Deterrence-Only Policy to Blame Yesterday, ProPublica released a deeply disturbing video documenting that the death of 16-year old Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vazquez while in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody last May was a preventable tragedy. The horrifying details reveal that CBP lied about what happened and covered up their actions. This brazen attempt … Continue reading »
Today's Updates
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ICE and CBP Abuse
“Shock and Awe” Against Immigrant Families: More Boundless Cruelty and More Failed Deterrence-Only Policy
A Washington Post story posted last night, “Before Trump’s purge at DHS, top officials challenged plan for mass family arrests,” highlights that the Trump White House, led by Stephen Miller, is exploring a military style “shock and awe” approach targeted against immigrant families in American cities to dissuade desperate Central American families from seeking refuge … Continue reading »
What’s Wrong With this Picture? DHS Lies, ICE Under Investigation, Journalists Under Surveillance, and Money Taken from Soldiers’ Pay and Pensions
Over the past week, we’ve seen new levels of hypocrisy from the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, as they bend over backwards to embrace Trump’s draconian immigration vision and the unpopular and unconstitutional power grab emergency declaration. According to Douglas Rivlin, Communications Director of America’s Voice, “The President’s brand is chaos, and his reelection strategy … Continue reading »
BuzzFeed: “An ICE Memo Lays Out The Differences Between Trump And Obama On Immigration Enforcement”
In a new piece for Buzzfeed, Hamed Aleaziz spotlights an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo that unmasks the administration’s cruel and deliberate push to deport as many immigrants as possible. The memo not only encourages attorneys to ignore requests for leniency, but also to reopen any closed cases in order to deport those who … Continue reading »
Former Border Patrol Agent Blows the Whistle on Culture of Violence, Cruelty and Impunity
Ur Jaddou: “CBP’s accountability structures are woefully lacking and way behind other large law enforcement agencies” In a new article for The Intercept, John Washington interviews a former Border Patrol agent. Using a pseudonym, “Mario” reveals instances of violence and cruelty towards immigrants, a culture of impunity and corruption, and a “green line” of protecting … Continue reading »
Glaring Need for Robust Structures of Accountability and Hiring at CBP
A Long-term Border Patrol Agent Accused of Being a Serial Killer is the Latest Example of an Agency in Need of an Overhaul The Associated Press recently reported that a ten-year U.S. Border Patrol agent and “supervisor was charged Saturday with murder in the deaths of four female sex workers following what authorities called a … Continue reading »
The Fate of the Officials Who Carried Out the Family Separation Scandal? Promoted Instead of Punished; Celebrated Instead of Prosecuted
In an interview on Fox News, acting ICE Director Ronald Vitiello — who has been nominated to become the permanent ICE Director — was asked if he supported the President’s family separation policy. His response: “We supported what the President did.” After talking about the chaos that resulted, he said “we’ve recovered from that now.” … Continue reading »
Three Weeks Past the Court-Ordered Family Reunification Deadline, Trump Celebrates and Promotes Those Responsible
Last night we learned the total number of children that remained separated from their parents has actually increased. Based on new numbers released last night, 565 children (up from 559) are still separated, including 24 children who are 5 years of age and under. This is deeply disturbing confirmation that the Trump administration continues to … Continue reading »
Why Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is One of America’s “Most Out-of-Control Enforcement” Agencies
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), like its agency cousin ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), is a relatively new agency and has only operated since 2003. In that short time, however, CBP has developed a long record of abuses — so many that Politico once called it America’s “most out-of-control enforcement agency” — yet the Trump … Continue reading »
The Many, Many Reasons Why ICE is a Rogue Agency
ICE is a relatively new government agency and has only been operating since 2003. In its less than two decades of existence, ICE has developed a long record of abuses — yet the Trump Administration has encouraged, facilitated, and “unshackled” the agency. Under his presidency, ICE has increasingly known no bounds, which is why we … Continue reading »