U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk called for independent investigations into deaths in U.S. immigration detention as DHS watchdogs launch inquiries into ICE custody deaths and use of force. DHS denies any spike in deaths, while Human Rights Watch says mortality is at its highest level in more than a decade.
Posts tagged as “DHS”
A federal judge in California vacated Trump administration policies allowing expanded immigration courthouse arrests and longer short-term detentions. The ruling found ICE and the Justice Department failed to adequately justify the changes.
A divided federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to expand expedited removal beyond the border to non-citizens apprehended anywhere in the U.S. who cannot show two years of presence. The ruling overturns a lower court order that found the policy violated due process rights.
A federal judge ordered the release of Salah Sarsour, a Wisconsin mosque leader detained by ICE, after finding he raised a substantial First Amendment retaliation claim. Sarsour says he was targeted for his Palestinian rights advocacy, while DHS has called him a national security threat.
The Department of Homeland Security says all detainees have been moved out of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration facility because of hurricane-season safety concerns. Advocates and attorneys say the transfers follow months of complaints over conditions and access to legal counsel.
Brad Lander’s federal trial began in Manhattan over his arrest during an attempted inspection of immigrant holding rooms at 26 Federal Plaza. Prosecutors say the case concerns elevator obstruction; Lander and his attorneys say it stems from political dissent over ICE detention conditions.
President Trump signed the Secure America Act, a nearly $70 billion package funding ICE, Customs and Border Protection and other Homeland Security operations through the rest of his presidency. The bill passed narrowly after months of Democratic opposition and internal Republican disputes.