOIR Raises Fees for Immigration-Related Filings
On January 21, 2026, the Department of Justice announced “inflationary adjustments” to immigration-related fees for filings with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The new fees are effective February 1, 2026. Any filing with an Immigration Court or the Board of Immigration Appeals postmarked on or after February 1, 2026, without the proper filing fee or an applicable request for fee waiver will be rejected. As examples, the OBBBA fee for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, will increase from $1,500 to $1,540 (with FY 2026 EOIR total fees of $2,980).
Source: Miller Mayer Attorneys at Law 1/26/26
DHS Increases Self-Deportation ‘Exit Bonus’
On January 21, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it has temporarily increased the “exit bonus” for self-deportation through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home app from $1,000 to $2,600, in addition to a free flight home. DHS said that since January 2025, 2.2 million people have voluntarily self-deported and “tens of thousands” have used the CBP Home app. DHS noted that using the CBP Home app “also qualifies recipients for forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the country.” It is unclear how long the increase will be in effect. The announcement said it “may not last long.”
Source: Miller Mayer Attorneys at Law 1/26/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
U.S. Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Push to End Legal Status of 8,400 Migrants
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's push to terminate the legal status of more than 8,400 family members of U.S. Citizens and green card holders who moved to the U.S. from seven Latin American countries. Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction late on Saturday that prevents the Department of Homeland Security from ending the humanitarian parole granted to thousands of people from Cuba, Haiti, Columbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Source: Reuters 1/25/2026
Judge Warns Administration Against Changing Immigration Status of Students Who Sued Over Free Speech
A federal judge in Boston has ruled that academics and students who were part of a lawsuit alleging an "unconstitutional conspiracy" by the Trump administration to target them for their pro-Palestinian activism may seek immediate relief if the government attempts to alter their immigration status. U.S. District Judge William Young, who ruled last year that the government had illegally targeted the students for deportation based on their speech, also unsealed internal government documents that were used as evidence in last year's trial. The documents indicated that the arrests of the five students and academics at the heart of the case -- including Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil -- were recommended based on their involvement in campus protests, writings, and social media posts.This ruling applies only to the groups that sued.
Source: ABC News, 1/23/2026
Washington leaders prepare for possibility of immigration crackdown
On Monday Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown held a press conference to lay out the state’s preparations for the possibility of a ramped-up deployment of immigration agents in the state. Ferguson also met with the head of the Washington National Guard about options for using Guard members as a buffer between immigration officers and protesters. Attorney General Nick Brown didn’t rule out the possibility of state or local authorities stepping in to enforce state law against federal agents. “If ICE agents attempt unconstitutional measures in the state of Washington, we will do everything in our power to oppose them including holding the U.S. Government and individual ICE agents accountable for violating Washingtonians’ constitutional rights.” As of mid-October, federal immigration authorities had arrested nearly 2,000 people in Washington since Trump retook office, compared to about 800 over the same period under the Biden administration in 2024, according to figures from the Deportation Data Project.
Source: Washington State Standard 1/26/26
Federal Agencies
Who is on the frontline of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown?
These are the federal agencies supporting the detaining people across the US Trump’s escalations of mass arrests and deportations now involve officers from multiple federal agencies that traditionally had little to do with frontline immigration enforcement. Additionally, in some states local police are being pulled into the operations through an official partnership between local police and federal agencies called 287(g) agreements and are assisting with removal efforts under ICE supervision.
