National Immigrant Justice Center

The U.S. is now offshoring immigration detention without any regard for due process and where people are being held in concerning conditions. In an interview Reuters, NIJC Director of Litigation Keren Zwick said she was gravely worried about the wellbeing of her client, a Turkish woman and her daughter who were seeking asylum in the U.S. but were deported to Panama and have since been sent back to Turkey. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gZVzHwKM

$10 BILLION worth of funding for ICE and 0 accountability is a bad idea. In an interview with ABC 7 Chicago, NIJC Policy Director Azadeh Erfani unpacks immigration agencies' potential new funding and inflated arrest numbers, noting that reality paints a different picture where members of our communities are being targeted and detained. "Any numbers from the Trump administration need to be taken with a grain of salt," said Erfani. "What we've seen with the Chicago area is that (ICE officials) enter properties without a warrant - we've seen domestic violence survivors, small business owners, and longstanding neighbors being swept up in those operations." "Appropriations funding is supposed to come with many kinds of guardrails and oversight. Those guardrails don't exist with this proposal. They have been completely stripped away, and it's essentially a blank check for ICE." Listen to this eye-opening interview and delve deeper into the facts here: https://lnkd.in/g6w2-JB8

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Late Tuesday night the House of Representatives passed a funding bill that gives the Trump administration billions more for detention and deportation + strips away oversight. It is now in the hands of the Senate and time is of the essence. ACT NOW to tell your Senators to REJECT more funding for enforcement, detention, and deportation that destroys our communities and families!

Vera Institute of Justice just released their Year Two interim report on the impact of the Midwest Immigrant Defenders Alliance - a collaboration that launched in 2022 and is working towards ensuring all detained immigrants before the Chicago Immigration Court have access to free and high quality legal representation. ??MIDA clients were more than five times more likely to be granted relief than unrepresented people with cases before the Chicago detained docket during the same time period. ??The MIDA program, which is designed around universal merits-blind intake, provides greater equity in access to representation to people of different countries of origin and linguistic groups than non-MIDA lawyers’ intake systems. ??With proper investment, MIDA can grow to reach the entire Chicago detained docket within five years. Big shout out to the four organizations that make this incredible program happen! The Resurrection Project National Immigrant Justice Center Cook County Public Defender @theimmigrationproject

On the latest episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, John gave a masterful overview of the shameful state of the American immigration detention system, including who runs (and profits from) ICE detention facilities, how people's civil rights are regularly violated, and the deadly consequences of unnecessary detention. Shoutout to his team for raising awareness about this issue, citing NIJC's "ICE Detention Snapshot" and for sharing the story of father, U.S. veteran, and entrepreneur Howard Bailey who was unjustly deported but successfully brought back home to reunite with his family and community after years of tireless advocacy. Watch the full segment here and start at the 3-minute mark to see the mention of NIJC: https://lnkd.in/gJPZEvtB

The Department of Homeland Security's troubling history of using immigration enforcement to repress free speech is alive and well. Over the weekend, the Trump administration targeted Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student leader with a green card, and disappeared him from his pregnant wife because of his activism in Columbia University. TAKE ACTION now and demand his release by signing this petition:

With 4 days left to avoid a government shutdown, Congress has presented a short-term funding proposal that would allocate BILLIONS of dollars to more detention and deportation operations. The House may be voting on this TOMORROW! Our elected officials need to hear our voices loud and clear: detention and deportation hurts families and children and does NOT need more funding. This money comes at the expense of prioritizing vital programs and services that support everyone’s needs, like healthcare and food assistance for children and families. TAKE ACTION via NIJC and Detention Watch Network to tell Congress to STOP using more taxpayer dollars to detain and deport our community members: https://lnkd.in/gPZnKBF8

As the #Trump administration's deportation efforts continue, more people find themselves in?immigration court. Immigration law is complicated, and most immigrants who navigate the court system do so by themselves. Kelly Garcia, a reporter for Injustice Watch who covers immigration courts in Chicago, said the lack of legal representation and language barriers add to the complexity. Garcia noted almost no one she has encountered in the Chicago court speaks English, yet all the signs and case sheets are in English. Many show up late or miss their hearings because of it. "If you miss your court hearing, the judge can order your removal," Garcia pointed out. "These barriers have very serious consequences for people - and it's very sad, honestly. It's very sad to witness that." Garcia noted it is a misconception most immigrants speak Spanish. She has heard many other languages, from Arabic to Creole to Mandarin and said most people do not know they need to request a court interpreter in advance of their hearing or risk having their case delayed. Those who show up late or not at all could be immediately removed from the country. Research shows those with?legal representation?fare better in court. But people in immigration court do not have the right to an attorney if they cannot afford one. The burden of proof, to show they were charged incorrectly or request temporary relief through asylum, falls on them. Groups like the National Immigrant Justice Center and Legal Aid Chicago are on-site to help address some gaps. As the daughter of an immigrant, Garcia emphasized she can relate to the range of emotions she sees in court. "It just feels very personal to me, because I know how it impacted my mom," Garcia recounted. "I know how hard and difficult that was for her and I also recognize that it's only gotten harder for a lot of people, especially for people who have migrated [from] very dangerous conditions, here." Garcia added she has seen many people come to the U.S. for reasons beyond their control. She said her time covering the immigration court has prompted her to work on creating an "explainer" story to help answer the many questions she hears from defendants every day.

We stand with our transgender immigrant community members whose wellbeing and very existence is under attack. CNN examines new policies and the harm they are causing our trans community members who are in danger of being deported back to harm or detained in the U.S. where they disproportionately experience abuse and horrible conditions. Read the full article below. Plus read our policy brief detailing ICE's abusive conditions: https://lnkd.in/gXD2979r

A month into the Trump admin 2.0, the Chicago Tribune examined how communities are dealing with immigration raids and arrests by ICE, looming threats of detention, and perverse incentives from private prison corporations that are making huge profits. NIJC Managing Attorney Diana Rashid spoke to the Trib for the story: