American Immigration Council

American Immigration Council

@immcouncil.org

The American Immigration Council defends immigrant rights, using the power of the litigation, research, and storytelling to challenge injustice and drive change. Support our work: ow.ly/Mml550ZnPbn Get our newsletter: ow.ly/9hwZ50Xxw3Q

12.3K followers245 following400 posts

Pinned

The Trump administration finalized a rule that ends automatic work permit extensions for most renewal applicants while USCIS processes their cases, hurting workers and the US economy. The government estimates the change could mean $138.1M in lost earnings and $312.1M in labor turnover costs.

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgRecent Federal Changes to Employment Authorization - American Immigration CouncilRecent federal policy changes under the Trump administration could restrict work authorization for immigrants, asylum seekers, TPS holders, parolees, and DACA recipients.

Today the Fifth Circuit delivered a major blow to due process. The right to due process is a fundamental constitutional protection, and it is meant to protect every person in this country. But because of today's decision, that right is hollow for immigrants in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Bloomberg Law@bloomberglaw.com

The full Fifth Circuit again upheld the Trump administration’s policy of mandatory detention for noncitizens, saying in a split decision that constitutional due process protections didn’t entitle three migrant men to bond hearings in immigration court.

ICE agents in New York shot and wounded a man while he was in his car with a 5-year-old child. This is a pattern of unnecessary violence by an agency lacking meaningful accountability – and it is making our communities less safe.

nytimes.comICE Agent Shoots Man During Arrest Attempt in New York NeighborhoodThe man was in a car with a 5-year-old in the back seat when he was shot and wounded, the authorities said. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Trump administration was “terrorizing our city.”

We filed a lawsuit challenging USCIS' new policy change that penalizes eligible applicants for applying for a green card inside the U.S. This radical change could lead to families being separated and workers being pushed out of their jobs while their application processes.

View full thread

This case extends beyond our three clients and their families. If the court rules against us, immigrants detained across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi will have a much harder time getting a judge to review whether their imprisonment is justified.

In July, a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with our clients, ruling that immigrants have the right to challenge their detention & must be afforded a bond hearing within 90 days of their detention. Then the full court backtracked. It vacated the ruling, agreeing to rehear the case.

ICE’s detention system is at a record size. Now ICE is making thousands of people even harder to find. Hiding the location of people with final deportation orders makes it more difficult for lawyers and families to reach them, and for people to challenge their detention and removal in court.

apnews.comAP Exclusive: ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees with final removal ordersU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding most detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, in a move that has made it harder for lawyers an...

This shooting is the latest in what has become a pattern of increasing violence in immigration enforcement actions. Congress has given ICE and CBP a record amount of money with no oversight and few checks on abuse. It's inevitable that people will get hurt or even killed.

npr.orgFederal immigration agent shoots and injures man in Austin, TexasThe Department of Homeland Security said Monday it was leading the investigation into the officer involved in a shooting of "an illegal alien from Venezuela" during an operation in Austin, Texas.

Inhumane conditions exposed in DHS' own Office of Inspector General's report on "Alligator Alcatraz." Detainees were limited to showering only 3 times a week, lacked access to clean drinking water, and experienced overcrowding. ICE evaded responsibility, claiming it was the state of Florida.

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgDHS Oversight Agency Issues Scathing Report of Conditions at 'Alligator Alcatraz' - American Immigration CouncilDHS's own oversight office issued a damning report on the conditions at Florida's immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz.
View full thread

Alligator Alcatraz closed in June 2026, but these conditions are common in detention facilities across the country. The OIG also reported on the lack of health and safety standards at Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico, and the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.

Detention facilities are rapidly expanding. As of last July, the number of people in immigration detention was over 65,000. We need to work towards a more accountable and humane immigration system that respects the civil rights of immigrants in every stage of the process.

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgDHS Oversight Agency Issues Scathing Report of Conditions at 'Alligator Alcatraz' - American Immigration CouncilDHS's own oversight office issued a damning report on the conditions at Florida's immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz.

Inhumane conditions exposed in DHS' own Office of Inspector General's report on "Alligator Alcatraz." Detainees were limited to showering only 3 times a week, lacked access to clean drinking water, and experienced overcrowding. ICE evaded responsibility, claiming it was the state of Florida.

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgDHS Oversight Agency Issues Scathing Report of Conditions at 'Alligator Alcatraz' - American Immigration CouncilDHS's own oversight office issued a damning report on the conditions at Florida's immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz.

One of the most shocking findings: Detainees were held in literal cages for hours as a form of punishment. The cages were roughly the size of a phone booth with a locking mechanism. The OIG stated that it had never seen this type of restraint.

American Immigration Council reposted

DC folks, this is going to be an amazing event next week. Come join us!

Lawfare@lawfaremedia.org

Next Thursday, @situ-research.bsky.social, Lawfare, @theintercept.com will host an in person screening + panel discussion of "Deportation Inc.: Investigating the Business of Migrant Removal." With @tylermcbrien.com, @nickturse.bsky.social, @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social, and Setareh Ghandehari.

American Immigration Council reposted

I spoke to @cnn.com about an important linguistic question; when the U.S. government dumps someone in a country on a continent they've never been to before, does the word "deportation" still apply? Or is what's happening something different — a rendition? www.cnn.com/2026/09/03/u...

cnn.comIs dumping a Cuban in Africa ‘deportation’? | CNNAs the Trump administration sends migrants to faraway, unfamiliar countries where they are again detained, some immigration advocates argue that the word “deportation” is no longer sufficient.

The Trump administration is cutting funding for legal services that help unaccompanied children navigate immigration court. This means many children could be forced to represent themselves in court, alone, against trained government attorneys. Here's what you need to know 👇

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgTrump administration attacks unaccompanied children right to counselThe Trump administration just made it harder for unaccompanied children to navigate immigration court by attacking their right to counsel.

The U.S. wants high-skilled immigrants to treat patients, drive innovation, conduct research... But what happens when those workers want to build a more permanent life in the U.S.? They face increased uncertainty and mounting obstacles. (1/7) www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/press-releas...

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgNew Data: Workers Seeking Green Cards Face Uncertain PathNew data shows that workers seeking employment-based green cards are facing greater uncertainty and mounting obstacles.
View full thread

We have an economy and immigration system that is basically telling high-skilled workers, "We need your skills. We want your labor. "But if you want to know if you can build a life here.... wellllllllll..... can't tell you that sorrrrrry!" That is a TERRIBLE way to compete for global talent. (6/7)

Our two new reports dig into 10 years of USCIS data, and what rising backlogs, visa shortages, longer waits, and increased scrutiny mean for the future of high-skilled immigration. (7/7) Learn more here: www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/press-releas...

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgNew Data: Workers Seeking Green Cards Face Uncertain PathNew data shows that workers seeking employment-based green cards are facing greater uncertainty and mounting obstacles.

The U.S. wants high-skilled immigrants to treat patients, drive innovation, conduct research... But what happens when those workers want to build a more permanent life in the U.S.? They face increased uncertainty and mounting obstacles. (1/7) www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/press-releas...

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgNew Data: Workers Seeking Green Cards Face Uncertain PathNew data shows that workers seeking employment-based green cards are facing greater uncertainty and mounting obstacles.
View full thread

There’s another worrying shift: denials are rising. At one point in FY2025, USCIS was denying roughly 1 in 6 employment-based immigrant petitions. For EB-1A and EB-2 NIW petitions (categories for highly skilled workers) denial rates nearly doubled during that year. (4/7)

Even getting your work visa petition APPROVED doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting an employment-based green card anytime soon. At the end of FY2025, 642,000+ workers with approved employment-based petitions were still waiting for a visa number. Some will wait years. (5/7)

The U.S. wants high-skilled immigrants to treat patients, drive innovation, conduct research... But what happens when those workers want to build a more permanent life in the U.S.? They face increased uncertainty and mounting obstacles. (1/7) www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/press-releas...