Source: The Guardian 1/19/26
The powerful tools in ICE’s arsenal to track suspects — and protesters
The Department of Homeland Security disclosed in an annual report that the agency has significantly expanded the operational scope for its use of advanced technologies. Some of the technologies in ICE’s tool kit include: Facial recognition with face capture, detection, extraction and comparison capabilities; License plate readers, Drones, Cellphone location and location databases. ICE now uses Digital forensics with specialized hardware that can hack phones, bypassing protections to allow access to encrypted chats, multimedia, passwords, communications, locations and deleted files. Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups say the agency’s use of its surveillance tools infringes on privacy and free speech rights of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
Source: Washington Post 1/29/26
HUD Demands Public Housing Officials Check for Undocumented Immigrants
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said it would punish public housing authorities that did not adequately verify tenants’ immigration status within 30 days. HUD said that it had uncovered nearly 200,000 tenants who had not been explicitly verified as eligible for housing assistance, as well as “nearly 6,000 ineligible non-American tenants. The federal government already requires housing authorities to submit documents indicating the citizenship status of all tenants. Under federal law, permanent residents, refugees and asylum seekers are permitted to live in public housing and receive housing assistance, while undocumented immigrants and some other categories of legal residents — diplomats, students and those on tourist visas — are not.
Source: The New York Times 1/23/26
Updated USCIS Memorandum: Expanded Processing Holds and Re-Review of Immigration Benefits
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an updated policy memorandum on January 1, 2026. This memo immediately places an adjudicative hold on all pending and any future immigration benefit applications that petition to confer, certify, change or adjust any immigration status filed by individuals connected to additional “high-risk countries” designated under Presidential Proclamation 10998. The new memo makes clear that the pause applies to the adjudication of all immigration status applications and the hold applies regardless of date of entry and allows cases to be processed only up to—but not including—final adjudication. The pause, re-review, and re-interview also affects individuals who were born in any of the listed “high-risk countries”, regardless of whether these individuals hold a different nationality now. Within 90 days of this memo (by April 1st), USCIS will prioritize a list for review, interview, and re-interview. There is no timeline for when adjudicative holds will be lifted.
Source: Yale University Office of International Students and Scholars - 1/8/26
EOIR Raises Fees for Immigration-Related Filings
On January 21, 2026, the Department of Justice announced “inflationary adjustments” to immigration-related fees for filings with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The new fees are effective February 1, 2026. Any filing with an Immigration Court or the Board of Immigration Appeals postmarked on or after February 1, 2026, without the proper filing fee or an applicable request for fee waiver will be rejected. As examples, the OBBBA fee for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, will increase from $1,500 to $1,540 (with FY 2026 EOIR total fees of $2,980).
Source: Miller Mayer Attorneys at Law 1/26/26
DHS Increases Self-Deportation ‘Exit Bonus’
On January 21, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it has temporarily increased the “exit bonus” for self-deportation through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home app from $1,000 to $2,600, in addition to a free flight home. DHS said that since January 2025, 2.2 million people have voluntarily self-deported and “tens of thousands” have used the CBP Home app. DHS noted that using the CBP Home app “also qualifies recipients for forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the country.” It is unclear how long the increase will be in effect. The announcement said it “may not last long.”
Source: Miller Mayer Attorneys at Law 1/26/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
U.S. Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Push to End Legal Status of 8,400 Migrants
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's push to terminate the legal status of more than 8,400 family members of U.S. Citizens and green card holders who moved to the U.S. from seven Latin American countries. Boston-based U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction late on Saturday that prevents the Department of Homeland Security from ending the humanitarian parole granted to thousands of people from Cuba, Haiti, Columbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Source: Reuters 1/25/2026
Judge Warns Administration Against Changing Immigration Status of Students Who Sued Over Free Speech
A federal judge in Boston has ruled that academics and students who were part of a lawsuit alleging an "unconstitutional conspiracy" by the Trump administration to target them for their pro-Palestinian activism may seek immediate relief if the government attempts to alter their immigration status. U.S. District Judge William Young, who ruled last year that the government had illegally targeted the students for deportation based on their speech, also unsealed internal government documents that were used as evidence in last year's trial. The documents indicated that the arrests of the five students and academics at the heart of the case -- including Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil -- were recommended based on their involvement in campus protests, writings, and social media posts.This ruling applies only to the groups that sued.
