Immigration

As More Climate Migrants Cross Borders Seeking Refuge, Laws Will Need to Adapt

Climate migrants don’t fit neatly into the legal definitions of refugee or migrant, and that can leave them in limbo. The Biden administration is debating how to identify and help them.

  • Katharine M. Donato, Amanda Carrico and Jonathan M. Gilligan, The Conversation

Lawmakers Say Biden's Deployments of Feds to the Border Risk Agency Missions

Republican House members ask for data on governmentwide details set up to address uptick in migrant children.

  • Eric Katz

'Shadow Wins': How ICE Avoids Judicial Accountability by Quietly Releasing Immigrants Who Challenge Being Detained

ICE helps maintain the status quo of prolonged detentions by releasing immigrants without having their cases vindicated in court, according to a new report.

  • Dara Lind, ProPublica

Senate Democrats Call on Attorney General to Restore Immigration Judges Union

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee called on Merrick Garland to reverse efforts to decertify the National Association of Immigration Judges and to axe a policy restricting judges' ability to speak publicly on immigration issues.

  • Erich Wagner

Trump Administration Often Denied Separated Parents Chance to Reunite With Their Kids Prior to Deportation, IG Finds

Inconsistent policy from ICE runs counter to claims from top DHS officials.

  • Eric Katz

GovExec Daily: CBP, Social Media and the IG Report

Eric Katz joins the podcast to discuss a new Homeland Security Inspector General report on workforce issues at Customs and Border Protection.

  • Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler

Documents Show Trump Officials Used Secret Terrorism Unit to Question Lawyers at the Border

In newly disclosed records, Trump officials cited conspiracies about Antifa to justify interrogating immigration lawyers with a special terrorism unit. The documents also show that more lawyers were targeted than previously known.

  • Dara Lind, ProPublica

Biden Administration Floats Boosting Permanent Workforce to Process Migrant Children

Republicans blast current approach, including deployment of feds across government to the border.

  • Eric Katz

OPM Waives Premium Pay Cap for Border Detailees

The federal government’s HR agency declared that the influx of children at the southern border is an emergency for the purposes of waiving restrictions on how much premium pay federal employees can earn.

  • Erich Wagner

Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Pushes Federal Hiring Spree to Address Border Influx

Several agencies would see boosted workforces, even those where Democrats previously resisted such efforts.

  • Eric Katz

The Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border Is a Crisis – but Is It New?

Children and families have been fleeing to the U.S. in rising numbers for nearly a decade. So why is the current situation at the US-Mexico border being viewed as something new?

  • Randi Mandelbaum, The Conversation

'No Good Choices:' HHS Is Cutting Safety Corners to Move Migrant Kids Out of Overcrowded Facilities

After ignoring signs that shelters were filling quickly, agencies are scrambling to get thousands of kids out of Border Patrol jails. But new “emergency” facilities skirt safety standards, while facilities accused of abuse are still getting grants.

  • Dara Lind, ProPublica

The Pay Implications of Temporary Border Details, and More

A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.

  • Erich Wagner
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Analysis: Realism About the Border Is in Short Supply

The U.S. shouldn’t turn children away. But as a legal matter, the country’s borders are not open.

  • Cecilia Muñoz, The Atlantic

Biden Asks Feds Across Government to Volunteer to Assist at the Border

Employees would serve four-month stints and work directly with migrant children.

  • Eric Katz

Migrants, Including Children, Face Cramped Conditions at South Texas Border Patrol Facility

Images released by a Democratic U.S. representative show settings similar to those that Democrats hammered former President Donald Trump over two years ago, when that administration encountered an increase of migrant apprehensions

  • Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune

Biden Taps FEMA to Run Interagency Effort to House Record Influx of Migrant Children

Agencies have struggled to keep pace with the unprecedented number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the southwest border.

  • Eric Katz

Lawmakers Are Seeking Common Ground on DACA, but Comprehensive Immigration Reform Will Be a Challenge for Democrats

The Senate filibuster stands as a key obstacle to Democrats’ priorities.

  • Bryan Mena, The Texas Tribune

Migrant Apprehensions Continued Upward Trend in February

The Rio Grande Valley and the El Paso sectors remain the busiest crossing points as more than 100,000 people were either apprehended or surrendered to authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border.

  • Julián Aguilar

What the Horrific Crash on the Border Says About U.S. Immigration Policy

For all the attention on Biden’s changes to border policy, there are plenty of factors out of the U.S.’s control — which might make migrants increasingly desperate.

  • Dara Lind, ProPublica

As Migrant Apprehensions Rise, Texas Gov. Abbott Slams Biden Immigration Policies in Border Appearance

Apprehensions of migrants have increased substantially at the U.S.-Mexico border since October.

  • Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune