Featured Issue: U.S. Immigration Courts under Trump 2.0
The U.S. immigration court system plays a critical role in upholding due process and ensuring fair hearings for individuals facing deportation. However, since January 20, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has implemented significant changes that challenge the structural integrity of these courts. This page aims to provide up-to-date information on the policy and legal shifts affecting the U.S. immigration court system.
Latest Updates
Updates from EOIR
Browse the Featured Issue: U.S. Immigration Courts under Trump 2.0 collection
Sign-On Letter Opposing Speaker Ryan’s “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018” (H.R. 6136)
On June 20, 2018, AILA joined approximately 350 organizations in a letter to members of Congress expressing grave concerns with Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018” (H.R. 6136), and asking them to vote against the bill.
White House Releases Fact Sheet on Border Prosecutions and Families
The White House published a fact sheet about zero-tolerance border prosecutions and family separation, calling on Congress to “close the loopholes that limit detention of families together to mere weeks but require years to effectuate removal.”
AILA Members’ Letter to the Editor Template on Family Separation
We encourage AILA members to personalize and submit this Letter to the Editor on the administration’s harsh treatment of families at the border. Please email newsroom@aila.org with any questions or to share your success.
Attorney General Publishes Op-Ed in USA Today on Family Separation
Attorney General Jeff Sessions published an op-ed in USA Today defending DOJ’s zero tolerance policy and family separation, claiming, “We don’t want to separate parents from kids.”
AILA: Expanding Family Detention Is Not the Answer to Cruel Family Separation Policy
Responding to the Executive Order regarding family separation, AILA President Anastasia Tonello stated, “The barriers to due process that AILA attorneys have encountered at every detention facility only underscore what needs to happen: both family separation and family detention must end.”
BIA Holds Ohio Statute Not a Firearms Offense
Unpublished BIA decision holds that the improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle under Ohio Rev. Code 2923.16(E)(1) is not a firearms offense because state has prosecuted under similar statutes for possessing antique firearms. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Edwards, 6/20/18)
Code Red: The Fatal Consequences of Dangerously Substandard Medical Care in Immigration Detention
More people died in immigration detention in FY2017 than any year since 2009, and reports on deaths shows that they are still linked to dangerously inadequate medical care. Human Rights Watch, ACLU, National Immigrant Justice Center, and Detention Watch Network issued a report on this information.
H.R. 6136: Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018
H.R. 6136, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018, would create an avenue for Dreamers to obtain green cards, increase border security funding, eliminate the Diversity Visa lottery program, and reform family immigration and asylum laws.
Sign-On Letter Opposing Representative Goodlatte’s “Securing America’s Future Act” (H.R.4760)
On June 19, 2018, AILA joined approximately 226 organizations in a letter to members of Congress opposing Representative Bob Goodlatte’s (R-VA) bill, the “Securing America’s Future Act” (H.R.4760).
AMA Urges Government to Withdraw “Zero Tolerance” Policies
The American Medical Association (AMA) issued a letter to DHS, DOJ, and HHS, strongly urging the federal government to withdraw its “zero tolerance” policy that requires the separation of migrating children from their parents and caregivers.
CA10 Finds BIA Erred in Finding That Colorado Criminal Trespass Statute Is Divisible
The court ruled that BIA should not have applied modified categorical approach to analyze law proscribing unlawful entry into a dwelling or into a vehicle, vacating removal order based on finding that trespass of auto was CIMT. (Lujan Jimenez v. Sessions, 6/19/18)
S. 3091: Protect Kids and Parents Act
On 6/19/18, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Protect Kids and Parents Act (S. 3091) to limit the separation of families seeking asylum in the United States and expedite the asylum process for individuals arriving in the United States with children.
H.R. 6135: Keep Families Together Act
On 6/19/18, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced the Keep Families Together Act (H.R. 6135) to limit the separation of families at or near ports of entry. This is the House companion bill to S. 3036.
CA10 Rules that Violation of Wyoming Third Degree Sex Abuse Statute Is Aggravated Felony
Applying categorical analysis, the court denied petition for review and rejected the argument that, because Wyoming statute lacks an “actual abuse” element and a mens rea requirement on the age of victim, it is broader than the generic offense. (Bedolla-Zarate v. Sessions, 6/18/18)
DHS Publishes Myth vs. Fact Document on Its Zero-Tolerance Policy
On 6/18/18, DHS released the document “Myth vs. Fact: DHS Zero-Tolerance Policy,” claiming that DHS has “seen reporters, Members of Congress, and other groups mislead the public on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) zero-tolerance policy.”
CBP Releases Statement Concerning Facebook Post About Border Patrol Transportation Check
CBP published a statement regarding a post on Facebook about a Border Patrol transportation check near the Nevada-California state line. The agency claims the events in the post are false and “strongly rebuts” an ACLU blog post about it.
DHS Secretary Nielsen Delivers Remarks on Immigration and the Southern Border
On 6/18/18, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen delivered remarks at the White House Press Briefing about immigration and the southern border, in which she called on Congress to reform asylum laws and existing protections for unaccompanied minors and family units, as well as expand family detention.
Bipartisan Group of Former United States Attorneys Call on Jeff Sessions to End Family Separation
More than 75 former U.S. attorneys called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to stop family separations, saying the decision to implement the zero tolerance policy has led to more than 2,000 children being taken from their parents and that "the unfolding tragedy falls squarely on your shoulders."
USCIS Announces New Data Released on Criminal Arrest Histories of DACA Requestors
USCIS announced it had released data on arrests of DACA requestors. USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna claimed, “There are legitimate concerns over a portion of the population who have requested, and been granted, the privilege of a temporary stay of their removal under the illegal DACA policy.”
CA3 Finds SIJ Designees May Enforce Their Rights Under the Suspension Clause
The court found that the jurisdiction-stripping provides of the INA operates as an unconstitutional suspension of the writ of habeas corpus as applied to SIJ designees seeking judicial review of orders of expedited removal. (Osorio-Martinez v. Attorney General, 6/18/18)
Supreme Court Determines Appellate Courts Must Fix Sentencing Errors
The Supreme Court determined that appellate courts should correct sentencing mistakes, finding that such errors will “seriously affect the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings, and thus will warrant relief.” (Rosales-Mireles v. United States, 6/18/18)
BIA Holds California Vehicle Manslaughter Not a CIMT
Unpublished BIA decision holds that vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence under Calif. Penal Code 192(c)(1) is not a CIMT because it does not require a sufficiently culpable mental state. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Pourmand, 6/18/18)
DHS Issues Fact Sheet on Zero Tolerance Immigration Prosecutions and Families
On 6/15/18, DHS issued a fact sheet regarding the treatment of families under DOJ’s “zero tolerance” policy at the border, with information on the apprehension, prosecution, and removal processes and care for children and communication with families.
DHS Publishes FAQs on Zero Tolerance Immigration Prosecutions and Families
On 6/15/18, DHS published answers to frequently asked questions about family separation at the border, including what happens to the children during and after criminal prosecution of their parents or legal guardians and how parents or legal guardians can communicate with their children.
DHS and HHS Provide Handout on Next Steps for Families in DHS Custody
On 6/15/18, DHS and HHS provided an informational handout in English and Spanish for families taken into DHS custody for suspected illegal entry. The handout outlines what will happen to children while parents or legal guardians are prosecuted.