Source: ABC News, 1/23/2026
JANUARY 23, 2026
Washington State
WA lawmakers push for immigrant protections
Three bills coming up in the 2026 session are intended to curb immigration enforcement actions in Washington state. Senate Bill 5855 would bar law enforcement, including federal officers, from donning masks. Senate Bill 6002 would restrict the use of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, prohibiting them from assisting immigration efforts. And Senate Bill 5906, the Secure and Accountable Federal Enforcement (SAFE) Act aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in nonpublic areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher-education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington. Source: The Olympian 1/17/26
ICE exploring expanded detention capacity in Pacific Northwest, including Tacoma
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is exploring plans to expand detention capacity in the Pacific Northwest, including near Tacoma, according to a publicly available federal planning document. The document does not mean ICE is actively seeking contractors, but it outlines the agency’s requirements. The 187-page document describes a potential new or expanded facility that could house up to 1,635 detainees, larger than the current Northwest ICE Processing Center’s capacity of 1,575 beds, and includes five courtrooms for immigration hearings. In addition to expanded housing, the requirements state any future facility should have access to airport services for deportations. This potential federal procurement activity suggests a request for proposals could be issued in the near future as part of broader efforts to increase regional detention capacity.
Source: King 5 News 1/21/26
Could Washington state sue over ICE?
Minnesota and Illinois are suing the federal government to try and block ICE surges. When asked directly whether Washington could follow suit, the Attorney General’s office said it “will continue to monitor events and do our job to enforce Washington law and protect Washington residents from federal overreach.” The states are relying on the 10th Amendment as a legal framework, arguing that Minnesota is being unfairly targeted and forced to divert state resources against its will. As Seattle University constitutional law professor Andrew Siegel put it, some in Washington are “keeping our head down and wondering if and when that happens here…Washington’s got a good team of lawyers who care very much about these issues.” Source: King 5 News 1/12/26
Legislation
ICE Funding Deal Sparks Civil War within Democratic Caucus
Senate Republicans secured a sweeping expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding over the weekend, delivering a $403 million increase in detention bed financing despite Democratic leaders’ claims they successfully cut ICE’s budget. While Democrats publicly touted restrictions on ICE and reduced detention capacity, the legislation actually pumps $3.84 billion into ICE custody operations — up from $3.43 billion — and boosts Enforcement and Removal Operations funding from $5.08 billion to $5.45 billion. “Democrats have no obligation to support a bill that not only funds the dystopian scenes we are seeing in Minneapolis but will allow DHS to replicate that playbook of brutality in cities all over this country,” said Senator Chris Murphy. However, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who negotiated the bill with Senator Katie Britt (R - AL), defended the bill as a necessary evil to avoid a government shutdown, characterizing ICE as “out-of-control” and “un-American” even while advocating for a bill that maintains its current funding. Murray stated “The hard truth is that Democrats must win political power to enact the kind of accountability we need,” suggesting that the current deal was the best possible outcome given the political climate.
Source: Migrant Insider, 1/20/2026
Source: Migrant Insider, 1/20/2026
Federal Agencies
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says According to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant. The memo itself has not been widely shared within the agency, according to a whistleblower complaint. New ICE hires and those still in training are being told to follow the memo’s guidance instead of written training materials that actually contradict the memo, according to the whistleblower disclosure. The memo authorizes ICE officers to use force based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone with a final order of removal. The ICE memo’s directive directly undercuts long standing guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches at a time when arrests are accelerating under the administration’s immigration crackdown. Guidance urging people not to open their doors unless ICE shows them a warrant signed by a judge is rooted in Supreme Court rulings that generally prohibit law enforcement from entering a home without judicial approval. The change instituted by the ICE memo is almost certain to meet legal challenges from advocacy groups and state and local governments.
Source: Associated Press 1/22/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Immigration Lawsuit Filed to Protect H-1B Spouses
A new immigration lawsuit aims to protect spouses of H-1B visa holders likely to lose their work authorization under a new federal rule. The rule was announced late last year by the Department of Homeland Security, (DHS). The H-1B work visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. The rule ended the automatic extension of employment authorization documents and could lead to employers removing workers from payroll due to expected delays in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This could place the spouses of H-1B visa holders at risk as well as the H-1B holder.
Source: Forbes 1/15/26
Top Immigration Judge Says Bond Hearings Should Be Denied Despite Court Rulings
In an email to her colleagues, the top U.S. immigration judge, Teresa L. Riley, told her colleagues that they are not bound by federal court rulings that declared the Trump administration cannot place thousands of people in mandatory detention without an opportunity to be released on bond. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a brief on Friday, 1/16/26, in Boston federal court challenging the administration’s policy of denying bond hearings.
Source: Reuters 1/16/26
Judge Restricts Immigration Agents' Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters
A federal judge ordered agents not to retaliate against people “engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity” in Minnesota and not to stop drivers who are not “forcibly obstructing” officers. The ruling, which granted a preliminary injunction, stems from a lawsuit brought by activists who said agents had violated their rights. The suit was filed before the shooting of Renee Good on January 7. The federal government has appealed this decision. And in a victory for the Trump administration, the eighth US circuit court of appeals on Wednesday granted the justice department’s request for an administrative stay of a preliminary injunction issued last Friday by Judge Katherine Menendez.
Source: NYT 1/16/2026
Source: The Guardian 1/21/26
Judge Allows Policy Restricting Lawmakers’ Access to ICE Facilities
A federal judge in Washington declined to immediately block the Department of Homeland Security from requiring lawmakers to provide seven days’ notice before they try to visit and inspect immigration detention facilities. This was after the same judge had blocked essentially the same policy in December, citing a provision of the appropriations law that funds the department and requires facilities to be open to congressional oversight. Without finding that the policy itself was legal, Judge Cobb wrote that the group of lawmakers who sued to halt it would need to revise their complaint, stressing that the decision hinged on technical changes the Trump administration had made to put the policy back in place.
Source: NYT 1/19/2026
WA lawmakers push for immigrant protections
Three bills coming up in the 2026 session are intended to curb immigration enforcement actions in Washington state. Senate Bill 5855 would bar law enforcement, including federal officers, from donning masks. Senate Bill 6002 would restrict the use of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, prohibiting them from assisting immigration efforts. And Senate Bill 5906, the Secure and Accountable Federal Enforcement (SAFE) Act aims to prevent warrantless ICE raids in nonpublic areas of K-12 schools, early learning centers, higher-education institutions, election offices and health-care facilities in Washington. Source: The Olympian 1/17/26
ICE exploring expanded detention capacity in Pacific Northwest, including Tacoma
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is exploring plans to expand detention capacity in the Pacific Northwest, including near Tacoma, according to a publicly available federal planning document. The document does not mean ICE is actively seeking contractors, but it outlines the agency’s requirements. The 187-page document describes a potential new or expanded facility that could house up to 1,635 detainees, larger than the current Northwest ICE Processing Center’s capacity of 1,575 beds, and includes five courtrooms for immigration hearings. In addition to expanded housing, the requirements state any future facility should have access to airport services for deportations. This potential federal procurement activity suggests a request for proposals could be issued in the near future as part of broader efforts to increase regional detention capacity.
Source: King 5 News 1/21/26
Could Washington state sue over ICE?
Minnesota and Illinois are suing the federal government to try and block ICE surges. When asked directly whether Washington could follow suit, the Attorney General’s office said it “will continue to monitor events and do our job to enforce Washington law and protect Washington residents from federal overreach.” The states are relying on the 10th Amendment as a legal framework, arguing that Minnesota is being unfairly targeted and forced to divert state resources against its will. As Seattle University constitutional law professor Andrew Siegel put it, some in Washington are “keeping our head down and wondering if and when that happens here…Washington’s got a good team of lawyers who care very much about these issues.” Source: King 5 News 1/12/26
Legislation
ICE Funding Deal Sparks Civil War within Democratic Caucus
Senate Republicans secured a sweeping expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding over the weekend, delivering a $403 million increase in detention bed financing despite Democratic leaders’ claims they successfully cut ICE’s budget. While Democrats publicly touted restrictions on ICE and reduced detention capacity, the legislation actually pumps $3.84 billion into ICE custody operations — up from $3.43 billion — and boosts Enforcement and Removal Operations funding from $5.08 billion to $5.45 billion. “Democrats have no obligation to support a bill that not only funds the dystopian scenes we are seeing in Minneapolis but will allow DHS to replicate that playbook of brutality in cities all over this country,” said Senator Chris Murphy. However, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who negotiated the bill with Senator Katie Britt (R - AL), defended the bill as a necessary evil to avoid a government shutdown, characterizing ICE as “out-of-control” and “un-American” even while advocating for a bill that maintains its current funding. Murray stated “The hard truth is that Democrats must win political power to enact the kind of accountability we need,” suggesting that the current deal was the best possible outcome given the political climate.
