Donald Trump spoke at a convention center in Phoenix, Arizona in August of 2016 and described his plans for a border wall, sanctuary policies, legal immigration, DACA, and catch and release and now four years later his progress on his plans are being evaluated.
In an announcement, the Trump administration announced plans to reinstate the public charge rule, with 2019 guidance applied to all applications filed after February 24th, 2020. Despite research indicating that immigrants avoid seeking food and medical benefits, the Trump administration maintains that such a rule encourages immigrant populations to be “self-sufficient.”
A yearlong investigation, the House Committee on Homeland Security has released a report describing ICE as “failing to meet basic standards of care.” The report explicitly describes the alarming rate of neglect and abuse in medical care at detention centers run by LaSalle Corrections in particular.
When Elida sent her disabled son Gustavo to live in the US, she expected him to be temporarily detained by ICE before ultimately being released to his grandfather in South Carolina. A week later, Elida discovered through Facebook that her son was back in Guatemala. Without her knowledge, he had been sent home alone. Gustavo’s story reflects a pattern of unaccompanied migrant children sent back across the border without their parents’ knowledge of their whereabouts.
A new law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom further expands its earned income tax credit (EITC), removing the eligibility requirement that households must have children under 6 to qualify. It is hoped that through the law’s passage, more Californian families will be lifted out of poverty.
Revelations regarding Trump’s zero-tolerance policy of separating families by investigative journalist Jacob Soboroff describes the Trump administration ignoring warnings from agencies ranging from Health and Human Services (HHS) to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the harms that such separations would cause. Soboroff claims that this policy was issued to instigate change in immigration law in favor of the Trump administration by “shocking” migrants and Congress.
A ruling handed down by a Ninth Circuit Court means that 250,000 immigrants holding Temporary Protect Status (TPS) could have their status terminated as early as March 2021. For the 275,000 children of parents with TPS and the 130,000 essential workers who hold TPS status, the future appears unstable. Plans for an appeal to a full panel of judges could delay deadlines for termination.
A whistleblower complaint issued on September 14th alleges disturbing medical neglect at Irwin Country Detention Center in Georgia and points to an alarming number of unnecessary hysterectomies carried out on immigrant women. Further investigation by the House Immigration Subcommittee maintains that as many as 18 gynecological procedures were performed. Such allegations reflect not only the United States’ history of forced sterilization but also places a familiar spotlight upon reports of patterns of unsafe health practices and human rights violations at ICE detention facilities.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion on Gonzalez v. ICE, indicating that the wrongful detention of individuals suspected of being non-citizens violates the Fourth Amendment. Much of this violation stems from ICE’s use of error-ridden fingerprint databases, leading them to issue detainers without neutral evaluation.
Since 2006 the 287 (g) program has allowed state and local police departments to collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), deputizing law enforcement to perform the functions of federal immigration agents. In response to the announcement that the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) had signed on to this agreement, many argue that its implementation has led to civil rights violations cautioning other cities to avoid the program.
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