DHS Watch was created in 2018 to uphold an immigration system that is competently administered, accountable, and adheres to long-held American values on immigration. DHS Watch shines a light on policies and administration that fail to adhere to basic principles of good governance.

In spite of mounting cases of harm and abuse of children in immigration detention, the Trump administration formally proposed a regulation last week to indefinitely detain children under weaker standards and conditions than currently exist.  The regulation, if finalized, would replace the Flores Settlement Agreement (FSA) which protects children... Continue »
The following is a statement from Ur Jaddou, Director of DHS Watch, regarding the news that the Trump administration is proposing a new regulation to replace the Flores Settlement Agreement – which provides for basic standards of care for children and protects them from indefinite detention. Instead, the proposed... Continue »
Why it Matters Even More Than Others Who Made Similar Comments Buzzfeed reported on Saturday that a “US Army director recently offered a job as deputy director of the federal agency that oversees immigration applications made anti-Muslim statements and posts on Facebook in recent years.”  In a statement... Continue »
One Month After Court’s Reunification Deadline, Some 500 Children Remain Separated According to yesterday’s report to the federal judge overseeing the reunification of parents and children separated under Trump’s family separation policy — one month after the court-imposed deadline — 497 children remain separated, including 22 under the age... Continue »
Trump Administration Should Cease Plans to Grow Family Detention According to Vice News, Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro “wants answers on what Immigration and Customs Enforcement knew about the case of a toddler from Guatemala who died after leaving federal custody earlier this year.”   In a recent meeting... Continue »
Yet, the Trump Administration Remains Intent on Drastically Expanding the Detention of Children with Parents According to Vice News on Monday, a toddler died weeks after being released from an ICE family detention center where she first became seriously ill.  Yet, the Trump administration continues full-speed ahead on drastically... Continue »
Why It Matters and Why It’s Time For Congress To Exercise Its Broad Oversight Authority A recent Vanity Fair article describes the destructive power that one man — Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Miller — has over long-standing U.S. refugee policy and the law.   For almost 40 years,... Continue »
Despite multiple court orders, the Trump administration continues to drag its feet in reunifying the families it separated.  According to a report to the court overseeing this matter, very little progress has been made in reuniting the remaining children separated from parents, well after the court-ordered deadline of July... Continue »
It’s Time for an Independent Immigration Court On Tuesday, Tal Kopan of CNN reported that an immigration judge assigned to a case for many years was replaced with another judge from Washington who quickly and with little process ordered the deportation of an immigrant.  Kopan explains: The unusual use... Continue »
According to a court filing last week, the Trump administration claims the parents of 711 children separated under Trump’s family separation policy are “not eligible for reunification” or the children are “not available for discharge.”  These cold, bureaucratic terms gloss over the real reasons why these children remain separated... Continue »