Source: Migrant Insider, 1/20/2026
Source: Migrant Insider, 1/20/2026
Federal Agencies
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says According to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant. The memo itself has not been widely shared within the agency, according to a whistleblower complaint. New ICE hires and those still in training are being told to follow the memo’s guidance instead of written training materials that actually contradict the memo, according to the whistleblower disclosure. The memo authorizes ICE officers to use force based solely on a more narrow administrative warrant to arrest someone with a final order of removal. The ICE memo’s directive directly undercuts long standing guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches at a time when arrests are accelerating under the administration’s immigration crackdown. Guidance urging people not to open their doors unless ICE shows them a warrant signed by a judge is rooted in Supreme Court rulings that generally prohibit law enforcement from entering a home without judicial approval. The change instituted by the ICE memo is almost certain to meet legal challenges from advocacy groups and state and local governments.
Source: Associated Press 1/22/26
Executive Orders/ Proclamations/ Court Challenges
Immigration Lawsuit Filed to Protect H-1B Spouses
A new immigration lawsuit aims to protect spouses of H-1B visa holders likely to lose their work authorization under a new federal rule. The rule was announced late last year by the Department of Homeland Security, (DHS). The H-1B work visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. The rule ended the automatic extension of employment authorization documents and could lead to employers removing workers from payroll due to expected delays in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This could place the spouses of H-1B visa holders at risk as well as the H-1B holder.
Source: Forbes 1/15/26
Top Immigration Judge Says Bond Hearings Should Be Denied Despite Court Rulings
In an email to her colleagues, the top U.S. immigration judge, Teresa L. Riley, told her colleagues that they are not bound by federal court rulings that declared the Trump administration cannot place thousands of people in mandatory detention without an opportunity to be released on bond. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a brief on Friday, 1/16/26, in Boston federal court challenging the administration’s policy of denying bond hearings.
Source: Reuters 1/16/26
Judge Restricts Immigration Agents' Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters
A federal judge ordered agents not to retaliate against people “engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity” in Minnesota and not to stop drivers who are not “forcibly obstructing” officers. The ruling, which granted a preliminary injunction, stems from a lawsuit brought by activists who said agents had violated their rights. The suit was filed before the shooting of Renee Good on January 7. The federal government has appealed this decision. And in a victory for the Trump administration, the eighth US circuit court of appeals on Wednesday granted the justice department’s request for an administrative stay of a preliminary injunction issued last Friday by Judge Katherine Menendez.
Source: NYT 1/16/2026
Source: The Guardian 1/21/26
Judge Allows Policy Restricting Lawmakers’ Access to ICE Facilities
A federal judge in Washington declined to immediately block the Department of Homeland Security from requiring lawmakers to provide seven days’ notice before they try to visit and inspect immigration detention facilities. This was after the same judge had blocked essentially the same policy in December, citing a provision of the appropriations law that funds the department and requires facilities to be open to congressional oversight. Without finding that the policy itself was legal, Judge Cobb wrote that the group of lawmakers who sued to halt it would need to revise their complaint, stressing that the decision hinged on technical changes the Trump administration had made to put the policy back in place.
Source: NYT 1/19/2026
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