Immigration

A Judge Blocked Biden’s Big Pause On Deportations, But ICE Says It Will Continue To Focus Only On Certain Immigrants
Despite the legal setback, ICE officers were told to remain focused on immigrants who pose national security or other public safety threats, along with people who arrived in the US after Nov. 1.

The Biden Administration Reversed A Policy That Used The Coronavirus Pandemic To Limit Immigration
One analyst said the policy blocked thousands of people from legally immigrating to the US.

Not Enough Water, Toilets Full Of Human Excrement, No Showers: ICE Detainees In Texas Described The Storm's Misery
“Whenever a guard would enter the dormitory, we'd scream that we needed water and had to use the restroom,” one immigrant told BuzzFeed News.

ICE Will Focus More On Arresting Public Safety Threats Instead Of All Undocumented Immigrants
ICE officers will focus on those suspected of being a national security threat, recent border crossers, and those who are considered to be a public safety threat, officials announced Thursday.

A Last-Minute Deal Between A Trump Official And ICE’s Union To Hamper Biden’s Policies Has Been Rejected
A whistleblower had alleged that the agreement gave the union powers to "indefinitely delay" President Joe Biden's immigration policy changes.

“Illegal Alien” Will No Longer Be Used In Many US Government Communications
Immigrants and advocates say it represents a shift away from “dehumanizing” language.

Biden Is Planning To Scrap Trump's Version Of The Citizenship Test That Critics Said Was More Confusing
Critics said the Trump-era version lacked transparency, added more than two dozen questions, and included confusing wording changes.

Biden Is Planning To Bring Back Immigrants Who Were Forced To Wait In Dangerous Mexican Border Towns
The Biden administration’s plan will start slowly at three ports of entry and target those who were forced into Trump's controversial "Remain in Mexico" program.

The White House Said Most Immigrants Will Still Be Turned Away At The Border Under A Trump-Era Policy
Confusion about who was being allowed into the US in recent days forced the administration to issue a stronger warning.

Border Agents In Texas Have Started Releasing Some Immigrant Families After Mexico Refused To Take Them Back
The changes to how immigrant families are being processed appear to only be happening in some parts of the border.

Biden Is Increasing The Number Of Refugees Allowed Into The US After Trump Decimated The Program
"It’s very encouraging; officers are extremely eager to get started," one US refugee officer told BuzzFeed News.

ICE Expelled 32 Immigrant Children Back To Guatemala After A Judge Said They Couldn't
“It is unconscionable that they are leaving the kids there and that they did not immediately bring them back,” one immigration analyst said.

Biden Started The Process Of Unwinding Trump's Assault On Immigration, But Activists Want Him To Move Faster
"These people cannot continue to wait."

Biden Is Dropping Trump's Policy Of Immediately Expelling Unaccompanied Immigrant Children At The Border
Between March 2020 and fall, the Department of Homeland Security expelled unaccompanied immigrant children from the US border more than 13,000 times.

ICE Deported A Survivor Of The El Paso Walmart Shooting Who Was Assisting In The Investigation, Her Lawyers Say
"This decision amounts to a revictimization of this young lady, who only came forward to help build the case against the shooter in the racist attack," the woman's lawyer told BuzzFeed News.

Immigration Advocates Hope Biden Will Address Overlooked Family Separations At The Border
"It's mind-boggling that Border Patrol agents are given this much power and leeway to make those decisions."

A Whistleblower Alleges A Top Trump Official Signed A Last-Minute Agreement With ICE’s Union That Could Hamstring Biden’s Immigration Policies
The agreement could give the union “unprecedented veto authority in many areas," the group representing the whistleblower wrote in a letter to Congress.

A Mexican Man Died In ICE Custody After Testing Positive For COVID-19
The man was detained at a facility in Georgia where three other immigrants have already died after contracting the coronavirus.

This Is How Families Are Reacting To The Supreme Court's Ruling On Spousal Visas
The judges' decision to back the government on minimum income thresholds was greeted with dismay, but there was some optimism among families with children.

An Asylum-Seeker Who Was Raped By A Group Of Men In Mexico Has Been Sent Back There Under A Trump Policy
"It was like my life ended there," the woman told BuzzFeed News about being sent back. "I had this grand hope that I would finally be able to breathe easy and feel better."

A 9-Year-Old Boy Was Released From Government Custody After Being Separated From His Brother
Advocates said the government's pushback to the boy's release was an example of how difficult it can be to get an immigrant child released.

Trump Had A Mandate To Target All Undocumented Immigrants For Arrest. ICE Has A New Plan To Change That.
Trump's 2017 directive had made basically any undocumented immigrant a target for arrest, but a new proposal would focus on those suspected of being a national security threat and others.

The Director Of The Nation’s Immigration Courts Has Stepped Down
During James McHenry's tenure, the Trump administration executed a monumental overhaul of the way immigration judges worked.

A Judge Has Blocked Biden's 100-Day Pause On Deportations
The judge's order represents an initial setback for the Biden administration, which has vowed to reform agencies like ICE.

The Justice Department Has Rescinded Trump's "Zero Tolerance" Border Policy That Led To Families Being Separated
The Department of Justice said the action restores the ability of prosecutors to use their discretion to make charging decisions "based on a careful review of the particular facts and circumstances of individual immigration cases."

Texas Is Suing To Stop Biden's 100-Day Pause On Deportations
Texas claims the move violates the terms of an unusual agreement with the Trump administration that guaranteed the state a chance to weigh in on immigration policies.

President Biden Has Repealed Trump's Travel Bans And Wants To Undo The "Harms" They've Caused
Trump's first travel ban, which went into effect on Jan. 27, 2017, created chaos and confusion throughout the world and separated thousands of families.

Biden Has Rescinded A Trump Order That Made Nearly Every Undocumented Immigrant A Priority For Arrest
Under Trump, the proportion of immigrants with no prior criminal convictions who were being arrested and placed into deportation proceedings shot up.

President Biden Has Ordered A 100-Day Pause On Many Deportations
The directive is a monumental shift in the Department of Homeland Security's approach to immigration enforcement.

Biden Promised To Stop All Deportations For 100 Days After Taking Office. Activists Are Holding Him To It.
"The incoming Biden administration has a huge responsibility to fulfill to do what past administrations have failed to do."