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgNew Data: Workers Seeking Green Cards Face Uncertain PathNew data shows that workers seeking employment-based green cards are facing greater uncertainty and mounting obstacles.

We examined a decade of USCIS data. Top takeaways-- The demand for high-skilled workers remains strong. Nearly 98% of H-1B petitions were approved in FY2025. But USCIS received more than 456,000 petitions, contributing to a growing backlog. (2/7) www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/report/uscis...

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgHigh-Skilled Visa Processing Under Strain - American Immigration CouncilUSCIS processing delays, growing backlogs, and shifting approval trends are creating new challenges for employers and high-skilled workers seeking H-1B, L-1, and O visas.

This "great delegalization" means workers will lose jobs they’ve held for years. Employers will lose experienced staff. Communities will be disrupted. And it all does absolutely nothing to fix what's fundamentally broken in our immigration system. (5/6)

Congress needs to build an immigration system that works: one with realistic pathways for longtime residents to earn permanent status, keeps families and communities together, and reflects the country we actually are. (6/6)

This crisis didn’t begin with the termination of #TPS. For decades, Congress has failed to update our immigration laws. This means many longtime residents have virtually no way to gain permanent status, no matter how long they’ve lived here or how deeply rooted they are. (3/6)

Short-term protections like #TPS, parole & deferred action have helped fill that void. Congress's failure to act left the executive branch w/ little choice but to use these temporary measures to protect people. (4/6)

What happens when people follow all the rules asked of them from an immigration system, and still have no way to make a permanent home in this country? @daralind.bsky.social new piece for @newyorker.com examines our ongoing “Great Delegalization”: www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

newyorker.comThese Immigrants Lived in the U.S. Legally. Now Trump Is Changing Their Status.More than a million immigrants are seeing protections that granted them safe lives in the U.S. suddenly swept away.

Since Jan 2025, over a million people have lost TPS or similar legal protections/authorization to work in the US. These are people here **legally**. They built careers, raised families and became part of their communities. Now those protections are being stripped away. (2/6)

Another tragic death in ICE custody. The U.S. immigration detention system has been plagued by inhumane conditions for decades. Edwin Lopez-Cornejo's family deserves answers and accountability. We need an immigration system grounded in humanity, not detention at any cost.

cnn.comImmigrant held at New Jersey ICE facility dies, officials say | CNNA Salvadoran man being held at a controversial immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, has died, federal officials said Monday, marking the latest death of an immigrant in ICE custody.

American Immigration Council reposted

On Tuesday, the full Fifth Circuit granted DOJ's request for a "precedential stay" of district court rulings holding that the Due Process Clause requires bond hearings for immigration detainees w/in 90 days of their arrest. Today's "One First" explains why that's a really big (and problematic) deal:

stevevladeck.comBonus 239: The Fifth Circuit's "Precedential Stay" in Sosnava RodriguezThe Fifth Circuit once again did the government's bidding on immigration detention—this time through an unexplained procedural move I've never seen before.

The Trump administration finalized a new rule on July 17 changing the federal government’s policy on how immigration officials determine when someone is likely to be a “public charge.” Here's what you need to know:

americanimmigrationcouncil.orgWhat Trump’s New Public Charge Rule Means for Immigrants - American Immigration CouncilThe Trump administration is changing how immigration officials determine when someone is likely to be a “public charge.”

"The deaths and killings that we're seeing, whether it's in the streets of American communities or immigration detention facilities, are not isolated." Read more from @naynagupta.bsky.social about the pattern of increasingly widespread aggression and violence in immigration enforcement ⤵️

Trump Defiant as ICE Faces Pressure From Latest Killings Tied to Immigration Crackdown https://bit.ly/4f85Xb7

American Immigration Council reposted