Many noncitizen defendants are already deportable (“removable”). This includes all undocumented people, as well as lawful permanent residents (green card-holders) who have become deportable because of a conviction. If immigration authorities find these people – which is likely to happen – they will be deported unless they are granted some kind of immigration relief. For these defendants, staying eligible to apply for immigration relief is their most important immigration goal, and may be their highest priority in the criminal defense.
This resource compares immigration enforcement in Texas before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025 with the policies Trump has instituted since he has taken office. Our analysis shows that Governor Abbott’s immigration enforcement policies led the way for Trump’s actions. Texas has served as experimentation grounds for hateful and sweeping immigration enforcement policies which were quickly adopted by Trump 2.0 for the national level and have also infected other states who have enacted Texas copycat laws and policies. Our analysis below is a mere snapshot of the Texas and federal immigration enforcement policies that are currently in place.
Tracking all the tactics this administration is deploying to target immigrants is overwhelming. In this document, we attempt to summarize some of the key ways the Trump administration is shifting policies and practices to surveil, arrest, detain, deport, and silence immigrants and the people who support them. We do not name every shift; rather, we focus on the weaponization of the criminal legal system, the increasingly authoritarian approach, and the role of the federal budget, which are key tools of the Trump administration’s brutality and also vital sites of advocacy needed to stem the tide.
Last month, DHS issued a notice expanding the reach of expedited removal to individuals living in the interior of the United States. This would allow certain noncitizens to be deported without an opportunity to gather evidence, contact an attorney, or to present their case to a judge. Because of the devastating impact of expanded expedited removal, noncitizens should be informed of the risks of expedited removal and learn how to assert their rights in the face of possible removal under this changed enforcement policy. This toolkit is designed to help legal services practitioners and know-your-rights presenters assist and counsel people who might be subject to expedited removal in an encounter with ICE or CBP.
Since Donald Trump was re-elected, headlines on immigration have sounded the alarm about his administration’s plans to effectuate mass deportations, increased detentions, and indiscriminate raids. For the past three years, Governor Greg Abbott has used Texas as a laboratory for these types of policies through Operation Lone Star (OLS). This resource aims to parallel the national moves on enforcement to what has already taken place in Texas, in hopes to better equip community members and advocates with the framework to fight back.
The “Expose and Disrupt” guide illustrates how immigrant rights advocates can use state Public Records Act (PRA) requests to fight back against immigration enforcement. Strategic PRA requests can peel back the curtain on ways state and local agencies work together with immigration authorities to reinforce the deportation machinery and traumatize our communities. The guide explains the mechanics of requesting public records, strategies on what information can be useful for campaigns to stop or limit immigration enforcement, and includes examples of what kinds of records exist.
This toolkit is for advocates looking for guidance on how to engage in legislative advocacy, also known as lobbying. Legislative advocacy is building support for an issue or cause that you believe in through engaging legislators and advocating for or against certain legislation, or proposed laws. The aim of legislative advocacy is to influence the outcome of a legislator’s vote on a proposed legislation or a bill. This type of advocacy can also be for the purpose of building a legislative champion and public voice on the issue you care about.
Immigrant survivors of domestic violence face significant barriers in seeking both domestic violence support services and immigration legal assistance. Lack of lawful status, fear of deportation, and language barriers make it difficult for immigrant survivors to access critical services. These challenges can be even more acute in underserved and rural areas, such as California’s San Joaquin Valley. This project aims to fortify the economic stability of immigrant survivors of domestic violence in California’s rural San Joaquin Valley by facilitating access to lawful immigration status, employment authorization, and public benefits for immigrant survivors, thus reducing their risk of poverty and homelessness.
While politicians enact and reenact their reckless border theatrics, the ILRC surveyed border residents about their actual needs and how the influx of law enforcement efforts has affected them. We found that while the state of Texas spends more and more money on police and prisons, local governments are starved of funding and communities lack the most basic services, including clean water, paved roads, and street lights.
Throughout the Biden administration the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) has called on the President to both restore the systems that offered protection and access to immigration benefits decimated during the Trump years and steer us on a new path toward dignity and justice. This proposal highlights the critical actions immigrant communities need before this administration ends include ensuring immigration benefits are equitable and accessible for low-income immigrants of color and ending immigration arrests, immigration detention, and deportations.