Changes to the 287(g) Program
ICE has changed the standard language for 287(g) agreements. This resource highlights and explains the most significant changes and provides a line by line comparison of old and new contracts.
Best Practices: Protecting Immigrants When Decriminalizing or Legalizing Marijuana
Across the country, states and localities are increasingly moving to end marijuana prohibition laws. For immigrant communities, despite the changing attitude toward marijuana-related conduct at the state level, an old conviction can still form the basis for immigration-related consequences at the federal level. Though federal legal reforms may be the only way to completely eradicate the immigration consequences of marijuana-related conduct and convictions, reforms at the state level can nevertheless help stop the arrest-to-deportation pipeline. Drawing from our experience with state and
Understanding ICE’s Warrant Service Officer Program
FAQ about ICE’s newest model of 287(g), the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program.
A Budget to Save Lives, CA COVID-19 Public Health and Safety Budget
The COVID-19 pandemic demands a bold, urgent public health response for incarcerated communities. Even before this health crisis, California’s jails, prison system, and immigration detention centers were dangerously overcrowded and medically negligent. The Dignity not Detention Coalition, in partnership with CURB, JusticeLA, and Human Impact partners, created A Budget to Save Lives, a community-based decarceration strategy which presents intersectional reforms in five key areas including: Jail population reduction, prison population reduction, immigration detention population reduction, youth
Jails Are Worsening the COVID-19 Pandemic by Transferring People to ICE
Jails and prisons are the primary funnel into immigration detention centers across the nation. Instead of letting people who are due for release from custody go home, jails transfer them to ICE. During this pandemic, these transfers to ICE not only affect the individuals themselves, but contribute to community spread of COVID-19. Local and state actors are making a choice to spread the virus by transferring people to ICE, rather than allowing them to go home and shelter in place. In order to halt the unnecessary spread of COVID-19, we must stop all these transfers now. The resource below is
Texas County Officials
Before pushing for change at the county level, it is crucial to understand the powers and responsibilities of different county officials and bodies. This resource is for Texas advocates and explains the authority and jurisdiction of various local elected county officials in Texas.
Texas Sheriffs and the Arrest-to-Deportation Pipeline
As a local elected law enforcement official and operator of county jails, Sheriffs play a critical role in ending the arrest-to-deportation pipeline. This advisory for advocates in Texas explains the power of county sheriffs, and measures they can take to reduce the number of people being funneled into the deportation pipeline, without violating state laws like SB 4.
Responsible Releases: Safeguards to Protect Immigrants Released from Jails and Prisons
As more and more jurisdictions are contemplating releasing people from jails and prisons, it is critical that we consider ways to ensure that people released are not immediately transferred to the harmful deportation system. ILRC, together with our allies, Asian Prisoners Support Committee, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, and California Alliance for Youth and Criminal Justice, put together this list of recommendations that advocates can use to demand responsible releases.
ICE Detainers Are Illegal — So What Does That Really Mean?
Over the years, various courts throughout the country have agreed that prolonging custody of a person solely based on an ICE detainer request is unlawful for numerous reasons. This practice advisory provides a summary of the court decisions related to ICE detainers and the arguments to challenge localities that continue to detain people for ICE. The cases discussed here illustrate some of the detailed arguments that are developing over what the Fourth Amendment requires and what is authorized or not by federal and state laws.
From “Superpredators” to “Migrant Gang Bangers”: The Criminalization of Young People of Color
This one-page resource from the ILRC and the National Juvenile Justice Network illustrates the connections between the criminalization of young people of color in the youth justice system and the current criminalization of young immigrants of color.
ICE Courthouse Arrests in California: Explainer and Legal Strategies Tool for Legal Services Providers and Defenders
In response to recent ICE enforcement practices, noncitizens who need to attend state and local courts in California may express fear of civil arrest if they attend court. This two-page tool, written for defenders and legal services providers, presents California-specific strategies for representing and advising noncitizens who may require additional procedural protections for their right to attend court. It includes discussion of recent California laws and how they affect daily court practice, as well as recommendations for documenting unlawful civil arrests and for empowering communities to
Open Records Laws for Immigrant Rights Advocates
This toolkit and webinar from ILRC, CLINIC, and the Center for Constitutional Rights provide and introduction and advice for how immigrant rights advocates can use public records act requests to get information on how immigrants are treated by local and state government agencies. These requests can be an essential part of campaigns to protect immigrant communities.
Growing the Resistance: How Sanctuary Laws and Policies Have Flourished During the Trump Administration
Sanctuary policies have been under attack since the 2016 presidential campaign and throughout the Trump administration. Nonetheless, these policies have continued to expand, both geographically and in terms of substantive policy content and protections. This detailed report describes what sanctuary policies are and how they are enacted across the country, detailing the changes over the last three years and providing context to the public discourse about local policies related to immigration. It is accompanied by our live national map with data on county-level involvement with ICE: www.ilrc
How to Check if You Have a Criminal Record
This guide provides step-by-step guidance on how to check if you have a criminal record from the FBI and state government agencies.
National Map of Local Entanglement with ICE
National Map of Local Entanglement with ICE
Government Contracts and Immigration Detention Services
The Department of Homeland Security uses government contracts to acquire immigration detention services. This graphic explains the procurement process, or the competitive bidding process, that government agencies use to purchase services from private contractors and how DHS can use this process to enter into contracts with private prison corporations.
Protections for Noncitizen Youth: How California Laws Protect Youth Involved in the Youth Justice System Against Immigration Enforcement
This short resource explains how California laws protect noncitizen youth in the youth justice system from immigration enforcement.
Moving Texas Forward: Local Policies Towards Inclusive Justice
Moving Texas Forward: Local Policies Towards Inclusive Justice was created for the many organizations and elected officials in Texas that are struggling to find solutions to disrupt the harmful arrest-to-deportation pipeline. Texas has helped deport more people than any other state. In fiscal year 2017, more than 395,000 people, or 17% of all deportations nationwide, were deported from Texas. Texas’ role in the detention and deportation of immigrants has increased under the Trump administration and will continue to increase because of SB 4. This guide attempts to provide a comprehensive and
HSI Backgrounder
As the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies have increasingly come under scrutiny, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has played an increasingly significant role in carrying out brutal tactics to target immigrants for deportation.
Bexar County Cite & Release
Starting in June 2019, Bexar County and San Antonio will implement "cite and release," a new administrative policy that seeks to reduce arrests. The policy directs law enforcement officers to use their discretion to issue citations for low-level, non-violent offenses.
287(g) FOIA Documents
Collected pages from a FOIA to ICE that relate to the 287(g) program. Includes documents from all over the country, including 287(g) applications and needs assessments, emails about joining the program, MOAs, and other records.
Ending 287(g) Nationwide
The 287(g) program allows designated local law enforcement .officers to enforce civil immigration law s According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the 287(g) program led to more than 7,000 deportations in 2018.
Ending 287(g): A Toolkit for Local Organizers
The Trump administration has vowed to increase 287(g) agreements, which deputize state and local law enforcement officers to undertake various duties of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Indeed, as of the date of this publication, 49 of the 78 total 287(g) agreements were created during this current administration, and the number will likely continue to increase. However, all of the current 287(g) agreements will expire on June 30, 2019, unless they are renewed.
Ending 287(g) In Texas
The 287(g) program allows designated local law enforcement officers to enforce civil immigration laws. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the 287(g) program led to more than 7,000 deportations in 2018.
The Success of Sanctuary Under Trump
In spite of the constant attacks on sanctuary policies from the current administration, these policies continue to spread, and continue to win in the courts. More than 120 new sanctuary-type laws have been enacted since January 2017, and at least 20 federal court rulings have found in favor of jurisdictions that limit their assistance or involvement in immigration enforcement.
The State of Orange County
This report outlines the state of immigration enforcement in Orange County, California by providing a window into the historical and current state of Orange County’s immigration policies, their impact on local residents and the considerations and values that ought to guide a vision for a new Orange County. Specifically, the report offers a first look at data obtained through Public Records Act requests from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and ICE. It concludes with 20 questions that ought to inform any discussion going forward about immigration policy in the sixth most populous county
Overview of the Deportation System: A Guide for Community Members and Advocates
This advisory gives an orientation to the deportation process for community members and new advocates. It breaks down the process into four steps that typically happen in an immigrant’s experience with the deportation system, providing a basic overview of ICE enforcement, the court system, and the effect of a removal or deportation order.
Protecting Immigrant Youth Fact Sheet
It is essential that we enact policies that support our youth in becoming healthy, productive adults. Unfortunately, many localities engage in unnecessary, and sometimes unlawful, practices that negatively impact the development of young people. This fact sheet, written together with the National Juvenile Justice Network, describes policy changes that could help protect immigrant youth.
Resources on the FIRST STEP Act
Resources on the FIRST STEP Act—legislation to reform the criminal justice system—and its impacts on non-citizens.